A New Milestone: CAAL Racing’s 51 EuroNASCAR Victories in Pictures

Win #1 – Eddie Cheever III, the son of legendary open wheel star Eddie Cheever, took home CAAL’s first victory in the 2014 edition of American SpeedFest at Brands Hatch. This victory made Cheever III the youngest driver to win an EuroNASCAR PRO race at the time, a record that he held for nearly nine years.

Win #2 – Magione’s Autodromo dell’Umbria was the site of CAAL Racing’s first EuroNASCAR success on home soil. Cheever III beat series legends Ander Vilarinõ and Frédéric Gabillon to bring the No. 51 Chevrolet SS to the Victory Lane on the Sunday race of the 2014 Trofeo Turismo Magione.

Win #3 – The wet conditions during the final race of the 2014 season at Bugatti Circuit didn’t deter Eddie Cheever III, who grabbed his third victory of the season ahead of Anthony Kumpen and Gabillon in what turned out to be EuroNASCAR’s final race at Le Mans to date.

Win #4 – Eddie Cheever III continued where he left off with a stunning victory in the 2015 season’s opening race at Circuit Ricardo Tormo. As it turns out, it was the last victory scored by the third generation driver in EuroNASCAR. Cheever III left the series at the end of the year to pursue a career in sportscar racing.

Win #5 – After trying for more than two seasons, Nicolò Rocca experienced his first taste of Victory Lane in the series’ first race at Raceway Venray. Rocca took the lead after early race leader Kumpen crashed out on lap 21 and he never looked back, leading the remaining 40 laps to score the first victory of his career.

Win #6 – The 2015 season featured two oval rounds: Venray and Tours. Rocca repeated his heroics at Venray with a victory in the first Tours race to give CAAL Racing a total of two wins in the ovals that year.

Win #7 – CAAL took three out of the four available wins in the 2015 Coppa Turismo Magione, the first of which was a highly important one as it marked Alon Day’s first win in EuroNASCAR. He led all laps from pole position, setting the stage for the Israeli driver’s domination in the years that followed.

Win #8 – On the day after, Salvador Tineo Arroyo pulled through to grab his first EuroNASCAR win. Starting the race from third, he took the lead on the opening lap and went on to lead all 25 laps. It was the first win for a Spaniard in EuroNASCAR 2 as well as CAAL’s first in the junior class.

Win #9 – The rain came by the time EuroNASCAR PRO began their Sunday race at Magione, but it didn’t deter Nicolò Rocca’s aspirations for the victory. After early race leader Eddie Cheever III dropped out due to mechanical troubles, Rocca led the last 10 laps of the race to take a stunning win from sixth on the grid. 

Win #10 – The inaugural round at Circuit Zolder was the race that solidified Alon Day as the driver to watch. Day repeated his performance from Umbria by leading all laps of Race 1 from pole position and surviving an Overtime finish restart.

Win #11 – It was career win number three for Alon Day, who cemented his domination at Zolder. Day once again led all laps from pole position en route to victory, beating Eddie Cheever III by 7.950 seconds – the largest winning margin of any EuroNASCAR PRO race in 2015.

Win #12 – The starting grid for Race 2 in EuroNASCAR is determined by the fastest lap order of Race 1 and Alon Day took advantage of it for the first time in 2016’s season opener at Valencia. After securing the first fastest lap award of the year, Day led all 17 laps of Race 2 to win the race that had three caution periods and ended under yellow.

Win #13 – The 2016 EuroNASCAR 2 season was dominated by PK Carsport, but CAAL Racing managed to snatch one victory from their long-time rival. That took place in the American SpeedFest IV, where Salvador Tineo Arroyo took the second and final race win of his career. He survived two restarts and led all laps to beat Stienes Longin by 0.622 seconds.

Win #14 – Sunday’s running of American SpeedFest IV was held in the wet conditions, but it did not slow down Alon Day a bit. Having started from pole courtesy of his fastest lap on Saturday, Day led all 30 laps to complete the Sunday sweep for CAAL Racing’s No. 54 team.

Win #15 – EuroNASCAR’s Italy round had a new home in 2016, but the result is still the same. Alon Day gave CAAL Racing a three year streak of home victory after he brought the No. 54 Chevrolet to the Victory Lane on what turned out to be the series’ only visit to Adria.

Win #16 – 2017 was a big year for CAAL Racing with six visits to the Victory Lane, the first of which came at American SpeedFest V. Alon Day took the lead from pole sitter Anthony Kumpen on lap 3 to win the 30-lap Sunday race, the seventh victory of his career.

Win #17 – Salvador Tineo Arroyo moved up to EuroNASCAR PRO in 2017, but CAAL Racing had a new star driver in EuroNASCAR 2 in Felipe Rabello and he won his first race at Venray. Ulysse Delsaux led the majority of the race, but Rabello stole the victory with the help of an Overtime restart triggered by a late spin from Sam Taheri.

Win #18 – On the following day, Felipe Rabello was running second from Guillaume Dumarey when Dumarey crashed out on lap 29. Rabello survived the restart and led the last 22 laps to complete the sweep, beating Marconi Abreu in a Brazilian 1-2 finish.

Win #19 – Another year, another home race success for CAAL Racing. EuroNASCAR visited Autodromo di Franciacorta for the first time and Alon Day was a man on a mission that weekend. He dominated Saturday’s race and beat Frederic Gabillon by nine seconds to start a run of three consecutive victories.

Win #20 – The 20 wins mark was achieved through Alon Day’s sweep at Franciacorta. Despite two Safety Car interruptions, Alon Day came through to win the Sunday race by 4.277 seconds. With double points on the line, it gave Day plenty of points heading to the final round at Zolder.

Win #21 – Three Playoffs races, three wins for the Israeli driver. Alon Day did his now-customary performance of leading all laps from pole position en route to the checkered flag at Zolder. The run of Playoff victories was enough for Day to clinch his – and CAAL’s – first EuroNASCAR championship trophy.

Win #22 – Day’s began his title defense in 2018 with style. In the first race to be broadcasted live by EuroNASCAR, the Israeli once again led every single lap from pole position to win the race by 8.864 seconds from Frédéric Gabillon.

Win #23 – Marc Goossens beat Day for the pole position honor and the lead on the first lap, but contact between him and Loris Hezemans opened the path for Day to score yet another dominating victory. He led 13 laps and held off his rivals on two restart periods to sweep the season opener of 2018.

Win #24 – The champion continues his hot streak on the next round at Franciacorta as Day once again did his customary “lead all laps from pole position” tactic to win his third consecutive race in 2018. This race ended under caution due to a late incident involving Loris and Marconi Abreu.

Win #25 – Day initially achieved this in Race 2 at Franciacorta, but he was disqualified for failing post-race inspection. That meant that the milestone had to wait until Tours, where he beat former Cup Series champion Bobby Labonte in a thrilling race on EuroNASCAR’s final race at the 0.375-mile oval.

Win #26 – After a failed last lap overtake attempt cost Day dearly in Saturday’s race at the Hockenheimring, Day bounced back on Sunday with yet another dominating victory. It was a close fight for him however, as Loris was able to keep Day honest. In the end, the Israeli only finished 0.185 seconds ahead of the talented Dutchman.

Win #27 – Day was trailing Lucas Lasserre in the championship battle heading to Zolder, but Race 1 at Belgium was the major turnaround that Day needed. Day took his sixth win of the year and with Lasserre and Loris retiring early and Frédéric Gabillon finishing third, that meant that he regained the championship lead heading to Sunday’s finale.

Win #28 – Loris, Gabillon and Lasserre tried their best, but no one was able to match Day as he stormed away to score his seventh win of 2018. With this win, the Israeli driver clinched a back-to-back driver’s title and tied the record for the most wins in a single ENPRO season.

Win #29 – Day’s second title defense in 2019 started with a loss to Ander Vilariño and Stienes Longin at Valencia, but he was back with vengeance when the series headed to Franciacorta. He once again led all laps from pole position to score his first win of 2019 from Goossens and series rookie Jacques Villeneuve.

Win #30 – The Sunday Franciacorta race was a much better race for Day. With Goossens retiring and his other main rivals – Loris and Villeneuve – busy battling each other, Day cruises to CAAL’s 30th win in the sport. He won by 5.6 seconds from Loris in the end, securing his status as the most successful driver at Franciacorta.

Win #31 – Day wins yet again in the next race at Brands Hatch, but surprisingly he wasn’t the dominant driver. Stienes Longin led the first 30 laps, but the pressure eventually got into Stienes and Day was able to find his way past with 8 to go to score the win. Little did anyone know at the time that this was going to be his final win of the 2019 season…

Win #32 – CAAL absorbed Alex Caffi Motorsport’s No. 27 team in the middle of the 2019 season and transformed the entry into a front runner. The No. 27 team’s biggest success came at Zolder where Thomas Ferrando scored his maiden pole and victory, giving the former EN2 champion his first success at top class glory.

Win #33 – Alon Day left CAAL Racing to join rival team PK Carsport in the off-season. CAAL responded by signing Gianmarco Ercoli and he immediately got into the top step on the podium when the season began at Vallelunga. Ercoli bested Villeneuve to score his second career ENPRO win and CAAL’s only win in 2020.

Win #34 – When PK Carsport left the series temporarily in 2021, Day – now three-time champion – rejoined CAAL briefly after the Belgian team gave him their blessing. Now driving the No. 88 Chevrolet, Day got his first win of the year at Brands Hatch by once again leading all laps from pole position.

Win #35 – American SpeedFest VIII was a highly memorable round for Advait Deodhar. After claiming pole position in a rain interrupted Qualifying session, the London-based Indian driver took a highly emotional first victory at his honorary home track after he fought off the pressure from Tobias Dauenhauer.

Win #36 – Loris Hezemans took the green flag for the Saturday race at Most in 2021, but all hell breaks loose when rain falls shortly after. After everyone pitted for a set of wet tires, it was Alon Day who came out on top in the treacherous conditions. A late restart didn’t hinder him as he led Ercoli for a CAAL 1-2 finish.

Win #37 – Gianmarco Ercoli was denied a victory in the Saturday race at Rijeka because of a post-race penalty, but he was able to bounce back on the following day. The Italian driver gained the lead in lap 2 and never looked back. While it is his only win of the season, it greatly contributes to his second place finish in the overall standings.

Win #38 – Alon Day was cursed with severe bad luck throughout the year, but there are times where he was able to turn around his fortunes. The Sunday race at Zolder is one of those days as Day won for the third time in 2021 and led another CAAL 1-2 finish, this time with Marc Goossens following behind the champion.

Win #39 – Nicolò Rocca was due to race for DF1 for 2022, but he rejoined CAAL after the Austrian team shut down following the death of their owner Norbert Walchhofer. Rocca didn’t waste his time as he immediately secured victory on his first race back at CAAL, winning from Tobias Dauenhauer and Alexander Graff in a race of attrition.

Win #40 – Popular YouTuber Alberto “Naska” Fontana made his EuroNASCAR 2 debut at Valencia and immediately became a title contender. His first career victory was given to him post-race however, as he was awarded the win on Sunday after original race winner Vladimiros Tziortzis was penalized for technical infringements.

Win #41 – Naska didn’t have to wait long for his first visit to the Victory Lane. Tziortzis had been dominating the Saturday EuroNASCAR 2 race at Brands Hatch, but an Overtime was called after Claudio Remigio Cappelli beached his Ford on the gravel. Naska took advantage of the Cypriot’s slow restart during Overtime to seal a back-to-back victory for the No. 88 team.

Win #42 – Naska was treated like a rockstar by the tifosi when EuroNASCAR heads to Vallelunga and he gave them the biggest reward possible on Saturday. After securing his maiden pole on Qualifying, Naska led all laps to secure his third career victory in just five races.

Win #43 – CAAL makes it double at Vallelunga with Gianmarco Ercoli’s victory in the Sunday EuroNASCAR PRO race. After an early caution due to a multi-car pileup in the twisty infield section, Ercoli led the remaining 13 laps of the 18-lap race to win from Alon Day – who is now back at PK – by 1.750 seconds.

Win #44 – The field heads to the Czech Republic after their summer break and Alberto Naska reigns supreme once again. Naska won on his first appearance at Autodrom Most in a highly chaotic race that saw the race get halted numerous times due to on-track incidents.

Win #45 – The Sunday EuroNASCAR 2 race at Autodrom Most was again a highly chaotic one. With the field unable to get plenty of green flag action due to a case of cautions breeding cautions, Alberto Naska was able to retain his lead for the entire race to score his fifth – and final – win of the season.

Win #46 – After three finishes outside of the top-20, Gianmarco Ercoli had to sweep the weekend at Zolder to put him back in the title contention. He did just that, starting it off with a dominating victory in damp conditions on the Saturday race after he got past pole sitter Vittorio Ghirelli on the first lap.

Win #47 – Ercoli completed the sweep on Sunday in a race that had to end under caution due to a Big One in the second restart. With many of his main rivals getting into trouble, Ercoli was able to claw back all of his deficit for the season finale at Rijeka. He valiantly gave his best there, but a late spin ultimately cost him the title to Day.

Win #48 – With Day not defending his title in 2023, there’s a strong chance that a new champion is going to be crowned this year. Ercoli made his intention to become champion clear when he dominated the first race of American SpeedFest 10, Powered by Lucas Oil at Brands Hatch.

Win #49 – Brands Hatch is the track where Ercoli scored his maiden top class victory in 2018. Five years later, the driver from Rome completed his first sweep at the venue of EuroNASCAR’s most popular round after he led the race from start to finish, giving him the status of “King of Brands Hatch” at the podium ceremony.

Win #50 – The historic 50 wins milestone was achieved by Ercoli, who continued where left off in his home race at Vallelunga. Ercoli stormed away to the lead early on and while he had to rebuild that lead after a caution period, the Italian persevered to win by 2.597 seconds from Liam Hezemans.

Win #51 – Hours after Ercoli’s milestone victory, Alberto Naska was back in the Victory Lane after nearly a year. Naska has not had the pace to beat Tziortzis in the first two rounds of 2023, but the YouTube megastar didn’t give up and won an epic 15-lap race on Saturday in what he later described as his ‘most emotional victory’.