Thomas Krasonis clinched his first NASCAR Euro Series title in the OPEN division after a grand finale won by outgoing champion Martin Doubek.
History was made on the Sunday race at Circuit Zolder that closed the 2025 EuroNASCAR OPEN season. Thomas Krasonis became the first Greek NASCAR champion after he clinched the OPEN title with a third place finish in the final race of the season.
Krasonis was joined in the championship celebrations with Martin Doubek and Thomas Toffel. Outgoing champion Doubek is the winner of the final race itself, crossing the finish line 2.239 seconds ahead of Toffel.
Krasonis’ title triumph is the culmination of the Greek’s long road to the top. He came a long way since his debut year in 2019, when he joined Alex Caffi Motorsport after a stint in Mini Challenge Italia.
The Athens-born driver showed potential from the first season, finishing sixth in just his sixth race. Krasonis also harbored big ambitions in the NASCAR ladder, as demonstrated by his intention to race in the United States in 2023 before ultimately deciding to stay in EuroNASCAR.
It’s the combination of both talent and ambition that caught the attention of EuroNASCAR legend Alon Day. Krasonis became Day’s protege starting from 2024 and from there, his results skyrocketed.
The Greek transformed Marko Stipp Motorsport into an elite outfit that very year, which resulted in a dream move to PK Carsport for 2025. This further transformed Krasonis’ trajectory, setting the stage for his rise to become EuroNASCAR OPEN champion.
“Now that it’s true, it’s a very weird feeling,” said Krasonis in Victory Lane. “We tried a lot and had many years in this championship. It took a lot of effort to keep improving.”
“It’s extra emotional for me because this is a success my country has yet to see. I’m the first Greek to win a European NASCAR title!”
“I want to thank my sponsors Costamare and Dodoni, my personal trainer Paul Timpas, my driving coach Alon Day, friends, family, and my amazing team PK Carsport, because without them, this wouldn’t be possible. I have no words, it’s incredible!”
Master Trophy winner Bruno Mulders and Sandro Tavartkiladze completed the top-5 ahead of Patrick Schober and Legend Trophy winner Melvin de Groot.
De Groot inherited seventh after initial seventh place finisher Claudio Remigio Cappelli was penalized for colliding with his teammate Andres Beers.
Cappelli’s penalty dropped the Italian down to tenth, with Valentino Gambarotto and Beers also capitalizing from it. Valerio Marzi came back from last to eleventh, helped by numerous opening lap accidents that took out several big names.
Thomas Dombrowski was eliminated in the opening lap after Gil Linster made contact with him. The incident mirrors the one from Saturday’s EuroNASCAR PRO race, but on this occasion race control deemed it as a pure racing incident.
Linster brought the car back to the pits for repairs, but the Rette Jones Racing machine remained unwieldy after repairs and the Luxembourger retired shortly after.
There’s also contact between Davide Frulio and Vanessa “Happinessa” Neumann at the Villeneuve chicane, which took Frulio out with a damaged front-right wheel hub.
Vanessa subsequently crashed on her own on lap 6, coincidentally at the same corner. The incident brought out a brief FCY period as she dislodged the tire stack that marked where the track limit is.
EuroNASCAR OPEN Race 2 Results
EuroNASCAR OPEN Final Championship Standings
After scoring six wins, six pole positions and seven fastest laps, Thomas Krasonis is now crowned as the new EuroNASCAR OPEN champion with 544 points to his credit.
Four wins in 2025 demonstrated a much improved second title defense for Martin Doubek, but the Czech driver ultimately came short. With 511 points, the Hendriks Motorsport driver leads talented youngster Bruno Mulders who clinched third in the standings with 482 points.
Mulders is not only the overall Master Trophy winner, he’s also undoubtedly EuroNASCAR OPEN’s Rookie of the Year. The 17-year old only started his car racing career in 2025 and yet he’s proven himself as one of the most exciting young talents that EuroNASCAR has seen.
Equally exciting is Sandro Tavartkiladze, who finished fourth with 463 points. Already a multi-time champion in his native nation of Georgia, Tavartkiladze demonstrates that the people from Georgia – the nation – are just as talented as people that hailed from Georgia – the state – in stock car racing.
Melvin de Groot secured his third overall Legend Trophy win with his best championship finish to date. Fifth overall demonstrates de Groot’s steady rise in the paddock and he aims to continue to develop and become a competitor for the outright championship in the next few years.
Thomas Dombrowski, Patrick Schober, Claudio Remigio Cappelli, Thomas Toffel and Dominique Schaak completed the top-10 positions.
Vanessa “Happinessa” Neumann, who had already clinched the Lady Trophy win on Saturday, finished her debut campaign in 17th.
Final EuroNASCAR OPEN Championship Standings
Disclaimer: Credits for all photos are listed underneath each image.