Martin Doubek is the first driver to win two EuroNASCAR 2 titles – The Czech has become one of the most respected personalities in Europe’s NASCAR paddock
The 2024 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series season will go down in the history books: Martin Doubek became the first driver ever to win two EuroNASCAR 2 Championships. With support from his company Orion, the Hendriks Motorsport driver dominated the season to beat Patrick Schober and Thomas Krasonis in an epic fight for the title. But who’s the Czech driver who joined EuroNASCAR back in 2015? What makes the Litomysl native such an integral part of the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series paddock? Let’s find out!
Doubek wants to race and he made that already clear in his first EuroNASCAR season in 2015. As a part-time driver he raced eight of 12 races in EuroNASCAR 2 and also had a taste of EuroNASCAR PRO. And Doubek got hungry: 2016 was his first full-time program in EuroNASCAR 2 with the Renauer Team and he impressed right from the beginning: Eight top-10 finishes and three top-5 results gifted him eighth overall in the standings. In addition, he raced in a total of four EuroNASCAR PRO rounds to compete with the best European NASCAR drivers.
Track time is what Doubek loves and that’s why he built his first full double duty program in 2017. With Renauer Racing he ended up 18th in EuroNASCAR 2 and 19th in EuroNASCAR PRO but the learning curve was steep and there was more to come from the Litomysl native. In 2018, he joined the Belgium Driver Academy team to race in EuroNASCAR PRO and finished the season in strong 13th with four top-10 and two top-5 finishes on his record. The turn around in his career was in 2019 when he joined Hendriks Motorsport with the support of Orion Racing. Two podium finishes allowed him to finish the EuroNASCAR 2 season in eighth overall.
Doubek made important improvements and became a serious contender for race wins over the years. In the 2020 pandemic season, he had to skip some of the races but when he was on track, he was on fire. He scored two amazing wins to sweep the NASCAR GP Belgium and despite missing out on the Italian rounds, he finished the season in seventh. Now the goal was clear: Doubek wanted the EuroNASCAR 2 Championship and he reached his goals. Five wins and nine top-5 finishes granted the Czech the title back in 2021 with Hendriks Motorsport, the team he’s still racing for. He made his dreams come true but he never lost any appetite for winning races.
The 2022 was another strong outing for Doubek as he ended the season eighth in points in EuroNASCAR PRO and fourth in EuroNASCAR 2. His consistency was strong but he lacked wins to defend the title. In 2023, he kept the momentum to again finish eighth overall in the PRO Championship while he was fast enough to end the EuroNASCAR 2 season in fifth. Hungry for another title, he started the 2024 again pulling double duty and he mastered the quests in the best possible way.
Four Pole Position Awards, six wins, nine top-5 finishes and ten top-10 results were the ingredients for Doubek’s most dominant seasons in EuroNASCAR so far. He clinched the title and became the first driver ever to win two EuroNASCAR 2 Championships. Besides beating his competition in the second division, he also finished the EuroNASCAR PRO season in a strong ninth position. It was a perfect year for the 29-year-old Czech, who always share important moments of his career with his fans at his home race at Autodrom Most.
An entrepreneur, a racing driver and a unique character in the paddock: Doubek is an important part of the EuroNASCAR history. Sometimes late for interviews or creative by sending a double to an autograph session, he’s always open for jokes, having fun and sharing moments with his fans. He’s a worker and puts a lot of time into preparation for the races. The Czech dominated the season because he has a strong race craft and a strong mind to take any obstacle in his way. With his attitude, he gained a lot of respect in the paddock. With two EuroNASCAR 2 titles in his pockets, Doubek will have his own chapter in the history books of NASCAR in Europe.
Featured image by NASCAR Whelen Euro Series / Nina Weinbrenner