Paul Jouffreau is one of the most promising talents on the EuroNASCAR PRO grid – The Frenchman is looking to pave his way up the NASCAR Cup Series
When asked what category NASCAR Whelen Euro Series star Paul Jouffreau would like to race in, he had a crystal clear answer: « EuroNASCAR is the start of the dream. For a race driver, these cars are just amazing. One of my main goals is to compete in the NASCAR Cup Series in the USA! » The Frenchman has set himself ambitious goals he intends to achieve with RDV Competition – a team that has a lot of experience in EuroNASCAR. Jouffreau is one of the title contenders for the 2024 EuroNASCAR PRO season and is looking forward to the second half of the season.
Before heading to Autodrom Most in the Czech Republic, fans took the opportunity to ask Jouffreau plenty of questions in the NWES Q&A on Instagram. The Blaye native praised his team, which he joined in the 2023 season to win the EuroNASCAR 2 championship. « RDV Competition took me with almost no experience. They made me a EuroNASCAR 2 champion and able to win in EuroNASCAR PRO. They do an amazing job and I will never be able to thank them enough for trusting me as a race car driver. »
After three rounds in Spain, Italy and the United Kingdom, plus a special oval event in the Netherlands, Jouffreau sits in fourth place in the points standings, just 18 points behind championship leader Vittorio Ghirelli. Still a title contender, the 20-year-old is eager to take the next step in the second half of the season. «We are more ready than ever! We are title contenders, but we want to be champions. As a team we are preparing as much as we can and I am in the gym getting in shape. I’m sure I’ll be 100 percent for the rest of the season. »
But the mental side also plays an important role in becoming Europe’s NASCAR champion. Jouffreau counts on the support of his family. « My family has been by my side since I started karting. My dad fought every second for the last eight years to find the sponsors and the budget. Without him, I would be at home watching the races on TV. My mom always supports me by filling out our administrative papers. My sister is my biggest supporter. Since I started karting, she has been watching every single race and cheering me on. »
Jouffreau knows it’s going to be an intense battle to win the EuroNASCAR PRO title. The competition is fierce, but the Frenchman enjoys the battles he has with the top drivers. « I prefer hard but fair fights. I have good memories of Ghirelli, Gianmarco Ercoli, Anthony Kumpen, Liam Hezemans and Marc Goossens. They fight really hard but with a lot of respect. Driving against them in EuroNASCAR PRO is something special. When I started in Club Challenge I was watching them race and now I am racing against them. It makes me really happy and reminds me why I wanted to be a racer. »
Recently, Jouffreau made his oval racing debut at Raceway Venray and as an oval rookie, the 20-year-old impressed with strong lap times and a solid top-3 finish. « We were just turning left, but we could get the maximum grip out of the car, so we had much higher speeds than usual. It was amazing on the oval. Now I understand why Americans love oval racing so much and I tasted blood! I want to do more now. Jouffreau was also asked if he would like to have a NWES home race in France. Of course the Frenchman would love to race in front of his home crowd. Magny-Cours would be a favorite for him, a track the series visited in 2011. »
André Wiegold,