Belgian NASCAR Euro champion to run three Xfinity races

Anthony Kumpen, the reigning NASCAR Euro champion is coming to the United States in hopes of furthering his stock car career. The Belgian will make one start in the K&N East Series, as well as three at the national level on the Xfinity side.

His plan is to run the K&N New Hampshire race next month before making his Xfinity debut at Iowa Speedway. He will then run the final two races of the year at Phoenix and Homestead.

This campaign is part of the Nexteer Road To Daytona program – the path designed by Nexteer and NASCAR to bring more Europeans to stock car racing in the US.

The 36-year-old has a notable endurance racing resume, which includes starts in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and Dayton. More recently, he's raced with Audi in the Blancpain Endurance and Sprint Series.

"The goal for me is to gain experience, but my main goal  is to finish all races. I'm not setting  any bar, I want just to finish all the races and then see what we can do for the next year. To race in the NASCAR XFINITY Series is already a big step for me. I am really happy about what we are achieving with the Nexteer Road to Daytona program and all the help from Jerome Galpin, all the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series and everybody at NASCAR. Personally it is a dream come true and I’m really excited to go to the U.S. again.”

It has yet to be announced what team he will be driving for. Kumpen is also the cousin of Sophie Kumpen, F1 driver Max Verstappen's mother.