Henri Timonen will trade his rallying machine with stock cars after he confirmed his move to SpeedHouse’s No. 33 EuroNASCAR OPEN team in 2026.
Finland will have a full-time representation in the 2026 NASCAR Euro Series grid. Henri Timonen from Lahti is set to join EuroNASCAR as the No. 33 EuroNASCAR OPEN driver for SpeedHouse.
Timonen’s plans to join EuroNASCAR was first reported by Vauhdin Maailma on 6 April 2026. SpeedHouse then made it official two days later, thereby confirming the Finn’s rookie campaign in stock car racing.
“Henri is a pure sportsman,” said SpeedHouse team boss Lucas Lasserre to nascar.eu. “He has a sense of the trajectories of sliding and the coordination of his movements.”
“I’m certain that with all of my technical staff, we will give him all the necessary tools to have a great season. I’m convinced that our SpeedHouse process is efficient and strong to build a strong racer.”
Timonen will follow the footsteps of previous Finn drivers such as Henri Tuomaala, Ian Eric Waden and Veeti Rajala, who all enjoyed success during their time in EuroNASCAR.
According to Vauhdin Maailma, Timonen began to consider joining EuroNASCAR in 2024, but it was only in 2025 where Timonen got the chance to test the cars starting with the November 2025 NASCAR Recruitment Test at Fontenay.
“Last year and the year before that, I wanted to test the series’ equipment a little bit and the idea of participating in the series grew stronger all the time,” said Timonen to Vauhdin Maailma.
“During this winter, the plans progressed, and in February I was driving in Donington in a test organized by a British team [Lux Motorsport] where I was able to accumulate a lot of kilometers.”
“At that point, however, it was still a bit unclear which team I would compete for this season. The team was eventually selected as a larger team, the French SpeedHouse.”
Timonen’s jump to stock cars will be a major undertaking when considering his previous career path. The 26-year old came from a rallying background, a category that he had competed since his motorsport debut in 2021.
The tests with EuroNASCAR and Lux Motorsport have given Timonen a better understanding on what to expect heading to his debut season.
“There is a leap into the unknown when you jump from the rally onto the track and suddenly there are other competitors driving around you,” said Timonen on his expectations.
“Driving itself is not exciting, but it has definitely made me think about how it will be there in the pressure of fellow competitors.”
“For example, the [EuroNASCAR] car’s [side] mirrors cannot see very well and the rear-view mirror is replaced by a screen showing the image of the camera that is filming behind.”
“To help with the situation, a spotter is used. It’s a person who has a radio communication connection with both the car and the competition management. Tapio Laukkanen, who has strong rally credentials, will be my spotter.”
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