Let’s rephrase AC/DC’s famous song: It’s a long way to the top if you want to become a NASCAR Euro Series champion.
Vittorio Ghirelli did it twice, clinching the 2025 NASCAR Euro Series championship after a tense, challenging, and thrilling finale at Circuit Zolder in Belgium. The Italian swept the weekend in his perfect #24 PK Carsport Chevrolet Camaro, never giving his competitors a chance to question the Fasano native’s reign in the 2025 season.
But still, Ghirelli had to fight hard to defend his crown. Let’s recap his incredible journey to the summit of NASCAR in Europe.
The opening race weekend traditionally kicked off at Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, Spain. This arena-style track has been a fixture on the calendar since 2014, consistently delivering spectacular NASCAR action. Ghirelli started the weekend strong, clinching second place in qualifying. However, the 31-year-old found himself battling the car’s balance, pace, and overall driveability during the races.
Paul Jouffreau, one of the most talented drivers in NASCAR Euro Series history, took the checkered flag in the season opener. He finished ahead of Ghirelli’s PK Carsport teammate, Thomas Krasonis, who earned his first-ever PRO podium. Coming in third was Yvan Muller, who had an epic wheel-to-wheel battle with Ghirelli, full of side-drafts and aggressive moves. Ultimately, defending champion Ghirelli had to settle for fourth – a solid finish, but not what the Italian had his sights on.
In the second race, the NASCAR Euro Series paddock couldn’t believe their eyes. Krasonis, a driver in the series since 2019, broke through and grabbed his maiden PRO race win, while Ghirelli finished second – right behind his new teammate. Krasonis took over the championship lead with 75 points, one point ahead of Jouffreau. Seven points down to his teammate, Ghirelli was only third after two races.
On his home track, Ghirelli struck back with a third-place qualifying effort, but once again, Krasonis and Jouffreau outran the reigning champion, this time at Autodromo di Vallelunga, Italy.
In the first race, Ghirelli had to watch Jouffreau take the checkered flag while the Fasano native ended up third behind Gianmarco Ercoli. Ghirelli was among the front-runners and brought home his second podium finish of the season, but he was missing that one crucial step to Victory Lane.
It only took him 24 hours to make that crucial move: in front of his home crowd, Ghirelli edged out Liam Hezemans in a tremendous battle at Sunday’s Vallelunga race. Separated by just 0.185 seconds, the Italian wheeled his way to his first win of the season, celebrating in his home race. Ghirelli passed Krasonis in the overall standings, but he still trailed Jouffreau by three points, who took over the championship lead.
Brands Hatch is CAAL Racing’s turf – they’re the technical partner for the new Canadian team, Alumitec Racing. 2023 champ Ercoli put down the fastest lap in qualifying on the Indy Circuit, throwing down the gauntlet in the championship fight by beating Ghirelli by a whopping 0.421 seconds. That’s a huge margin on a track that’s only 1.944 kilometers long.
You could almost compare it to the eight-tenths of a second advantage Ghirelli would later have at the 4.011 kilometer long Circuit Zolder, but let’s stick to the timeline here.
The longtime Italian rivals duked it out in the first race, but Ghirelli just didn’t have enough to catch Ercoli, who snagged his first win of the season. Sunday’s second race was a rerun of what the nearly 50,000 fans saw on Saturday: Ercoli was simply untouchable, beating Ghirelli by a mere 0.703 seconds at the stripe. Ghirelli, ever consistent, held onto second ahead of Jouffreau, who lost his overall lead to Ghirelli.
Now, Ghirelli’s got a six-point cushion over Ercoli, who’s been making big moves up the standings.
Ercoli carried the momentum from Brands Hatch right into Autodrom Most in Czechia, laying down an impressive qualifying run. He was nearly six-tenths of a second quicker than his closest rival, American “hybrid racer” Garrett Lowe. Meanwhile, Ghirelli had some brake trouble and only managed tenth in Superpole. It’s a long haul to the front, but Ghirelli’s got that fighting spirit to claw his way back, even when the chips are down.
Ercoli notched his third straight win on Saturday by 4.442 seconds, while Ghirelli was unfortunately sidelined with the brake issues again. But Ghirelli has an ace in his sleeve: He did enough to secure pole position for Sunday. Ghirelli then roared back with a dominant performance, taking the checkered flag over Ercoli by 1.545 seconds.
The event at Autodrom Most signaled the end of the regular season, and all drivers had to drop their worst result from the past four events. That stung Ghirelli, as he was one of the most consistent drivers in the PRO division. He and Ercoli headed into the double-points Playoffs dead even in points, 12 points clear of Jouffreau.
Qualifying wrapped up in a flash: Ghirelli laid down a lap 0.357 seconds quicker than Ercoli, setting up a side-by-side start for the two championship heavyweights into the notorious Turn 1 at Germany’s Motorsport Arena Oschersleben.
With double points on the line, the tension was through the roof, and you could just feel it in the air – an electrifying atmosphere that screamed something big was about to go down.
It only took about 200 meters in the first race to confirm everyone’s suspicions: Ghirelli bumped Ercoli’s car, sending both of them spinning through Turn 1, causing a massive NASCAR style Big One. Race control held Ghirelli responsible for the wreck and penalized the Italian. Both cars limped across the finish line heavily damaged, with Ercoli in ninth and Ghirelli in 13th after the penalty.
Ghirelli clocked a strong lap time, giving him a solid starting spot for Sunday’s race. Ercoli, however, had to fight his way through the field from the back. Ghirelli took the checkered flag, finishing a dominant 4.5 seconds ahead of Jouffreau while Ercoli salvaged a tenth-place finish, minimizing the damage.
The PK Carsport driver now had a four-point lead in the championship over Jouffreau, while Ercoli dropped to third, 18 points behind Ghirelli.
While CAAL Racing dominates at Brands Hatch, PK Carsport is the playground of Circuit Zolder. Team owner Anthony Kumpen, a Hasselt native, grew up just a few kilometers from the track and clinched two NASCAR Euro Series PRO titles there himself.
Thanks to his extensive racing experience, Kumpen knows every inch, every racing line, and every secret of the track: a huge advantage for his team PK Carsport. Ghirelli proved just how strong the PK Carsport Chevrolet is in qualifying, laying down a lap 0.793 seconds quicker than Jouffreau, who qualified second. Ercoli had a tough qualifying run, only clocking in eighth and 1.446 seconds off Ghirelli’s pace.
Ghirelli put one hand on the beautiful Tijey Trophy with a race win on Saturday, finishing ahead of Hezemans and Ercoli, who made a strong comeback to keep his championship hopes alive. Jouffreau was knocked out of the championship battle when Thomas Toffel shoved Bruno Mulder’s car into the RDV Competition’s #3 Ford Mustang. Toffel was penalized for that move.
Ghirelli‘s domination of the race extended his lead over Ercoli to 30 points. Jouffreau couldn’t clinch the pole position for Sunday’s race, so Ghirelli had a special prize waiting for him: the unique Stromwatches.com NASCAR Euro Series watch, awarded to the driver with the most pole starts.
The season’s final race was overshadowed by a massive crash involving Giorgio Maggi, whose car went airborne and rolled nine times before finally coming to a stop. Maggi was taken to a local hospital for precautionary observation after he walked away from the wreck under his own power, but despite the violent flips, the Swiss driver wasn’t seriously injured. Maggi was released from the hospital on Monday and traveled home with his family.
After the red flag for the wreck, Ghirelli picked up right where he left off on Saturday. The Italian dominated the field once again and outran Toffel, who snagged a career-best second-place finish in the PRO division. The Finals sweep clinched Ghirelli’s second championship – a back-to-back victory.
The PK Carsport driver now stands shoulder-to-shoulder with his team owner Kumpen as a two-time champion himself. Ercoli had to settle for second in the overall standings, 46 points back from Ghirelli. Jouffreau rounded out the top three, taking home the Junior Trophy title ahead of Hezemans and Sebastiaan Bleekemolen.
Ghirelli, along with the top-3 finishers and all trophy winners, will be honored at the annual NASCAR Awards Banquet in the United States this November. All champions have received a special invitation to be part of the festivities in Charlotte, North Carolina, on November 21st.