All set for the new season for Thomas Krasonis

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The big moment has arrived for Thomas Krasonis. The first Greek professional racing driver is all set for the premiere of the 2024 EuroNASCAR season, as he is already in Valencia for the first race weekend of the season.

This season Thomas Krasonis will participate in both EuroNASCAR categories, EuroNASCAR 2 and EuroNASCAR PRO, with the team with which he made the big step in his racing career in 2023, Marko Stipp Motorsport.

Thomas will drive the number “46” Chevrolet Camaro on all the Championship circuits this year, following a full programme to maximise his track time and challenge for both titles.

The three-day race schedule begins on Friday with a total of four practice sessions, each lasting 30 minutes.

PRO qualifying will take place on Saturday at 11.20 am (Athens time) followed by Superpole for the top ten in the standings. At 12 noon, the qualifying for category ‘2’ will start.

The first race of the season for the PRO category will be held on Saturday at 3 p.m. (Athens time), while the “2” category will be held at 6.30 p.m.

The three-day programme will be completed on Sunday with the races of the two categories. Specifically, at 11.30 a.m. the second race for EuroNASCAR 2 will start, followed at 3.30 p.m. by the EuroNASCAR PRO race.

All the action from the Valencia weekend can be followed via the EuroNASCAR YouTube channel.

The 2024 changes

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The new season brings a number of changes to EuroNASCAR. In a continued effort to provide fans and racers with the best “Pure Racing” experience and entertainment, EuroNASCAR will have the option to increase the length of the race by adding laps completed behind the Safety Car. Thus, an 18-lap race with three laps under the Safety Car will become a 21-lap race. A time limit of 45 minutes +1 lap for EuroNASCAR PRO and 40 minutes + 1 lap for EuroNASCAR 2 has also been added to the races.

In 2024 the oval races return to the schedule, on 29-30 June at Raceway Venray. The half-mile-long Dutch oval will host the NASCAR GP Netherlands for the first time since 2019. The race will count as one round for each championship.

The final part of the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series season will feature two rounds of double-points playoffs at Oschersleben and Zolder. Double points will be awarded in these four races for each championship.

It should be noted that this year’s EuroNASCAR race cars have been further improved on the technical side in order to be even faster in the corners, while the bonnet louvres and new roof vent will improve temperature management both in the engine compartment and in the cockpit.

The 2024 programme

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The racing season kicks off this weekend at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, which will host the NASCAR GP SPAIN for the tenth time.

The NASCAR GP ITALY will be the second race of the season, as it will be held at the Autodromo di Vallelunga on 18-19 May.

The Brands Hatch circuit will host the NASCAR GP UK on 8-9 June, while three weeks later, on 29-30 June, the all-new OVAL GP will be held on Raceway Venray’s oval, which has a high half-mile gradient, marking the return of the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series to an oval track for the first time since 2019. It will be the only NASCAR oval race outside of the Americas.

After the summer break, EuroNASCAR action will resume on August 31 and September 1 at Autodrom Most for the fifth edition of NASCAR GP CZECH REPUBLIC. This exciting weekend will conclude the regular season and will determine the standings before entering the Playoffs, as all drivers will “throw away” their two worst results.

EuroNASCAR will kick off the Playoffs in Germany for the semi-finals on September 21-22 at the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben.

The season will conclude in Belgium at Circuit Zolder on 12-13 October. The legendary circuit in the Limburg forest will host the EuroNASCAR finals for the seventh time with four NASCAR races that will be exciting to crown the NASCAR champion as well as the winners of the cups and trophies.

 

Thomas Krasonis to compete in EuroNASCAR Pro and EuroNASCAR 2 with Marko Stipp Motorsport in 2024

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Marko Stipp Motorsport has announced the team’s first driver for the 2024 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series season, and it’s Thomas Krasonis.

The German organization has signed Thomas Krasonis, who will not only return to EuroNASCAR PRO, but will also compete in EuroNASCAR 2 at the wheel of the #46 Chevrolet Camaro. The Greek will pull double duty to maximize his track time and compete for titles and trophies in both NWES championships. The 23-year-old is eligible for the Junior Trophy in EuroNASCAR PRO and will be a hot contender for the overall championship in the second division.

“There is a five-year plan that I am following with the goal of becoming a NASCAR Cup Series driver in the USA,” said Krasonis. “This year will be the most challenging for me as I will be competing in both categories while constantly striving for the best results. My team has given me everything I need to fight for my goals, so I have full confidence in them. We have created a great chemistry with the whole crew and this is something that helps me a lot.” Krasonis raced for Marko Stipp Motorsport in EuroNASCAR PRO in 2023 and finished 14th overall and seventh in the Junior Trophy standings.

Team owner Marko Stipp is excited to have Krasonis back on board for the 2024 season: “We are thrilled to extend our contract with Thomas and to feel his full confidence in us. In our first year together we learned a lot and we got close to Thomas and his family. In 2024 we want to take the next step and fight for podiums in both championships.” The German team finished ninth in the team standings with the #48 sister car and twelfth with the #46 Camaro.

The Athens native joined the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series in 2019, and has been constantly improving his driving skills at the wheel of the V8 beasts without any electronic driving aids. Having started in karting and touring cars, the Greek took the step into EuroNASCAR with the aim of making the big step towards the NASCAR Cup Series in the USA. Krasonis was infected with the racing virus as a child when he jumped into a car for the first time in his life and immediately started working on becoming a professional racer. The 23-year-old enjoys the special atmosphere in the NWES paddock with open garages, grid walks and American-themed events in Europe.

Krasonis will be back in action when the 2024 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series season kicks off on April 13-14 at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, Spain. Marko Stipp Motorsport was the first German organization to join EuroNASCAR, and the entire crew is ready to take the next step and compete for titles after winning the EuroNASCAR 2 Rookie Trophy with Jack Davidson in 2023. With Krasonis in their ranks, the organization has a talented driver ready to take on the fierce competition in both divisions.

Source: EuroNascar.com

NASCAR GP Belgium: Thomas Krasonis is ready for the grand final at Zolder

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Thomas Krasonis and the Marko Stipp Motorsport team are ready to tackle the final two races of the 2023 EuroNASCAR season at Zolder.

For the sixth time in the history of the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series, Circuit Zolder will host the EuroNASCAR Finals to crown the 2023 champions and trophy winners.

Tens of thousands of fans are looking forward to the ninth edition of the NWES races in Belgium.

Measuring 4.011 Km, Circuit Zolder opened doors in 1963 and has even hosted Formula 1 races in its history. Since the last reconfiguration of the track, drivers have to master ten turns to dance on the cruel and unforgiving asphalt of Zolder. With several elevation changes, tricky chicanes and high-speed sections, the track is one of the most challenging on the NWES calendar. The NASCAR GP Belgium promises not only exciting racing, but also fun attractions around the paddock for the whole family.

Thomas Krasonis is headed to these final two races with 207 points, 22 away from P10 in the final standings, which is the ultimate goal since the start of the season.

The schedule of the event is as follows [CEST]:

Saturday, October 14

Qualifying: 10:00-10:25

Race 1: 14:00

Sunday, October 15

Race 2: 14:05

Photo Credits: NASCAR Whelen Euro Series / Nina Weinbrenner

NASCAR GP Germany – Aiming for a good result at Oschersleben

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Thomas Krasonis and Marko Stipp Motorsport travel at the Oschersleben track for rounds 9 and 10 of the 2023 EuroNASCAR championship.

After the podium finish in the Czech Republic round of the 2023 EuroNASCAR season, Thomas Krasonis is headed to Germany and the Oschersleben track with high hopes and the aim to finish in the top 10 of the standings.

The Motorsport Arena Oschersleben is a 3.696 km long race track with a width of 11–13 m  and elevation changes of 23 m. The circuit is located in Oschersleben, Börde. Its fairly flat contours create a smooth, fast circuit.

Its most challenging aspect is surely the first corner, so having a good flow going into that and keeping it smooth after the start of each race are essential aspects for the race weekend.

Krasonis is 9th in the championship standings and 4th among the Junior category drivers.

Here’s the schedule for the weekend (CEST):

Saturday, September 23rd

-Qualifying 10:00-10:25

-Race 1 14:00

Sunday, September 24th

-Race 2 14:30

Photo credits: Credits: NASCAR Whelen Euro Series / Nina Weinbrenner

NASCAR GP Czech Republic: Thomas Krasonis ready to battle after the summer break

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Thomas Krasonis and Marko Stipp Motorsport are ready to go racing at Autodrom Most in the Czech Republic after the summer break.

After three race weekends and 6 races in total, Thomas Krasonis and the Marko Stipp Motorsport team will commence the second part of the 2023 EuroNASCAR season in the PRO category.

Rounds 7 and 8 of the championship will be held at Autodrom Most, in the Czech Republic. It is the a hard-surfaced 4.212 km track outside of the city of Most, and it combines a long straight with a more technical last part of the lap.

Krasonis visited the circuit last week for a much-needed test, which was focused on ensuring optimum reliability and setting up the car ahead of the race weekend, with the goal of finishing inside the top 10.

With three race weekends to go, Thomas sits on P10 of the standings of the EuroNASCAR PRO category, and P3 amongst the Juniors of the series.

Credits: NASCAR Whelen Euro Series / Nina Weinbrenner

NASCAR GP Italy 2023 – All roads lead to Rome for Thomas Krasonis

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After the first two rounds of the 2023 EuroNASCAR season, Thomas Krasonis and Marko Stipp Motorsport go to the Vallelunga Circuit.

Situated near Rome, the 4,085 km-track is a unique challenge for the big NASCAR cars – especially on the last 5 turns, on the most technical and slow part of the circuit.

‘I have raced at Vallelunga in the past, and recently I tested there with my car, so I can say that I know it pretty well. I feel comfortable driving in it,’ said Krasonis.

This is the venue in which he achieved his first podium in the series last year, when he was 3rd in the Junior category of the EuroNASCAR PRO championship.

The schedule for the race weekend (Local Italian Time):

Saturday, July 8

Qualifying – 09:50

Race 1 – 13:20

Sunday, July 9

Race 2 – 13:35

Credits: NASCAR Whelen Euro Series / Bart Dehaese

NASCAR GP UK 2023: Next stop – Brands Hatch!

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The 2023 NASCAR Euro Whelen Series continues this weekend at the Brands Hatch circuit, and Thomas Krasonis will be competing in the EuroNASCAR PRO category, with Marko Stipp Motorsport.

It’s been a lengthy break between the opening race weekend in Valencia to this coming weekend in England, West Kingsdown.

The 1.944 km circuit is the Indy version of Brands Hatch. Situated in the southeast of England, it offers a unique challenge for the monstrous NASCAR machines, with just 6 corners, all but one being right handers.

After the first two races of the season, Thomas Krasonis is at the P11 in the standings, after his impressive podium finish in the Junior category of EuroNASCAR PRO.

‘Brands Hatch is definitely the most exciting race for me personally,’ said Thomas.

‘For one, it’s my favorite circuit on the calendar, and secondly, I have had my best ever finish in the series there. Therefore I am looking forward to race again in British ground in a high level competition once again.’

Saturday, June 17
Qualifying: 9:50 CEST
Race 1: 13:50 CEST

Sunday, June 18
Race 2: 14:00 CEST

You can watch all the action HERE, and  follow Thomas Krasonis on Facebook and Twitter.

Photo Credits: NASCAR Whelen Euro Series / Bart Dehaese

NASCAR GP Spain 2023: Debut for Thomas Krasonis with Marko Stipp Motorsport

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The 2023 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series begins this weekend at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, and Thomas Krasonis will start his second season in the EuroNASCAR Pro category, with Marko Stipp Motorsport.

It’s been a long time coming for this return in the racing bucket for Thomas. After a very positive test session in Germany a couple of weeks ago, the Marko Stipp Motorsport driver is ready to tackle the first round of the 2023 season, in Valencia.

It’s a track Thomas knows very well, having raced there previously in 2019, 2021 and 2022.

This will be the second season in the Elite 1 category of the series for Krasonis.

”Testing went well, as we prepared for the new season and learnt some new things on the car,” said Thomas. ”Now, I feel ready to face this new, exciting challenge of driving on the top category of the championship, and score some big points inside the top 10.”

The 4.005 km circuit in the southeast of Spain offers a good mix of slow, tight corners, and more fast kinks that pose a challenge for the drivers, especially when driving these beasts that the NASCAR cars are.

The schedule of the weekend is as follows:

Saturday, May 6
Qualifying: 9:50 CEST
Race 1: 13:30

Sunday, May 7
Race 2: 14:05 CEST

You can watch all the action HERE, and  follow Thomas Krasonis on Facebook and Twitter.