NASCAR has insured the racetrack until at least 2022

Motorsport fans can look forward to seeing American specials with eight-cylinder Chevrolet engines in action at the Most circuit for at least another three years after this year's successful premiere in June. The management of AUTODROM MOST has agreed with the promoter of the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series to extend the contract to organize the racing series in northern Bohemia.

The promoter described the debut race weekend of the OMV MaxxMotion NASCAR Show in Most, which was attended by 20,000 spectators, as a huge success. The contract extension was therefore a natural and logical step for him.

"We are very pleased to be able to secure a long-term presence of the European NASCAR series in Central Europe. Autodrom Most offers good conditions and a professional organization that perfectly suits our concept of a great American show on and around the track. Now we have time to refine the event to become one of the largest in the region," said NASCAR Whelen Euro Series CEO Jerome Galpin.

According to AUTODROM MOST CEO Ivo Diviš, the conclusion of a contract with the promoter of the European NASCAR series for the next three years is a great honor and at the same time a recognition of the high-quality and flawless work of the autodrome employees. "Thanks to them, we managed to offer the spectators a great, attractive and varied spectacle and the teams and drivers a perfect background. This is also evidenced by the promoter's assessment, who did not spare praise and described the race weekend as very successful. This is probably why the subsequent negotiations on concluding a contract until 2022 were accommodating, carried out in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere," Ivo Diviš commented on the outcome of the negotiations.

The European series of the iconic American motorsports event NASCAR had its domestic premiere at the Most circuit on the last weekend in June. The Saturday and Sunday races of the ELITE 1 professional driver category were hit by a disaster for the favorites. The two-time NASCAR Whelen Euro Series champion gradually withdrew, and the leader of the standings, Alon Day from Israel, and the 1997 Canadian F1 champion and the winner of the 1995 Indianapolis 500, Jaques Villeneuve, also entered the Most weekend. The Italian Nicolo Rocca took full advantage of the hesitation of the competition in the Saturday race, becoming the first ever winner of the European NASCAR series in a new venue. The talented Dutchman Loris Hezemans dominated the Sunday race.

The only Czech representative in the NASCAR starting field, Martin Doubek, had the advantage of home field, who competes in the prestigious ELITE 1 category and the gentlemanly ELITE 2. However, he was not very satisfied with his performance. After 12th and 6th place in Saturday's races, he at least rewarded the spectators with wonderful fights in the final showdown in ELITE 1 on Sunday after being eliminated in ELITE 2. In the end, he finished sixth.

The NASCAR Whelen Euro Series is the only National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) racing series outside of North America to have been run continuously on ovals since 1948. All cars are identical in design, powered by a 450-horsepower Chevrolet V8 engine through a four-speed manual transmission to the rear axle. The drivers do not have any electronic aids. The only difference is the bodywork. Teams can choose from the Chevrolet SS, Chevrolet Camaro or Ford Mustang.

In addition to the European NASCAR series, the weekend in Most offered fans seven other interesting series, especially races of historic cars, including single-seaters that excelled in the last century on famous world circuits. They were represented by the FIA Lurani Trophy with Junior formulas, which were created in 1958 thanks to the Italian Count Lurani, a close friend of our most famous racer Eliška Junková. Then there was the HAIGO series, in which formula and touring cars of the former Peace and Friendship Cup of Socialist Countries race around the track. Historic technology was also represented by the Triumph & British GT Competition, DMV Formel V and Kampf der Zwerge series.

The racing program was complemented by the Drexler Automotive - AFR Pokal series of F3, F4 and Formula Renault cars, which, like NASCAR, features current specials. The Czech Republic was successfully represented in it by young drivers Tom Beckhäuser, Václav Šafář and Tomáš Chabr.