Murilo Rocha started the NASCAR Brasil activities in Cuiabá (MT) positively on Thursday night (30). At the opening of the night program of the stage, the 16-year-old finished the first free practice in eighth place, securing a spot in the top 10 right in his first contact with the track of the Mato Grosso capital.
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This is Murilo’s debut at the Cuiabá circuit with the Ford Mustang #55. The track becomes the third novelty for the driver in the 2026 NASCAR Brasil season, after the stages held in Cascavel (PR) and Santa Cruz do Sul (RS). Of the five races held so far, three took place on circuits new to the competitor.
Despite the sequence of challenges, Murilo has been standing out among the rookies in the category. The driver leads the classification among the newcomers thanks to the good performances presented in Interlagos and Velocitta, circuits he already knew due to the campaign that ended with the vice-championship of F4 Brasil last year.
After the practice, Murilo evaluated his adaptation to the circuit positively, despite the interruptions in the session. “Another new track for me, but I had a good adaptation with today’s practice even with a large part of the session under red flag we ended the day in eighth place. Now we will analyze the data to seek a good position in qualifying,” he said.
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In the season standings, Murilo occupies fourth place in the Challenge category and is in the top 10 of the overall NASCAR Brasil table. With the good start in Cuiabá, the goal is to maintain the pace throughout the rest of the weekend to continue evolving and keep rising in the championship.
The stage program continues this Friday with the qualifying session. On Saturday, NASCAR Brasil concludes activities with the Night Challenge, consisting of two races held at night. The official broadcast takes place on the category’s channels on YouTube.
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