The ability to extend race distance based on laps run under yellow and a new Teams Championship system headlines the changes that will be introduced to the 2024 EuroNASCAR season.
The 2024 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series season is set to feature several format changes courtesy of an updated sporting rules and regulations that was announced on 10 April 2024.
Chief among which is a new race format that allows race control to add more laps based on the length of a Safety Car period, providing that the time limit has not been reached.
The Teams Championship also received a change as entries are now classified based on an aggregate system. Entries will be awarded points based on a new standing that is determined by two factors: Cumulative lap count and shortest race time.
“A series of changes will be implemented for the 2024 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series season, which starts on April 13-14 with the NASCAR GP Spain at Circuit Ricardo Tormo,” announced EuroNASCAR.
“EuroNASCAR Management Group is continuing their work to provide the best product possible both on and off the track and these changes aim to not only increase the level of excitement for the fans, but also to provide the drivers and teams with new challenges and an even better Pure Racing experience.”
The first – and biggest – change mentioned is the aforementioned ability to extend race distance depending on how many laps are run under yellow as long as it can be done within the scheduled time limit.
This addresses the issue faced in races like the second EuroNASCAR 2 race at Vallelunga last year, which infamously ran behind the Safety Car for almost the entirety of the race due to a number of incidents.
To ensure that a race doesn’t go for too long, a time limit is introduced for both classes. EuroNASCAR PRO races are capped to 45 minutes + 1 lap while EuroNASCAR 2 is limited to 40 minutes + 1 lap.
EuroNASCAR also announced changes to the Teams Championship, which is revamped into the so-called “Endurance Teams Championship” starting from the 2024 season.
As previously mentioned, the new format now classifies teams based on the sum of laps and race time that each car has in all four races. The team that “completed the most laps in the shortest amount of the time” is declared as the winner.
It’s currently unknown on how points will be distributed, but information shall be made clear when the Valencia NASCAR Fest takes place.
Additionally, EuroNASCAR also announces changes to the Superpole format. This was presumably made to address a problem that was encountered in last year’s Finals where some drivers managed to get one more flying lap because they were released to the track earlier than others.
The new format, which takes inspiration from the Qualifying format used by NASCAR in the United States, now guarantees its participants to do one warm-up lap, two flying laps and one cooldown lap.
Because the time to complete them varies in each track, the time it takes for the Superpole session to be completed will be adjusted from round to round.
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