Gabriel Casagrande won the first race in NASCAR Brasil history in Chapecó this Sunday (the 1st), after a race marked by safety car interventions on the oval circuit. The Vogel driver managed to maintain the lead from the start and crossed the finish line ahead of Gui Backes and Murilo Rocha, who completed the podium.
The green flag and Casagrande kept the top position firmly. Murilo Rocha, however, lost second place to Gui Backes. The start went off without issues.
However, the safety car was deployed after a contact between Firas Fahs and Juninho Berlanda in an incident that also involved Tito Giaffone on the second lap. Berlanda’s car left the track and the driver was promptly attended to.
The race resumed with 16 minutes still on the clock and the top-3 remained Casagrande, Backes and Rocha. Ricardo Maurício was right behind in fourth place, followed by Galid Osman.
The race split into packs, with some exchanges of positions more hotly contested. In the middle of the battle, Thiago Camilo’s car stopped on the track after he spun, and the safety car was deployed.
The race was quickly resumed and this time Backes moved up on Casagrande, but ended up losing ground to Murilo Rocha and Ricardo Maurício. Although he couldn’t overtake the leader, Backes was able to shake off the other contenders and Rocha fell back to fifth place.
Tatiana Calderón went after Ricardo Maurício, but the duel was interrupted after the yellow flag was waved, with another safety car intervention due to an incident with Rafaela Ferreira.
The green flag returned with six minutes left on the clock. Casagrande kept the lead, but was under pressure at all times. However, the race was again halted after a contact between Rafa Ferreira and Dudes Castroneves. Ricardo Maurício also stopped after a tire puncture.
The final restart featured a strong move by Murilo Rocha on Tatiana Calderón. The driver clinched the position, while Tatiana dropped several spots.
The race ended with Casagrande taking the victory, Backes in second, and Murilo Rocha completing the podium. Arthur Gama, who finished in fourth place, took the provisional lead of the championship.
The second Chapecó race is scheduled for 14:00 and will be split into two segments, totaling 50 minutes in duration.
