Driver defending AMattheis Vogel in NASCAR Brazil, Gabriel Casagrande took the lead in the championship after finishing in second place in the Sprint Race of the sixth round of the 2026 season, held at the Autódromo Internacional Ayrton Senna, in Londrina (PR). The Paraná native showed good speed throughout the day and battled for the win until the final meters in the shortest race of the weekend, earning eight points and taking the top spot in the standings.
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After a free practice session in which he completed few laps, Casagrande joined the first group of drivers to go out on track in the initial phase of qualifying, managing to advance among the top 12 in the combined results of the two groups. In Q2, the owner of car number 83 recorded the second-best time, qualifying for the Sprint Race, where he fought for the win until the last meters in northern Paraná.
“It was a positive Saturday. We adopted the strategy of preserving tire wear, it was important to get some laps today without ruining the rubber, and that’s what we did. Qualifying was the usual madness, as the cars create a lot of slipstream. I was in the first group, so we suffered because of the Truck rubber on the track, and only two drivers from my group advanced to Q2, Thiago (Camilo) and me,” said Casagrande.
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“And then we advanced to the Sprint Race with the best times. In the race, we battled for the win. I’m happy and satisfied, as we carried 25 kilos more for entering the round in second place in the championship, and now in the lead. The main rivals start a bit further back, but Thiago can’t be ruled out. We will fight for a win, but the goal is always to score more points,” adds Gabriel Casagrande, who is sponsored by Baterias Júpiter, Axalta, Cresol, OnPetro, STP, RP Info, UFI Filters, and Aeropark Camboriú.
NASCAR Brazil holds two races this Sunday, the first starting at 8:55 AM, broadcast by SBT and N Sports, while the second race is scheduled for 1:55 PM, shown on Disney+. YouTube streams both races live.
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