Miguel Gomes Bio
Miguel Gomes (born February 29, 1980) is a Portuguese professional stock car racing driver. He last competed part-time in the ARCA Menards Series, driving the No. 69 Ford for Kimmel Racing. A native of Lisbon, Gomes has built his career across European stock car competition and selective appearances on the American stock car circuit.
Early Life and Background
Miguel Gomes was born on February 29, 1980, in Lisbon, Portugal. Growing up in the Portuguese capital, he developed an interest in motorsports that would eventually shape his professional path. Lisbon, a city without a strong stock car tradition, provided a unique starting point for a driver who would later travel across continents to compete in international racing series.
Details about his family background and early exposure to racing remain limited in publicly available sources. What is clear is that Gomes pursued his passion for motorsports with enough determination to transition from local interest to international competition. His leap-day birthday placed him in a generation of drivers who came of age as European stock car racing was beginning to take shape.
Path to NASCAR
Gomes’s path to NASCAR-level competition in the United States ran through the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series, a regional championship that has served as a development ground for international drivers. In 2021, it was announced that he would drive the No. 46 Chevrolet for Marko Stipp Motorsport in the EuroNASCAR 2 division, contesting the full season while also pursuing the Rookie Trophy and Legend Trophy. He finished fifteenth in the final standings and third in the Rookie Trophy, with a best result of ninth at Autodrom Most.
On January 6, 2022, Gomes signed a contract extension to remain with Stipp Motorsport for the 2022 campaign. That season, he posted three top-ten finishes, including a ninth-place result in the season opener at Circuit Ricardo Tormo, and concluded the year sixteenth in the standings. His progression through the European series laid the groundwork for an eventual attempt at American stock car competition.
Miguel Gomes Career
Early Career (2021–2022)
Gomes’s documented professional racing career began in 2021 with Marko Stipp Motorsport in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series. Running the EuroNASCAR 2 division in the No. 46 Chevrolet, he balanced his rookie status with consistent finishing, earning a third-place result in the Rookie Trophy and showing competitive pace at Autodrom Most. The season provided him with full-season experience in a NASCAR-sanctioned series, a foundation that few Portuguese drivers had assembled before him.
In 2022, Gomes returned to Stipp Motorsport under a contract extension announced in early January. Although he slipped slightly in the final standings to sixteenth, his three top-ten finishes demonstrated ongoing improvement, and his strong opening result at Circuit Ricardo Tormo set a positive tone. These two seasons established him as a committed and reliable presence in the European NASCAR paddock.
EuroNASCAR Pro and ARCA Move (2023)
For the 2023 season, Gomes moved up to the EuroNASCAR Pro division while remaining with the Stipp organization, signaling a clear step up in competition. That same year, he also began to explore opportunities in the United States. He participated in pre-season testing for the ARCA Menards Series at Daytona International Speedway with Fast Track Racing, driving the No. 01 Ford. After not turning a lap in the Friday session, he placed thirtieth in the Saturday running.
One month after the Daytona test, Gomes was announced as an entrant in the ARCA season opener at Daytona, this time driving the No. 02 Chevrolet for Young’s Motorsports. After starting 38th, he finished 31st after a late-race cut tire ended his day. The appearance marked his official competitive debut on American soil and his first ARCA Menards Series start, which is recorded as the 2023 BRANDT 200.
Kimmel Racing Era (2025)
After a period away from ARCA competition, Gomes was announced in 2025 as a driver for Kimmel Racing, taking over the No. 69 Ford. His return came at Kansas Speedway, where he contested the Tide 150. According to official records, his best ARCA Menards Series finish to date is 102nd in the 2025 season standings. The Kansas entry confirmed his continued interest in American stock car competition and his willingness to work with established ARCA teams to keep his career moving forward.
Driving Style and Strengths
Public information about Gomes’s specific driving style remains limited. His record shows a driver willing to take on new challenges, transitioning from the EuroNASCAR 2 division to the EuroNASCAR Pro division, and then to American ovals at Daytona and Kansas. The willingness to test at Daytona and to race at a demanding intermediate track like Kansas suggests a measured, learning-focused approach to American stock car competition.
Notable Races and Milestones
Gomes’s most notable milestone is his 2023 ARCA Menards Series debut in the BRANDT 200 at Daytona International Speedway, a race that represented both his first oval start and his first American event. The 2025 Tide 150 at Kansas Speedway marked his return to the series with Kimmel Racing. Together, these appearances bookend his American racing journey to date.
Miguel Gomes Career Wins
Based on the verified data available, Miguel Gomes has not recorded a win in the ARCA Menards Series. His best documented championship finish is 102nd in the 2025 ARCA Menards Series standings, and his record shows zero wins, zero top tens, and zero poles at the national ARCA level. In the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series, he earned three top-ten finishes across his EuroNASCAR 2 seasons with Stipp Motorsport but no victories are recorded in the verified sources.
ARCA Menards Series Highlights
Gomes’s ARCA Menards Series career spans from 2023 to 2025. His first race was the 2023 BRANDT 200 at Daytona, and his most recent recorded start was the 2025 Tide 150 at Kansas Speedway. His best championship finish to date is 102nd, achieved in 2025, reflecting part-time schedules as he balanced European and American commitments.
Other Wins and Performances
Beyond ARCA, Gomes’s most consistent results came in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series EuroNASCAR 2 division with Marko Stipp Motorsport between 2021 and 2022. He posted multiple top-ten finishes, including a ninth place at Autodrom Most in 2021 and another ninth at Circuit Ricardo Tormo in 2022, establishing himself as a top-twenty regular in the series.
Miguel Gomes Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Publicly verified information about Miguel Gomes’s family background and any racing lineage is limited. He is known to be a native of Lisbon, Portugal, but details about his parents, siblings, or other relatives in motorsport are not documented in the available sources.
Personal Life
Verified information about Gomes’s personal life, including marital status, spouse, and children, is not currently available in public sources. He continues to be associated with Portugal as his home country and remains active in the stock car racing community.
2025 Season Performance
Miguel Gomes’s 2025 season centered on a return to the ARCA Menards Series with Kimmel Racing. He took over the No. 69 Ford entry, marking a new chapter after his 2023 Daytona debut with a different team. His most notable appearance of the year came at Kansas Speedway in the Tide 150, his first ARCA start since the 2023 season opener and his first race at an intermediate oval in the United States.
According to the official record, his best finish of the 2025 campaign placed him 102nd in the ARCA Menards Series final standings, a result consistent with a limited part-time schedule. The Kansas race served as both a comeback and a learning opportunity, allowing him to gather further experience on American ovals beyond the restrictor-plate dynamics of Daytona.
Looking ahead, Gomes remains an international stock car driver with experience in both European and American NASCAR-sanctioned competition. His ability to step in with established ARCA teams such as Kimmel Racing and Young’s Motorsports suggests continued opportunities on the American stock car circuit in future seasons.