By Caleb Whisler, Staff Writer
For Alon Day, the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series is beginning to see exceptional growth in the motorsports scene in Europe.
In Europe, the primary resources of motorsport competition are Formula 1 and sports cars. For Day, he has seen how much the series has grown since his first start in 2015.
“Some of the weekends, we have 40,000 spectators, which is insane. We are beating one of those big championships in Europe. I think that shows how people really appreciate NASCAR now. I think NASCAR is doing a good job going into those places. Right now, the Whelen Euro Series is one of the best championships in Europe,” Day said at Richmond Raceway.
Day contributes the growth of the=series to the bumping and banging that occurs within the series. He believes that the fans lose something when the drivers are not allowed to touch each other.
“The racing is much more entertaining. We are allowed to touch each other, which is something you barely see in Europe because it is illegal to rub someone,” Day said.
“I think the fans have realized what is going on and realize that NASCAR is the place to be and watch. It’s more fun. You can watch every race we have from the green flag to the checkered flag it is non-stop action. People realize it I think.”
Day believes that there needs to be a connection between NASCAR in the United States and NASCAR in Europe. He believes that Americans need to realize how good road courses are and that the sanctioning body should incorporate street circuits like Long Beach into the schedule. For the European fan base, he believes that they need to see how big NASCAR truly is and start building ovals.
With those suggestions, Day believes that the sport is moving in that direction but isn’t sure when that is going to happen.
With the new international division in NASCAR, Day is confident about the future of NASCAR in Europe and beyond.
“I am 100% confident. You can see the job they did until now. I don’t know what they are going to do next, but you can see what they did. I never have never seen a championship growing up some quick.”