Paul Jouffreau, the 2023 NASCAR Euro Series OPEN Champion, was a contender for the PRO division title in 2024 and 2025, but fell short in both seasons. Therefore, it\u2019s no surprise that the Frenchman from Blaye will be back on the grid in 2026 to finally etch his name into the Whelen Hall of Champions in Charlotte, North Carolina. For that, the 22-year-old has extended his contract with RDV Competition.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s official: I\u2019m returning to the NASCAR Euro Series in 2026,\u201d Jouffreau said about his third championship hunt for the prestigious PRO title. \u201cHonestly, the 2025 season didn\u2019t fully showcase what I can do, and perhaps not enough of my legendary humility. On a more serious note, I\u2019m fired up for this new season, ready to work tirelessly, keep developing, and most importantly, battle right at the front.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe letdown at Zolder was a tough pill to swallow,\u201d Jouffreau admitted about the crash that ended his championship hopes. Thomas Toffel spun Bruno Mulders\u2019 car into the RDV Competition machine right at the start. \u201cThat incident left a deep mark, but it also strengthened the relationship I have with RDV Competition because we faced that disappointment together. It took some time to bounce back, but today, I\u2019m more motivated than ever, with a burning desire to prove that this title belongs to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m also ecstatic to have a race in Valencia,\u201d the young gun added, who launched his karting career in Spain. \u201cThat city is truly close to my heart, and getting to race at the Valencia track again means the world to me \u2013 I know I\u2019m going to soak it all in.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFinally, the addition of the French Grand Prix is going to be amazing,\u201d he concluded his statement. \u201cAs a French driver, having a genuine home Grand Prix is something deeply personal. Even though Valencia feels like home, racing in France will be absolutely unbelievable.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jouffreau also steered his career into a new chapter, becoming an entrepreneur. The young Frenchman launched a business as a driver coach, aiming to share his expertise and support the development of other race car drivers.<\/p>\n
RDV Competition has been a dominant force in European NASCAR racing for decades. Franck Violas, the architect behind the team, is thrilled to have Jouffreau back in the #3 car. \u201cI\u2019m pleased to announce the return of RDV Competition to the NASCAR Euro Series for 2026. RDV is a historical team in this championship, participating since 2010 when I raced myself at Le Mans,\u201d the team owner stated.<\/p>\n
\u201cSince then, the level of competition has grown immensely, and I\u2019m proud to consistently field a very competitive car, thanks to top drivers and sheer hard work. We experienced a massive disappointment during the first race of the Finals at Zolder. We were starting on the front row, right beside our main rival, and I can assure you we were primed for the fight of our lives.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPaul was second in the overall standings; the championship title was within our grasp. But everything evaporated on the first corner: a competitor, coming out of nowhere, struck Paul\u2019s car after contact he had with another driver who showed poor sportsmanship. While the latter received a significant penalty, it obviously couldn\u2019t restore our position.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cInitially, that setback was demoralizing for both Paul and me. However, in the end, it truly reinforced our connection. 2025 was competitive for my team, which is now even more high-performing, and it was hugely developmental for Paul, who never stops improving. A winning program is always prepared well in advance.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re already focused on 2026, and the return of the French GP presents a major opportunity for our team. I\u2019m delighted to share our combined experience with Paul for another year. My own experience, the whole team\u2019s, Claude Galopin\u2019s \u2013 our engineer \u2013 and Fred Gabillon\u2019s, with his incredible time behind the wheel of the #3 car. RDV Competition is at the top of its game, and Paul has achieved the maturity needed to be a champion more than ever before. Can\u2019t wait to get to Valencia!\u201d<\/p>\n
The 2026 NASCAR Euro Series season kicks off on April 18-19 at Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, Spain. Keep an eye on the #3 Ford Mustang in PRO with Jouffreau at the wheel, hungry to finally claim the ultimate glory in European NASCAR racing. His passion, his drive, and his competitiveness promise an all-time battle in the best touring car championship on the Old Continent.<\/p>\n
NASCAR Euro Series PR<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Paul Jouffreau, the 2023 NASCAR Euro Series OPEN Champion, was a contender for the PRO division title in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":404257,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[446],"tags":[49,48,717,10221,634,80666,36714,582,721,82],"class_list":["post-404256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nascar","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-charlotte","tag-ford","tag-nascar","tag-penalty","tag-race-car","tag-racing","tag-series","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/404256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=404256"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/404256\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/404257"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=404256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=404256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=404256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}