Tuomas Pöntinen will be making his EuroNASCAR PRO debut after Marko Stipp Motorsport announced that the young Finn is going to drive the team’s No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro this weekend.
Talented young driver and EuroNASCAR’s first Finnish podium finisher Tuomas Pöntinen is making his return to the series this weekend as a driver in EuroNASCAR’s top class. The news was announced by Marko Stipp Motorsport earlier today, revealing that Pöntinen is set to drive MSM’s No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro in EuroNASCAR PRO.
“23-year-old Tuomas Pöntinen will participate in the Euro NASCAR race at Vallelunga, Italy, driving for Marko Stipp Motorsport in a Chevrolet Camaro,” announced MSM.
“Last season, Pöntinen competed in the EN2 class of the same series and made history by becoming the first Finnish driver to reach the podium in a NASCAR race, precisely in Italy, exactly one year ago. Now, Pöntinen seeks success in the Pro class.”
Pöntinen made his debut last year through the Iceboys Racing team and turned out to be one of the star drivers in the EuroNASCAR 2 division. The Finn was immediately up to speed in the unfamiliar EuroNASCAR stock cars and became a consistent top-5 contender.
It only took Pöntinen three races to score his first top-5 finish before he went one step better in the following race. Pöntinen took home his first ever podium finish at Vallelunga after he took advantage of a collision between Alberto Naska and Martin Doubek. It was a historic achievement for him as he became the first driver from Finland to finish on the podium in EuroNASCAR.
After one more podium finish at Circuit Zolder, he finished the year in sixth place on the overall standings with 364 points. Pöntinen also secured a third-place finish in the Rookie Trophy, just behind Trophy winner Liam Hezemans and Naska.
Pöntinen plans to make a return in 2023 despite Iceboys’ absence, but failure to earn the necessary sponsorship for a full-time campaign scuppered those plans. Thankfully, Pöntinen has now secured enough funding for NASCAR GP Italy and hopes that he will be to compete for the rest of the season onboard the MSM Chevrolet.
“Thanks to Marko Stipp Motorsport and all the partners for this opportunity,” said Pöntinen on the official release. “Earlier this year, we had worked hard to be able to compete the entire season but in the end we couldn’t make it happen. I was sad not to race but last week I received a call and we managed to find a solution for at least one race.”
With the results from last year still fresh in his memory, Pöntinen is excited at the prospect of racing at Vallelunga once more. He is, however, wary that competing in EuroNASCAR’s top division is not going to be easy.
“I like the track; it’s a great circuit with speed, but it also includes a more technical section,” said Pöntinen. “This year, I’ve only driven a NASCAR car for a single day in Germany and that’s, of course, too little.”
“However, I had a really good feeling about the car and the team. Realistically, I could aim for a top-ten finish, and if everything goes perfectly, maybe even higher. But now, we’re competing at the highest level, and we start as underdogs.”
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