World of EuroNASCAR takes a look at how EuroNASCAR categorizes its drivers after Alberto Naska publicly revealed the rules of the sport’s driver grade system.
The NASCAR Whelen Euro Series consists of two divisions: EuroNASCAR PRO and EuroNASCAR 2. The division in which a driver is allowed to compete is dependent on what driver grade that they have been given to by the organizers.
For many years, it is known that drivers with Gold rating are only allowed to compete in EuroNASCAR PRO – i.e. not allowed to become a “Buschwhacker” – while drivers that have been given a Silver and Bronze rating are eligible to race in both classes.
The system behind this driver rating system, however, was a mystery. Unlike FIA’s Driver Categorization, information regarding EuroNASCAR’s driver grade is strictly confidential to those working within the series and it is not publicly available.
That is, until Alberto Naska revealed it on his “The Crash that Nobody Wanted to Happen” video. Originally published on 27 June on his main channel before an English version was uploaded on 28 June, the video was the first time in which race fans got to see how the EuroNASCAR driver grading system works.
In the video, Naska showcased an official Sporting Note from the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series that was originally released on 30 May 2023. The Sporting Note contains an addendum to Article 4.3 of the Sporting Regulations, clarifying and amending the driver grading system that was listed in the current regulations.
Credits: NASCAR Whelen Euro Series
According to the amended Article 4.3 of the Sporting Regulations:
- All drivers’ entries are submitted to a competency council to determine their categorization.
- Drivers will be evaluated initially on their record of achievements (age + career record), then on their overall performance during NWES events over the last 5 years.
- Driver Classification will be reviewed every year before the start of a new season.
- Driver categorization list to be published before the first event of the season and stay valid for the season.
- New drivers to be added on the list before participating in their first event.
So what do we learn from this Sporting Note? To start, we learned that everyone who is scheduled to compete in the opening round of the season will have their entries submitted to a competency council that works with EuroNASCAR.
This competency council will then evaluate a driver based on their previous career record first, ensuring that every new entrant will receive a fair evaluation. If a driver had competed in EuroNASCAR at some point during the past 5 seasons, then their past results will be evaluated afterwards.
Each driver will receive their driver grade based on the evaluation’s results. The list of everyone’s categorization will then be published before the season begins. This list is valid for the whole season and can only change at the start of a new year, meaning that a driver will not be able to have their grades upgraded or downgraded mid-season.
Any driver that makes their first appearance after the season opener will follow the same evaluation process from the competency council. Once their driver grade is determined, NASCAR Whelen Euro Series will publish an amended categorization list to include the new entrants.
We know that EuroNASCAR has three driver grades available, but how does the council determine if a driver is qualified to a certain grade?
The Sporting Note revealed the criteria’s that resulted in a driver’s qualification to a certain grade. While the names of the grade have been changed, there’s still three driver grades available: Grade A, Grade B, and Grade C.
A driver is categorized as a Group A driver if they have achieved the following:
- Are currently considered as a Gold or Platinum driver in the FIA Drivers Categorization.
- Have become a champion, an overall season top-5 finisher, or a race winner in EuroNASCAR PRO.
- Have finished inside the top-5 in a NASCAR national series race (Cup, Xfinity, Trucks).
- Are a champion in NASCAR’s regional and/or international series (ARCA, ARCA East, ARCA West, Modified, Pinty’s, Mexico, and Brasil).
- Have achieved a comparable level of performance to Grade A drivers and/or any additional criteria deemed worthy of consideration by the council.
For drivers to be categorized as a Group B driver, they need to achieve the following:
- Are currently considered as a Silver driver in the FIA Drivers Categorization.
- Have become a champion or an overall season podium finisher in EuroNASCAR 2.
- Have finished inside the top-3 in any race of NASCAR’s regional and/or international series (ARCA, ARCA East, ARCA West, Modified, Pinty’s, Mexico, and Brasil).
- Have achieved a comparable level of performance to Grade B drivers and/or any additional criteria deemed worthy of consideration by the council.
Any driver who has not achieved any of the points above is automatically considered as a Grade C driver by the competency council.
Based on these qualification points, we have determined that a total of fourteen drivers in the 2023 season have received a grade higher than Grade C. Seven drivers are currently categorized as a Group A driver, all based of their previous achievements in the series:
- Anthony Kumpen, the sole former champion in the NASCAR era on the 2023 grid.
- Gianmarco Ercoli, Frédéric Gabillon, Vittorio Ghirelli, Lucas Lasserre, and Marc Goossens; all being former race winners and overall season top-5 finishers in ENPRO.
- Sebastiaan Bleekemolen, who has won a race in ENPRO.
- Giorgio Maggi, who finished fifth in the 2022 overall standings.
The remaining seven drivers are currently categorized as a Group B driver:
- Ulysse Delsaux, Martin Doubek, and Liam Hezemans were qualified as they were a former champion in EuroNASCAR 2.
- Tobias Dauenhauer, Alberto Naska, and Vladimiros Tziortzis were qualified for having finished inside the top-3 in the EN2 overall standings.
- Paul Jouffreau, who was qualified as he holds an FIA Silver rating.
Out of these drivers, one would have their categorization changed for the 2024 season: Liam Hezemans, who would be promoted to Grade A next year thanks to his victory in the season opening EuroNASCAR PRO round at Valencia.
The driver classification list is going to change as more drivers enter the championship during the second half of the season.
One thing for sure is that information pertaining to EuroNASCAR’s driver grade is now publicly known and fans can now anticipate on what their favorite driver’s classification is going to be based on what’s written in the current Sporting Regulations of the series.
Disclaimer: Credits for all photos are listed underneath each image.