Mike Wise gives an exclusive insight on his first EuroNASCAR OPEN races and how impressed he is with the festivities at American SpeedFest.
American SpeedFest 12 saw the debut of several drivers in NASCAR Euro Series’ two main divisions, EuroNASCAR PRO and EuroNASCAR OPEN.
One of the debutants is American driver Mike Wise. Wise made his debut as part of Team Bleekemolen, racing alongside Jordan Wallace in the part-time No. 25 Ford Mustang entry.
Wise’s OPEN appearance marks a significant step up in his career. The American is embarking on an unique challenge for 2025, making his motorsport debut while also maintaining his status as one of world’s top wakeskating stars as part of the Polish national team.
The Texan competed in V8 Oval Series’ opener in March and has made several appearances in EuroNASCAR’s regularity-based division Rookie Challenge.
However, the SpeedFest presented him with his first proper racing outing in EuroNASCAR. It was a debut that was full of stories to be shared, both off and on the track.
After our Mike Wise Feature article following his EuroNASCAR debut at Valencia, World of EuroNASCAR was fortunate to receive a chance to interview Wise again after his successful OPEN outing at Brands Hatch.
Owing to the length of the interview, this Feature is split into two parts. The first part, published on 29 June, was focused on how Wise’s deal with Team Bleekemolen came to be and his next step for the 2025 season.
This second part is focused on Wise’s race weekend experience at the American SpeedFest 12. From how he handled the atrocious weather on his first ever race to his thoughts about the event, the American has it all to say in this Feature.
Part 1 | Part 2
Reza Maulana: Your first ever proper race in EuroNASCAR OPEN was done under really appalling weather conditions. It must be hard for you to keep the #25 car on the track, wasn’t it?
Mike Wise: “I told anyone that would listen that it’s going to be sunshine all day and then five minutes before my race, we will have Niagara Falls type of rain conditions.”
“It’s just how things go for me in life. I get extreme highs, coupled with extreme challenges. Many ups and downs for sure.”
“My first race ever was at Venray earlier this season and it rained before that one as well. It has become a certainty in life for me, you know kind of like how it always seems to rain after you get a car wash or something like that.”
“Preparing for the worst actually kept me quite calm in that scenario on the track. I know I have a lot to learn and that I am quite off the pace in the dry compared to the other drivers in the OPEN division, but apparently I’m much better in the wet!”
“I honestly did not expect to make one on-track overtake all weekend. However, when that rain came down, I suddenly found myself taking five or six positions after the second turn.”
“Nina Weinbrenner [EuroNASCAR photographer] jokingly said after the race that the positive result was due to all my experience with wakeskating!”
RM: What’s your key to be able to finish that race? All things considered, it’s impressive that you managed to cross the finish line without any incidents.
MW: “My goal was really to just keep all four wheels on the track. My fogger took some time to kick in, so the windshield was so foggy and covered with water. It was hard to see out of, but I could see enough.”
“I knew I had to be a little lighter on the brakes and back up my braking points to get on them sooner, as well as to be sensitive on my steering inputs especially while on throttle out of turns.”
“I tried to ignore the lack of visibility and just focus on those things. I ended up spinning the car on my first lap out of Druids bend and immediately lost all the positions I had just gained off the first two turns.”
“Thankfully, I didn’t hit anything. I quickly regained my composure and was able to gain back three or four positions by the end of that first lap.”
“When it was all said and done, I qualified in 22nd and finished in 14th place; moving up 8 positions and being tied for the biggest mover in the race. I’m definitely satisfied with my performance and my results.”
RM: After the rain experience you had in Race 1, were you relieved that Race 2 was held in dry conditions?
MW: “Actually I was secretly hoping for another wet race for the second race. In the dry, I learned that those other guys and gals have so much pace that I can’t really keep up.”
“In the rain however, it slows the faster drivers down a bit and brings them closer to my pace. From now on I will be hoping for rain always.”
RM: As a first-timer at the American SpeedFest, how was the atmosphere at Brands Hatch? From the fans to the on and off-track activities, were you really enjoying the event?
MW: “As an American, my first time at American Speedfest at Brands Hatch was an amazing, unforgettable experience!”
“I am driving in EuroNASCAR because I am a NASCAR fan first and foremost. Being surrounded by 50,000 other NASCAR fans was epic for me, and everyone spoke English as well!”
“In most of the other European countries, it can be hard for me to communicate with fans because of the language barrier. In England, however, I got to talk about the current Cup season in NASCAR, the Craftsman Truck Series, Xfinity Series, and some fans even chatted with me about the ARCA Series.”
“All weekend I was surrounded by my kind of people. It was the perfect atmosphere for me. Of course, who doesn’t love taking pictures with kids and signing tons of autographs for adoring fans?”
“I was once one of those kids looking up to the drivers on the track, so I always remember that and you never know: If I give them a good experience, maybe they will become a future NASCAR driver one day.”
“I tried to check out all the activation,. The monster truck arena looked super cool and made me a bit jealous that I wasn’t driving that thing all weekend.”
“Finally, I walked out of there having to buy an extra suitcase for the plane ride back home because I purchased about 6 NASCAR model cars, and 1 IndyCar model as well. Like I said before, I am a big fan!”
RM: How was your teammate Jordan Wallace during the event? From what I’ve seen through the broadcast and his social media feeds, Wallace seems like a fun and charismatic guy in the paddock, so I’d like to get an insight from his own teammate for the SpeedFest.
MW: “I could not have asked for a better teammate than Jordan Wallace. Jordan was amazing. Not annoying, loud, or pretentious. He was very humble and very approachable.”
“He understood that it was my first big race, so he helped calm me down and gave me tons of advice about what to do on the track. Any time I had a question, he was there to answer it.”
“It was nice to joke and also compete as teammates with a fellow American. It was easy to build the camaraderie between us. He even stepped up to be my spotter in the first race and qualifying.”
“Having someone with race experience as my spotter really helped guide me and settle me down on track. I can’t thank him enough for all his help that weekend.”
Disclaimer: Credits for all photos are listed underneath each image.