NASCAR Whelen Euro Series announced yesterday that they would be giving all teams an option to run sequential gearboxes in their cars starting from this year, making EuroNASCAR the first NASCAR series to introduce sequential gearboxes.

A major, game-changing news was announced yesterday by NASCAR Whelen Euro Series after they revealed that all teams will be given an option to use sequential gearboxes in their car starting from this year.

The announcement would place Euro Series in the forefront of the introduction of sequential gearboxes within the NASCAR industry as they would become the first NASCAR series to introduce sequential gearboxes, predating NASCAR Cup Series’ plan to introduce sequential gearboxes with the Next Gen car by one year.

“We are extremely proud of the EuroNASCAR cars. We continuously develop and improve them year after year and will never stop to do so!”said NWES President – CEO Jerome Galpin on the announcement.

“With 400-hp over 1200 kg, The EuroNASCAR cars are superior on track to TCR and most of the GT4 cars, and they run for approximately a third of the costs, so they definitely offer to all teams and drivers the best ratio between budget and performance. This sequential gearbox command will make them even more accessible and fun to drive.”

Little is known about the specifications and the provider of the sequentials used in the EuroNASCAR cars, but series organizer Team FJ had been working to develop the sequential gearbox system over the last two years. A test in Fontenay earlier this March served as the culmination of the development period for the EuroNASCAR sequential gearboxes.

An onboard shot of Kurt Busch’s Next Gen test last year, showcasing the sequential gearboxes that will be used in Cup next year

Unlike the Xtrac P1293-based sequential gearbox that will be made mandatory in Cup Series next year, the usage of sequential gearboxes in EuroNASCAR are not mandatory as teams are free to choose between the sequentials or the traditional 4-speed H-shape manual gearboxes.

NASCAR Whelen Euro Series hopes that the sequential gearboxes will provide drivers from all kind of racing backgrounds with more accessibility when driving the EuroNASCAR cars.

The announcement of sequential gearbox introduction marked the second rule change for the upcoming 2021 season after the announcement that Hoosier Racing Tire will become the new exclusive tire supplier for 2021 as part of parent company Continental’s contract extension with the series.

Disclaimer: Unless noted, all photos used in this article are courtesy of NASCAR Whelen Euro Series / NASCAR.

By Reza Maulana

Owner of World of EuroNASCAR. Official member of the EuroNASCAR media team. Long-time motorsport fan from Indonesia.

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