Melvin de Groot proved that age does not limit your potential as a driver. The Dutch giant is a regular fixture in the Legend Trophy and achieved his third title in the special classification for drivers aged 45 and more in the NASCAR Euro Series Finals at Circuit Zolder. But in 2025 he achieved more than just that. De Groot also took his maiden victory in a thrilling wet race at Brands Hatch and was contesting the OPEN title in his #69 Team Bleekemolen Toyota Camry. This drove de Groot’s ambitions further and he declared his intention to fight for more glory in not just the Legend Trophy, but also in the overall OPEN battle in 2026. Meanwhile, Happinessa topped the Lady Trophy with Bremotion.

Valencia and Vallelunga: De Groot’s Consistent Start

One of de Groot’s biggest strengths as a driver is his consistency. He always maximizes his points and that’s what he did in the first two rounds of the 2025 season. In Spain, the Dutchman took the first Legend Trophy of the season on Saturday and was second on Sunday, finishing behind Kenko Miura who finished on the overall podium for the first time in seven years.

This podium gave Miura the overall Legend Trophy lead, but the Japanese driver did not return until Germany. De Groot took this opportunity to build a bigger lead from his competition in the next round at Italy. He was narrowly defeated by Claudio Cappelli in the first race, but returned the favor in the second race. He also finished inside the top-5 both times, giving the Dutchman a healthy lead entering the most attended round of the year – NASCAR GP UK at the historic Brands Hatch Indy Circuit.

In the Lady Trophy, Arianna Casoli took the early initiative by besting her new opponent Happinessa in the season opener at Valencia. However, things dramatically changed at Casoli’s home race in Italy. Both drivers were involved in a scary incident on Saturday and Casoli was injured, which ended her participation in the NASCAR Euro Series OPEN division in 2025.

Brands Hatch: Fantastic Visit to Victory Lane

The heavens opened just as the OPEN drivers started their first race in Brands Hatch. The rain conditions were a challenge to master, but a new winner was crowned in one of the most dramatic races that OPEN has ever seen. De Groot battled his way through the field and made a great pass on Thomas Toffel in the closing stages to secure his first overall victory. The Dutchman celebrated this result with style, having achieved his dream of winning against the division’s best drivers.

De Groot then proved that he’s just as fast in the dry conditions, just barely missing out on the overall podium in the second race to clinch yet another Legend Trophy win. The sweep in Brands Hatch not only extended the Team Bleekemolen driver’s lead in the special classification, it also secured the outright OPEN standings lead entering the summer break. It was the first time that de Groot led the standings and he planned to extend it when the field returned to Autodrom Most for the 2025 NASCAR GP Czech Republic.

With Casoli sidelined for the remainder of the season, Happinessa took the Lady Trophy wins in the UK, but she expressed that it felt different to win without her main rival on the track.

Most and Oschersleben: Tough Times Ahead

De Groot lined up strongly for the first OPEN race in Most after a good qualifying session, but mechanical issues forced him to start from the pits. It looked disadvantageous at first, but in an attritional race, the Dutch giant clawed his way back to seventh to win the Legend Trophy for the fifth time in 2025. He repeated this result in the second race, confirming his status as one of the most consistent drivers in the division.

Cappelli won the Legend Trophy battle from de Groot in that race and in Oschersleben, the Italian was on fire. He took both class wins and also finished inside the overall top-5. De Groot, on the other hand, had a difficult time: He finished outside of the top-10 for the first time. The Dutchman still grabbed second in the special classification, but with so many points lost to the overall leaders and Cappelli gaining plenty of ground in the first Playoffs round, he had to shift his focus to maintaining his Legend Trophy lead in the NASCAR Euro Series Finals. Happinessa continued to learn the fast and powerful EuroNASCAR stock cars in Czech Republic and Germany, grabbing more Lady Trophy wins in the process.

Zolder: The Win Secured

25 points separated de Groot and Cappelli with two races remaining in the Finals at Belgium. On paper, it sounds like de Groot will be safe in front, but with double points being awarded at the Finals and lessons learned from Germany, he knew that he had to drive two perfect races to keep his lead intact. And that’s what the Dutchman did: He fought off Cappelli for the Legend Trophy win in the first race and ran a calculated race to seal the overall victory in the second race. Happinessa also secured the championship in Lady Trophy, her first special classification title on her debut season in the series.

As the winners of Legend and Lady Trophy, both de Groot and Happinessa will be honored by the representatives of the sport in the NASCAR Banquet at Charlotte, North Carolina. For de Groot, he also finished his year fifth in the OPEN standings. It was the Dutchman’s best year in his career to date, driving him to declare his plans for not only more Legend Trophy wins, but also to finish top-3 in the overall championship in 2026.

NASCAR Euro Series PR