A ceremony honoring the local and worldwide champions took place Thursday night, marking the start of the NASCAR Awards this weekend. In many respects, the sport has expanded internationally while maintaining its roots.
The winners of the NASCAR Weekly Series, Whelen Modified, East and West Series, and ARCA Menards Series were all crowned. Last night, international champions from the Euro Series, NASCAR Canada, Brazil, and Mexico were also honored.
The first ARCA champion to be born outside of the country is Andres Perez de Lara. In 20 starts throughout the season, he recorded 10 top-5 finishes and 17 top-10 finishes. He gained his championship by being consistent on the track, even though he didn’t win and the majority of the races were won by part-time superstars Connor Zilisch and William Sawalich.
In relation to Zilisch and Sawalich, they competed for the East Series championship. Following Zilisch’s disastrous race at Bristol, Sawalich emerged victorious.
According to NASCAR Wire Service’s Reid Spencer, Sawalich stated, “We know how to race each other really good, really clean.” “We figured each other’s craft out, how we race and what our characteristics are… I can’t wait to race him next year in Xfinity.”
Sean Hingorani won the West Series for the second time in a row. In 2025, he might also be on his way to greater heights. His fourth Modified title was won by Justin Bonsignore. This season, he also made his debuts on the Xfinity Series and ARCA.
Connor Hall won the NASCAR Weekly Series for the second time in a row. Next year, he will compete in the CARS Tour with JR Motorsports.
International champions are honored by the NASCAR Awards
The awards event on Thursday demonstrated that this year was a significant milestone for NASCAR globally. Mexican driver and ARCA champion Andres Perez. Daniel Suárez, another Mexican driver, won the Mexico and Brazil Series this year in addition to the Cup Series.
Together with the Canadian and European winners, the Mexican and Brazilian champions were also honored. The Canadian champion Marc-Antoine Camirand proposed to his 27-year girlfriend as a way to commemorate winning his second title. As their kids looked on, Sophie Marcotte said yes.
Then there came the Mexican champion, Ruben Garcia. With three victories and twelve top-10 finishes in 13 stars this season, he won his sixth career championship. Discuss dominance. After winning the NASCAR Euro Series twice, Vittorio Ghirelli hopes to start in the Xfinity Series in 2025.
Lastly, Alex Seid, who shared the trophy with his teammate Gabriel Casagrande, talked about how difficult it was to win this year. It seems that every top driver in Brazil wants to join NASCAR. Go ahead and do it.
It was just the first night of the NASCAR Awards. Later tonight and throughout the day, the fun will continue. On Sunday afternoon, viewers may watch the entire show on The CW.