eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series Race Preview: Coca-Cola 160 at Charlotte
May 20th, 2024 by Justin Melillo
The eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series returns on Tuesday night for the Coca-Cola 160, the eighth race of the 2024 season, at Charlotte Motor Speedway. 40 of the top-ranked eNASCAR drivers are set to take on the 160-lap event at the 1.5-mile oval, the longest race on the 2024 calendar.
Race coverage begins at 8 p.m. ET at eNASCAR.com/live and across iRacing social media channels. Tune in 30 minutes earlier to catch the Countdown to Green at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Last Race: Things got rowdy late in the going at Talladega two weeks ago, but when the dust settled, a nearly eight-year drought evaporated as Dylan Duval claimed his first victory since Indianapolis in 2016. In the first victory for the Nitro Circus Sim Racing outfit, Duval restarted alongside RFK Racing’s Collin Bowden on the third and final restart in eNASCAR Overtime. By the rules, the next flag would end the race, whether it be the checkered or the yellow. Unfortunately, the field exploded out of Turn 2, sending Bowden around and up into Duval. Duval hung onto it as William Byron eSports’ Tucker Minter kept his foot in the throttle. At the time of the caution, Duval was scored the leader and took his second career win.
Last Year: Speaking of Minter, the then-Team Dillon eSports driver scored his second career win last season in the Charlotte event. Late in the going, Casey Kirwan and Jimmy Mullis were trading blows for the top spot, but the two wound up out of contention as they collided entering Turn 1. Matt Bussa gave it a couple of shots, as did Garrett Manes, but Minter was able to hang on for the win, cementing his place in the 2024 eNASCAR playoffs as a two-time winner on the season.
Track Facts: Charlotte Motor Speedway is dubbed “America’s Home For Racing.” The famed 1.5-mile D-shaped oval based in Concord, NC opened in 1960, and has managed a lot of firsts in the NASCAR community over the years, including the installation of night lighting and the opening and utilization of the infield Roval. It all stems from the fact that the track is located right around the majority of NASCAR teams and their race shops in the state.
Next Race: After Charlotte, the series will return again in just one week for the ninth race of the 2024 season at Darlington Raceway. It’ll be throwback night once again, with drivers and teams paying tribute to the past, whether it be sim racing’s past, NASCAR’s past, or any other motorsports in general. Last season, Kirwan took a Tony Stewart-inspired throwback to eNASCAR victory lane.
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.