Sitting in sixth place in the standings, 43 points down from championship leader Anthony Kumpen (#24 PK Carsport Chevrolet SS), Eddie Cheever III (#51 CAAL Racing Chevrolet SS) is determined to go on the attack in his home race at the Autodromo dell’Umbria di Magione, which will host the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series Semi Finals on September 20-21.
The Rome native, son of former Formula 1 driver and 1998 Indianapolis 500 winner Eddie Cheever, is in his first NASCAR season, which is also his first with closed wheels, and comes from a Regular Season in which he showed a great potential – In May he won his first NASCAR race at Brands Hatch and is leading the Race and Win Pole Award with two pole positions – but also incurred in a couple of errors that costed him many points, like the contact with teammate Nicolò Rocca (#25 CAAL Racing Chevrolet SS) that took him out of the Michelin 75 at Tours Speedway.
“The championship is still open. I already made my mistakes this year, so I will have to go on the attack and try to win both races on my home track,” said the 21-year old driver of the #51 CAAL Racing Chevrolet SS. “I will give 110% from the first lap, this is the plan. I can only go for the win and hope that those in front of me make some mistake. With double point being awarded in the playoffs, the championship is entering its crucial phase and I have to exploit the advantage of racing at Magione to have a shot to the title”.
The Autodromo dell’Umbria is located near CAAL Racing’s headquarters and hosted Cheever’s first lap on stock-car during the winter. Cheever will therefore try to take advantage of the experience both he and his team have on the 2.507 track that will host the NWES Semi Finals.
“There are some places to overtake at Magione, but starting from the first couple of rows will be an important factor,” explained Cheever. “The last sector, after the long straight, will make the difference between a fast lap and a slow one. It is a sequence of corners which requires to find the perfect rhythm if you want to be quick”.
The Italian leg of the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series calendar will also represent the first NASCAR centered event in the Penisola, offering the fans lots of american-themed family entertainment on and around the track. Support races and historic cars meeting will delight the car passionates, but there will also be live music, great food and a Luna Park. The paddock will be open and fans will be able to meet teams and drivers, but they will also be allowed in Pit Lane and even on the grid for four unique autograph sessions.
“The show on track will be amazing. Despite being a relatively short track, Magione offers various passing opportunities and will also offer the Italian fans something new in the paddock. We want to give our best and something more for our home race. We are going all-in to try to get back in contention for the Le Mans Finals in October” concluded Cheever. Let the fireworks begin!
