EuroNASCAR Arctic Ice Race indefinitely postponed

Excitement ran high for the start of the 2023 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series season as 4/5 March was to see the inaugural Arctic Ice Race in Rovaniemi, Finland. However, supply chain woes have forced it to be indefinitely postponed, the series announced Tuesday.

“It is really unfortunate and we feel sorry for all the NASCAR fans eagerly waiting for this event to take place,” said series head Jérôme Galpin, who is currently in Saudi Arabia competing in the Dakar Classic. “With the current situation, it is difficult to get every component we need to prepare the cars for this kind of event. As we do for all the events of the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series, we want to deliver with the Ice Race the best possible experience for everyone at the track and at home, so we prefer to take the time to have optimal conditions. This event should be the highlight of a new concept and we want it to be perfect.”

Galpin tested a EuroNASCAR FJ car in Val Thorens, France, in March 2021 to see if the vehicle is capable of racing on snow and ice. The test proved to be a success and the race was initially planned as a postseason exhibition in 2022 before being delayed to the start of 2023.

Had the exhibition race taken place as planned, it would have featured a unique format that borrows pages from rallycross such as heat races and a knockout time-based bracket. The series also hoped to change the track layout with each day.

Shortages have wreaked havoc on the worldwide supply chain since 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and Russian invasion of Ukraine. Since the Euro Series competes on pavement, the situation presented too many problems with building the cars for the icy environment.

Various motorsport entities have had to delay certain projects as a result of the crisis, such as the NTT IndyCar Series pushing its new hybrid engine from 2023 to 2024. The ongoing Dakar Rally, which the Dakar Classic is supporting, lost a potential entry in the top T1+ category when M-Sport was hamstrung by a parts shortage and could not develop the new Ford Ranger in time; Dakar veteran Antanas Juknevičius, who also had to back out as he could not afford a ride, brought up that manufacturers are wary to join T1+ due to “broken supply chains”.

With the Ice Race shelved for now, the first action of the 2023 season will instead be on 6/7 May at Circuit Ricardo Tormo.