eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series Preview: Bristol
March 31st, 2020 by Chris Leone
TUNE IN // TUESDAY, 9PM ET // eNASCAR.com/live
After two weeks of real-world NASCAR stars taking to the virtual track at Homestead-Miami Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway, the professional sim racers of the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series finally get their chance to return to racing with tonight’s action from Bristol Motor Speedway. With top eNASCAR stars like Ray Alfalla, Keegan Leahy, and defending series champion Zack Novak just a handful of the drivers who have helped get NASCAR legends like Jimmie Johnson and Denny Hamlin up to speed, tonight is an opportunity for new fans who haven’t seen sim racing pros in action to get a taste of what top-level eNASCAR is all about.
Three different winners in the first three races have kept fans guessing as to who will be up front each week, with Leahy taking the opener in Daytona, Ashton Crowder taking the checkered flag at Auto Club Speedway, and Ryan Luza returning to the winner’s circle at Homestead. But while all three are in the top 10 in points so far this year, it’s been Bobby Zalenski who has taken hold of the points lead by three over Crowder with consistent finishes so far, including two top-five runs.
Bristol always produces exciting racing, but it also might serve as a strong indicator of who to expect to make a big move up the standings this week. Last year’s Bristol visit, coinciding with the track’s night race in the fall, saw Casey Kirwan take a popular victory over Novak, with current Team Dillon Esports teammates Michael Guest and Blake Reynolds in third and fourth. Of that quartet, Reynolds is the highest ranked right now at 17th in points; Guest, Kirwan, and Novak are 21st, 23rd, and 26th, respectively, and could use similar performances to get back into the top 20 that enables drivers to retain their series licenses for 2021.
Incoming eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series points before tonight’s race at Bristol Motor Speedway are as follows:
- Bobby Zalenski, 112
- Ashton Crowder, 109 (1 win)
- Keegan Leahy, 105 (1 win)
- Garrett Lowe, 93
- Jimmy Mullis, 92
- Nick Ottinger, 87
- John Gorlinsky, 86
- Jeremy Allen, 83
- Ray Alfalla, 82
- Ryan Luza, 81 (1 win)
eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series action from Bristol Motor Speedway will stream live on Tuesday at 9PM ET/6PM PT. Be sure to tune in at eNASCAR.com/live, or head to Facebook, Twitch, or YouTube to watch it all go down!