Thomas Krasonis has announced that he will be racing in the United States next year, with plans to start in both ARCA Menards Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series are currently in place for the Greek driver in 2023.
Thomas Krasonis will be making the next big step of his career in 2023 as the Greek driver announced on 10 October that he will be crossing the Atlantic Ocean to race in the United States next year.
Krasonis, who is the sport’s first full-time driver from Greece through his participation in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series with Alex Caffi Motorsport and its successor team Academy Motorsport, announced that he and one other Euro Series driver has been selected by the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series to make the jump to the United States for next year.
“Dear friends, after 12 years of racing in Europe I’m delighted to announce the next step in my career. My performance and the results I had after 3 years in the EuroNASCAR series have given me the opportunity to make the next step in my career, crossing the Atlantic Ocean and becoming the first Greek driver to race in the pro category of the USA NASCAR series,” said Krasonis in his official announcement.
“NASCAR Whelen Euro Series chose me and one more European driver to promote us and give us the chance to compete against the biggest names of the sport for the next few years. From 2023 onward, I will be racing in the US, with the ultimate goal being my participation in the senior category of NASCAR, called NASCAR Cup Series.”
Krasonis has yet to announce what ride he is going to compete with next year, although a ride in both the ARCA Menards Series and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series – which would rebrand itself back to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 2023 after Craftsman regained back their title sponsor contract – is in plans for the 20-year old driver and he is scheduled to test the American stock cars next month to familiarize himself with the ovals.
“(In) Early November I will be doing my first test in American soil, in Florida, in order to be ready to compete in the first three races in February 2023. During the first year, I will be competing in specific races in the ARCA and NASCAR Truck Series, which are sub-divisions of the main NASCAR championship, in order to get familiar with racing in the oval,” said Krasonis on his current plans for next year.
Krasonis, who experienced a tough year in his debut EuroNASCAR PRO season with 5 DNF’s in 8 races this year, is grateful to the support that he has received in the previous years of his career that ultimately gave him the chance to race in the United States.
According to Dutch NASCAR Fans’ Vincent Bruins, Greece would be the 39th different country to be represented in either ARCA or the North America-based NASCAR series should Krasonis’ plans to start in ARCA and NASCAR Trucks came into fruition.
“I would like to thank once more certain people who I respect and I think have played a massive role in my development as a person and as a driver. First of all, I would like to thank Charis Bourothanasopoulos and Stamatis Katsimis, because they have been by my side and have helped me with their knowledge and expertise in racing, helping me reach the racing level I am at today. Furthermore, I would like to thank Stamatis Lenis and his team, because they have helped my physical condition these years I have been abroad, applying what I learnt from them during our gym sessions.”
“I would like to also thank Giannis-Marios Papadopoulos and the crew at COSMOTE TV who have helped me since day 1, promoting and showcasing my racing endeavours, starting from 2016. Finally, I would like to thank all those unspoken supporters and my family who are always by my side and have helped me from the moment I started this journey.”
“I am very excited that the effort I put in all these years have paid dividends, and I am extremely proud that I am going to be the first representative of the Greek motorsport community in the US. Thank you for your support and I promise you that I will continue climbing up the ladder until I reach my final destination. Next stop: Florida.”
Disclaimer: Unless noted on the photo, all photos used in this article are courtesy of NASCAR Whelen Euro Series/ Klemen Sofric / Bart Dehaese.