2023 EuroNASCAR PRO Junior Trophy winner Liam Hezemans has signed a contract with Hendriks Motorsport to continue with the Dutch powerhouse in the 2024 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series season. The 20-year-old will once again take the wheel of the #50 Toyota Camry in EuroNASCAR PRO and look to make a run for the title. Despite a late start to his racing career, Hezemans won the EuroNASCAR 2 championship in his rookie season in 2022 and proved to be one of the most talented drivers on the NWES grid. Team manager Roy Hendriks is eager to get his team back on top in both divisions and the teams standings.
Hezemans feels home in the Belgian capital of Brussels as well as the famous city of Amsterdam. As a driver coach, he has made racing the center of his life, so the brother of two-time EuroNASCAR PRO Champion Loris and son of endurance racing legend Toine is looking to follow in his family’s footsteps and become the second Hezemans to win the top prize of European’s official NASCAR Championship. With one of the most successful teams in NWES history behind him, the Dutchman is sure to be among the title contenders.
“I love the atmosphere of the championship with all our great fans at the tracks. The series is growing every year and the level of competition is unmatched in Europe,” said Hezemans about his return to the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series. “Obviously, I want to win the EuroNASCAR PRO title and become the second Hezemans to win the overall championship. My biggest accomplishment to date is my EuroNASCAR 2 title in my very first year of auto racing, but I’m hungry to collect more trophies.”
Hezemans made his EuroNASCAR PRO debut in 2022, but focused on his title run in the second division, in which he beat Alberto Naska in a thrilling finale at the Automotodrom Grobnik in Croatia. He then made the step up to EuroNASCAR PRO for the 2023 season. An impressive season opener resulted in a win in the first race, but then Lady Luck wasn’t on Hezemans’ side. Four more podiums in a rollercoaster season were enough to beat Tobias Dauenhauer for the Junior Trophy for drivers under 25 and sixth place in the overall standings.
Hezemans is ready to take the next step, become a regular contender for wins and challenge the top drivers of the official European NASCAR championship, which kicks off April 13-14 at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, Spain. Seven events in seven European countries, the return of oval racing at Raceway Venray and expanded playoffs with two double-point events are among the features of the upcoming season. All races will be broadcast live on EuroNASCAR’s YouTube channel and on numerous television networks around the world.
Featured image by NASCAR Whelen Euro Series / Bart Dehaese