Gianmarco Ercoli, the 2015 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series ELITE 2 Division Champion, finished a positive 11th in his debut in the Pro Late Model Division at the New Smyrna Speedway on Friday, February 12.
He entered the race thanks to the Nexteer Road to Daytona Program, the program built by NASCAR Whelen Euro Series and Nexteer Automotive to bring European drivers to race in NASCAR in the United States.
After a day of testing with NASCAR legend Mike Skinner as coach on Thursday, The 20-year-old Italian showed a good pace in practice, posting the 9th and 7th fastest times in the two sessions. Finding the limit in qualifying with two flying laps is always tricky, but he went on to earn a good 13th place on the grid in the opening night of the World Series Of Asphalt Racing.
Ercoli battled with a tight racecar during the race, but smartly coped with the situation, bringing home a solid 11th place finish that bodes extremely well for his future.
“All in all, it was a good race and a fantastic experience. It is a shame not have managed to express our potential in the race, but I learnt a lot and I hope to go back to States soon and build on this result,” said the Rome-native. “Many thanks to the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series and Nexteer Automotive for this opportunity! Now we’ll focus on the EuroNASCAR season, I can’t wait for Valencia!”
Ercoli will now head back to Europe to focus on the 2016 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series season, as he aims to take another step in his NASCAR career by moving to the ELITE 1 Division, at the wheel of the #9 Double T by MRT Nocentini Ford Mustang. The first event of the season will take place on April 23-24 at Valencia, Spain, where Ercoli won his first career race in 2015.
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