As if to prove that there is a Portuguese in every corner of the world and in every occupation, the pilot Miguel Gomes will race full-time in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series EuroNASCAR 2 championship for German team Marko Stipp Motorsport.
A regular presence in official NASCAR virtual races, the 41-year-old Portuguese driver had already joined the German team last year to compete in the last virtual race of the EuroNASCAR Esports Series at the Zolder Circuit.
Arriving in the “European division” of NASCAR comes after having participated in 2020 in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series (NWES) driver recruitment program.
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As for the experience driving competition cars, Miguel Gomes had already participated in Stock Car races, in the European Late Model Series and in the British VSR V8 Trophy championship.
The NASCAR Whelen Euro Series
Founded in 2008, the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series has 28 races divided into seven rounds and two championships: EuroNASCAR PRO and EuroNASCAR 2.
As for the cars, although there are three brands competing — Chevrolet, Toyota and Ford — under the “skin” these are identical. In this way, they all weigh 1225 kg, and all have a 5.7 V8 with 405 hp and reach 245 km/h.
The transmission is in charge of a manual gearbox with four ratios — "dog leg", that is, with the first gear towards the rear — which sends power to the rear wheels and even the dimensions are the same: 5080 mm long, 1950 mm wide and a wheelbase of 2740 mm.
The 2021 season starts on May 15th with a double journey in Valencia, on the Ricardo Tormo circuit. It will also feature double matches in Most (Czech Republic), Brands Hatch (England), Grobnik (Croatia), Zolder (Belgium) and Vallelunga (Italy).
Miguel Gomes"NASCAR has been my passion since I was a kid and being able to compete in an official NASCAR series is a dream come true"
Interestingly, none of the circuits where the competitions for the 2021 season of the EuroNASCAR PRO and EuroNASCAR 2 championships will be held have an oval track, one of the hallmarks of the discipline. Outside were the European ovals of Venray (Netherlands) and Tours (France), which have already been part of past editions of the championship.