eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series Race Preview: Daytona Clash
January 29th, 2024 by Justin Melillo
The eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series returns on Tuesday night with a preseason exhibition race to kick off the 2024 season. 40 drivers are set to take on the 2.5-mile oval at Daytona International Speedway, a first glimpse of where the roster wound up following this year’s Free Agency. Race coverage begins at 8 p.m. ET at eNASCAR.com/live and across iRacing social media channels.
Race Format: Tonight’s eNASCAR Clash is set to feature fixed setup racing among a pair of heats and a main race. Following single-car qualifying, two 10-lap heats will determine the starting lineup for the feature event. The result of Heat 1 sets the grid for the inside line, while Heat 2 sets the outside line. The main event consists of 20 laps with all 40 cars on track. Cautions will be determined by live race control.
Last Race: To close out the 2023 eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series season, four title contenders once again took part in a live championship finale at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, NC. Following 100 laps at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Steven Wilson was the best of the bunch, finishing second on the track to Donovan Strauss, but ahead of Tucker Minter, Nick Ottinger and Garrett Lowe, the other three title competitors.
Last Year: For the last two seasons, both NASCAR and eNASCAR have ceremoniously began with exhibition racing from the temporary oval built inside of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Both times in the virtual world, Casey Kirwan was on top at the end of the event. The last time that the season began with a Daytona exhibition was in 2021. On that day, Logan Clampitt bested his William Byron eSports teammate Nick Ottinger to win by 0.013 seconds.
Track Facts: Known as “The World Center of Racing”, Daytona International Speedway has a deep history in many facets of American motorsport, from NASCAR and their annual Daytona 500 to IMSA and their 24-hour battle for the Rolex 24. This track also hosts Bike Week’s Daytona 200, Daytona Supercross, Daytona KartWeek between Christmas and New Year’s Day, and a host of driving school, club, and other events. Last weekend, the Rolex 24 at Daytona traversed the 3.56-mile road course that encompasses the infield and most of the oval. For NASCAR purposes in the coming weeks, we’ll see stock cars ripping around 200 mph consistently on the 2.5-mile high banks.
Next Race: Following the preseason Clash, the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series will open the 2024 regular season with 80 laps scheduled at Daytona on Tuesday, February 13. Last year, Tucker Minter defeated Casey Kirwan in a race to the line to win his first career event. Minter joined a short list of names that have won in their debut, and a shorter list that won their first race ever in the opening race of the year at Daytona.
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