With vendors selling NASCAR merchandise as far as the eye could see alongside the crowded roads leading into São Paulo, Brazil’s world-famous Interlagos racing circuit this August, Daniel Suárez knew it was going to be a significant day — for him as a competitor, for the tens of thousands of international fans eager for a day of stock car racing, and for NASCAR in general.
“I cannot remember the last time I was stuck in traffic for so long — hours — heading into the race track,’’ said a smiling Suárez, the Trackhouse Racing NASCAR Cup Series driver who spent one of his summer off-weeks racing in the NASCAR Brasil Series. “It was unbelievable; unbelievable in a good way.
“I only wish that every driver in the Cup Series and even the media had the opportunity to experience that because the amount of racing culture that is down there in Brazil is unbelievable.
“I feel like there is so much opportunity. The sport of NASCAR is very big and some people, I don’t think, have really realized that and I had the opportunity to see that in Brazil. I have known that for many years in Mexico. And I’m really excited; excited that NASCAR is thinking outside the box.”
NASCAR has been doing just that for years, and as the sport’s Vice President, Chief International Officer Chad Seigler promises, this is part of a continued emphasis on introducing and growing the stock car scene internationally. It’s been met with exactly the kind of reception Suárez describes with four major series — NASCAR Brasil Series, NASCAR México Series, NASCAR Canada Series and NASCAR Whelen Euro Series all thriving and growing — both internally and externally.
“We kind of look at our international focus from three silos,’’ Seigler explained. “We have the individual series and our philosophy has always been, we know we can’t take the Cup Series and have it travel around like Formula One does, so if we can go into a market and create local stars, local heroes, local team owners, local track infrastructure, that’s good for us.
“Focus number two is, if you have that driver that says, ‘although I love racing in Mexico, my dream is to go racing in the U.S.,’ then we’re providing a path,’’ he added, noting NASCAR’s upcoming race weekend in Mexico.
“And the third focus is taking one of the [NASCAR] national series outside the U.S.’’
The 2000 NASCAR Cup Series champion Bobby Labonte competed multiple times in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series in 2018 and, like Suárez, was duly impressed with the enthusiasm from the fans and his fellow competitors.
He recalls racing at England’s renowned Brands Hatch circuit and the festival-like scene that characterized the event — American flags, American muscle cars on display, track walks and even country music on the speakers — with tens of thousands of people typically showing up each summer for the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series events at the famed road circuit.
Labonte sees the potential of developing drivers from the various international series and thinks the popularity of NASCAR’s style of competition in the various markets – something he experienced first-hand — will prove a huge asset.
“It’s already very popular and they want it to get bigger and bigger and are sticking to it to have it grow — and I’m sure it will,” Labonte said. “NASCAR going to Mexico [for 2025 NASCAR Xfinity and NASCAR Cup Series points races] will grab more potential interest internationally, too. They are building a great overall foundation and it just has to get to the next level.’’
And that’s exactly what Seigler and his team of more than a dozen executives have been doing for years now, promising the upcoming 2025 season will again showcase that work and motivation.
“With all our international series, I wish I could just pack people up and let them come see it,” Seigler said. “When you have 50,000 people at a place like Interlagos and 43,000 at a place like Brands Hatch, it tells you there is a passion for this style of racing outside the U.S.’
“I tell people about our international team and try to educate the fanbase that NASCAR is bigger than only the Cup Series,’’ Seigler said. “When I’m out giving presentations, I ask, ‘what are the four biggest cities NASCAR races in’ and they may say a city like Chicago or Dallas.
“And I remind them we race in Mexico City, São Paulo, London and Toronto. We race in cities in some form or fashion that have 20-30 million people and that’s a big story for us.’’
Not only is developing the venues and crowds important but, obviously, the racing itself is vital to progress – from the officials to the teams to the competitors.
The foreign exchange works both ways and is critical to progress. Longtime NASCAR official Joe Balash, for example, is serving as the Sporting and Technical Director of the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series and has moved to France in his new role.
The competitors hold a deep, unmistakable belief in the sport’s potential across multiple continents.
“Most of the people, when they see NASCAR in the U.S., they think it’s crazy in a good way because they are used to Formula One, which can be boring,’’ five-time NASCAR México Series champion Rubén García Jr. explained before receiving his newest trophy at the NASCAR Awards banquet last month in Charlotte.
“Those [Formula One] races are very simple. Most of the races are decided a couple of laps after the start. But when people see NASCAR, they think it is crazy good and now they will get the chance to watch the sport I fell in love with. Having a race in Mexico City will help a lot and people will realize how fun it is, how great the atmosphere is, and they will fall in love with the sport.’’
Newly crowned NASCAR Whelen Euro Series champion and Italy product Vittorio Ghirelli agrees that the stock car form of racing has gained important footholds overseas. It competes in race-loving locales like England’s Brands Hatch and even an oval – a short track, no less – in the Netherlands.
Its event at Valencia, Spain’s famed Circuit Ricardo Tormo is second in attendance to only the MotoGP race there each year. And as the competitors gain experience, not only does it improve the racing in Europe but it presents opportunities for those drivers to be noticed and test their growth in the United States.
“Every race, there are kilometers of queues [people waiting in lines for entry],’’ said Ghirelli, a former open-wheel and sportscar driver who has adapted to stock cars so well he won the pole position for all races in the series during the 2024 season.
“It is very nice because this is what NASCAR is, leaving it open to everyone compared to other series where the tickets are so high [priced], but NASCAR makes it accessible to everyone. They push it a lot in marketing, and you see families come and camp with small kids who ask for autographs.
“It’s really what makes this series so special and I love this connection is growing even more in the U.S. because my dream would be to have a chance in the U.S. and maybe some races.’’
That is certainly a goal for the various series, all enjoying concrete signs of progress.
In Canada, the NASCAR Canada Series has welcomed a new general manager, Alan Labrosse, who expects to have a larger imprint on the 2025 season, including a schedule that will feature both equal parts ovals and road courses.
“I definitely come in optimistic,” Labrosse said. “I spent most of my [first] year observing, analyzing and evaluating where we need to improve, whether it be our organization or third parties, the venues, the teams. I think people are going to notice, as of 2025, the improvements.
“There is more energy, a positive energy, and it’s important for NASCAR to develop this product and what it has to show beyond the boundaries of the USA. They know that, and I think everybody is putting in the correct efforts to reach new heights.’’
It’s a familiar theme across the four series. They are all better established and now in the enviable position of generating consistent interest off-track and producing stars on-track.
Important milestones were reached. Not only did the NASCAR Brasil Series introduce its first oval – at the season finale, no less – but having Suárez compete only helped substantially raise the profile of the two-year-old series.
The NASCAR México Series anticipates some high-profile time in the upcoming season, competing alongside the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity series for a tripleheader weekend during the June 14-15 inaugural race there.
The NASCAR Whelen Euro Series cars will have updated dashboards and a rebranding of their championships with a PRO Division for professional drivers and an OPEN Division for “young talents and gentlemen drivers” with four races per weekend: two each for Pro and Open competitors.
It all speaks to the vitality these series are enjoying and the increasing worldwide popularity of NASCAR.
“What we’ve been working with our partners over there is developing drivers, and they are big on this,’’ Seigler said. “So the goal is, if you’re a young kid racing a kart and your dream is to race at Monaco, that’s great. But there might be some kids whose dream is to go to Daytona, but they don’t know the path.
“What we’re trying to do is give them some “road maps” …and it shows that from the time you’re five [years old] this is what you do and what that step might cost you. This is a way to show if you want to race in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series, here are the logical steps you would take to get there if you want to do it. Obviously, there’s no guarantee, but you’re laying out a road map of how you get there.
“What’s unique that we have going for us in the international series, the drivers that race for us, they are shocked to race in front of fans. I know that sounds crazy. But in go-karts, even sports car races there, there aren’t a lot of fans. So that’s a lot of excitement they don’t normally get.
“We want them to see this, touch it and feel it and also understand, you are the face of NASCAR for us in Europe and to make sure they understand how important their role is.”
This news appeared first on @Nascar
