EuroNASCAR OPEn drivers line-up for the first ever Virtual Safety Car restart at Vallelunga
Credits: NASCAR Euro Series / Bart Dehaese
EuroNASCAR’s Sporting Director Joe Balash is “good” with the introduction of the Virtual Safety Car after its first appearance at Vallelunga.

Keen eyes watching the 2025 American Festival of Rome will notice something peculiar with one of the caution periods during the second EuroNASCAR OPEN race.

The third caution period started as a normal Full Course Yellow procedure. It was brought out as a result of Dominique Schaak spinning his No. 99 BS+ Competition Camaro to the gravel.

However, the usual procedure deviated once Schaak’s car was recovered. Instead of ordering drivers to get ready for a restart at any time, they were told to bunch up under a brand new “Virtual Safety Car” procedure.

Martin Doubek – as the race leader – had to wait for all remaining cars to get behind him. Once they did so, Doubek and the field completed a single-file restart at Autodromo Vallelunga’s front straight.

The introduction of the VSC was unexpected for viewers watching the race, as there was no precedent of VSC being used before. 

Incidents like the start crash involving Valentino Gambarotto gave the marshalls plenty of work during the race
Credits: NASCAR Euro Series / Nina Weinbrenner

Despite this, the sudden introduction was reviewed positively by EuroNASCAR’s Sporting Director Joe Balash. Balash stated that its introduction was “well-received by the paddock”.

The American also stated that VSC helps to not only bring the action back sooner, but also to better protect the marshalls in the event of a caution.

“I’m good with that,” said Balash to nascar.eu. “I think the introduction of the Virtual Safety Car was well-received in the paddock, and it helped us safely return to racing very quickly.”

“I was pleased with how both the racers and race control managed the introduction of the Virtual Safety Car. It’s also an effective solution for track cleaning, requiring less time, so we can get back to racing sooner.”

“Going to a Virtual Safety Car also protects the marshals who are doing the cleanup by bunching all the cars together and giving them a big gap on the racetrack where they can work.”

“They have no cars going by them, in comparison to just under a Full Course Yellow where you always have traffic.”

Disclaimer: Credits for all photos are listed underneath each image.

By Reza Maulana

Owner of World of EuroNASCAR. Official member of the EuroNASCAR media team. Long-time motorsport fan from Indonesia.

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