Thomas Krasonis set the fastest NASCAR Euro Series lap ever recorded at Brands Hatch during the Practice sessions for the 2026 American SpeedFest.
In the 2025 American SpeedFest, Thomas Krasonis shocked the NASCAR Euro Series paddock by setting the EuroNASCAR race lap record at Brands Hatch while racing in the OPEN division.
Fast forward a year later, Krasonis managed to do it one step further by shattering the all-time track record in the opening day for the 2026 edition of the SpeedFest.
Krasonis topped the EuroNASCAR V8GP Free Practice times with a blisteringly fast lap time of 48.285. This allowed the Greek youngster to beat the previous record of 48.390 set by Ander Vilariño in 2013.
Krasonis’ record breaking performance wasn’t the only one to take place on Friday’s Practice. Raphaël Lessard also crushed the lap record in the OPEN division, setting the stage for the fastest SpeedFest ever recorded in history.
EuroNASCAR V8GP Practice Recap
The pace in Free Practice was hot right from the start. Gianmarco Ercoli topped V8GP’s FP1 with a best time of 48.669, three tenths of a second faster than the equivalent time from 2025.
Track evolution in between FP1 and FP2 only made the track even faster. This, in combination with the grippier 2026-spec Hoosier tires, allowed Krasonis to set his record breaking lap time of 48.285 towards the end of FP2.
“All the day we were very fast, from the first Practice where we finished at P2” said Krasonis after Free Practice. “And then in the second session I did 48.2, which is the all-time lap record of Brands Hatch.”
“Notice that we broke the lap record continuously three times [referring to Liam Hezemans setting V8GP’s race lap record in 2025 PRO Race 2]. We are coming with a very strong mentality for Qualifying on Saturday.”
Nelson Piquet Jr., second fastest in his first Brands Hatch outing since his A1GP days, also went faster than the old track record with his Practice time of 48.335.
Vittorio Ghirelli, Paul Jouffreau and Ercoli completed the top-5 positions ahead of Fabrizio Armetta and Garrett Lowe. Martin Doubek, top V8GP rookie Vinnie Meskelis and Jack Davidson completed the top-10, all within half a second from Krasonis’ time.
Logan Bearden was the fastest of the Challenger Trophy drivers in 12th. Davit Kajaia and Thomas Toffel trailed Bearden behind in 14th and 15th respectively.
Sandwiched between the Challenger Trophy competitors was Jordan O’Brien, who made his overall EuroNASCAR debut here last year. O’Brien was only 13th fastest, giving him and Hendriks Motorsport a lot of work to do for Saturday’s Qualifying.
EuroNASCAR V8GP FP1 Results | EuroNASCAR V8GP FP2 Results
EuroNASCAR OPEN Practice Recap
Only two drivers have won an EuroNASCAR OPEN race in 2026 so far: Thomas Toffel and Raphaël Lessard. Incidentally, they were proving to be the drivers to beat in Brands Hatch after they traded top positions in Free Practice.
Toffel set the initial benchmark in FP1 with a respectable 49.050 before Lessard found almost a second on his No. 11 Alumitec Ford Mustang in FP2. The Canadian went from a 49.333 to a 48.463, beating the previous OPEN lap record of 48.665 set by Alberto “Naska” Fontana in 2023.
Toffel remained in second at the end of the day, 0.247 seconds behind Lessard. The championship leader narrowly held off Thomas Dombrowski, who beat Hendriks teammates Doubek and Gil Linster for third overall.
Sandro Tavartkiladze in sixth was the fastest among the Master Trophy drivers. The Georgian hotshot is aiming for a clean weekend after suffering from an opening lap retirement in Valencia and a formation lap engine failure at Paul Ricard.
Claudio Remigio Cappelli maintained his firm lead in the Legend Trophy in seventh. 2025 race winner Melvin de Groot was only tenth, behind Jens Beeusaert and Valentino Gambarotto.
The Lady Trophy was led by Robin Bleekemolen on her first laps as a EuroNASCAR OPEN competitor. Robin was replacing her grandfather Michael, who was unable to compete due to business duties at the Monaco Grand Prix.
Despite the last-minute nature of Robin’s announcement, Robin showed that she was prepared to fight in the big leagues by finishing 14th, one position ahead of fellow rookie Mariam Davitidze.
Free Practice was interrupted by several incidents. Vanessa “Happinessa” Neumann and Lux Motorsport drivers Ossi Pohjanharju and Francesco Leogrande – who swapped rides for Brands Hatch – all ran into trouble and brought a stoppage period.
EuroNASCAR OPEN FP1 Results | EuroNASCAR OPEN FP2 Results
Disclaimer: Credits for all photos are listed underneath each image.