Sunny conditions in Motorsport Arena Oschersleben set the stage for the first qualifying session in the 2025 NASCAR Euro Series Playoffs. With double points on the line and no more results to drop, every position from here on out is crucial to determine the winners of the 2025 PRO and OPEN championships. Reigning PRO champion Vittorio Ghirelli and talented young Dutchman Bruno Mulders left their mark in qualifying as both drivers secured their first Strom Watches Pole Award of the season. They will lead a field of hungry and exciting talents, all eager to make their impression and bring home the best results they can achieve in the most important rounds of the year.

PRO: Vittorio Ghirelli clinches first Strom Pole Award of 2025

Qualifying in the 2024 NASCAR Euro Series season was dominated by Vittorio Ghirelli, who swept all seven Pole Awards on his way to his maiden PRO title. While his rivals have closed the gap, the Italian star bounced back just in time for the start of the Playoffs in Germany. An impressive lap time of 1:31.877 secured the best position on the grid for the driver of the #24 PK Carsport Chevrolet Camaro heading to the first of two double points races in Oschersleben.

“It was very good and I was very confident with the car,” said Ghirelli after his run. “The #24 PK Carsport Chevrolet Camaro was really flying and it’s always awesome to be here. I was on pole here last year and I love this track. The Superpole was tricky because of the warmer track temperatures, but it was the same for everyone. I was able to put in a good first lap and made a better second lap. I think I was three tenths clear, which is promising, but the battle is very long. I have to stay focused and try to get the job done.”

Great rival Gianmarco Ercoli will keep a close eye on Ghirelli from second position. Ercoli and Ghirelli entered the NASCAR GP Germany with the same amount of points, meaning that they continued to be as close as ever. Paul Jouffreau maintains his lead in Junior Trophy with a third place result. Bruno Mulders continued to be the dark horse of PRO with second in the Junior Trophy and fourth position overall. The top-5 was completed by Thomas Krasonis, beating Liam Hezemans by 0.003 seconds to claim the third spot in Junior Trophy.

Fabrizio Armetta and Sebastiaan Bleekemolen maintained their strong consistency and will continue to push for top positions from the fourth row on the grid. Michal Makes, making his first Superpole appearance, is ninth ahead of Thomas Toffel, who was the fastest in Challenger Trophy. Claudio Cappelli and Davit Kajaia rounded out the top-3 Challenger Trophy spots in 13th and 18th respectively. Garrett Lowe encountered technical issues and was only 12th in the home qualifying session for his team Bremotion, while Raphael Lessard completed his first EuroNASCAR shootout in 15th place.

OPEN: Maiden pole position for Bruno Mulders

Bruno Mulders achieves the next important step in his short, but very promising NASCAR Euro Series career so far. With the support and expertise of Team Bleekemolen, the driver of the #72 Toyota Camry set a blistering lap time of 1:32.375, edging out Thomas Toffel by just 0.015 seconds to claim his first OPEN pole position. Mulders also therefore secured first in the Master Trophy classifications. With a clear run at the start of OPEN Playoffs 1, the Dutchman will be the driver to watch as he chases for his first overall win in the division.

“I’m feeling very good,” said Mulders after his sensational performance. “I felt very good with this track ever since practice yesterday and had plenty of confidence for the races in PRO and OPEN. Everytime I get in the car, I’m fully focused and try to get everything from it. I work a lot with the data and keep pushing for better results.”

Championship leader Thomas Krasonis opened his Playoffs run from a solid third place. The competition will be fierce for the Greek driver and a strong qualifying result is crucial for his title hopes. Claudio Cappelli showed promising speed and qualified fourth overall. The Italian therefore is the top driver in the Legend Trophy special classification for drivers aged 45 and above. Gil Linster completed the top-5 and was closely followed by Thomas Dombrowski, who was second in the Master Trophy.

Patrick Schober and Martin Doubek will have work to do from the fourth row of the grid. Valerio Marzi in ninth position completed the top-3 places in the Master Trophy, defeating his Club Competition teammate Jordan O’Brien who rounds out the overall top-10. 

Melvin de Groot faced a challenging time in qualifying. The tall Dutchman was only 11th overall and second in Legend Trophy. A contender for the overall title, de Groot has the potential to bounce back after showing his potential in the UK where he took his maiden win in heavy rain conditions. The returning Kenko Miura – ranked 18th overall – was third among the Legend Trophy contenders. Mechanical issues sidelined Happinessa, which prevented her from setting a lap time in her home shootout session.

Attention is now shifted to the Playoffs races in Germany, which promises to bring a high stake adventure and thrills from start to finish. PRO’s Playoffs race will start at 13:55 CEST with OPEN following suit on 16:55 CEST. You can watch all of the action from the official EuroNASCAR YouTube channel and TV channels around the world.

NASCAR Euro Series PR