The NASCAR Whelen Euro Series heads to the United Kingdom on 17-18 June for the NASCAR GP UK, held at the Indy Circuit of Brands Hatch. One of the most popular events on the schedule, the American SpeedFest is a staple on the EuroNASCAR calendar following its first edition in 2013 as Brands Hatch continues to provide plenty of exciting battles and entertainment for the fans to enjoy. With this year’s round being the tenth anniversary edition of the American SpeedFest, we will be taking a look at the history books to see which active competitor is the most successful on the 1.905 km long circuit.
The mantle of the active driver with the most victories at Brands Hatch in EuroNASCAR PRO goes to both Anthony Kumpen and Frederic Gabillon with two victories each. Kumpen bested Gabillon on his way to secure his first victory at Brands Hatch in 2016 before he followed it up with another victory in 2017. Gabillon had to wait until 2018 to score his first victory in the UK, but he then successfully defended his victory in the following year to score his final race win to date. Gianmarco Ercoli followed behind with one victory thanks to an inspiring performance in 2018 that led to the first race win of a EuroNASCAR 2 champion in the series top division.
Both Kumpen and Gabillon also share the honors for the most Qualifying pole positions with two each, followed by Ercoli with one pole in 2022. Gabillon’s 2013 pole in the first SpeedFest edition was a special one as it also marked the Frenchman’s first career pole position in the series. For fastest laps and podium finishes, Gabillon sits on top of both statistics as he has the most out of all active drivers in EuroNASCAR PRO with three fastest laps and ten podium finishes at Brands Hatch.
In EuroNASCAR 2, there’s going to be a strong possibility of a new winner being crowned at Brands Hatch. The only active driver in EuroNASCAR’s most unpredictable championship with a victory in the United Kingdom is Alberto Naska, who took his maiden victory in the 2022 SpeedFest after a thrilling Overtime battle. Advait Deodhar and Liam Hezemans had previously visited Victory Lane at Brands Hatch in EuroNASCAR 2, but both drivers are going to be competing for the top honors in EuroNASCAR PRO this time.
EuroNASCAR 2’s current standings leader Vladimiros Tziortzis is the only active driver with a pole position at Brands Hatch after the Cypriot secured his first pole award at the track last year. Naska has the most podiums for an active driver with two, while the Italian and Tziortzis shared one fastest lap each in last year’s event. Both drivers enjoyed a fierce, yet respectful battle at SpeedFest that epitomizes the Pure Racing spirit of the series.
All of the drivers mentioned will be ready to compete when the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series goes back to action next week. Catch up to the action from American SpeedFest from EuroNASCAR’s YouTube channel, Motorsport.tv and various TV services around the world as the series will be providing live broadcast on qualifying and all of the races for the 2023 season.
Featured image by NASCAR Whelen Euro Series / Bart Dehaese
