2025-26 eNASCAR College iRacing Series | Queen City Crown | Week 1 Tournament Recap

The Semifinals are set for the first eNASCAR College iRacing Series Tournament, the Queen City Crown, following the opening week of competition which concluded on Wednesday night. 120 entries were snake split into three groups of 40 drivers. Each group went through their First and Second Rounds, which included two Heat races and a Last Chance Qualifier for Round 1, and a longer feature race for Round 2, where 13 drivers in each advanced.

California State University, Fullerton’s Logan Clampitt, the defending series champion, was able to score the victory in the opening Group over the University of Michigan’s Matthew Zwack. In Group 2, The Ohio State University’s Matthew Morton outdueled St. Johns River State College competitor AJ Heider for the victory. Group 3 saw the University of Calgary’s Connor Yeroschak, the defending Charlotte winner, pass Triton College driver Adam Garza in the late stages of the final race to take the win.

With this Tournament format, however, winning the Second Round feature meant the same as finishing in 13th place. All 39 drivers will have to re-qualify in Week 2, and run the gauntlet of the Semifinal Heats and LCQ to make the Final Round. Winning, in any case on Wednesday night, was mostly for bragging rights.

Qualifying in each group set the lineup for each respective Heat race. With 20 laps on the board for each Heat, starting above or around eighth place was crucial with so little time to make moves. While the Heat races in Groups 1 and 2 were mostly decided by qualifying position, both Heat races in Group 3 saw drivers work their way from the back to the top-eight to move on.

It came in part due to the format not having any cautions during any races in the opening week. Belmont Abbey College contender Jeramiyah Taylor, Horry Georgetown Technical College student Timothy Holmes, and Southern New Hampshire University’s Zack Domer all started 17th, 18th, and 19th in the first Heat of Group 3, respectively. The trio all managed to avoid the chaos and position themselves in the top-eight by race end. Ninth place finisher, the University of Tennessee’s David Smith, also started 16th, but was relegated to the LCQ to attempt to make the next round.

In the final Heat in Group 3, The University of Oklahoma’s Mario Merenda managed to methodically work his way up from the 18th starting position, sniping the transfer spot from the University of Connecticut’s Jose Solis on the final lap. Both Smith and Solis would find their way to the Second Round through the LCQ, and Solis would continue his drive to the Semifinals by finishing ninth in the final race of the night.

There weren’t too many upsets on the night, but the format does result in the elimination of 81 drivers when the night was over. There were some moments where some hopefuls were taken out of contention. In the first Group, Longwood University’s Jeremy Burns started on pole, but incurred a jump start penalty which ended his chances.

The budding rivalry between the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and the University of Northwestern Ohio, where both schools sent seven drivers apiece, saw both schools send drivers to Week 2, but not without leaving some hopefuls, like UNC Charlotte’s Connor Trifari, or UNOH’s Aiden Stevens, in the pool of eliminated by the end of the night.

Not to say that the first two Groups weren’t compelling, but Group 3 was on another level as far as crazy was concerned.

A moment in Group 3’s Second Round main event saw some drivers that were in a locked-in spot take each other out in the middle of the show. Georgia Tech’s Alexander Hammonds and East Tennessee State University’s Matthew Burton collided, collecting Eastern Shore Community College’s Arron Brown. With three sure advancements taken out, the line shifted down to a compelling battle between UNC Charlotte’s Blake Wynn and Baruch College competitor Edward Sanchez.

Sanchez, who got to the Second Round by a nose after a wreck ahead of him allowed him to snag the spot, had saved some tires in the 40-lap feature. Wynn was sliding the tires as the laps wound down, allowing Sanchez to get to within half of a second. Unfortunately for Sanchez, the time ran out, giving Wynn the final transfer spot to the second week.

WEEK 2 ADVANCING DRIVERS

Next week, the Queen City Crown will conclude with the Semifinal Round Heats, Semifinal Round LCQ, and the Final Round. Points will be awarded to all 39 drivers, with drivers not advancing out of the LCQ earning points for 26th on back. The top-25 that make the Final Round will earn points based on the results, and the Tournament winner will also collect $3,000 in scholarship prizes.

Tune in on Wednesday, September 24th, at 7:00 p.m. ET for the conclusion. Races will be streamed live at eNASCAR.com/live and across all of iRacing’s social media channels. The second Tournament is the Clash on the Beach at Daytona International Speedway. Time Attacks open on September 30th and run until October 9th.

For more information on the eNASCAR College iRacing Series, visit https://pcl.gg/pages/enascar.
For more information on iRacing and for special offers, visit www.iracing.com.

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