Reigning NASCAR Brasil champion Gabriel Casagrande claimed a shock victory during his short track debut at New Smyrna in early April 2025.
Gabriel Casagrande made headlines when he made a visit to New Smyrna Speedway last weekend. The reigning NASCAR Brasil champion added another trophy to his collection after he claimed a surprise victory on his short track debut.
Casagrande was invited to compete in New Smyrna by NASCAR’s Executive Vice President Ben Kennedy in between rounds 1 and 2 of the 2025 NASCAR Brasil Series season.
Kennedy prepared Casagrande with a Chevrolet SS late model for the 30-year old to race with. The New Smyrna event itself was held as part of the 2025 Hoosier Pro Late Model Challenge Series.
Casagrande immediately showed his speed by topping the second Free Practice session. His time of 18.593 was also enough for second overall in the Practice times, only behind Jason Vail’s 18.526 set in FP1.
Qualifying was a relatively humbling experience for Casagrande, however. Despite improving on his Practice time, Casagrande was only fifth fastest behind the more experienced short track racers.
Race 1 continues to be a learning experience for Casagrande. He hung back initially, slowly getting to grips with the vastly more powerful late model racers.
Once Casagrande got in the zone, the driver from Francisco Beltrão went on a charge. He made his way to the runner-up position, running out of time to snatch victory away from Vail.
His runner-up finish meant that he had to start from the back of the pack for Race 2. It’s a position that would be daunting for many first-time oval racers, but not for Brazil’s undisputed stock car champion.
Casagrande bid his time and slowly picked off his opponents one-by-one. When the leaders started to take each other out late in the race, Casagrande saw an opportunity to secure a lead that he would never relinquish.
When the checkered flag flew at the end of the 50-lap race, Casagrande stood tall as the victor in just his second short track appearance.
“It’s victory in the Pro Late Model Challenge Twin 50’s at New Smyrna Speedway!” said Casagrande on social media afterwards.
“It’s a fantastic experience! We’re improving each time from Practice, building confidence in myself and the car, dodging accidents and learning plenty to get the trophy.”
“We had two 50 lap races, dropping to fifth in both and getting second and first respectively. Looking forward to coming back more often. Many thanks to Ben Kennedy and NASCAR Brasil for making this possible!”
This victory is proof of Casagrande’s ability to adapt in just about everything. Already a champion in Stock Car Pro and NASCAR Brasil, Casagrande’s victory in the late models showed that he has the potential to become successful in the American stock car racing scene.
For now, his focus will be placed firmly in NASCAR Brasil. The series returns to action this week for Round 2 of the 2025 season at Londrina.
Casagrande is currently fourth in the championship. Casagrande trails Vitor Genz by 24 points after he got taken out in the closing stages of the season opener at Campo Grande.
Disclaimer: Credits for all photos are listed underneath each image.