EuroNASCAR PRO introduces a three-stage Qualifying format in 2026, while EuroNASCAR OPEN brings back Superpole for the first time since 2019.
NASCAR Euro Series’ Qualifying system for both EuroNASCAR PRO and EuroNASCAR OPEN will receive a massive overhaul for the upcoming 2026 season.
Starting from the Valencia NASCAR Fest on 18-19 April, EuroNASCAR PRO competitors are faced with the challenge of a three-stage Qualifying system, while EuroNASCAR OPEN drivers will experience Superpole for the first time since 2019.
The changes, described as “ruthless” by EuroNASCAR on its official announcement, were designed to create excitement by emphasizing that there’s “no hiding place” at all times.
“In the world of motorsports, Qualifying has often been viewed as a mere prelude to the racing show,” announced EuroNASCAR on 29 January 2026. “But come 2026, the NASCAR Euro Series is flipping the script.”
“With the announcement of a ruthless new knockout qualifying format, the series has sent a clear message to the garage area: wake up fast, or park it early.”
“The sanctioning body unveiled a radical overhaul of its qualifying procedures, ditching traditional group stages for a high-pressure, three-stage elimination format in the PRO division and a high-stakes shootout for the OPEN category.”
EuroNASCAR PRO’s three-stage Qualifying system will feature a mix of both the old and new. The timed Qualifying and Superpole system will be combined together with the knockout and single-car formats to try instill a “survival of the fastest” mentality.
Q1 retains the same 10-minute time allocation from 2025, but unlike last year everyone is grouped together at the same time – a first for EuroNASCAR PRO since 2024.
The fastest 15 drivers from Q1 will advance to Q2, where each driver only has two laps to set their lap times. The 10 fastest drivers here will advance to Q3, which retains the traditional Superpole system.
Superpole’s implementation in EuroNASCAR OPEN follows a similar beat, with the fastest 10 drivers advancing to the shootout from the 15-minute long Q1 session.
As always, Qualifying is only used to determine the starting grid for Race 1 of a race weekend. Race 2’s starting grid is still going to be ordered based on the driver’s Race 1 fastest lap.
The 2026 changes marked the third change for EuroNASCAR PRO’s Qualifying system in just a year.
In early 2025, EuroNASCAR implemented a single-car system EuroNASCAR PRO at Valencia and Vallelunga before they quietly dropped it for the group Qualifying and Superpole system from Brands Hatch onwards.
EuroNASCAR OPEN, on the other hand, sees its first major overhaul since 2020. Superpole was dropped from EuroNASCAR OPEN in 2020 due to constraints imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
This left EuroNASCAR OPEN with the single session system that remained in place for the next five seasons. The only thing changing during this period of time was how many minutes that were allocated, down from 30 to 20 in 2022 and later 20 to 15 in 2025.
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