Alberto Naska holds the lead in the EuroNASCAR 2 championship after the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series regular season finale at Circuit Zolder in Belgium. The Italian has 306 points on his tally after dropping his two worst results, but there is a fierce rival who will try to overtake the CAAL Racing driver at the Fracasso NASCAR GP Croatia on October 29-30: Liam Hezemans. The Dutchman swept the races at Zolder track and therefore narrowed the gap from Naska in the overall standings.
13 markers separate Naska and Hezemans on top of the classification and both are also contending for the 2022 Rookie Trophy. Naska has already five race wins on his account, while Hezemans recorded his third and fourth victory of the season in Belgium. The Italian and the Dutchman are dominating the championship so far and will for sure provide a tremendous finale at Grobnik with double points on the line. There is no probable answer to the question about who will take the crown in the 2022 EuroNASCAR 2 season.
“In Zolder we had a great chance to score big points and visit Rijeka relaxed, but our gearbox said ‘no’,” said Naska. “And then the Safety Car said ‘no’ as well. We lost almost all the point-advantage we had. It’s also interesting how things change during the season! In the first race, Vladimiros Tziortzis seemed the one to beat for the title. And now, four race weekends later, he is almost out of the battle and Hezemans got closer. At least for the show, the NWES Finals will be amazing! I’m confident that we will get a good result, because we proved in every race to be fast and consistent, so we just have to hope to be a bit luckier this time. See you in Rijeka!”
Hezemans added: “It was a fantastic weekend at my let’s say home track on the EuroNASCAR schedule. I’m Dutch but I live in Brussels, so Zolder is like home for me. Unfortunately, Alberto had some technical issues in Saturday’s race, I’m really sorry for him. But our rivalry is still ongoing. We will see how it will end when we face each other in the EuroNASCAR Finals at Grobnik. I’m really looking forward to visiting Croatia and fighting for the EuroNASCAR 2 title. We just need to stay focused and put our heads down.”
It’s not the first time that rookies are dominating the most unpredictable championship in the world of EuroNASCAR: the first newcomer to win both the EuroNASCAR 2 Championship and the Rookie Trophy was Lasse Soerensen with DF1 Racing back in 2019. Runner-up was Giorgio Maggi, who’s now part of the EuroNASCAR PRO championship battle. The 2019 season was also the Swiss’ first ever NASCAR campaign. Naska and Hezemans are stepping in their footsteps in a spectacular fashion.
The 2022 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series will culminate on October 29-30 at Automotodrom Grobnik with four pure racing rounds – two in each championship. Qualifying and all races will be broadcast live on EuroNASCAR’s YouTube channel, Motorsport.tv and several TV services from all around the world. Tune in and do not miss any second of the 2022 EuroNASCAR championship battle.
