Zack Novak returns to eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series victory lane at Texas, advances to Championship 4

September 3rd, 2025 by

Zack Novak is finally back in eNASCAR Victory Lane.

For the first time since winning the 2019 eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series championship finale 2,154 days ago, Novak claimed the checkered flag at Texas Motor Speedway on Tuesday night.

For many reasons, this win is a pivotal moment in Novak’s career. Most notably, it propels him to the Championship 4 fight on-stage at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Uptown Charlotte, racing at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway on October 7th.

After about 90 of the 100 scheduled laps, Novak was in trouble. Poor qualifying stuck the former champion in the 31st starting spot. After running long enough to incur a mechanical black flag with 22 laps to go, he pitted from fourth and landed in 30th, the last car on the lead lap, running there as late as 13 laps to go. When the caution flag flew with 10 laps to go, his 12 lap old tires would have to make due as he opted to stay out, restarting in fifth.

The scene had his Channel 199 Sim Racing teammate, Dylan Duval, at the front of the field on 30-plus lap old tires. Kevin Harvick Inc’s Matt Bussa was seated alongside the front row, with BS+COMPETITION’s Garrett Lowe in third and ERA eSports’ Michael Cosey Jr in fourth. Novak was alongside Kanaan Esports’ Alexander Russell, the first car on fresh tires, in sixth. The dominant driver of the season, Spire Motorsports’ Steven Wilson, was in seventh, already locked into the Championship 4 but looking for his eighth win on the year.

A slow start by Bussa gave the inside a huge advantage, moving Lowe, Novak, and Wilson up into the top-four before a caution reset the field one last time. Duval led the field back for a natural green-white-checkered finish. On the backstretch with two laps to go, Novak was able to get alongside and take the lead, leading only the final two laps enroute to his seventh career victory, the win that punches his ticket to the championship event.

“I’m going to cry, man,” an emotional Novak said post-race. “Just a lot of time and effort, we put into this stuff, and it’s been a long time. We’ve came so close, man. You doubt if you belong here, you doubt if you’re good enough. Everything under the sun, you think of that you’re doing wrong. We got pretty lucky tonight, don’t get me wrong, but it feels so good.”

The race saw six cautions for 18 laps, the first four coming out in the opening quarter of the event. After a long green flag run, it looked as though Wilson was poised for an eighth victory on the year, taking the cycle lead from Duval with 12 laps to go while Russell had still yet to pit. Instead, Novak claims his first of the season, becoming only the sixth different winner on the year.

With Wilson and Novak locked, Parker White (Atlassian Williams Sim Racing) and Casey Kirwan (Kansas City Pioneers) hold the final two spots leaving Texas. A win from any of the eight non-locked-in drivers at Phoenix Raceway in two weeks will earn the third seat on the Championship 4 train, the final spot going to the driver that earns the most points without a win. If none of the eight drivers win, the final two tickets will both come down to points.

THE EVENT

Parker White led the field to the green flag, leading the opening 10 laps before handing the lead to fgrAccel’s Seth DeMerchant on Lap 11, a lap following the first restart of the day. DeMerchant led the way for exactly half of the race, leading from laps 10 to 60 before relinquishing the lead during pit stops.

Behind the lead, White had fallen back to sixth, with ERA eSports’ Bobby Zalenski taking second for a spell, followed by Wilson, Letarte Esports’ Connor Yeroschak, and William Byron eSports’ Tucker Minter in fifth. Wilson was able to make his way around Zalenski for second, but then was the first of the main leaders to hit pit road on Lap 57, DeMerchant following in three laps later.

This handed the lead to Michael Cosey Jr and a quartet of drivers opting to play the long game. Included in the pack was Lowe, Russell, and Novak. While the drivers attempted to stretch fuel, tire wear became a more prevalent concern on Lap 78 as Novak was forced to pit with a flat tire, which caused the game to issue a mechanical black flag. Lowe followed in one lap later, while Cosey Jr stretched it out to Lap 86.

Meanwhile, as Russell continued to stretch it out, the battle for the lead of the pit cycle had Dylan Duval, Wilson, fgrAccel’s Ryan Luza, and Casey Kirwan all under a blanket, with DeMerchant and Minter closing in. Similar to the Charlotte race earlier in the season, both DeMerchant and Minter looked poised, both on newer tires, to pass the group and take the victory for their own. The fans would never find out if they could get by, however, as the caution flew with 10 laps to go and shook up the status quo.

LATE RACE SHENANIGANS

Duval opted to stay out while everyone else around him decided to pit. With a buffer of five cars back to Wilson, the strategy was sound in the right conditions, but unfortunately, those conditions were not present. Duval actually held on through the first late race restart with seven laps to go, with Garrett Lowe, Novak, and Wilson getting by Matt Bussa, Cosey Jr, and Russell on the top lane. After one last re-rack, Duval led the field to green.

Lowe, on the outside and less preferred groove, gave up the spot easily to Novak. Minter was also able to sneak up alongside, arching out Lowe into Turn 1 as Wilson looked to the outside, three-wide. Despite his teammate right ahead of him, Novak had to make the move or risk giving Minter the option to pass them both coming to the white flag. Novak cleared and Duval ultimately fell back to finish fifth. Novak’s move was at the perfect time to be able to keep Minter and Wilson at bay for the victory.

TWO SPOTS REMAIN, STANDINGS SHAKEN UP

Tuesday night’s Texas events didn’t come without catastrophe for some of the championship hopefuls.

The first to get bit was actually Dylan Duval in the first caution of the night on Lap 7. Duval was squeezed up into the Kansas City Pioneers ride driven by Graham Bowlin. The damage was merely cosmetic, and the virtual pit crew buffed it out before the next restart on Lap 10. Ultimately, Duval finished fifth, and kept his championship hopes alive heading into Phoenix.

The same cannot be said for three others. BS+COMPETITION’s Jordy Lopez might have gotten the worst deal, battling hard with Hyak Motorsports’ Dylan Ault in the early stages. Both drivers collided on the frontstretch, ultimately ending both drivers’ chances at winning. The damages cost both multiple laps in repairing their cars.

After running in second for the majority of the night, Bobby Zalenski was a victim to the split strategies during the second-to-last restart under 10 laps to go. Matt Bussa, on much older tires, was out of the groove on the high lane. Zalenski, in a three-wide situation already, was forced to make it four, resulting in contact between the two. Bussa was able to keep moving forward, but Zalenski got out of shape and wound up spun across the nose of Alexander Russell.

After clawing up from starting in 35th, Kanaan Esports’ Vicente Salas managed to find himself in a top-10 position as the field took the white flag. A finish in that spot would certainly ensure a solid points position heading into Phoenix. Unfortunately for the NASCAR Xfinity Series moonlighter, he collided with Seth DeMerchant on the frontstretch. That resulted in a pileup that would put Salas down in 32nd across the line, the last driver on the lead lap.

ONE RACE OUTLOOK

When the dust settled on the Texas frontstretch, the Championship 4 view became clear with only one race left to determine the title fighters. Zack Novak joins Steven Wilson as race winners advanced. Parker White and Casey Kirwan currently hold the final two spots on points. With his runner-up finish, Tucker Minter sits 11 points below the cut, having dealt with a similar setback to Salas two weeks ago at Michigan. Salas falls from inside the top-four to eighth, 16 points back, behind a sixth place tie which includes Zalenski and Duval, both 13 points behind the cut.

Kollin Keister (Jim Beaver eSports) is 30 points below the cut, which isn’t completely impossible to overcome, but very unlikely. The 41 points that Lopez is down IS impossible to make up in a race. That means Lopez is a definite must-win at Phoenix. Keister’s best shot most likely comes with a victory at Phoenix.

eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series results from Race #16 at Texas were as follows:

Fin.
St.
No.
Name
Team
Laps
Interval
Led
Best
Pts
1 31 2 Zack Novak Channel 199 Sim Racing 100 0.000 2 29.619 40
2 14 97 Tucker Minter William Byron eSports 100 -0.247 0 29.762 35
3 11 77 Steven Wilson Spire Motorsports 100 -0.307 0 29.604 34
4 1 95 Parker White Atlassian Williams 100 -0.425 10 29.552 33
5 18 199 Dylan Duval Channel 199 Sim Racing 100 -0.990 7 29.739 32
6 2 1 Malik Ray Vegas Inferno 100 -1.062 0 29.706 31
7 38 12 Ryan Luza fgrAccel 100 -1.169 0 29.763 30
8 36 8 Blake McCandless JR Motorsports 100 -1.283 1 29.735 29
9 19 24 Casey Kirwan Kansas City Pioneers 100 -1.399 0 29.880 28
10 25 15 Kollin Keister Jim Beaver eSports 100 -1.406 0 29.753 27
11 21 4 Donovan Strauss Atlassian Williams 100 -1.588 0 29.904 26
12 4 96 Christopher M. Hill Apex Racing Team 100 -1.655 0 29.757 25
13 28 3 Blaze Crawford Team Dillon Esports 100 -1.754 0 29.741 24
14 3 40 Connor Yeroschak Letarte Esports 100 -1.860 0 29.744 23
15 22 88 Briar LaPradd JR Motorsports 100 -1.952 0 29.714 22
16 10 39 Daniel Faulkingham Six Karma 100 -1.976 0 29.806 21
17 8 50 Quentin Warman Hyak Motorsports 100 -2.085 0 29.891 20
18 30 19 Eddie Kerner Six Karma 100 -2.076 0 29.962 19
19 24 69 Tyler Garey eRacr 100 -2.188 1 29.752 18
20 20 66 Alexander L Russell Kanaan Esports 100 -2.412 6 29.855 17
21 16 7 Femi Olatunbosun Spire Motorsports 100 -2.486 0 29.747 16
22 39 42 Brian Mercurio eRacr 100 -2.581 0 29.810 15
23 34 25 Nick Ottinger William Byron eSports 100 -2.631 0 29.956 14
24 12 62 Matt Bussa Kevin Harvick Inc. 100 -2.670 0 29.823 13
25 7 22 Bobby Zalenski ERA eSports 100 -4.378 0 29.637 12
26 15 29 Jimmy Mullis Kevin Harvick Inc. 100 -4.907 0 29.870 11
27 5 14 Seth DeMerchant fgrAccel 100 -5.086 50 29.596 10
28 27 34 Michael Cosey Jr ERA eSports 100 -5.937 23 29.875 9
29 13 99 Garrett Lowe BS+COMPETITION 100 -7.070 0 29.789 8
30 40 98 Cody Byus Apex Racing Team 100 -8.991 0 29.736 7
31 23 48 Graham A. Bowlin Kansas City Pioneers 100 -12.001 0 29.798 6
32 35 11 Vicente Salas Kanaan Esports 100 -20.645 0 29.750 5
33 29 36 Quami Scott Letarte Esports 99 -1L 0 29.951 4
34 17 5 Nate S Stewart Jim Beaver eSports 90 -10L 0 29.827 3
35 9 47 Dylan Ault Hyak Motorsports 90 -10L 0 29.778 2
36 6 89 Jordy Lopez BS+COMPETITION 83 -17L 0 29.738 1
37 32 17 Timothy Holmes RFK Racing 55 DNF 0 29.865 1
38 33 33 Taylor Hurst Team Dillon Esports 22 DNF 0 29.952 1
39 26 21 Michael Guest Vegas Inferno 22 -78L 0 29.753 1
40 37 6 Collin Bowden RFK Racing 19 -81L 0 29.770 1

Playoff Standings following Race #16 at Texas:

  1. #77 Steven Wilson | Spire Motorsports, ADVANCED VIA WIN
  2. #2 Zack Novak | Channel 199 Sim Racing, ADVANCED VIA WIN
  3. #95 Parker White | Atlassian Williams, +14
  4. #24 Casey Kirwan | Kansas City Pioneers, +11
    ———————————————————
  5. #97 Tucker Minter | William Byron eSports, -11
  6. #22 Bobby Zalenski | ERA eSports, -13
  7. #199 Dylan Duval | Channel 199 Sim Racing, -13
  8. #11 Vicente Salas | Kanaan Esports, -16
  9. #15 Kollin Keister | Jim Beaver eSports, -30
  10. #89 Jordy Lopez | BS+COMPETITION, -41

Team Standings following Race #16 at Texas:

  1. Spire Motorsports (#7/#77), 836 points
  2. Channel 199 Sim Racing (#2/#199), -28
  3. Atlassian Williams Sim Racing (#4/#95), -113
  4. ERA eSports (#22, #34), -143
  5. Kansas City Pioneers (#24, #48), -163

Rookie Standings following Race #16 at Texas:

  1. #40 Connor Yeroschak | LETARTE eSports, 308 points
  2. #96 Christopher M. Hill | Apex Racing Team, -3
  3. #3 Blaze Crawford | Team Dillon Esports, -19
  4. #50 Quentin Warman | HYAK Motorsports, -44
  5. #8 Blake McCandless | JR Motorsports, -110
  6. #19 Eddie Kerner | Six Karma, -143
  7. #66 Alexander L Russell | Kanaan Esports, -146
  8. #5 Nate Stewart | Jim Beaver eSports, -150

Relegation Line standings following Race #16 at Texas:

11. #7 Femi Olatunbosun | Spire Motorsports, +30
12. #4 Donovan Strauss | Atlassian Williams, +27
13. #40 Connor Yeroschak | Letarte Esports, +26
14. #21 Michael Guest | Vegas Inferno, +25
15. #96 Christopher Hill | Apex Racing Team, +23
16. #12 Ryan Luza | fgrAccel, +22
17. #47 Dylan Ault | Hyak Motorsports, +11
18. #3 Blaze Crawford | Team Dillon Esports, +7
19. #1 Malik Ray | Vegas Inferno, +6
20. #34 Michael Cosey Jr | ERA eSports, +5
——————————————————-
21. #14 Seth DeMerchant | fgrAccel, -5
22. #50 Quentin Warman | Hyak Motorsports, -23
23. #99 Garrett Lowe | BS+COMPETITION, -24
24. #48 Graham Bowlin | Kansas City Pioneers, -25
25. #39 Daniel Faulkingham | Six Karma, -48
26. #25 Nick Ottinger | William Byron eSports, -50
26. #69 Tyler Garey | eRacr, -50
28. #62 Matt Bussa | Kevin Harvick Inc., -52
29. #29 Jimmy Mullis | Kevin Harvick Inc., -54

NOTE: All Drivers 30th and below cannot mathematically get enough points to break above 20th and will be relegated.

The 10-driver playoff round ends in two weeks with the 17th round of the 2025 eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series season, scheduled for Tuesday, September 16th, at Phoenix Raceway. Tune in at 7:30 p.m. ET for the Countdown to Green. Race coverage begins at 8 p.m. ET at eNASCAR.com/live and across iRacing social media channels.

For more information on the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series, visit eNASCAR.com or iRacing.com/eNASCAR.
For more information on iRacing and for special offers, visit iRacing.com.­­

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