A NASCAR technical veteran from America takes on a new international challenge, crossing the Atlantic to become EuroNASCAR’s sporting and technical director.

Joe Balash earned the respect of NASCAR racers and teams during 16 years with the sanctioning body. This year, he moved to Europe to bring his expertise to EuroNASCAR as its new Sporting and Technical director. Based in EuroNASCAR’s headquarters in Blois, France, he’ll travel with the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series to all seven weekend events in seven countries.
All tracks used for EuroNASCAR are road courses except the Raceway Venray oval in the Netherlands. The season concludes on October 12–13, at Circuit Zolder in Belgium.
Balash brings considerable NASCAR experience to his new role. Starting in 2004, he served for eight years as series director of the Xfinity Series and then eight more as international competition liaison, supporting NASCAR’s growth in Europe, Canada, and Mexico. Most recently, Balash worked as director of racing operations at Track Enterprises, where he helped develop the American Speed Association (ASA) Stars National Tour brand.
Balash, 61, has been around racing since he and his high school buddies would head to US 30 Drag Strip in Maryville, Indiana, once a top track for the defunct AHRA. After earning a degree in Industrial Arts, he started training in engine electronics and fuel injection for Allen Test Products. A leap to a job at MAC Tools led to helping the ASA train on fuel-injected engines, which ultimately resulted in Balash becoming senior vice president of operations.
Balash shared with PRI how his varied experiences support him in his new role.

PRI: How would you describe your new role at EuroNASCAR?
Balash: The way that we’re structured, I’m going to be focusing on both “sporting,” which are the regulations and the procedures for the series, and “technical,” the nuts and bolts and crew chiefs and the operational side of the business. Jerome Galpin, the owner, is focused on the business growth of the series.
PRI: What was your priority after taking this new position?
Balash: We’ve been working to make sure that first, we take care of the fundamentals, that the teams are treated as our customers, that we focus on making sure that the sport is healthy, and that we are putting a good product on the race track. We’re also making sure that our fans enjoy a great experience.
We continue to grow the sponsorship side of the business with the partners that we have while finding new partners to come and enjoy what we’re doing. We have a lot to offer on the sponsorship side, as far as B2B and hospitality.
PRI: Working with an international series, is language ever a barrier?
Balash: All our technical and written information for the series is in English because of all the different countries that participate. We have drivers from all over the world, including the US.
PRI: EuroNASCAR runs without factory support?
Balash: That’s correct. We currently don’t have any car manufacturer support. Whelen Engineering has been a multiyear title sponsor for the series. They’ve been a great partner and have really helped us while also helping them showcase their lighting products to different municipalities.
PRI: Are there any other big differences between the way the American and European businesses run?
Balash: In the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series, all teams use the same parts supplier. There are specific parts that teams must buy rather than manufacturing their own, which helps keep costs down. There is no “race within the race” to see who can spend the most money on developing parts.
PRI: Do cultural differences from American NASCAR play a role in series operations?
Balash: In the paddock, it’s pretty much the same as in America, but there is a difference you would notice when you go into the garages. The teams do a build-out in the garage that faces the race track. They bring in portable walls and signage and set up hospitality for their sponsors and guests. There’s more of a festive atmosphere that you don’t see in the US garages.
PRI: How does the racing differ between the US and EuroNASCAR?
Balash: We have a different format than in the US. On Friday, we do club racing, which allows people to experience the track and our type of car and the American style of racing. There is a time target, and you can’t go any faster or you get penalized. On Saturday, the car will practice in two sessions, qualify in two sessions, then race in EuroNASCAR PRO and then in EuroNASCAR 2. And then it’s back again on Sunday for two more PRO and 2 races.
PRI: Does the action on the track differ from the US?
Balash: There are some differences with how we manage track limits. For example, at Watkins Glen (New York), you can go five wide outside the white line in turn one. In the European racing, we have a stricter adherence to the track limits and the painted line. We spend a little more time managing that than we would at a US event. Our cars get a lot of use over the weekend, so we discourage the kind of contact you may see in US races. A car could race five times in three days with multiple drivers.

TITLE: Sporting and Technical Director
ORGANIZATION: EuroNASCAR
HOMETOWN: Blois, Centre-Val de Loire, France and Muncie, Indiana
FAST FACT: While looking forward to touring the central French countryside around EuroNASCAR headquarters, including its historic castles and vineyards, Balash can’t seem to get enough racing. “On a weekend off, I still ended up at the race track! After all the years working in the sport, I’m still a big fan. I still enjoy the atmosphere and watching the competition unfold.”