Alon Day. Photo: Courtesy.

JNS.org – The first Israeli to compete for America’s NASCAR racing circuit was recognized by the country’s Ministry of Culture and Sports as its Athlete of the Year for 2016.

Alon Day, 25, who has competed full-time in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series, and also made a pair of starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Camping World Trust Series last year, said the prize is a “big achievement for me and the Israeli motorsport movement.”

“It’s a big honor to be the first Israeli in American NASCAR,” Day told JNS.org in an interview published last August, shortly after his first NASCAR race. “I raced in European NASCAR for two years, but being here [the US] for the main events, it’s big. I’m fortunate to be the one.”

Each year, the Ministry of Culture and Sports honors Israeli athletes from Olympic, Paralympic and non-Olympic sports, determining who is awarded based on a committee’s review of athletic achievements and an online voting system.