Valencia NASCAR Fest - Weekend report
A huge success on and off the track
Blois, France - The first edition of the Valencia NASCAR Fest opened the 2014 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series season with a great success, both on and off the track, thanks to the incredible competition and to the over 14 000 Spanish fans that crowded the Circuit Ricardo Tormo to enjoy the atmosphere of a NASCAR weekend that was unique from many points of view.
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Download: High Resolution Picture - Credits: NASCAR Whelen Euro Series / Stephane Azemard
“It has been a great weekend. 14 000 fans visited The Circuit during Saturday and Sunday and that is a very large amount, but the most important thing is the quality. They are all looking forward to next year's Valencia NASCAR fest second edition,” said Gonzalo Gobert, director of the Circuit Ricardo Tormo. “Teams and drivers in the four races offered a great show and that's something that I want to thank in the name of valence people. The NASCAR Whelen Euro Series championship is in expansion and we are sure that in the coming years will be one of the most important in Europe. With the collaboration of NASCAR Whelen Euro Series staff we are going to improve the event and to offer a better product to the fans”.
The official NASCAR series in Europe enjoyed a huge step in terms of competition thanks to the arrival of new highly-professional international teams and drivers that challenged the established ones: on Saturday morning, at the end of a tense 15-minutes ELITE 1 qualifying session, PK Carsport monopolized the front row with Bert Longin (#11 PK Carsport Chevrolet SS) and Anthony Kumpen (#24 PK Carsport Chevrolet SS), but the top-5 drivers were separated by less than 2 tenths of a second and the first eleven cars were all in the same second, testifying how tight the battle for the pole position and the Pole Winner Award – which will be rewarded at the end of the season with a beautiful Race&Win watch – will be this year and how tight the field is in NASCAR Whelen Euro Series.
And the four races of the Spanish weekend were even more exciting! A huge 28-car field, with drivers from all over the world at the wheel, stormed on the front straight when the safety car pulled-in for the start of the ELITE 1 Saturday Race and the battle was immediately on. Daring three/four-wides, bold overtaking maneuvers, contacts, double-file restarts, huge comebacks, last-lap passes for the win and heart-breaking illusions: the fans in Valencia enjoyed an extraordinary mix of emotions that only NASCAR racing can bring.
The 4 sprint races that highlighted the Valencia NASCAR Fest were equally split between TFT and PK Carsport. Yann Zimmer (#3 TFT-Moser Vernet Ford Mustang) and Ander Vilarino (#2 TFT-Banco Santander Chevrolet SS), both veterans of the series, won the two ELITE 1 for Nogaro(France)-based team, one with an incredible late race double-overtake between turn 1 and 2 on Longin and Kumpen and the other with a wire-to-wire rush to the checkered flag ahead of the local hero Borja Garcia (#1 Ford Autolix Competition Ford Mustang), while 17-year-old rookie Neal Vaerenbergh (#11 PK Carsport Chevrolet SS) conquered both the ELITE 2 races. There is a lot more to read in the results, though, like Eddie Cheever’s (#51 CAAL Racing Chevrolet SS) comeback from an early contact to the 6th place under the checkered flag and the third place in standings, bested only the astonishing 22-positions climb that won the 2013 vice-champion Frederic Gabillon (#12 Still Racing Chevrolet Camaro) the Stand21 Best Move Award in the ELITE 1 Sunday Race.
“This season opener in Valencia was definitely a big step in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series history. Everybody was very impressed with the level of the event and of the competitors. We have seen very professional teams and a great lineup of top international drivers,” said Jerome Galpin, NASCAR Whelen Euro Series President - CEO. “This first NASCAR event in Spain was a great success with more than 14 000 fans and a true NASCAR atmosphere in the paddock. I’m sure the 2015 edition will be even bigger and better”.
The NASCAR Whelen Euro Series leaves Valencia with very close standings in both divisions and heads to Brands Hatch for the second edition of the American Speedfest, which will take place on June 7-8 on the legendary English circuit. Every point, every position, every tenth will count in the battle to be the European NASCAR Champion.
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