Vittorio Ghirelli, Thomas Krasonis, Sebastiaan Bleekemolen and other EuroNASCAR top stars were honored by NASCAR’s elite during the 2025 NASCAR Awards.
The annual NASCAR Awards once again convenes in Charlotte, North Carolina on 21 November 2025 to celebrate the best drivers from NASCAR’s Regional and International divisions.
Among them are the EuroNASCAR delegation, who sent all of their champions and several Trophy overall winners to be honored in front of NASCAR President Steve Phelps, NASCAR EVP Ben Kennedy and other champions of the sport.
NASCAR Euro Series’ presence was headlined by back-to-back champions Vittorio Ghirelli. The Italian received his second championship ring and made a champion’s speech in front of the invited guests of the Awards.
Ghirelli also etched his name in the Whelen Hall of Champions at the NASCAR Hall of Fame for the second year running. The unveiling of this was held on 20 November 2025, a day before the Awards gala at Charlotte Convention Center.
“Winning the first time was special, but reconfirming it is even better!” said Ghirelli to nascar.eu. “We worked very hard with PK Carsport, and the No. 24 crew did an amazing job.”
“We struggled in the first few races, but then we kept working, went testing to try new things, and they gave me the second ring. I can’t be more proud of my team. We were all united and are a family, so I can’t thank them enough!”
NASCAR Awards also honored EuroNASCAR’s three other champions: EuroNASCAR OPEN champion Thomas Krasonis, Endurance Teams champion representative Sebastiaan Bleekemolen and Rookie Challenge champion Jose Antonio Peñalta.
Krasonis, Bleekemolen and Peñalta made their first visits to Charlotte after securing their first EuroNASCAR championship trophies in 2025.
“We made it! I got my ring and it’s an incredible experience to be in the NASCAR Awards,” said Krasonis to nascar.eu. “It’s my first time here, and I really have no words. I wish that every year from now on I can be here again and again with many more rings on my fingers!”
“It’s my first time in the NASCAR Awards and it was amazing!” said Bleekemolen to nascar.eu. “All of the champions of the world are here, and I was one of the guys with a trophy!”
“I missed my teammate Melvin de Groot, but it’s an honor to be here. The food was amazing, the wine was good, and the trophy was really nice. I’ll put it on the top of my trophy case!”
Invited EuroNASCAR delegation members also received exclusive access to the Team Penske headquarters in Mooresville, along with the traditional private lunch at Charlotte Motor Speedway and visit to the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
Master Trophy winner Bruno Mulders and Lady Trophy winner Vanessa “Happinessa” Neumann are among those who were able to receive the full NASCAR Awards experience.
Challenger Trophy winner Davit Kajaia was due to join the delegation, but was unable to make the trip to Charlotte. Paul Jouffreau, Gianmarco Ercoli and Martin Doubek all declined the invitation to take part.
Vanessa was accompanied by Bremotion’s team boss Patrick Brenndorfer, both arriving in the States on 16 November – much earlier than the other delegation members.
She took her time to explore all other Cup Series team headquarters in NASCAR’s “Motorsport Valley” and found herself astonished at the popularity of the sport in its home nation.
“I didn’t know how big NASCAR is!” said Vanessa to nascar.eu. “When Patrick and I visited the teams on Sunday, the passion and spirit of the sport really made me want to race here.”
“This event here is totally crazy and I’m very proud I was able to have this experience! I hope I can race next year and be on stage again.”
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