MISSION ACCOMPLISHED FOR ANTHONY KUMPEN

Anthony Kumpen completed another stage of the Nexteer Road To Daytona – the path designed by NASCAR Whelen Euro Series and Nexteer Automotive to bring European drivers to race at NASCAR’s top-level in the US – by finishing 27th on Saturday in his 1.5-mile oval debut in the NASCAR XFINITY Series at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

The 2014 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series Champion successfully tackled the challenge of the ultra-competitive NASCAR XFINITY Series finale, improving throughout the weekend and putting up another consistent performance on a track averaging nearly 270 Km/h per lap. Kumpen posted the 25th fastest lap in practice, qualified 30th and climbed his way up to 27th in the Ford Ecoboost 300 at the wheel of the #55 Nexteer Chevrolet Camaro.

“It was maybe the toughest race in my NASCAR career because with so much traffic at such a high speed your car’s aerodynamics keep changing and you have to adapt quickly, but we worked well and everybody did a fantastic job. We had a great car, great support and a smart strategy. I learned a lot and I’m really happy with what we achieved,” said Kumpen.

“Anthony did an outstanding job once again! Since we built this US program for him, he did not make one single mistake, finishing every race. It was a huge challenge to come and compete on very fast oval tracks against the best American drivers!” said Jerome Galpin, NASCAR Whelen Euro Series President / CEO. “He wasn’t great just in the car, but also outside the car, always available for media and fans. I’m really proud of him and of all our NWES drivers. We will build on this extremely successful season to keep creating opportunities and opening doors for them!”

Preparation is already in progress for the 2016 NASCAR XFINITY Series season opener at Daytona International Speedway, but Kumpen is also focusing on his quest for another NASCAR Whelen Euro Series title.

“We took all the necessary steps, we finished every race and we finished in the top-30. That’s exactly what we wanted to achieve and now we are already working on Daytona and on the 2016 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series season,” said the Hasselt-native. “I absolutely want to get the Championship back. The new car is amazing and I can’t wait to drive it, to fight again for the title and be back in the US for more races.”

“I want to thank NASCAR Whelen Euro Series, Nexteer Automotive and all the people involved with the Series and the Nexteer Road To Daytona program for giving me this incredible opportunity. I believe this is the best way for a European driver to go racing in the US and I hope many other drivers in Europe will take this chance,” he concluded.

The NASCAR Whelen Euro Series will now head to Charlotte to honour 2015 European NASCAR Champion Ander Vilarino, ELITE 2 Division Champion Gianmarco Ercoli and all the trophies and cup winners in a week of celebrations that will culminate with the December 12 NASCAR Night Of Champions Touring Series Awards.

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.

PHOTO – CREDITS: PRECISION PERFORMANCE MOTORSPORTS