NASCAR Brasil opens the 2026 season on April 11 and 12, at the Autódromo de Santa Cruz do Sul, already with news on the grid. Three-time Stock Car champion, Ricardo Maurício (#90), is confirmed for the opening round, which will have two races on Sunday, at 8h30 and 14h20, also marking the debut of the RiSE26 car.
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The São Paulo driver arrives as one of the most experienced names in the championship, with titles in Stock Car, Brazilian Endurance, Brazilian Marcas, in addition to achievements in Formula Ford Brazil, Spanish Formula 3, and Endurance TC2000.
Ricardinho will be part of a new project formed by the union between Cavaleiro Sports and Pole Motorsport, debutant teams that will work together in search of technical development and growth in the category.
Excited about the challenge, he commented: “Very excited, I’ve already had a first contact with the car and now I can’t wait for the first round to arrive. I’ve been keeping an eye on NASCAR Brasil for some time now, but I couldn’t reconcile my schedule with other championships. This year I’ll be in all of them, and I’ll share the car with Alex Seid in three rounds”.
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Regarding competitiveness, he added: “I really liked the car, I expect fierce competitiveness and great battles. We already got to see a bit of what it will be like in the challenge we had at the Circuito Panamericano”.
Familiar with the debut track, Maurício added: “Santa Cruz do Sul is a select circuit, I really like the layout. I think 90% of the grid loves driving there”
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