Going in circles at 300 km/h

This Austrian is shaking up the NASCAR scene

Austrian Patrick Schober (No. 3) on his way to victory.(Bild: Jan Stastny / CTK / picturedesk.com)

Up to 50,000 fans, horsepower giants with V8 engines, top speeds of over 300 km/h and around 450 horsepower - this is the NASCAR spectacle that is on the rise in Europe. Right in the middle of it all is Austrian Patrick Schober, who is driven by a big dream ...

What "Disney World" means to many kids is probably the NASCAR series for thousands of motorsport enthusiasts. Still somewhat under the radar in Austria, the European offshoot of the top US motorsport league attracts countless fans to the tracks. This year, around 50,000 fans flocked to the traditional circuit in Brands Hatch (Great Britain), where they found themselves in a kind of "mini-Daytona". Live music everywhere, hamburger and beer stands to linger, demo acts from US sports such as football, baseball and basketball.