Nuno Caetano extends his contract with SpeedHouse in the EuroNASCAR Rookie Challenge division, having also confirmed a return to Pikes Peak in the process.
Portuguese driver Nuno Caetano will stay as part of Lucas Lasserre’s SpeedHouse outfit in the 2026 NASCAR Euro Series season.
Caetano announced that he will remain part of SpeedHouse on 10 March 2026, confirming his plans to fight for the EuroNASCAR Rookie Challenge title in his sophomore year.
“We are delighted to welcome back Nuno to SpeedHouse in the 2026 Rookie Challenge season,” said Lasserre in the official announcement.
“Nuno did an amazing job last year, he was fast immediately at Valencia with a great pace! He concluded the 2025 season on a high with the third place overall Rookie Challenge classification.”
“Nuno will be a strong contender for the 2026 title and we have trust in him to clinch it. Nuno is totally in line with the SpeedHouse mindset, my vision of sports and I am therefore happy to have him among us.”
SpeedHouse also revealed that Caetano will be returning to the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb during the 2026 racing season.
The 2026 Pikes Peak is set to be Caetano’s third participation in the world’s most prestigious hill climb event. Caetano previously raced to the Colorado peak in 2023 and 2024, scoring a best result of 15th in the latter with a final time of 10:23.034.
For 2026, Caetano is set to drive the No. 77 Porsche Cayman 718 GT4 RS Clubsport in the Pikes Peak Open division.
Caetano will not be the only EuroNASCAR driver to compete in Pikes Peak this year.
Valentin Simonet, who raced EuroNASCAR part-time in 2012, is also heading to Colorado for his Pikes Peak debut. Simonet will drive the No. 6 Renault RS 01, competing in the same class as Caetano’s.
“Nuno will participate next June in the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb,” Lasserre reveals. “I shall take advantage of our announcement to wish him the best, to enjoy this extraordinary race to the clouds and to come back to us with victory in his category!”
Caetano was part of the highly impressive trio of debutants that set Rookie Challenge alight in 2025.
While he did not have the peaks of Jose Antonio Peñalta and Maxim van Laere, Caetano proved to be one of the division’s most consistent drivers. It culminated on his maiden podium in Zolder, which was enough to secure him third place in the overall standings.
With Peñalta’s future still unknown and Maxim going up to EuroNASCAR OPEN, Caetano will be the favorites to win the Rookie Challenge title in 2026.
“Everything is just right at SpeedHouse, especially the car preparation and the atmosphere,” Caetano said in the official announcement. “It’s a pure series and I just love it. I am sure that the 2026 season will be a success and fun so that we can all enjoy great times together!”
“We had a great 2025 year with my third place overall classification and I’m sure we can build together on that for 2026.”
“I will compete in a few other series, such as hillclimbs and especially Pikes Peak, but I am really happy to compete in my second NASCAR season. It’s a pure series and I just love it.”
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