NASCAR Whelen Euro Series 2015 Junior Trophy winner Alon Day is the first ever NWES driver and the first ever driver coming from outside North America to be selected for the NASCAR Next, a program specially designed by NASCAR to showcase its future stars.
From Charlotte to New York City, and from Quebec to Israel, the 11 drivers who were announced as the 2016-17 NASCAR Next class today are primed for a successful and impactful future in NASCAR. This is the sixth edition of NASCAR Next, an industry-wide initiative designed to spotlight to best and brightest rising young stars in racing, drawing attention from media, fans, stakeholders and sponsors to foster their growth within the sport. Through the initiative, class members develop professional skills that help them harness their skills on the track and grow their marketability.
“The NASCAR Next program has introduced current stars such as Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott and Ryan Blaney to the NASCAR fan, and we believe this year’s class has the same potential,” said Jill Gregory, NASCAR senior vice president of marketing and industry services. “These drivers have shown the talent and intangibles to climb the NASCAR ladder, and we look forward to watching their careers grow.”
By including Alon Day, the 2016/2017 edition of the NASCAR Next features the first driver coming from the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series. This confirm the official European NASCAR series as one of the best option for drivers coming from all over the world willing to take advantage of unique career opportunities offered by NASCAR on the International and US scenes and it also further strengthen the bond between NWES and NASCAR in the US.
“I am very excited about this amazing opportunity I have been given to be a NASCAR Next driver and to be in the United States with all these amazing drivers, at the heart of the NASCAR industry feels really special. I want to thank the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series and everybody who helped me along the way. It is an honour to be one of the NASCAR Next drivers,” said Alon Day. “I am sure this program will push me higher and higher and and bring me to a new level in NASCAR, both as a driver and as a person. We are working very hard, with a lot of meetings and events, and I can already feel I am in a different place now compared to where I was before joining the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series.”
Having debuted in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series at the beginning of 2015 at the wheel of the #54 CAAL Racing Chevrolet SS after building his resume in single seaters and GT racing, Day emerged as one of the strongest drivers by the end of the season, winning three of the last four races, a momentum he kept entering 2016 with one win in the season opening weekend at Valencia.
This year’s NASCAR Next class was selected through an evaluation process that included input from industry executives, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Drivers Council and media. Drivers must be between the ages of 15-25, have tangible and expressed goals in eventual competition in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and demonstrate the potential to realize that goal.
Since its inception in 2011, 27 of the 35 drivers who have been selected as part of the program have gone on to compete in one of NASCAR’s three national series. Nearly a third of the drivers have made a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start, with nine drivers winning a NASCAR national series race.
The last two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Sunoco Rookies of the Year have been NASCAR Next alumni, as are the top two contenders for this year’s award: Blaney and Elliott. The last three Sunoco Rookie of the Year winners in both the NASCAR XFINITY Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series were also part of the NASCAR Next program.
The 11 drivers selected for the 2016/2017 NASCAR Next class are: Harrison Burton (@HBurtonRacing), Collin Cabre (@CollinCabre12), Spencer Davis (@SpencerDavis_29), Alon Day (@Alon_Day), Tyler Dippel (@Tyler_Dippel), Todd Gilliland (@ToddGilliland_), Noah Gragson (@NoahGragson), Gary Klutt (@Garyklutt), Julia Landauer (@julialandauer), Ty Majeski (@TyMajeski), Matt Tifft (@Matt_Tifft)
For more information, visit NASCARNext.com and make sure to follow the drivers on Twitter and on the track.
The NASCAR Whelen Euro Series will be back on track on June 11-12 for the fourth edition of the hugely successful American Speedfest at Brands Hatch, UK.
NASCAR PR
