Triangles and Ovals

The Tricky Triangle

After spending Week Five at the concrete monster known as Dover International Speedway, the NASCAR iRacing Class A Fixed Series heads to Pocono Raceway and Michigan International Speedway for Weeks Six and Seven. While each circuit is over two miles in distance, that’s where the similarities between the two end. Pocono is a 2.5-mile triangle-shaped race track. With each of its three turns possessing different degrees of banking, navigating the speedway in a fast pace requires a lot of effort from behind the wheel. Michigan on the other hand is a 2-mile D-oval. While it may appear to be similar to other ovals on the NASCAR circuit, being fast at Michigan is also a task. Not over driving the wide sweeping corners proves key to success at MIS.

Pocono (Top Strength of Field)

After leading just three of the event’s 35 laps, NASCAR PEAK Antifreeze Series competitor Matt Bussa was able to drive his No. 1 Toyota Camry into Pocono Raceway’s victory lane after passing Jeremy Lukaszka (Midwest) late in the going. The final spot on the podium was occupied by Guilherme Coral (Brazil) who started from the 12^th position and worked his way into the top three by the fall of the checkered flag. The remainder of the top five was occupied by Anthony Kernich (Australia/NZ) and Adam Brown (Georgia). The 3131 strength of field was slowed four times for caution for a total of 15 laps and saw four lead changes among two drivers.

Michigan (Top Strength of Field)

In true dominating fashion, Craig Stykes (Mid-South) drove his No. 3 Chevrolet SS into Michigan International Speedway’s victory lane after leading 42 of the event’s 45 laps en route to a 0.350 second margin of victory over second place Paul McCullough (Texas). The third position was held down by Kory Henry (Mid-South) who started from the 15^th positon and worked his way into the top three by the end of the event. The fourth and fifth spots belonged to Brandon Chubirko (Carolina) and Mark Jenkins (Virginias). The 3698 strength of field was slowed four times for caution for a total of 15 laps and saw two lead changes among two drivers.

Pocono (Weekly Standings)

With the victory in the week’s top strength of field event, Bussa was able to earn the most championship points for the week with 197, just a mere five over Chris J Miller (Carolina) who ended the week in the second position. The third spot was occupied by Joshua Williams (Virginias) who earned 187 points for his efforts during the week. The final two spots in the top five were filled by Lukaszka and Robert Giannini (New York) who earned 185 and 179 points, respectively.

Michigan International Speedway

Michigan (Weekly Standings)

By crossing the checkered flag first in the week’s top strength of field event, Stykes was able to net 231 points for his efforts during the week. The second position was held down by Jordan Westfall (Canada) who added 212 points to his season total. The final spot on the podium belonged to Brazilian sim racer Igor Kops who earned 211 points during the week. The remaining spots in the top five went to McCullough and NASCAR PEAK Antifreeze Series competitor Brandon Buie (Atlantic) who earned 203 and 202, respectively.

Pocono (Qualifying)

Once again showing why he’s one of the top sim racers on the iRacing service, Bussa was able to top the qualifying chart for the week with a time of 53.229 seconds around the 2.5-mile triangle. The second place qualifier for the week was Dennis Hirschka (DE-AT-CH) who ended the week with a time of 53.390 seconds. The remaining spots in the top five belonged to Sergio Roda Junior, Kernich, and Josh Skroupa (Atlantic) with times of 53.434, 53.449, and 53.484 seconds.

Michigan (Qualifying)

Benjamin Truflandier (France) set the quickest time for the week as he turned in a lap time of 37.536 seconds around the 2-mile D-oval. The second spot on the week was occupied by Jason Karlaviage (Pennsylvania) who ended the week just one hundredth of a second behind Truflandier with a time of 37.546 seconds. The remaining positions in the top five were filled by Stykes, Kernich, and Kyle Peddle (Canada) with times of 37.557, 37.566, and 37.572 seconds.

After spending the first seven weeks of the season racing the traditional ovals, the NASCAR iRacing Class A Fixed Series will head west into California for a trip to Sonoma Raceway for 15 laps of exciting road racing. Check back in a week’s time for a full recap of the action from Sonoma!

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