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Paul Jouffreau and Thomas Krasonis spearhead the electric festivities that will take place at Brands Hatch on 7-8 June – Tens of thousands of fans will attend EuroNASCAR’s most popular event

22 teams and 38 drivers will compete in the NASCAR GP UK
Four thrilling races await the competitors in PRO and OPEN
Brands Hatch hosts the 12th edition of their crown jewel EuroNASCAR event

Brands Hatch sets the stage for the third round of the 2025 NASCAR Euro Series championship: the ever popular American SpeedFest. The festival is one of the most awaited events on the calendar for drivers, teams and fans. Tens of thousands of fans will pack the 1.938 kilometer Indy Circuit for four thrilling NASCAR sprint races and an event growing American-themed festival. The twelfth edition of the American SpeedFest promises to bring an even bigger and better spectacle to Brands Hatch.

PRO: Three drivers in four points at the top

Three primary protagonists have emerged after two exciting rounds in both Spain and Italy. Paul Jouffreau from RDV Competition battled PK Carsport’s duo of Vittorio Ghirelli and Thomas Krasonis in four highly acclaimed races. The tension is palpable and the battles between them have always been tight but fair. The three drivers are separated by just four points as they head to Brands Hatch for a continuation of their exciting championship dogfight.

Jouffreau secured wins in Valencia and Vallelunga, taking the lead both in the overall standings and the Junior Trophy. Reigning champion Ghirelli returned to the top step of the podium at his home event in Italy and wants to make it double – or even triple – in the UK. Krasonis showed great adaptability to his new PK Carsport machinery and with a win in Spain, the Greek is poised for another shot of victory at a track where he took his first OPEN podium in 2024.

Gianmarco Ercoli is not that far behind and will be there to sniff for an opportunity to grab his first win of the season. The same goes for Dutch veteran Sebastiaan Bleekemolen, who enjoyed a much better start to his 2025 campaign. Garrett Lowe’s steady performances make him a threat for not only the class win in Junior Trophy, but also potentially the overall win. Just like in Spain and Italy, seven drivers will contest the special classification for fast and exciting young drivers.

Liam Hezemans aims to bounce back after suspension drama prevented the Rette Jones Racing driver from maximizing his result in Italy. Don’t count out Vladimiros Tziortzis, Fabrizio Armetta and Martin Doubek, who all have the potential to bring out an unexpected surprise that can dramatically shake up the running order.

Claudio Remigio Cappelli enters SpeedFest as the new leader of the Challenger Trophy. The Academy / Alex Caffi Motorsport driver battled championship contenders Jouffreau and Ercoli in Vallelunga, proving that the elite amateurs can fight against the best NASCAR drivers in Europe. Fellow countryman Max Lanza and Georgia’s own Davit Kajaia will be Cappelli’s closest contenders, while drivers such as Federico Monti, Jordan Wallace and Thomas Toffel will make their first PRO appearance in 2025.

OPEN: Close battles across the board

OPEN’s reputation for unpredictability comes true once again: Only 26 points separate the top-10 drivers after four races in Spain and Italy. Krasonis and Doubek took two wins apiece, but circumstances allowed past rivals in Patrick Schober and Melvin de Groot and new faces in Thomas Dombrowski, Sandro Tavartkiladze and Bruno Mulders to make the overall championship battle more exciting than ever.

Krasonis returns to the site of his first OPEN podium and pole position of 2024. With his wins in Spain and Italy, the Greek has only one goal for the 2025 NASCAR GP UK: victory. A driver who can deny the PK Carsport driver from achieving this is RDV Competition’s Schober. The Austrian is hungry for his first win of the season and will do everything he can to find his way back to the Victory Lane.

Master and Legend Trophy leaders Dombrowski and de Groot have come narrowly close to victories before, with Dombrowski in particular being only one straight away from a maiden win in Vallelunga. The Brands Hatch races have an element of chaos written all over them due to the track’s short and twisty layout. If the cards are played right, there’s a golden opportunity for the Frenchman and the Dutchman to bring home their first top silverware award in their careers.

Doubek knows the victory experience all too well: The two-time champion has won two races in 2025 and is the driver with the most wins in the OPEN division. The Hendriks Motorsport driver has the speed, but he’d like to get rid of the issues that deprived him of important championship points.

Tavartkiladze and Mulders have impressed in their rookie season so far, delivering top performances right from their first laps. They trailed Dombrowski in the Master Trophy battle by nine and ten points respectively, while eleven points is what separated de Groot from Roberto Benedetti in the Legend Trophy. Cappelli is 27 points behind, but will have the opportunity to recover points that he lost from the preceding races. The Lady Trophy features only Happinessa, with Arianna Casoli absent as she recovers from the injuries she suffered from in Vallelunga.

PRO

New challenge for Ulysse Delsaux – Thanks to a joint venture between Speedhouse and Club Competition, the Frenchman will pilot the #22 Chevrolet Camaro

Federico Monti returns to PRO – With Marc Goossens absent, Academy / Alex Caffi co-owner Federico Monti is back in PRO for the first time since 2022

Team Bleekemolen adds one more entry – American Jordan Wallace makes his EuroNASCAR debut as part of the Dutch team’s new #25 Chevrolet Camaro

OPEN

Two British drivers at home – Gordon Barnes returns to EuroNASCAR with Club Competition, while Matthew Ellis joins Lux Motorsport as a substitute for Mario Ercoli

A wakeskater’s competitive debut – After two appearances in Rookie Challenge, wakeskating star Mike Wise is ready for a big leap forward with his OPEN debut

Return to double duty – Thomas Toffel will drive the #34 M Racing Chevrolet Camaro in both PRO and OPEN

NASCAR Euro Series PR

When you think of the top prospects in NASCAR, Corey Heim might be at the top of the list. The 22-year-old has been dominant in Truck Series competition this season and has a handful of Cup and Xfinity Series starts under his belt.

Heim’s path to Cup is simple as he is currently signed with 23XI Racing as the team’s development driver. But it will not be Heim time in Cup next year. According to Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic, Heim will continue to run full-time outside of Cup while making spot Cup starts for 23XI.

Right now, Heim is blocked. Tyler Reddick, Bubba Wallace and Riley Herbst are all under contract for 2026. If 23XI believes Heim is capable of a full-time Cup ride, and they do, 2027 is the earliest at which he can secure his seat.

“He’s going to be a Sunday Cup guy,” 23XI co-owner Denny Hamlin said. “There’s no doubt in my mind about it. He’s going to be with 23XI for the long haul.”

Corey Heim destined for Cup ride with 23XI?

Heim currently pilots the No. 11 Tundra TRD Pro for Tricon Garage. Twelve races through the 2025 campaign, he is first in the points standings with four wins and 10 top 10s. Heim has made two spot starts in Cup this season, finishing 13th at Kansas Speedway and 37th at Nashville Superspeedway.

23XI is thus far thrilled with Heim’s performance. If it continues, he should have a Cup ride in the very near future.

“[Heim is] doing everything [he’s been] asked to,” Hamlin said. “He’s in the building multiple times per week, working on his craft, continuing to get better, waiting on the opportunity. And he knows he’s got a long-term future with 23XI Racing, and he’s happy with that. And he’s happy with the development process that we have set out for him in the future.

“But, ultimately, there’s only three cars, three charters that we’re allowed to have, and so we have to figure out in the future where we go with that.”

CONCORD, N.C. – Kyle Larson visited victory lane three times in the NASCAR Cup Series at Michigan International Speedway prior to joining Hendrick Motorsports in 2021. 

But he’s hardly been a slouch at the 2-mile, D-shaped oval since, either. 

Larson enters this week with four finishes inside the top seven in his last five starts at Michigan with three of those coming since taking over behind the wheel of the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet. Michigan is one of four tracks Larson has won thrice at (Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Bristol Motor Speedway and Kansas Speedway) and his three victories came in consecutive events across 2016 and 2017. 

Over the course of those seasons, Chase Elliott registered three straight runner-up finishes at Michigan but is still looking to break through for his first win there. His average finish of 10.5 is tops among all drivers to have made more than three starts in the Wolverine State. 

William Byron turned in the best performance of his career at Michigan last August, scoring third- and fourth-place finishes in stage one and two respectively before coming home in second. 

Here’s a look at how all four drivers have fared in Michigan as well as a quick brush up on Hendrick Motorsports history: 

RELATED: From Winner to Champion, Part 3: Championship Metal

Kyle Larson averages, statistics at Michigan

Chase Elliott averages, statistics at Michigan

RELATED: Dale Earnhardt picks up Rick Hendrick’s first victory as owner

William Byron averages, statistics at Michigan

Alex Bowman averages, statistics at Michigan

Hendrick Motorsports at Michigan 

EUR/USD Current price: 1.1386

• EU inflation eased by more than anticipated in May, according to the Harmonized Index of Consumer Prices.
• The focus shifts to United States employment-related data ahead of Friday’s NFP release.
• EUR/USD under near-term selling pressure, downside potential limited.

The EUR/USD pair eases from its weekly peak on Tuesday, trading a handful of pips below the 1.1400 threshold, as the US Dollar (USD) found some footing after edging sharply lower at the beginning of the week. The market sentiment improved just modestly after Monday’s tensions, despite the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) expressing concerns about global economic growth.

“The global outlook is becoming increasingly challenging. Substantial increases in trade barriers, tighter financial conditions, weakened business and consumer confidence, and elevated policy uncertainty all pose significant risks to growth,” the OECD expressed in its 2025 Economic Outlook.

The Euro (EUR) fell amid the negative sentiment, and regardless encouraging inflation data. The EU Harmonized Index of Consumer Prices (HICP) rose by 1.9% year-on-year (YoY) in May, below the European Central Bank’s (ECB) 2% target. The core annual figure printed at 2.3%, easing from the 2.7% posted in April and below the 2.5% anticipated by market players.

The focus now shifts to the US calendar, as the country will release April Factory Orders and the JOLTS Job Openings report for the same month. The latter will likely gather most of the attention ahead of the release of the Nonfarm Payrolls (NFP) report next Friday.

EUR/USD short-term technical outlook

The EUR/USD pair trades around 1.1380, and the daily chart shows the slide could continue, although the risk of a steeper slide is well-limited. The pair trades above all its moving averages, with a flat 20 Simple Moving Average (SMA) providing support in the 1.1270 price zone. At the same time, the 100 SMA keeps advancing beyond a directionless 200 SMA, both far below the shorter one. Finally, technical indicators turned modestly lower but remain well into positive territory, reflecting the ongoing slide but far from suggesting mounting selling interest.

The near-term picture is pretty similar, with EUR/USD aiming to extend its decline, yet with limited downward scope. In the 4-hour chart, the pair is currently battling a bullish 20 SMA, which advances beyond directionless 100 and 200 SMAs. The Momentum indicator turned flat just above its 100 level after correcting overbought conditions, while the Relative Strength Index (RSI) indicator heads south, yet remains above its midline.

Support levels: 1.1330 1.1270 1.1240

Resistance levels: 1.1420 1.1460 1.1505