NASCAR Whelen Euro Series – ULYSSE DELSAUX: A RACING WAY OF LIFE
Fresh from his first NASCAR Whelen Euro Series career podium finish at Tours Speedway, 17-year-old NWES Drivers Development Program member Ulysse Delsaux will make his Pro Late Model debut at New Smyrna Speedway tonight, thanks to the Nexteer Road To Daytona program. Racing for Ulysse is not just a passion and a goal though, it is much more.
Diagnosed with a form of autism early in his life, Delsaux didn’t talk until he was five years old and his condition kept him out of the school system. It was racing – paired with his parents’ huge efforts to provide him with a good education and support him in fulfilling his dreams – that helped him making great strides in life and becoming the smiling young man he is now that he’s about to turn eighteen on September 22.
“Racing is my way of life,” said the Troyes, France native. “It is the demonstration that there is no obstacle you cannot overcome with hard work, passion and a strong will to succeed. With a lot of work and a dream to chase you can do many, many things.”
Ulysse discovered his passion for racing at seven and immediately put all his energy in karting to make his competitive debut at nine in the Ile-De-France Minikart Championship. NASCAR made its way in his life when he was fourteen and it was love at first sight, because he started dreaming about a stock-car racing career and elected NASCAR legend Jeff Gordon as his idol.
Delsaux joined the NWES Drivers Development program shortly after, gaining experience at the wheel of a NASCAR Whelen Euro Series car in dedicated test session and making his U.S. NASCAR debut at Bowman Gray Stadium in Stadium Stocks and Street Stocks in the summer of 2013. As soon as he turned 16, Ulysse set his sight on the 2014 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series ELITE 2 Division Championship: in his first full NASCAR season, he ended up ninth in points and fifth in the Rookie Cup, scoring his first top-5 in the Semi Finals at Magione, Italy and three more top-10s in 12 races.
With so much passion and such a big effort from him and the whole family, progresses swiftly continued in and out of the car in 2015: in June at Tours Speedway, Delsaux was one fastest drivers on track among the two NWES Divisions and climbed on the second step of the podium for the first time in his career on Sunday. He enjoyed a much deserved Champaign-based celebration and smiled while he was interview by the media in front of full grandstand, for his pride and the joy of his parents.
“I’m putting all my efforts in improving myself and my relationship with the team, with my crew chief and my spotter. I want to stay constantly in the top-5 and become a reference point for the team,” said Ulysse about the final part of the season.
“Being involved in racing since he was very young helped him so much in climbing his way in life,” continued Emmanuel Delsaux, Ulysse’s father. “It significantly contributed to make him the wonderful person he is.”
Before concentrating on the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series Semi Finals, taking place at Magione, Italy on September 12-13, Delsaux will make his Pro Late Model debut in the NASCAR Whelen All American Series at New Smyrna Speedway on Saturday, August 15.
“I love NASCAR and the United States and I want to do my best to show the NASCAR world that I’m a good driver in the U.S. as in Europe,” concluded Ulysse.
The main goal for the weekend is to gain more experience to prepare for the EuroNASCAR playoffs and finish in the top-5 in points in the ELITE 2 Division, but also to come back in February to race at the half-mile oval in Florida during the Speedweeks in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series and chase the 2016 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series title.
ABOUT NASCAR WHELEN EURO SERIES
The NASCAR Whelen Euro Series was founded in 2008 and established the NASCAR official European Series in January 2012 thanks to a long-term partnership signed with NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing), Team FJ, a Motorsports company located in Blois, France, and Whelen Engineering as title sponsor of the Series.The season is made up of 24 races, equally split among ELITE 1 and ELITE 2 divisions, on the best European tracks. Euro NASCAR introduced a stunning innovation on July 7-8, 2012 by organizing the first ever NASCAR race on an oval track in Europe on a half-mile speedway built in the downtown of Tours (France). With four races in two days, these 400 HP V8 monsters provide pure racing action and thrilling bumper-to-bumper battles as well as a lot of family fun around the track! In the pure NASCAR tradition, race fans can get closer to the action than ever and feel the unique in Europe paddock atmosphere thanks to drivers, teams and cars always available for the spectators.The series attracts drivers from all over the world, all willing to fight on track for the win and take the first step towards becoming a NASCAR star in the U.S.
