As you read this I will be driving through France on my way to fulfilling one of my motorsport dreams, to get behind the wheel of a NASCAR.
The opportunity is part of the first ever Euro NASCAR Driver Recruitment Program which started back in September when drivers from around the world submitted their ‘Racing CVs’ to the Series Organisers.
Over 200 budding NASCAR drivers from around the world were reviewed by NASCAR and from this group, a shortlist of drivers were drawn to go head to head at two special test days.
The test days are at the Autodromo di Franciacorta in Italy and Fontenay-le-Comte circuit in France. I have been invited to the assessment at the French circuit which is around 100km south of Le Mans and, I will spend a day learning the car and completing number of test runs.
NASCAR has been a passion of mine for a long time and having the chance to finally get behind the wheel is a dream come true.
The NASCAR Whelen Euro Series is run over 6 rounds and 12 races across some of the top European circuits, including a UK round at Brands Hatch. The cars are full blooded NASCARs with 400 bhp produced from the 5.7 litre V8 engine. Power is transmitted through a 4-speed H pattern gearbox, no sequential paddleshift here. No traction control or driver aids makes this a real drivers car.
The top drivers in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series have earned the opportunity to race in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and NASCAR K&N Pro Series due to the direct links with NASCAR in America.
My notification that I had been chosen as one of the short listed drivers came all the way from NASCAR in Daytona Beach.
Past drivers have competed at famous American circuits such as Daytona, Watkins Glen, Homestead, and Road America to mention a few. The Series is an officially sanctioned NASCAR series and part of the NASCAR racing ladder.
This will be a step back in time for me as the last time I raced a rear wheel drive car was back in 2015 in the French F4 Championship. However, I have had a lot of time in American muscle cars as part of my instructing with Car Chase Heroes, behind the wheel of their Corvette Stingray race car, Camaro ZL1, and Mustang GT350.
Check out my blogs from the test and follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to see how the test goes.
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