In 2015, a young Czech driver named Martin Doubek entered the first NASCAR Whelen Euro Series event ever held at Raceway Venray to make his debut in the EuroNASCAR 2 division. Fast forward to 2024, Doubek finally became the master of the half-mile oval in his tenth season in the sport. The Hendriks Motorsport driver went back to Victory Lane with a highly commanding victory, leading all 70 laps of the NASCAR Oval GP from Pole Position to score not only his fifth victory in 2024, but also a record-tying twelfth career win in the most unpredictable division of EuroNASCAR.
A strong win for Doubek, a great show in the battle for second
With Pole Position secured, Doubek was given the privilege to start at the ideal outside lane. The Hendriks driver quickly built his lead when the green flag dropped and efficiently worked to maintain his gap in traffic. With his closest rivals Cappelli, Vargas and Neumann busy battling each other and Linster suffering mechanical trouble, the path was open for the Czech to take the checkered flag and become the first EuroNASCAR 2 oval winner in five years.
“It’s amazing! It’s f****** hot inside and the race sure felt long, but I’m surprised there were no safety cars nor cautions,” said Doubek in the Victory Lane. “It’s good that it went all green. I’m feeling good, but I’m f****** tired and I need to get some rest for tomorrow because I will have another race and a 100-lap one! I don’t know how I will do that, but I will do my best!”
The battle for second place between Cappelli, Vargas and Neumann was one to remember. The three drivers offered the numerous fans a show in classic Pure Racing style. Cappelli knew that defending the outside lane was the key to success and used the additional momentum at the exit of the corners to hold on to second despite a series of attacks brought by Vargas. In the end, the Italian took home second place to clinch the top spot in the Legend Trophy for drivers aged 40 and above.
Oval racing is familiar territory for Vargas, who has previously shared the track with the best drivers in NASCAR Xfinity and Truck Series. Running fourth in the early stages, the American used his oval knowledge to get by Neumann on lap 42 but couldn’t get past Cappelli. The #30 3F Racing Chevrolet Camaro driver was rewarded with his first overall podium in EuroNASCAR 2. Despite missing out on a top-3 finish, Neumann was overjoyed with his results after he lapped the competition in the Rookie Trophy.
Thomas Krasonis, another driver with extensive oval racing background, completed the top-5 positions ahead of Patrick Schober and Jack Davidson. The Austrian and the Scotsman were the last drivers to keep their 400 hp machines on the lead lap. Behind them was the Team Bleekemolen trio of Melvin de Groot, Michael Bleekemolen and Thomas Dombrowski. De Groot and Bleekemolen completed the podium in the Legend Trophy classifications at the end of an exciting battle between teammates. Julien Rehberg and Florian Richard filled the Rookie Trophy top-3 in eleventh and twelfth respectively with Arianna Casoli topping the Lady Trophy in 18th.
While EuroNASCAR PRO awaits their turn to light up the oval on Sunday, the drivers of EuroNASCAR 2 now receive the chance to enjoy a well deserved summer break. The exciting action will be resumed when the series visits the home round of championship leader Doubek, the NASCAR GP Czech Republic at Autodrom Most on 31 August-1 September. All qualifying and races will be broadcast live on EuroNASCAR’s YouTube channel and several TV networks from all around the world.
Qualifying: Martin Doubek takes the pole
Hendriks Motorsport continued to lead the competition in the exciting Qualifying session. Each driver was given the chance to set two flying laps and Doubek maximized his opportunity. The Czech driver secured the Pole Position Award for EuroNASCAR 2 Round 7. Legend Trophy was topped by Claudio Cappelli, who qualified his #5 Academy/Alex Caffi Motorsport Ford on the front row. Linster and Vargas were not that far behind in the second row of the grid while Neumann maintained his status as the fastest in Rookie Trophy with a fifth place effort.
Practice: Gil Lister tops Free Practice
The EuroNASCAR 2 gladiators started their action with two Free Practice sessions, where they learned the quirks of the only oval track on the calendar. Putting his ARCA Racing experience to good use, Hendriks Motorsport driver Gil Linster topped the combined timesheets. The Luxembourger driver’s best time of 19.922 seconds was 0.059 seconds faster than teammate Doubek. Legend Trophy leader Miguel Gomes and Ryan Vargas followed in third and fourth ahead of Victor Neumann, who bested his rivals in the Rookie Trophy.
EuroNASCAR PRO Results | EuroNASCAR 2 Results
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