The second leg of the drivers exchange program between NASCAR Euro Series and NASCAR Canada Series was completed in the 2025 NASCAR GP Germany. After Vittorio Ghirelli made the cross-Atlantic trip during the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres, NASCAR Canada ace Raphael Lessard got his chance to experience the pure racing of NASCAR Euro Series. Lessard impressed 18,000 fans that visited Motorsport Arena Oschersleben and brought home a top-10 finish with his #75 Rousseau Metal / Festidrag.tv Chevrolet Camaro to show his potential in road course tracks.

Lessard made his first laps in the NASCAR Euro car during Friday practice, finishing 15th after two 30-minute sessions. The Canadian had an all-star supporting crew in Germany: Not only is the #75 Camaro fielded by multiple-time PRO championship winning team CAAL Racing, he also shared his garage with 2023 PRO champion Gianmarco Ercoli, who is part of Alumitec Racing – a team that had a technical partnership with Luca Canneori’s squad.

The learning process continued during Saturday morning’s qualifying session, where he qualified the #75 Camaro in 15th ahead of 2022 PRO runner-up Alexander Graff. A major breakthrough then occurred during PRO Playoffs 01. Lessard kept his car intact during the opening lap incident and with so many top drivers affected, the driver from Quebec saw a chance to grab a fantastic result. He wasted no time in battling at the front, doing both the overtaking and the defense at the same time. After 22 laps of hard but fair racing, Lessard crossed the line in sixth place with only three seconds separating him from a top-5 finish.

The battles continued in PRO Playoffs 02, where he once again found himself in numerous multi-car battles against the more experienced drivers in PRO. Lessard only secured a 14th place finish, but he tasted blood and is open to the prospect of racing in the NASCAR Euro Series full-time if sponsorship can be found.

“It’s a lot of fun because I’m a way better driver now than when I got here on Friday,” said Lessard during the weekend. “I learned a lot and had a really good teammate in Gianmarco Ercoli. I was able to compare his data and it helped me a ton, so big thanks to the team. Maybe I’ll do more, we never know. It’s always about the sponsorship mostly, but I would love to come back next year and learn new racetracks and get better as a road course driver because all I’ve done is mostly ovals. It’s a great opportunity that I can check off my list and maybe I’ll do it again in the future!”

Lessard’s successful appearance in the NASCAR Euro Series, along with Ghirelli’s own impressive debut in the NASCAR Canada Series, highlights the importance of partnership between NASCAR’s international divisions. The drivers exchange program proved its worth as one of the best ways to strengthen the bond of NASCAR’s global family and NASCAR Euro Series is looking forward to introduce more when the next opportunity arises in the future.

NASCAR Euro Series PR