The NASCAR Brasil Series (formerly known as Sprint Race, GT Sprint Race and NASCAR Brasil Sprint Race), commonly referred to as NASCAR Brasil or Sprint Race, is a NASCAR stock car series based in Brazil. It is one of NASCAR's four international series alongside the NASCAR Canada Series, NASCAR Mexico Series, and the NASCAR Euro Series and is the only one to be based in South America.
History
Early history NASCAR Brasil Series' roots can be traced to 2011, when rumors of a Super Cup championship first circulated in the Brazilian racing scene. Super Cup is a category that promised a low cost championship hosted in tracks outside of the traditional Brazilian venues. Super Cup ultimately failed to establish themselves, but on January 18, 2012 a spiritual successor series named Sprint Race was founded by Thiago Marques, a former competitor in the Stock Car Pro Series and the younger brother of ex-Formula One driver Tarso Marques. Sprint Race was formed as an entry-level competition series designed to facilitate a beginner driver's transition to the higher racing categories in Brazil.
The inaugural season was held on the same year and a total of 25 drivers entered the 2012 season. It featured a total of 18 races across 9 rounds, with double points being awarded in the final round. The driver pairing of Guilherme Sperafico and Fabio Brecailo were credited as Sprint Race's inaugural race winners on the series' first ever race at Autódromo José Carlos Pace, while Gustavo Martins was crowned as the series' inaugural champion after scoring four race wins.
The 2013 season featured 16 races across 8 rounds and saw the driver pairing of Gaetano di Mauro and Guilherme Salas took the title after winning five races. In 2014, the series was split into two classes: Pro and GP class, with titles being awarded separately towards the drivers that scored the most points in their respective classes. Despite this, both classes continued to ran their races together. Flávio Lisboa was crowned as the overall champion in the now-rebranded Pro class, while Adriano Amaral became the first driver to win the title in the GP class.
In the 2018 season, the series hosted their first races outside of Brazil when they hosted a race at Uruguay's Autódromo Eduardo Prudêncio Cabrera. The series returned to Uruguay in 2019 and on the same year, the series made its first races outside of South America as the series hosted the Sprint Race International Cup in tracks such as Homestead–Miami Speedway and Sebring International Raceway.
GT Sprint Race and NASCAR In 2020, the series rebranded itself into the GT Sprint Race and numerous changes was made to the series. The GP class was discontinued and in its place, two new divisions were formed: The AM and Pro AM classes. A new car generation, inspired from the cars raced in NASCAR, was also introduced and the series switched their tire suppliers from Pirelli to Yokohama. Thiago Camilo was crowned as the overall champion in the Pro class that year, while Weldes Campos and Luiz Arruda were crowned as the inaugural champions of the Pro AM and AM classes respectively.
The series was later rebranded to the NASCAR Brasil Sprint Race on November 16, 2022 after the series signed an agreement with NASCAR to give the series an official NASCAR-sanctioning status starting from the 2023 season. In 2023, NASCAR intends on adding oval race tracks to the schedule. In 2025, the series was rebranded to the NASCAR Brasil Series, similar to the branding of other NASCAR Regional Series. On September 20, 2026, at the Circuito dos Cristais, Tatiana Calderón became the first woman to win a race in the NASCAR Brasil Series.
Cars
NASCAR Brasil Series' cars featured a peripheral tubular space frame chassis reinforced with aluminum plates. In its original guise, the car used an unbranded hatchback body model based on the Renault Clio. The driver is positioned in the middle of the car for better weight distribution. It uses a six-speed sequential gearbox, independent suspension, and engines supplied by Action Power. For the first two seasons, the cars used a 220 hp, inline-four turbo engines sourced from Renault before it was upgraded to a 270 hp, 3.6 liter V6 engine sourced from Chevrolet in 2014.
A new generation of car was introduced by the series in 2020. The new car featured a brand new body model inspired from the American NASCAR series, with composite body styles based on the Chevrolet Camaro and Ford Mustang being available to be chosen for the teams participating; the NASCAR Brasil Series is one of two NASCAR series where Toyota does not participate, the other being the NASCAR Canada Series. The new generation of cars featured an improved aerodynamic package and was claimed to have a 20% increase in corner speed, despite the removal of the detached rear wing in favor of integrated rear spoiler.
The new generation car received several changes in the 2022 season. New racing seats, inspired from the seats used in NASCAR, was introduced to increase driver's protection from head and neck injuries due to lateral movement during crashes. A rear stabilizer bar was added, with drivers being able to choose between three settings: Soft, hard, and off. The engine also received an updated electronic injection unit to improve its acceleration.
NASCAR Brasil Series featured Pirelli as the exclusive tire supplier of the series. Pirelli is the exclusive tire supplier starting from the inaugural season in 2012, with the exception of the 2020 season where the series ran Yokohama tires instead.
2020-2025 Specifications Chassis: Tubular space frame with reinforced aluminum plates. Engine Discplacement: 2.2 L (2,200 cc) inline-four (2012-2013), 3.6 L (3,600 cc) V6 (2014-present). Aspiration: Turbocharged forced induction (2012-2013), naturally aspirated (2014-present). Transmission: 6-speed sequential. Power: 300 hp Weight: 1000 kg Height: 1,280 mm Length: 4,900 mm Wheelbase: 2,800 mm Width: 1,940 mm
2026 Specifications
On 30 September 2025, Nascar Brasil Series revealed an updated version of their car, called the RISE26, to be used from the 2026 season. The key improvement is to the chassis, which is made from carbon fiber rather than fiberglass, reducing the weight of the car by around . The upgraded V6 engine, known as the NB-26, will have an additional 60 hp, and the fuel tank will be increased by 20 L, with 100% ethanol fuel in use. Further improvements include moving the drivers' seat further to the left to assist rescue teams, as the car will no longer have functioning doors, just as in the NASCAR Cup Series. A new Pirelli tire compound has also been made for the series, and there are improvements to the electronics, steering wheel, suspension, and shape of the chassis.
2026 car specifications
Chassis: 3-piece modular chassis (front/rear clips + central cell) made of carbon fiber while central cell is made from polished 304 stainless steel Engine: V6 running on 100% ethanol Transmission: 6-speed powershift with paddles Power: 360 hp Weight: 960 kg Power-to-weight ratio: 2.66 Kg/hp Torque (max): 55 Kgf.m Suspension: Double wishbone Tires: Pirelli TH4, size 265/645R18 PZERO Fuel Tank: Kevlar, 90L
Tracks
The following are the tracks which have been used, currently are in use, and/or are scheduled to be used in the NASCAR Brasil Series. Tracks marked in bold are tracks used in the 2026 NASCAR Brasil Series season.
Years Track Location Type 2018–2019 Autódromo Eduardo Prudêncio Cabrera Rivera, Uruguay Road course 2020–2024 Autódromo Internacional Ayrton Senna (Goiânia) Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil Road course 2012–present Autódromo Internacional Ayrton Senna (Londrina) Londrina, Paraná, Brazil Road course 2026 Autódromo Internacional de Brasília Brasília, Distrito Federal, Brazil Road course 2013–2021, 2023–present Autódromo Internacional de Cascavel Cascavel, Paraná, Brazil Road course 2026 Autódromo Internacional de Chapecó Chapecó, Santa Catarina, Brazil Road course 2012–2018, 2020–2021 Autódromo Internacional de Curitiba Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil Road course 2026 Autódromo Internacional de Mato Grosso Cuiabá, Mato Grosso, Brazil Road course 2014, 2022, 2026 Autódromo Internacional de Santa Cruz do Sul Santa Cruz do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil Road course 2013, 2015, 2021–2025 Autódromo Internacional de Tarumã Tarumã, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil Road course 2024–2025 Autódromo Internacional Orlando Moura Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil Road course 2021, 2024 Autódromo Internacional Potenza Lima Duarte, Minas Gerais, Brazil Road course 2017–2023, 2025–present Autódromo Velo Città Mogi Guaçu, São Paulo, Brazil Road course 2024–present Circuito dos Cristais Curvelo, Minas Gerais, Brazil Oval track 2019 Homestead–Miami Speedway Homestead, Florida, United States Road course 2012–present Autódromo José Carlos Pace São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil Road course 2019 Sebring International Raceway Sebring, Florida, United States Road course
Season schedules
2012 RoundCircuitDate (DD/MM)Type1Autódromo José Carlos Pace08/04Road course2Autódromo José Carlos Pace22/04Road course3Autódromo José Carlos Pace13/05Road course4Autódromo José Carlos Pace10/06Road course5Autódromo Internacional de Curitiba22/07Road course6Autódromo Internacional de Curitiba02/09Oval track7Autódromo Internacional Ayrton Senna (Londrina)14/10Road course8Autódromo Internacional de Curitiba04/11Road course9Autódromo Internacional de Curitiba02/12Road course10Autódromo José Carlos Pace22/12Road course
2014 RoundCircuitDate (DD/MM)Type1Autódromo José Carlos Pace27/04Road course2Autódromo Internacional de Santa Cruz do Sul18/05Road course3Autódromo José Carlos Pace22/06Road course4Autódromo Internacional de Cascavel03/08Road course5Autódromo Internacional de Curitiba24/08Road course6Autódromo Internacional Ayrton Senna (Londrina)21/09Road course7Autódromo Internacional de Curitiba09/11Oval track8Autódromo Internacional de Curitiba07/12Road course
2015 RoundCircuitDate (DD/MM)Type1Autódromo Internacional de Tarumã29/03Road course2Autódromo Internacional de Curitiba10/05Road course3Autódromo Internacional Ayrton Senna (Londrina)06/06Road course4Autódromo José Carlos Pace12/07Road course5Autódromo Internacional de Curitiba09/08Road course6Autódromo Internacional de Cascavel20/09Road course7Autódromo Internacional de Curitiba15/11Oval track8Autódromo José Carlos Pace19/12Road course
2016 RoundCircuitDate (DD/MM)Type1Autódromo Internacional de Curitiba20/03Road course2Autódromo José Carlos Pace24/04Road course3Autódromo Internacional de Curitiba29/05Oval track4Autódromo Internacional de Curitiba19/06Road course5Autódromo José Carlos Pace14/08Road course6Autódromo Internacional Ayrton Senna (Londrina)18/09Road course7Autódromo Internacional de Cascavel23/10Road course8Autódromo José Carlos Pace18/12Road course
2017 RoundCircuitDate (DD/MM)Type1Autódromo Internacional de Curitiba09/04Oval track2Autódromo José Carlos Pace30/04Road course3Autódromo Internacional de Cascavel28/05Road course4Autódromo José Carlos Pace30/07Road course5Autódromo Internacional de Curitiba20/08Road course6Autódromo Velo Città24/09Road course7Autódromo Internacional Ayrton Senna (Londrina)05/11Road course8Autódromo Internacional de Curitiba03/12Road course
2018 RoundCircuitDate (DD/MM)Type1Autódromo Internacional de Curitiba31/03Oval track2Autódromo Eduardo Prudêncio Cabrera06/05Road course3Autódromo José Carlos Pace17/06Road course4Autódromo Internacional Ayrton Senna (Londrina)21/07Road course5Autódromo José Carlos Pace02/09Road course6Autódromo Velo Città14/10Road course7Autódromo Internacional de Cascavel18/11Road course8Autódromo Internacional de Curitiba16/12Road course
2019