China Grove, N.C. (November 10, 2015) – 2014 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series champion Anthony Kumpen will make his first of two starts with Precision Performance Motorsports at Phoenix International Raceway on Saturday, November 14th driving the No. 55 Nexteer Automotive Chevrolet Camaro. 36-year-old Kumpen, a native of Hasselt, Belgium will make just his second NASCAR XFINITY Series (NXS) start, the first coming at Iowa Speedway in August of 2015 with Rick Ware Racing.

Kumpen’s two XFINITY Series’ starts will continue the Nexteer Road to Daytona program – the path designed by Nexteer and the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series to bring European drivers to race in NASCAR in the United States. The Nexteer Road to Daytona program will culminate with the NXS event at Daytona International Speedway in February of 2016. LeasePlan, EL Systems, Keupers Tankstations, and Heinz Performance will also partner with Kumpen and Nexteer for these events.

Kumpen is fresh off the heels of his second season of NASCAR Whelen Euro Series competition that proved noteworthy. 2014 highlights included one win, overall driver points’ championship, and team points’ championship. Kumpen made his NASCAR K&N Pro Series East debut in their 2015 season opener at New Smyrna Speedway and went on to compete again at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in July.

“I’m looking forward to racing for Precision Performance Motorsports at Phoenix and Homestead,” said Kumpen, “I would like to thank NASCAR, Team FJ and the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series for giving me this opportunity. It has been a great season in which I learned a lot from my oval races in the US. It’s a fantastic experience as a European driver to be part of NASCAR. My goal is to finish both races and get as many laps as possible. I hope we can extend the Nexteer program to Daytona with more NXS races. It would be great to do some more races in the US next year with some road courses in our program. I think my extensive road course experience could help me in achieving some good results.”

Crew chief Mark Setzer will lead Kumpen’s XFINITY Series effort. Setzer has led the No. 55 team from the pit box for two seasons.

“We are excited to have Anthony Kumpen join our team as we partner with the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series to continue the Nexteer Road to Daytona program,” said Precision Performance Motorsports owner Rick Gdovic. “Anthony is an outstanding ambassador for NASCAR and the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series to the United States. We look forward to progressing his development in the XFINITY Series in preparation for Daytona in 2016 and continuing to promote the Euro Series in the Unites States.”

A veteran of the American Le Mans Series, Kumpen has starts in the NASCAR Rolex Grand-Am Sports Car Series, FIA GT, and Belcar Endurance Championship. Kumpen has won multiple championships across Europe, as well as a record six victories in the 24 Hours of Zolder.

About Nexteer Automotive:
Nexteer Automotive (HK:1316) is a multi-billion dollar global steering and driveline business solely dedicated to electric and hydraulic steering systems, steering columns and driveline products for original equipment manufacturers. The company is listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Its 11,000 member workforce serves more than 50 customers in every major region of the world. The company has 20 manufacturing plants, five regional engineering centers and nine customer service centers strategically located in North and South America, Europe and Asia. Nexteer Automotive’s customers include BMW, FCA, Ford, GM, Toyota, PSA Peugeot Citroen and VW, as well as automakers in India, China, and South America. www.nexteer.com

About Precision Performance Motorsports:
Owned by Richard Gdovic and managed by Charles Denike, Precision Performance Motorsports (PPM) is a China Grove, North Carolina and Gloucester, Virginia-based auto racing team that fields entries in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, NASCAR Southern Modified Tour, and Whelen All-American Series – Late Models and Modifieds. PPM provides a comprehensive driver development program, race car rentals, setup and pull down rig services, test consultation, and driver coaching. For more information, visit Precision Performance Motorsports on Facebook, @PrecisionPerf on Twitter, or visit the website at www.ppm646.com

About NASCAR Whelen Euro Series:
The NASCAR Whelen Euro Series was founded in 2008 and established the NASCAR official European Series in January 2012 thanks to a long-term partnership signed with NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing), Team FJ, a Motorsports company located in Blois, France, and Whelen Engineering as title sponsor of the Series. The season is made up of 24 races, equally split among ELITE 1 and ELITE 2 divisions, on the best European tracks. Euro NASCAR introduced a stunning innovation on July 7-8, 2012 by organizing the first ever NASCAR race on an oval track in Europe on a half-mile speedway built in the downtown of Tours (France). With four races in two days, these 400 HP V8 monsters provide pure racing action and thrilling bumper-to-bumper battles as well as a lot of family fun around the track! In the pure NASCAR tradition, race fans can get closer to the action than ever and feel the unique in Europe paddock atmosphere thanks to drivers, teams and cars always available for the spectators. The series attracts drivers from all over the world, all willing to fight on track for the win and take the first step towards becoming a NASCAR star in the U.S.