VALENCIA, Spain – Alon Day, the winningest driver in NASCAR Whelen Euro Series history, wrote another chapter for the history books on Sunday at Circuit Ricardo Tormo.
Day finished fourth in Sunday’s EuroNASCAR PRO finale to lock up his third series championship.
Meanwhile, Loris Hezemans earned his second victory of the season and seventh of his career to close the season in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series.
At the start Day defended the lead in the first corner of the iconic 4-kilometer Valencia track. Hezemans was second ahead of Giorgio Maggi and title contender Lasse Soerensen. Teammates Gianmarco Ercoli and Mauro Trione were involved in an incident that triggered a safety car period on lap three
Three laps later the green waved again and it was Hezemans who made a perfect start. The Dutchman took over the lead at the wheel of the No. 50 Hendriks Motorsport Ford Mustang and opened a small gap on the rest of the field. In a moment of frantic action, Day lost more positions at the front of the field and sled down to fourth as DF1 Racing teammates Soerensen and Nicolo Rocca both went past the 29-year-old.
With the championship in mind and knowing that a fourth-place finish would still earn him the championship, Day played it safe and held his position. Hezemans won the race while Soerensen finished second ahead of his teammate Rocca.
Day tied Ander Vilarino’s record of three series championships.
“I have no words,” said Day. “2020 was such a hard year for me when I left everything behind in Israel to live in Belgium next to the PK Carsport shop. The dedication was good enough to win the championship this year. It was such a hard time living alone with the lockdown, physically and mentally. This weekend was one of the most demanding in my life. We made it! I thank the whole team and I’m a happy boy right now and finally I’m going home.”
Soerensen’s second place granted him the season-long Junior Trophy victory and the second place in the points standings. The Dane was the first driver to move from EuroNASCAR 2 to EuroNASCAR PRO and win a race in his first season. Hezemans ended the season on a high note and finished third in the overall standings. Soerensen was joined on the season-long Junior Trophy podium byCAAL Racing’s Gianmarco Ercoli and Justin Kunz.
Davide Dallara ended up eighth in the last race of the season and clinched the Challenger Trophy win. The Not Only Motorsport driver and series rookie was set to race in the EuroNASCAR 2 championship this year, but a late change in the line-up of the Italian team promoted him into the top tier class.