Vittorio Ghirelli expands EuroNASCAR 2 championship lead with third consecutive win

It was a perfect start into the NASCAR GP Spain for EuroNASCAR 2 championship leader Vittorio Ghirelli. The Italian took the green flag in Round 7 from the pole and led all 15 laps of a thrilling race. In the closing stages, the Hendriks Motorsport driver was put under pressure by his teammate Martin Doubek, but Ghirelli fended off the Czech’s last lap dash and won his third consecutive race of the 2020 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series season.

It was Ghirelli’s career win number four and the fifth time Hendriks Motorsport drivers finished first and second in EuroNASCAR 2 this season.

The Italian opened a gap on his chaser right at the start despite a quick shower hitting part of the track. On lap 2, the safety car was deployed due to an incident involving Giovanni Trione and Simon Pilate. Ghirelli had a good re-start and drove away again when the green flag waved. In the closing stages, Ghirelli had issues with the power steering of his #18 Ford Mustang and Doubek was quick to catch up. The two teammates even made contact in the last lap, but the Rome native defended his lead to capture the checkered flag.

“It was a tough race in tricky conditions,” said Ghirelli, who brought his car to Victory Lane in the moment heavy rain started to fall in Valencia. “Due to an issue with the power steering my teammate was able to catch up. I didn’t mind that we had an intense battle in the end, that’s NASCAR racing and as long it stays fair everything is fine for me. We did what we needed to do and we want to carry on like this.”

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Credits: NASCAR Whelen Euro Series / Stephane Azemard

It was an eventful race for second-placed Doubek driving the #7 Mustang. The NWES veteran also won an intense battle with Nicholas Risitano for second place before chasing down Ghirelli. Risitano completed the overall podium and kept his championship hopes alive. Second in the overall standings, Tobias Dauenhauer struggled with the balance of his #50 Mustang. The German limited damage in fourth place and won the race in the Rookie Trophy classification.

Vladimiros Tziortzis ended up fifth overall and second in the Rookie Trophy. A tire rub halfway in the race shattered Alessando Brigatti’s dream of a podium finish. The Feed Vict Racing driver was able to stay inside the top-10 and finish sixth. CAAL Racing’s Dylan Derdaele closed the Rookie Trophy podium in seventh overall.

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Credits: NASCAR Whelen Euro Series / Stephane Azemard

PK Carsport’s Julia Landauer finished eighth and won the Lady Trophy. The front of her Camaro was damaged in a contact but the experienced American kept the car on track to score another solid result in her rookie season. Kenko Miura made a return in NWES at the wheel of the #99 DF1 Racing Chevrolet with the ninth place and grabbed the Legend Trophy ahead of Marko Stipp Motorsport’s Francesco Garisto, who closed the top-10.

The next race of the NASCAR GP Spain is scheduled at 12:40 pm CET. The EuroNASCAR PRO drivers will battle for important points in the championship battle. The EuroNASCAR 2 will be back in action at 3:55 pm CET on Friday. All races will be broadcasted live on EuroNASCAR’s social media profiles (YouTube, Facebook, Twitch), Motorsport.tv and Kreator TV.

EURONASCAR 2 ROUND 7 RESULTS

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Credits: NASCAR Whelen Euro Series / Stephane Azemard