eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series Preview: Charlotte

The eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series may have drawn to a close with last Saturday’s action at the revived North Wilkesboro Speedway, but the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series has a long way to go before wrapping up its 2020 campaign. The 40 best stock car drivers on iRacing return to action tonight at Charlotte Motor Speedway for the Coca-Cola 300, the longest race of the season and the seventh of 20 rounds in the chase for their share of a $300,000 purse.

William Byron eSports’ Nick Ottinger comes into tonight’s race with the momentum of a win two weeks ago at Dover International Speedway, allowing him to climb to fourth in points and well within reach of Bobby Zalenski and Keegan Leahy in second and third. But Williams Esports’ Ryan Luza remains the top dog after scoring three straight race wins earlier in the year, giving him a 13-point advantage over Zalenski coming into the weekend.

Charlotte might be a strong bet for Leahy to return to the winner’s circle for the first time since the season opener in Daytona. He led 49 of 200 laps here last year on the way to his first of two wins on the season, while fellow Championship 4 contender Blake Reynolds came home second. Meanwhile, Letarte Esports’ Chris Shearburn will be looking to take care of some unfinished business after leading more than half of last year’s race but coming home third at the finish.

A return to the winner’s circle in Charlotte would also be a huge boost for four-time series champion Ray Alfalla, who won here in 2017. The Virtual Racing School driver has shown flashes of his legendary form this year, but despite winning the pole last time out in Dover, could only muster a disappointing 25th place finish at race’s end. Now 16th in points, Alfalla’s seventh place finish at Daytona is still his only top 10 of the season; can he reverse the slump tonight?

eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series points coming into tonight’s Coca-Cola 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway are as follows:

1. Ryan Luza, 208
2. Bobby Zalenski, 195
3. Keegan Leahy, 190
4. Nick Ottinger, 187
5. Garrett Lowe, 174
6. Michael Conti, 170
7. Brad Davies, 165
8. Graham Bowlin, 153
9. John Gorlinsky, 151
10. Jake Nichols, 149

The eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series Coca-Cola 300 from Charlotte Motor Speedway will stream live at 9PM ET/6PM PT at eNASCAR.com/live and on the iRacing eSports Network. The series will return to action on Friday, May 29 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, shifting from its regular Tuesday date to accommodate the return of real-world NASCAR racing, before taking a month-long break. For more information on iRacing and for special offers, visit www.iracing.com.

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