Our second Race Preview for the 2024 NASCAR GP Czech Republic takes a look at what we can expect from the title contenders and Trophy battles in EuroNASCAR PRO.
After a lengthy summer break, NASCAR Whelen Euro Series is ready to get things back in gear with the fifth round of the 2024 season, the NASCAR GP Czech Republic at Autodrom Most.
Once again held alongside the FIA European Truck Racing Championship (ETRC) as part of the Czech Truck Prix, the 4.212-kilometer long Autodrom Most is a popular venue for stock car racing due to its challenging nature.
Most’s fast and flowing corners require skillful precision to get the optimum line around and the first chicane is a prime spot for high intensity dramas. Put the two together, and you have elements that will make or break a driver’s race.
There will be added pressure for the competitors in the 2024 edition because the event is set to be the final round of the regular season.
Maximizing results will be the goal for the 44 drivers and 27 teams that entered the round, all ready to earn some momentum before the all-important double points playoffs at Oschersleben and Zolder.
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With a maximum of 88 points to be earned and dropped points in play at the end of the round, achieving the best result possible is going to be key for the 24 EuroNASCAR PRO drivers to get out of the Czechia round with smiles on their faces.
The results from the previous round at Venray has made the championship race exciting to watch, with only nine points separating Vittorio Ghirelli from his nearest competitors Liam Hezemans and Gianmarco Ercoli.
Ghirelli’s pace is undeniably quick, but the results from the last two races showed that there’s so much that the PK Carsport can do if his No. 24 infitto.eu Camaro didn’t perform well on race day.
The round at Most should see a return in form for Ghirelli given his good track record at the Czech Republic. With two wins on two separate top-tier equipment, the chances of Ghirelli scoring his third win at Most is going to be high.
Ghirelli must be cautious however, because Junior Trophy leader Liam Hezemans stands to receive a big advantage if the Italian slips up even for just a bit.
Not only is the Dutchman the only other driver to have taken race wins in the 2024 season so far, he also has the opportunity to gain the most points out of the three top contenders when dropped points become a factor.
Reigning champion Ercoli is still chasing for his first win of the year, but he has been consistent enough to keep his title chances wide open.
Despite this, the CAAL Racing driver remained cautious because he was collected in a first-turn incident at last year’s event. Therefore, Ercoli hopes that the same fate will not befall him and the No. 54 team in 2024.
Paul Jouffreau is confident that he can take the checkered flag first at the track where he took his first ENPRO victory last year, but catching up to the championship leaders would be a tough ask for the RDV Competition driver.
Fellow countryman Lucas Lasserre would have an even tougher job after he lost plenty of ground at Venray. The Frenchman was struggling for speed and ended up three laps down in 13th, a result that he can’t shake off with dropped points.
As it’s rare for Lasserre to be off the leader’s pace, he’d be aiming to return to top-5 consistency and steal points away from his rivals should they receive a dose of misfortune in the Czech Republic.
Tobias Dauenhauer and Ulysse Delsaux also had their share of misfortunes in the season so far, but they remain as the leading outside contenders ahead of Ryan Vargas and Thomas Krasonis, both set for an exciting battle for third place in the Junior Trophy.
Martin Doubek will have plenty of work to do at his home race after neck pain prevented him from scoring any points at Venray.
With the Czechman already having two DNF’s from Valencia that will count to his final points tally, there’s only going to be so much that Doubek can do if he wants to keep his EuroNASCAR PRO title aspiration alive.
Sebastiaan Bleekemolen is also limited in how many points that he can score following his early season troubles.
He will be competing soon after a surgery to remove an abscess in his abdomen, although he assures that he’ll be in 100% condition for this weekend.
On the other hand, teammate Marc Goossens stands a chance to score maximum points at Most. However, the Belgian will have to contend with one result being a blank since he missed both races at Brands Hatch.
The situation in Challenger Trophy will be an interesting one to follow thanks to the absence of pretty much every major Trophy contender from the NASCAR Oval GP.
Race Art Technology’s Thomas Toffel was the only major contender to race at Venray and he was rewarded with the lead of the sub-championship. However, this meant that the Swiss driver is also the only one to be subjected to dropped points.
With the likes of Max Lanza, Dario Caso and Riccardo Romagnoli free to score as many points as they can get, any mistake from Toffel can lead to a huge ramification in the battle of the Grade C drivers.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3
Disclaimer: Credits for all photos are listed underneath each image.