In a special weekend for Brazilian motorsport with the opening of the country's first oval circuit, experienced Italian driver Arianna Casoli entered the final round of the NASCAR Brasil season - recording an overall P12 and a top 6 finish in class in Race 3.
Last weekend, NASCAR Brasil held the final round of the 2024 season and the race meeting was marked by two important events for the series and for national motorsport, starting with the invitation made by the organization to the experienced driver Arianna Casoli, for this adventure in South America, where she became the first woman to race in the series that completed its second ever season.
The second fact was the inauguration of Brazil's first oval circuit; the new track was built in an area attached to the Circuito dos Cristais, located in Curvelo, marking an important progress for NASCAR Brasil. Until then, all races in the series had been held on circuits with a mixed layout, but finally now there is a venue in the country following the traditional layout of North American stock car circuits.
On Friday, November 15, the first official practice sessions were held and Arianna Casoli had her first contact with her new car for the weekend in Brazil. While keeping the number #14, this time she would get behind the wheel of a Chevrolet Camaro - unlike the Ford Mustang she uses in EuroNASCAR.
With the adaptation work to the machine - a significantly different car from the EuroNASCAR one - and the track done in the morning, the qualifying session should have taken place in the afternoon, but due to heavy rain that hit the circuit area hours before, the session was postponed until the following day.
Race 1 - NASCAR Brasil class
NASCAR Brasil drivers were divided into two classes during the 2024 season - Brazil and Challenge, and the round held at Circuito dos Cristais had 3 races in total - one exclusive for each class plus an Overall. Competing in the Brazil class, Casoli qualified in 10th position on the starting grid for race 1.
Continuing the work to adapt to the new car and seeking an ideal pace, Arianna Casoli would aim to make up positions from back of the field during the first laps of the race. Despite some contact and incidents on the track for her competitors, Casoli's run remained trouble-free, which allowed her to gain positions - first with the retirement of Luan Lopes and then Arthur Scherer.
The safety car had to be deployed after the last incident so that Scherer's car could be cleared, and after the restart there was just under 3 minutes remaining. Casoli tried to find her rhythm again, but she couldn't gain more positions and she crossed the line in eighth place. Cayan Chianca was the winner of the inaugural race on the oval track.
Race 3 - Overall
Due to unstable weather conditions, Race 3 had its start time brought forward by 4 hours. Thus, the 24 cars of both classes shared the track on the cloudy morning of Sunday - November 17, and Arianna Casoli started from P16. Considering the fact that this was a new scenario for the Italian, she took a cautious approach at the start of the race, took no risks and dropped a few positions.
Once again, there were tough battles for position and a few incidents, which brought the full NASCAR experience to Brazil. Until the first "big one" - considering the due proportions: Léo Reis crashed into the wall and was subsequently hit by Edson Reis and Alexandre Kauê. The big collisions brought out the safety car for the first time on Sunday.
The action was neutralized for almost 10 minutes and at the restart Arianna Casoli was in P15. Shortly after, the safety car had to be deployed again, after Dorivaldo Junior received contact and lost control of his car - which got stuck above the tire barrier. The second restart went underway with just over 3 minutes remaining and Casoli had moved up to 14th position.
The final moments of the race were marked by a fierce battle for the lead. Victor Andrade had led for more than half the race, but was overtaken by Gui Backes and Léo Torres - who duelled until the end with Backes, crossing the finish line ahead. Arianna Casoli also gained two positions in the final laps and finished in P12, sixth in the Brazil class.
"The Brasilian Series is matching perfectly the Beatin’ and bangin’ NASCAR mood, and the show was amazing", Arianna commented.
"Being a bit conservative in a strong grid of drivers, helped to finished all races safe even when I was in the middle of the fight"
"The show was cool at the racetrack and from home, and the driving for us even more", she continued. "Past Experience on oval helped to read the scene and being in the right place to avoid troubles and lead the car to the end having a lot of fun" - concluded Casoli at the end of the race.
Arianna Casoli's participation in the final round of NASCAR Brasil 2024 became an important milestone for the South American motorsport's scene, paving the way for more women to have the opportunity to race in the stock car series: "I felt the pressure and responsibility of the role", Casoli said. "Brazilian motorsport and especially NASCAR here are working hard for female drivers and this sounds like a landmark for the future."
