(Photo: Stephen Conley | The Podium Finish)
NASCAR will continue to build on its international flare in 2022 with the addition of Hezeberg Racing.
Toni Hezeberg and Ernest Berg will bring Loris Hezeman to the NASCAR Cup Series next season. Hezeman has a handful of starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2019 and ’20. As the 2019 Whelen Euro Champion, he looks forward to this challenge.
“My goal is to really learn next year,” Hezeman said. Along with his father and co-owner of the team, the Hezemans have a lot of interest in building towards the Cup Series.
As Toni Hezeman said during the announcement, “The Next Gen car is similar to what we race in Europe. So, it was the right time.”
When asked about the relationship between the cars raced in the NASCAR Euro Series and the Next Gen car, Hezeman immediately pointed out some similarities.
“The independent suspension is just like what they run, plus the sequential shifting, rear transmission, 18-inch wheels, and a lot more,” he shared.
(Stephen Conley | The Podium Finish)
For the rookie driver, Loris Hezeman said it’s all about getting comfortable with these cars and these tracks. As for the Dutch driver, the intensity picks up on Monday as he will get to work as part of the two-day NASCAR Next Gen test session taking place at the Charlotte ROVAL.
“I’ve never been on any of the six road courses that the team plans to run in 2022, but I’ll be working alongside legendary Formula One driver, Jacques Villeneuve,” Hezeman said.
Moreover, Toni Hezeman shared a lighthearted perspective about the versatile Villeneuve. “We’d love to get him on track at some point, and when we told him about this, he was like a kid in a candy store,” he said to the laughter of those in attendance at Saturday morning’s press conference.
Villeneuve will bring a lot of experience to the team as will partner Josh Reaume, a veteran stock car racer fielding Trucks and XFINITY Series entries.
Reaume said when he started talking to people about the decision to run Cup, people told him to get ready and that “it was a lot of work.”
That work is something Reaume said they are ready for.
“The team will be based in Mooresville, North Carolina and will work closely with the Reaume Racing team,” he said. In fact, Reaume observed how they added some team members to begin solely focusing on the Next Gen car.
Hezeman and Berg also shared about the process of building sponsors. When they rolled the car out, Berg pointed at the back quarterpanel displaying the team’s name.
“We need to put a nice name back here and we’ll be ready to go,” Berg said.
But, for the time being, while they have a few partners, the team is funded out of pocket as of press time.
No matter the challenges, which any new team faces, they all are ready to go racing and can’t wait for 2022 to get here.
For their driver, Loris Hezeman, he knows he must table expectations.
“It’s going to be a steep learning curve for us, for sure,” he opined. “But the one advantage we have is it’s level for all of us with this new car.”
Hezeman explained that he will be coming in against a lot of experienced drivers in Cup on these tracks. He adds that it’s not like he’s going out there against guys with 20 or 30 years of experience in these cars.
But, the new car is really going to level it out. And for Hezeman, he thinks this will allow for him to learn a little quicker.
(Stephen Conley | The Podium Finish)
Moreover, he has several years with this sequential shifter, something many of the Cup Series have said they need to get used to.
Ultimately, Loris Hezeman shared that he will work on quickly making connections with other Cup drivers.
“I’ll be asking a lot of questions for sure,” he revealed. “I want to learn all the tips and tricks for all the tracks.”
So, while the team plans on competing in only six races next year, Hezeman is looking to the future and wants to be in the NASCAR Cup Series for the long term.
