NASCAR Whelen Euro Series

The NASCAR Whelen Euro Series (formerly known as Racecar Euro Series and Euro-Racecar NASCAR Touring Series) is an official NASCAR stock-car racing series based in Europe. It is one of NASCAR's three international-sanctioned series, alongside the NASCAR Pinty's Series and the NASCAR PEAK Mexico Series, and is the most prestigious stock car racing series in Europe.

History
French rally driver Jérôme Galpin conceived the idea of a European-based stock car racing series after he watched a NASCAR race in 2002. His family group, Team FJ, then launched the Racecar Euro Series in June 2008 and announced that the first season would be held the following year as a FFSA-sanctioned series. The first season in 2009 was held on 7 tracks across France, with 16 cars entering the inaugural race at Nogaro. The series was approved as an International Series by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) after the series held a race at the Nürburgring in 2010. The calendar was expanded further in 2011 to include more races in Europe.

Galpin began to make connections with NASCAR after he had contact with NASCAR's Senior Development Business Director, Robert Duvall, in June 2009. NASCAR soon took interest in the series, and later in 2010 the then-Racecar Euro Series champion Lucas Lasserre was invited to enter the Toyota All-Star Showdown.

In early 2012, Team FJ entered into an agreement with NASCAR to sanction the series as part of the NASCAR circuit until 2020, though it remains registered as an International FIA series. As part of the agreement, the series changed its name to the Euro-Racecar NASCAR Touring Series.

With the new agreement with NASCAR, the series became an official NASCAR racing series in Europe. NASCAR rules and standards were adopted in the series. The champion was invited to the NASCAR Night of Champions Gala at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, North Carolina, along with the rest of the regional series champions, with the 2012 champion Ander Vilariño being the first to attend.

On July 1, 2013, the series was renamed the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series after Whelen Engineering announced an agreement to become the title sponsor of the series through 2018. This agreement was extended on December 6, 2017, after NASCAR announced that Whelen Engineering would continue to be the title sponsor of both the Euro Series and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour until 2024.

On October 4, 2019, the series announced that NASCAR and Team FJ would continue to work together to operate the series until at least 2030. On October 22, 2019, the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series announced that the classes would be rebranded from Elite 1 and Elite 2 to EuroNASCAR PRO (ENPRO) and EuroNASCAR 2 (EN2) for the 2020 season.

Tracks
The following are the tracks which have been used since 2012, currently are in use, and/or are scheduled to be used in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series as sanctioned by NASCAR:

Cars
The NASCAR Whelen Euro Series is based around the concept of using NASCAR-style cars on European circuits. The Euro-NASCAR cars are inspired by American NASCAR cars but were built specifically for European tracks. The cars use a V8 engine creating 450 hp. It uses a four-speed manual gearbox, is rear-wheel drive and weighs 1225 kg.

A new generation of car, dubbed as the "Next Level" package, was introduced in the 2016 season. The Next Level car saw the introduction of a new aerodynamic package and a redesigned composite body, and the cars adopted an 8-inch rear spoiler instead of the wing used in the previous generation of cars.

The first Next Level car to be introduced was the redesigned Chevrolet SS composite body, which was unveiled during the 2015 season-ending race at Circuit Zolder. Resembling the body of its American counterpart, the car made its racing debut in the 2015 Race of Champions. The Ford Mustang body also made its test debut soon after. Starting in 2018, the Chevrolet composite body was updated into a Camaro ZL1-based body style, although the SS body is still legal for competition as of the end of the 2019 season.

Outside of NASCAR Whelen Euro Series competition, the NASCAR Euro Series cars are used in the Race of Champions.

Starting in 2019, the Euro Series featured General Tire as the exclusive tyre supplier for the series. Previously, Michelin was the exclusive tyre supplier from the inaugural season in 2009 until 2017, while BFGoodrich became the exclusive tyre supplier for the 2018 season only.

Specifications

 * Chassis: FIA-certified tubular steel tube frame with safety roll cage.
 * Engine Displacement: 5.7 L (350 in³) V8.
 * Aspiration: Naturally aspirated.
 * Transmission: 4 Speed Manual.
 * Power: 400 hp
 * Weight: 1225 kg
 * Height: 1300 mm
 * Length: 5080 mm
 * Wheelbase: 2740 mm
 * Width: 1950 mm

As manufacturer involvement is limited, model representations are used for aesthetic purposes only. The current models available are the Chevrolet SS, Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro, and Toyota Camry, with the Dodge Challenger model being available to be used in the past.

Championships

 * EuroNASCAR Pro drivers championship – Main championship open to gold/silver/bronze drivers
 * Junior Trophy – For drivers aged 25 years and under
 * Challenger Trophy – For amateur drivers
 * EuroNASCAR 2 drivers championship – Restricted to silver/bronze drivers
 * Legend Trophy – For drivers aged 40 years and over
 * Rookie Cup – For drivers making their Euro Series debuts, regardless of age or experience
 * Lady Cup – For female drivers
 * Teams championship – Scored by points collected by each car in EuroNASCAR PRO and EuroNASCAR 2 divisions

The Euro Series champions and other standout drivers of the series will be honored at the yearly NASCAR Home Tracks Champions Awards at the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Until the 2014 season, the EuroNASCAR PRO champion wins entry into a NASCAR race, the UNOH Battle at the Beach (formerly the Toyota All-Star Showdown), while the Elite 2 champion wins a NASCAR test.

A NASCAR Whelen Euro Series race week is run over three days and includes four races, two EuroNASCAR PRO races and two EuroNASCAR 2 races. Practice is held on Friday, followed by qualifying and the first races of EuroNASCAR PRO and EuroNASCAR 2 on Saturday, before the week closes with the second races of EuroNASCAR PRO and EuroNASCAR 2 on Sunday. The only exception to this were the races at Venray after its reintroduction to the calendar in 2019, which was scheduled to run over two days and only included two races, one EuroNASCAR 2 race on Saturday and one EuroNASCAR PRO race on Sunday.

All-time wins
All-time wins for the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series under NASCAR official sanctioning, starting from the 2012 season; does not include Racecar Euro Series wins. All figures correct as of the 2019 American Festival NASCAR Finals at Circuit Zolder (October 7, 2019).