Our third and final Race Preview for the 2024 EuroNASCAR Finals takes a look at what we can expect from the title contenders and Trophy battles in EuroNASCAR 2.
The last pages of the 2024 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series season will be written this week. After six rounds full of twists and turns, the series will end its 2024 season with the ever-exciting EuroNASCAR Finals at Circuit Zolder.
Zolder is one of EuroNASCAR’s calendar mainstays, having run uninterrupted since its inaugural event in 2015 and is now set to host the Finals for a record eighth time.
Open wheels and sportscars have a storied history at Zolder, but the work done by the late Nathalie Maillet has allowed the historic Belgian circuit to flourish and become one of the main hubs of European stock car racing.
Thousands of fans will come to Heusden-Zolder to witness their stock car heroes, of which there’s plenty to choose from a pool of 30 teams and 49 drivers that are listed on the Provisional Entry List across all three divisions.
EuroNASCAR 2 have traditionally crowned a first-time champion in the Finals, but the 2024 edition there is a new history that can be achieved by one of the leading contenders.
Standings leader Martin Doubek has a chance to become EuroNASCAR 2’s first multi-time champion and worryingly for his rivals, the Czech driver has a strong track record at the 4.010-kilometer circuit.
Doubek took his first wins here in 2020 and added another one in 2021, the season where he took his first EN2 championship title. With a 33-point lead to his nearest rival, the odds are looking good for the Hendriks Motorsport driver.
However, Doubek will not rest on his laurels. He knows that EN2 is unpredictable and wants to avoid mistakes that could give the advantage to Patrick Schober.
Schober was understandably frustrated after he got pushed into the grass on Race 1 at Oschersleben, but he still slashed his deficit to Doubek after the Czechman ran into issues on Race 2.
With two wins and three poles in the last four races, the Austrian has gelled with his RDV Competition Ford Mustang and with double points in Belgium, the chance is still open for the 20-year old to become the 16th different EN2 champion.
Gil Linster was relieved that he, for once, had a clean weekend at Oschersleben. However, the Luxembourger still has a gap of 51 points to catch with just two races to go.
It’s theoretically possible for Linster to win the title with 176 points on the line, but he would need a perfect round at Zolder and hope that both Doubek and Schober experienced issues.
The same can be said for Thomas Krasonis and Thomas Toffel, who were 62 and 76 points behind respectively. A major miracle is going to be needed for the Greek and the Swiss to have a shot at the title.
Jack Davidson is aiming to end his season on a high following a streak of top-5 finishes at Czechia and Germany. For Melvin de Groot, his goals would be a little bit different.
De Groot retook the Legend Trophy lead after Claudio Remigio Cappelli retired early in Race 2 at Oschersleben, but Cappelli entered the Zolder finale with plenty of confidence after he took his long awaited first victory.
A gap of 31 points might sound a bit much for Cappelli, but the Italian is a man that learns from experience. Mistakes at Zolder cost him the Legend Trophy last year and now the Italian has a chance to use the lessons he learned in this year’s battle.
The battle to become the best debutants of 2024 remains hotly contested with 14 points separating the three Rookie Trophy leaders.
Florian Richard’s consistency allows the SpeedHouse Racing driver to maintain his lead heading to Zolder, but Victor Neumann’s stronger peak results could give the Marko Stipp Motorsport driver an edge to beat his fellow countryman.
Mario Ercoli was at the center of controversies during the 2023 Finals, but a year has passed and the 17-year old has the opportunity to redeem himself by claiming the overall Rookie Trophy honors.
Lady Trophy is still mathematically open, but Arianna Casoli has all but locked the Trophy for a record fifth time as she has a 116 point difference to Luli del Castello.
Last but not least, we have two new drivers that will debut at Zolder. The first is Belgian protege Andres Beers, who will make his first outing after he tested the EuroNASCAR cars at the 2024 DRP test.
French rally driver Arthur Roche is also joining the grid. The son of former EuroNASCAR competitor Pierre Roche will be on deck with Team FJ to test new parts for the 2025 season with the No. 25 Chevrolet Camaro.
Disclaimer: Credits for all photos are listed underneath each image.
Last Updated: 10 December 2024