The 2021 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series season will begin a month later than usual. On Monday, the series announced the opening NASCAR GP Spain at Circuit Ricardo Tormo has been pushed back from its original 17–18 April date to 15–16 May. The change was spurred as Europe continues through COVID-19 restrictions.
“We are continuously monitoring the situation in Europe and are fully engaged to take the best decisions for our fans, partners and competitors,” series head Jerome Galpin stated. “We all hope the situation will get better in the coming months and think that pushing the EuroNASCAR season opener few weeks later can allow us to welcome fans at the racetracks and offer to everyone involved a great American show in the pure tradition of the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series.”
The NASCAR GP Italy at Autodromo di Vallelunga was initially in the May slot, but the news means it will be moved to the fall. In 2020, numerous schedule revisions due to the pandemic resulted in the race becoming the season opener in September.
A specific date for the Italian race was not immediately revealed, but a graphic released by the sanctioning body tentatively has it as the final weekend after the NASCAR GP Belgium at Circuit Zolder on 9–10 October. Zolder was the second race of the 2020 season but has otherwise served as the finale.
Even with the schedule shuffle, the rest of the season remains the same as planned. The NASCAR GP Czech Republic at Autodrom Most, GP UK at Brands Hatch, and GP Germany at Hockenheimring return to the calendar after losing their 2020 editions to the pandemic, while the GP Croatia at Automotodrom Grobnik becomes a permanent date after taking Most’s slot the previous year. Every date on the calendar is a road course event; Raceway Venray in the Netherlands was the lone oval in 2019 but was removed the following year due to COVID and will not return for 2021.
While the 2021 season will not begin until May, the EuroNASCAR Esports Series kicked off in early February for the second year. Guillaume Deflandre won the opener on the Daytona road course–where the American NASCAR series raced this past weekend–ahead of reigning NWES champion Alon Day. As done with 2020, points earned in the Esports Series also go to the real-life Teams Championship. The second race is scheduled for 23 February at Brands Hatch.
Revised schedule
| # | Track | Date |
| 1–2 | Circuit Ricardo Tormo | 15–16 May |
| 3–4 | Autodrom Most | 19–20 June |
| 5–6 | Brands Hatch | 3–4 July |
| 7–8 | Hockenheimring | 17–18 July |
| 9–10 | Automotodrom Grobnik | 18–19 September |
| 11–12 | Circuit Zolder | 9–10 October |
| 13–14 | Autodromo di Vallelunga | TBA |
