The NASCAR Euro Series youth movement continues to make headlines. The Junior Trophy witnessed its most competitive season to date, with six different drivers winning the special classification at some point in the 2025 season and five class contenders finishing inside the overall top-10 standings. This level of competition increased everyone’s desire to win, and no one did it better than Paul Jouffreau. The 22-year-old retained his status as the overall Junior Trophy winner, bringing home four special classification victories to demonstrate the Frenchman’s status as one of the most exciting talents in the PRO division.

Valencia: Junior Trophy Competitors in Victory Lane

Seven Junior Trophy contenders lined up on the grid for the season opener at Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, Spain. There were high levels of expectations placed upon them and their results did not disappoint. Straight away, Jouffreau took the initiative by dominating both the overall race and Junior Trophy on Saturday. The Frenchman crushed the field, winning the race by more than ten seconds from a new leading contender: Thomas Krasonis. Liam Hezemans, a regular fixture in the Junior Trophy since 2022, held off American rookie Garrett Lowe for the final podium position in fifth.

Krasonis, who joined the Belgian powerhouse PK Carsport in the winter, stepped up his game on Sunday. The Greek driver led teammate – and reigning overall champion – Vittorio Ghirelli to secure a historic maiden PRO victory, which also allowed him to win the Junior Trophy classifications. 

Jouffreau stayed consistent and grabbed important points in third overall: Good enough for second position in the Junior Trophy. Hezemans completed the podium after holding off another race-long challenge by the impressive “hybrid racer” Lowe. Krasonis therefore led both the Junior Trophy and overall standings by one point from Jouffreau.

Vallelunga: Jouffreau Wins Once Again

Autodromo Vallelunga in Italy is a special track for Jouffreau. The Frenchman grabbed his first NASCAR Euro Series podium and victory – both in the OPEN division – there back in 2022 and 2023 respectively. As a leading PRO contender, winning at the track located close to Rome is crucial and he delivered on Saturday with another double victory. PRO champions Gianmarco Ercoli and Ghirelli were beaten by Jouffreau in the overall rankings, while Krasonis and Lowe trailed the RDV Competition driver in the Junior Trophy classifications.

Hezemans was back on top on Sunday. The Dutchman clinched his first Junior Trophy win of the year after challenging Ghirelli for the race win in the Rette Jones Racing machine. Krasonis and Jouffreau completed the podium in third and sixth positions, therefore gaining important points in the standings. Jouffreau was the one leading the Junior Trophy standings heading to Brands Hatch, four points ahead of Krasonis with Lowe 27 points behind in third place.

Brands Hatch: Home Advantage for Jack Davidson

A major surprise occurred on the first race of NASCAR GP UK. Jouffreau was hit with mechanical troubles that took the Frenchman out of contention. This opened the opportunity for a new Junior Trophy winner to occur and there’s no better driver to do so than Jack Davidson. Racing for his family team Lux Motorsport and their colorful pink #21 Chevrolet Camaro, Davidson utilized his knowledge of the Brands Hatch Indy Circuit to take his first overall PRO podium and his first Junior Trophy win.

The Scotsman led Hezemans and young Dutchman Bruno Mulders, who scored his first special classification podium in just his second ever PRO race. Jouffreau bounced back in the second race by returning to the top step of the Junior Trophy ahead of Krasonis and Davidson. The Frenchman’s difficulties meant that he had to share his overall lead with Krasonis, who tied him on points, heading to the summer break. Behind them is another tie for third position: Both Hezemans and Lowe were level as the closest chasers, with Julien Rehberg quietly following in fifth after a consistent season where he racked up points at every opportunity.

Most: “Hybrid Racer” Lowe Shines

Another new face of Junior Trophy was victorious when NASCAR Euro Series returned to Autodrom Most for the NASCAR GP Czech Republic. Lowe, the sim racer who turned into a “hybrid racer” for 2025, earned his first class victory in the first Czechia race. The Bremotion driver won a fantastic duel with Krasonis for the overall podium to achieve this feat. Davidson continued his Junior Trophy podium streak in seventh position, while Jouffreau limited the damage with a ninth place finish.

Jouffreau was poised to make a comeback similar to Brands Hatch in the second race, but he was beaten by Hezemans. The Rette Jones Racing driver conquered the Junior Trophy battle, winning the classification by nearly ten seconds ahead of Jouffreau and Mulders. When each driver’s worst result was dropped at the end of the round, Jouffreau became the sole overall Junior Trophy leader once more. The Frenchman led Krasonis by seven points heading to the double points Playoffs in Germany and Belgium. Hezemans, Lowe and Rehberg rounded the top-5 overall positions.

Oschersleben: Playoff Drama Never Disappoints

Playoffs are synonymous with drama, excitement and unpredictability. That holds true in the first race of the NASCAR GP Germany, where opening lap contact between top championship contenders Ghirelli and Ercoli created a Big One. Hezemans masterfully carved his way through and cruised to his first overall win in 2025, as well as his third Junior Trophy win.

The incident created the opportunity for an all Junior Trophy podium, with Lowe and Jouffreau completing both podiums with their second and third place finishes. Canadian ace Raphael Lessard was fourth in the special classification on his PRO debut, which was made possible thanks to the drivers exchange program between NASCAR Euro Series and NASCAR Canada Series built by TEAM FJ and the Canadian race team.

Jouffreau struck back once again on the second race as he regained his Junior Trophy throne in second overall. Lowe and Mulders rounded the podium after a solid drive in the technical Motorsport Arena Oschersleben. With Hezemans and Krasonis suffering from mechanical trouble, Jouffreau extended his overall Junior Trophy lead to 38 points heading to the Finals in Belgium. Lowe took over Krasonis’ position as Jouffreau’s closest chaser, but the Greek stayed close in third.

Zolder: Jouffreau Clinches Junior Trophy

NASCAR Euro Series Finals in Circuit Zolder started its races with an event that almost shook up the entire Junior Trophy outlook. Thomas Toffel made contact with Mulders at the start of Final 1. The Dutchman’s Team Bleekemolen machine then collected Jouffreau, sending Jouffreau into an early retirement. Hezemans capitalized on this to win the Junior Trophy classifications ahead of Krasonis and Rehberg, allowing all three to close their gap to the Frenchman. For Rehberg, sixth in PRO was his best career finish so far and his only visit on a class podium in 2025.

With no fastest laps logged on Saturday, Jouffreau had to battle his way through the field from second-to-last in Final 02 to keep his chances of winning the overall Junior Trophy classifications. After a scary incident involving 2022 Junior Trophy overall winner Giorgio Maggi in the opening lap, Jouffreau completed a stunning comeback to clinch his back-to-back overall classification win in sixth position. The round itself was won by Mulders, who secured his breakthrough Trophy victory in third overall – becoming the youngest PRO podium finisher in the process. Hezemans slotted himself in between Mulders and Jouffreau for second in the Junior Trophy podium.

After winning the overall Junior Trophy and finishing inside the top-3 positions in the standings for the second year running, Jouffreau will receive an opportunity to be honored among the NASCAR elites during the NASCAR Awards Banquet in Charlotte, North Carolina, on November 21st.

NASCAR Euro Series PR