Driver defending AMattheis Vogel in NASCAR Brazil, Gabriel Casagrande finished third in the Sprint Race that defined the starting grids for the fourth stage of the 2026 season, held at Velocitta, in Mogi Guaçu (SP). The owner of car number 83 was one of the highlights of the session that determined the starting positions in the interior of São Paulo, always running among the fastest.
Read more Follow LIVE Race 1 of the fourth stage of NASCAR Brazil 2026
The Sprint Race has two previous phases to determine the six drivers who move on to the short race. In his group in Q1, Casagrande was the fastest, advancing to Q2, which gathers the top five from each group. The Paraná native recorded the fourth best time and secured his place in the shorter race of the weekend.
Starting from fourth place in the five-lap race, Casagrande jumped ahead in the initial meters and battled for the victory until the final meters, crossing the finish line in third position, just 0.588 seconds behind the winner. The driver highlighted that he completed fewer laps than his competitors in qualifying, an important factor since, in NASCAR Brazil, the same set of tires is used throughout the stage.
Read more Genz surpasses Casagrande at the end and wins NASCAR Brazil Race 1 at Velocitta
“Third place is a positive result for the Sprint. We have a heavier car, and on a circuit like Velocitta, we use the slipstream on the long straights and on the restarts. Here in NASCAR Brazil, we have to do the weekend with one set of tires, so every lap counts. In Q1 I did one less lap, and that allows us to have a bit more rubber for the rest of the weekend. We will seek two good results tomorrow to stay among the championship leaders,” said Gabriel Casagrande, who is sponsored by Baterias Júpiter, Axalta, OnPetro, STP, Cresol, RP Info, UFI Filters, Chevrolet, and OMP.
NASCAR Brazil holds the two races of the weekend this Sunday. The first is scheduled for 9 a.m., while the second starts at 2:15 p.m. SBT broadcasts the first race, while ESPN airs the second. YouTube and Disney+ show both races.
Read more NASCAR Brazil: Watch Race 2 LIVE at Velocitta
