After conquering his first NWES title with a dominant performance in the playoffs, Alon Day will be back behind the wheel of the #54 CAAL Racing Chevrolet to lead the team’s lineup with the clear goal to win back-to-back crowns.
“After three years together with CAAL Racing we have seen everything together, we went through the bad moments as well as the happy moments, like winning the championship together. We became one big family and I couldn’t be happier to know that we are going to fight together again. We all want to see the yellow #54 Chevy in Victory Lane again and stand again as a champions in Charlotte, bringing home another ring,” said the Ashdod, Israel native, who features 10 Euro NASCAR wins and 23 top-5s in his career. “2018 will bring us new challenges for sure as the championship gets bigger and tougher every year with some new great drivers and teams joining, but as we did every year, we will do our best to bring the Italian and Israeli flag on top of the podium.”
Day was the first driver coming from outside North American to be selected for the NASCAR Next program in 2016 and since joining NWES has already raced five times in the US, including one Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Sonoma in 2017.
An international lineup
CAAL Racing will once again field three cars in the upcoming NASCAR Whelen Euro Series season for drivers coming for six different countries.
The #54 Chevy will be driven by Day and Arianna Casoli as it was in 2017. The #44 car will go to Matthias Hauer – the German will make his NASCAR debut in the ELITE 1 Division – alongside Gil Linster, who will return for his sophomore EuroNASCAR campaign in the ELITE 2 Division. Recently signed Maciej Dreszer will go for the ELITE 2 title on the #56 Chevrolet, while Salvador Tineo Arroyo will pilot it at Valencia and Hockenheim.
“We have a great team and I’m really happy with our lineup! It’s our fourth season with such an international group of drivers. Many of them are returning thanks to the multi-year projects we established to progress all together and of course every year we want to introduce new drivers to start a new cycle with them,” said Team Manager Luca Canneori. “After winning the title in 2017 we focused on making our cars better because we’re sure the competition will be strong. We tested a lot and we’re happy with the results. We want to defend the crown.”
Returning drivers ready to take the next step
Luxembourgish driver Gil Linster will take part in his second NWES season with the intention to build on a solid rookie campaign that saw him constantly progress to score 4 top-5s and 8 top-10s.
“This will be my second season with Caal Racing and with the team we have a solid relationship to build on. I am really looking forward to improve my results from last year and make my team proud!” declared the 24-year-old driver.
She had to surrender her Lady Cup title in 2017, but Arianna Casoli is back with CAAL Racing for the third consecutive season and she’s ready to fight back.
“Being part of the CAAL Racing team once again is an important step in my growth as a driver because I’m learning a lot with them. I am also really happy to share the car with Alon once again: #Team54 is ready!” said the Italian, who last season got her first overall top-10 finish in the ELITE 2 Division. “I can’t wait for the season to start in Valencia. I hope the physical problems that slowed me down last year are now gone and I can do my best to get the Lady Cup back. A special thank goes not only to the team, but also to the fans. With their support they really make this championship unique!”
New entries eager to hit the track
A new addition to the team, 22-yo polish talent Maciej Dreszer will hunt for the title in the ELITE 2 Division after finishing third in the Rookie Cup in 2017 with seven top-5s and eight top-10s.
“It’s no secret that the goal is to win the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series and the next step is to race on American tracks. I believe that this collaboration with Caal Racing is a big step towards accomplishing these goals.” said Dreszer.
Matthias Hauer from Germany is also new to the team. The German will compete in the ELITE 1 Division strong of GT racing experience in VLN, KTM X Bow GT4 series and Porsche Sports Cup.
“It’s a great series. I like those big American cars and I am big fan of American sports cars”, said Hauer. “I really like the Euro NASCAR events, they’re full of families with their kids. It’s very entertaining the whole day. It’s not only the cars but the whole package of Euro NASCAR that impressed me. It did not take long until I decided to race for CAAL Racing.They won the championship and they are really professional. I had a great feeling while testing the car. My expectations are to be prepared as good as possible and to perform. In my first season I want to compete in the midfield. Every better result is a bonus.”
CAAL Racing underwent a thorough program of seven test day during the winter to further reinforce its powerhouse status in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series and all drivers are ready for the battle, beginning with the NASCAR GP of Spain in Valencia on April 14-15.
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