Thomas Krasonis encountered difficulties during the opening days for the NASCAR Brasil round at Chapecó, which saw Gabriel Casagrande claiming pole position for Race 1.
Friday and Saturday’s running of the inaugural NASCAR Brasil Series round at Autódromo Internacional de Chapecó was a day of familiarization for PK Carsport racer Thomas Krasonis, who is making his South American debut at the 1.452 kilometer oval.
The 2026 V8GP top-5 season finisher is slowly getting to grips with the Brazilian NASCAR machinery, but he admitted after Saturday’s Qualifying that finding the right setup has been difficult.
Krasonis and the No. 13 AMattheis Vogel Camaro – decked in the familiar colors of Costamare Inc. – was 24th on the pole shootout, beating only Felipinho Tozzo who encountered mechanical issues in his No. 57 Cana Cayano / Super Carros Camaro.
“Not the result that we hoped for, seems like we’re struggling to find what we’re supposed to do with the setup of the car,” said Krasonis in his Qualifying debrief.
“Yesterday we had a small accident with a car that caused some damage. I cannot understand exactly what’s going on, we didn’t manage to have a good time at all.”
“We will work with the team to find out what’s wrong and look at the data to see what maybe I can improve from my side. The only way you can go is up!”
Before Qualifying started, the 2025 OPEN champion was given the chance to explain the differences of the NASCAR Brasil and EuroNASCAR machines to series reporter Brenda Balista.
“It has less horsepower with all the weight on the back, so in terms of driving style you have to be a little bit more aggressive than the Euro car,” explained the Greek racer to Balista.
“The Euro car is more patient and also the brakes are a little bit different here. You have to be more progressive to the peak, while in Europe it has to be like a punch, a strong hit.”
“So these are the main differences, every lap is better and better and better. I will try to catch the guys up on their speed, but you know, it takes a little bit of time, but I feel good. The team is very nice, so I’m looking forward to the race.”
All three races from Chapecó will be held on Sunday, with Race 1 scheduled to take place at 09:00 local time (GMT -3) on a 23 minutes + 1 lap format.
The second and third race will be combined into a single, 50 minute + 1 lap event that will start at 14:05 local time. The combined race will be split into two heats, featuring a mid-race non-competitive pit stop to allow teams to refuel their car for the heat that will count for Race 3.
Krasonis’ teammate at AMattheis Vogel Gabriel Casagrande will start from pole position, beating Murilo Rocha by 0.287 seconds with a best lap time of 37.171.
Guilherme Backes starts from third alongside Cristais race winner Tatiana Calderón, who continued to show her oval racing prowess with another top-5 oval pace.
Galid Osman completed the top-5 by a fractional margin from Bruna Tomaselli, who made it two female drivers inside the top-6. Ricardo Mauricio, Tito Giaffone, Denis Navarro and Jorge Martelli completed the top-10 starting positions.
Championship leader Thiago Camilo could only muster a 19th place result, giving him a lot of homework for the upcoming races.
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