NASCAR Whelen Euro Series’ defending EuroNASCAR 2 champion Lasse Sørensen has secured himself a promotion to the EuroNASCAR PRO class after it was announced yesterday that he will race DF1 Racing’s No. 66 Chevrolet Camaro in Euro Series’ top division this year.
Lasse will continue to race the No. 66 Chevrolet Camaro that he brought to the title last year, making the No. 66 team an all-Danish team following confirmation that fellow Dane Andreas Jochimsen will be driving the No. 66 car in the EN2 class. With Dexwet leaving the team, Denmark construction company Strøjer Tegl – who previously sponsored Lasse in Danish Thundersport Championship – has stepped up to become the sponsor of the No. 66 team this year.
“So thankful to tell you guys that I will drive another season in Nascar Whelen Euro Series in the NASCAR PRO Championship with DF1 Racing,” said Lasse in social media. “I’m really excited for the upcoming season, and especially looking forward to work with my championship winning team from 2019 again. I am sure we will do well.”
The news followed upon Lasse’s spectacular debut year, which saw the 23-year old Danish driver won the 2019 Elite 2 title despite missing the first two races of the season. With 7 wins and 10 podium finishes in 11 races, Lasse has certainly established himself as one of the most exciting young talents in the series right now.
Lasse had previously made his debut in the PRO class last year at Brands Hatch, where he immediately showed Top-10 pace throughout the week. Despite a broken prop shaft forced Lasse to retire from Saturday’s race, a Top-10 finish from 28th on the grid in the Sunday race showed the potential that he had entering this year’s campaign.
“I will keep my head up and work with my fantastic team DF1 Racing,” said Lasse in the official team announcement. “I think we’ll be able to pick up some good results. Realistically, my first goal is to finish in the top-5. Last year I said the same thing and in the end we were the EuroNASCAR 2 champions, even though I missed the race weekend in Valencia.”
“My goal is to win, but the championship will be really tough. Everyone has to push themselves to their limits to win. But I believe in myself and the team. We’ll see where we end up.”
“I travelled to Denmark to pay my personal respects and thank Lasse for the 2019 season,” said DF1 Motorsport Director Norbert Walchhofer, who showed high praise to Lasse. “Lasse is a racer without compromises, who approaches his races in a focused manner. In decades I’ve never seen such a talent like Lasse. He has a clear plan when he gets into a NASCAR car, we saw that in 2019. He came, saw and won, but that will be more difficult in the 2020 season.”
“His realistic expectations for the EuroNASCAR PRO championship underline his professional character. As a Junior Trophy driver, he will now be able to compete with the European NASCAR elite. I am sure that he will leave his footprints in the EuroNASCAR PRO and entertain the spectators as well as our team.”
Following the announcement that Valencia NASCAR Fest will be postponed to late October as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, the 2020 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series season will now start with American Speedfest 8 at Brands Hatch on 6-7 June.
Disclaimer: Unless noted, all photos used in this article are courtesy of Lasse Sørensen.