The 2026 NASCAR Euro Series season is now fully alive! The long awaited return to Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia is finally upon us as drivers from the premier V8GP division and up-and-comers in OPEN took to the track for their first laps of the NASCAR GP Spain. With the first qualifying session fast approaching, every lap in the Friday practice sessions was very important and no team understood this assignment better than Alumitec Racing, who led both divisions with the exciting #11 Ford Mustang driver line-up: Gianmarco Ercoli and Raphael Lessard.

V8GP: Ercoli in front on both sessions

Gianmarco Ercoli started his quest to win his second V8GP championship in the best way possible. After Alumitec overcame issues that beset the team in Thursday’s Prologue, Ercoli used new tires to build an early lead in the first session and maintained his advantage in the second session to stamp the Italian’s position as the pace setter. Chasing Ercoli behind was multiple Junior Trophy champion Paul Jouffreau, who is hungry for his maiden V8GP title.

They were followed by a pair of debutants who impressed in their own ways. Nelson Piquet Jr. showed his killer instinct by finishing third overall, less than two tenths of a second behind his teammate Ercoli. On the flip side of the coin was Vinnie Meskelis, who is making his official NASCAR debut this weekend. Despite this, Meskelis was already battling with the veterans and placed the #76 Toyota in fourth, validating Team Bleekemolen’s decision to sign the American for 2026.

Vittorio Ghirelli began the chase for a record-breaking third consecutive title with some difficulties. A broken differential cost the two-time champion crucial track time, but a top-5 finish was still a strong one for the PK Carsport driver. Thomas Toffel eyed a third place result after being sixth quickest in front of Thomas Krasonis.

Martin Doubek, Jordan O’Brien and Sebastiaan Bleekemolen completed the top-10 positions. Giovanni Cartechini debuted with a 14th place overall finish. The driver of the #54 CAAL Racing Chevrolet already showed his fangs by preceding Davit Kajaia and Kenko Miura, two drivers who have won the overall Challenger Trophy classification in the past.

OPEN: Lessard just 0.009 seconds ahead

The comeback for Raphael Lessard couldn’t have been scripted any better. Lessard was forced to miss the first practice session due to technical difficulties with his #11 Ford Mustang, but the Canadian bounced back in the best way possible by snatching the top spot away from Thomas Toffel. Only 0.009 seconds separated Lessard and Toffel, setting the stage for a nail biting OPEN showdown in the two races that will be held in Spain.

With Thomas Krasonis focusing his 2026 season on V8GP, the chances are strong for a new champion to be crowned. That is if Martin Doubek doesn’t have anything to say, as the former two-time champion continued his strong OPEN track record with a third place finish in the combined times. The Hendriks Motorsport drivers finished ahead of Claudio Cappelli and Sandro Tavartkiladze, who will fight for victories and podiums with their new teams CAAL Racing and Team Bleekemolen.

Thomas Dombrowski kept Tavartkiladze at bay in the Master Trophy duel with the Frenchman’s sixth place finish. Melvin de Groot will rekindle his long-time rivalry with Cappelli after he finished seventh overall. Gil Linster, Valentino Gambarotto and Florian Richard rounded out the top-10.

Kenko Miura completed ended up 12th overall, just ahead of Beitske Visser who led her rivals in the Lady Trophy. The additions of Happinessa and Mariam Davitidze ensures that the battle for the best female driver in OPEN will be hotly contested to the end.

All of the data gathered by teams and drivers will be put together to create the best package for the first qualifying and races of the 2026 season on Saturday. Qualifying will take place at 09:50 CET with V8GP and OPEN races following at 13:55 and 16:55 CET respectively. Make sure you keep up to NASCAR Euro Series’ official website and social media accounts for the latest updates and visit www.nascar.eu/watch to find out where to watch the best battles from the official European NASCAR championship.

NASCAR Euro Series PR