Max Lanza announced his departure from NASCAR Euro Series after eight successful and memorable years in stock car racing.
After eight successful years in the sport, Max Lanza announced that he will be leaving the NASCAR Euro Series to make way for a new chapter in GT racing in 2026.
The announcement was made through his social media accounts on 23 January 2026.
Lanza finished his 2025 season campaign in 23rd position, having brought home one top-10 finish in the second race at Autodrom Most.
Lanza also made his return to GT racing in Supersport Series GT’s round at Vallelunga last year. Held at the same time as the 2025 NASCAR GP Germany, the pair of Lanza and Roberto Benedetti took home a podium finish, driving the No. 88 Porsche 992 GT3 Cup fielded by Team Cars Racing.
“Dear friends, the 2026 season will mark a major turning point for me,” announced Lanza. “A new challenge in motorsport awaits and this means that, after eight seasons, this year I will not be on the NASCAR Euro Series grid.”
Lanza made his first appearance in 2018 as The Club Motorsport’s EuroNASCAR OPEN driver. The driver from Rome had a challenging season on his way to 19th in the standings, but showed his potential when he finished sixth in the penultimate race at Zolder.
He followed it up with a fourth place finish in the 2019 season opener at Valencia – the closest Lanza has ever been to stepping to the overall podium positions in EuroNASCAR.
Unfortunately, poor results afterwards and a reduced campaign by The Club that year left Lanza down in 24th position in the standings.
Lanza then moved to CAAL Racing in 2020, the team that he would affiliate himself for the rest of his EuroNASCAR career.
Injuries suffered from a Qualifying crash at Automotodrom Grobnik in Rijeka left him unable to complete the COVID-19 affected 2020 season, but he truly blossomed when he returned in 2021 as Alon Day’s partner.
Six top-10 finishes, including a fifth at Valencia, was enough for Lanza to finish ninth in the standings. Lanza was also crowned as that year’s Legend Trophy winner, beating Yevgen Sokolovskiy by 30 points.
This sets him up nicely for a promotion to EuroNASCAR PRO in 2022, where he acted as the mentor for famed Italian YouTuber Alberto “Naska” Fontana for two seasons.
Lanza answered to the challenge in the big leagues well, scoring four top-10 finishes on his first PRO season with the No. 88 team.
He was leading the Challenger Trophy heading to the season finale at Rijeka, but two poor results there left him third in the Trophy standings – and 17th in the overall championship.
Lanza continued his pursuit of the Challenger Trophy in the three following seasons, but always came up short. The 2024 battle in particular saw Lanza finish just three points away from the Trophy winner Dario Caso in the final standings.
For 2025, after having his season nearly cut short due to the destruction of his No. 88 Avangarde Group Camaro in Brands Hatch, he took up a new role as EuroNASCAR’s tire tester for the Czechia and Belgium rounds.
While he ended his career on a low with a retirement and a DNS in Zolder, his top-10 finish in Czechia showed that he still has the capability to battle with the best drivers in the sport.
“Since 2018, this series has been my second home,” Lanza explained in his announcement. “I have met incredible people, built genuine friendships and experienced unforgettable emotions, the kind that only motorsport can give you.”
“Over these years, I have tasted the greatest joys, such as winning the Legend Trophy in 2021. I have also faced difficult moments, like the big accident in Grobnik in 2020, when I suffered a wrist fracture.”
“Joys and pain, victories and setbacks, but always with my helmet fastened and the desire to come back stronger.”
“Now an important chapter of my life as a driver comes to an end, but a new one begins: GT racing, a new challenge that I can’t wait to share with all of you.”
“This is not a goodbye: I will continue to be in the paddock and part of this world I love, just in a different role.”
“I would like to sincerely thank [series CEO and founder] Jerome Galpin, [head of EuroNASCAR media team] Gian Luca Giuglia, [EuroNASCAR Executive Manager] Pierpaolo Ciceri, all the friends of EuroNASCAR, and a special thanks to CAAL Racing, the team with whom my journey will continue in different ways.”
“Thank you to everyone who has been part of this journey. Thank you to all those who made it special! See you soon at the track, the story continues!”
Disclaimer: Credits for all photos are listed underneath each image.