eNASCAR College iRacing Series Race Preview: Darlington
February 20th, 2024 by Justin Melillo
The eNASCAR College iRacing Series Powered by NACE Starleague returns for the sixth race on the 2023-24 academic calendar at Darlington Raceway. The second race of the 2024 Spring Semester section of the schedule, Darlington will host top collegiate iRacers for 100 laps around the 1.366-mile racetrack in South Carolina. once again utilizing the NASCAR Xfinity Series vehicles. The race will stream live on Tuesday night at 8PM ET on eNASCAR.com/live and across iRacing social media channels.
About the Series: The eNASCAR College iRacing Series gives college students from the United States and Canada the opportunity to compete for their share of $60,000 in scholarships. Using machines from the NASCAR Xfinity Series or NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, 40 drivers qualify for the event by registering here and posting their fastest lap times in a two-week Time Attack through the iRacing UI. With hundreds of colleges and universities represented in each Time Attack and only one representative per school, drivers are competing not only against the greater iRacing community, but also their own classmates, for a spot on the prestigious grid.
Last Race: Daniel Faulkingham (University of Maine at Machias) wound up on top after a packed-up battle around Michigan International Speedway last month. The senior business major, who returns to the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series for his sophomore season as well in 2024, outdueled Dylan Ault (Sacramento State) and Logan Clampitt (Cal State Fullerton) in the closing laps to score his second-career College Series win, his first coming last year to open up the season at Daytona. Two University of Michigan drivers, Sean Peleg and Matthew Zwack, rounded out the top five.
Last Season: This is the first race at Darlington Raceway for the eNASCAR College iRacing Series since its inception back in 2022. Last year’s February event took place at Dover Motor Speedway, also in the NASCAR Xfinity Series vehicles, and was won by Clampitt.
Track Info: “The Lady in Black.” “The Track Too Tough to Tame.” Whatever you call Darlington Raceway, one thing is certain: the 1.366-mile egg-shaped oval is unlike any other track on the NASCAR schedule. From builder Harold Brasington having to accommodate a minnow pond to create the track’s distinct shape, to drivers running right up against the wall and earning a “Darlington stripe” on their cars when they scrape it, few tracks have quite as colorful of a backstory. It’s no surprise that NASCAR’s annual Throwback Weekend is celebrated at Darlington—originally conceived for the Southern 500 on Labor Day weekend, it’s been a part of the Goodyear 400 on Mother’s Day weekend since 2021.
Entry List: The following 40 drivers have qualified for tonight’s eNASCAR College iRacing Series race at Darlington Raceway:
No. |
Name |
Hometown |
School |
1 | Reece Baham | Richmond, VA | Auburn University |
2 | Aaron Mulrooney Jr | Fairlawn, Ohio | Kent State |
4 | Nate S Stewart | Hopkinsville, Kentucky | Hopkinsville CC |
5 | Brandon Shulenberger | Monroe, North Carolina | Wingate |
7 | James Scioly | Spokane, Washington | Eastern Washington |
8 | Aydan Saunders | El Paso, TX | Texas A&M |
9 | Colton Salek | Tampa, Florida | ERAU Daytona Beach |
10 | Steven Wilson | Iowa City, IA | University of Iowa |
11 | John Forbes Jr | Rancho Santa Margarita, California | Saddleback |
15 | Garrett Viton | Medina, OH | Arizona State |
18 | Matthew Zwack | Monroe, MI | Michigan |
20 | Abraham E Vela | Houston, Texas | San Jacinto College |
21 | Layne Graves | McPherson, Kansas | Wichita State |
22 | Joe M Armstrong | Glen Allen, Virginia | Reynolds CC |
23 | Chris H. Bryant | Greenville, SC | Methodist |
24 | Alexander Heider | St. Augustine, Florida | St Johns River |
26 | Tyler Garey | Royal Palm Beach, Florida | Palm Beach State |
27 | Elliot White | Santa Barbara, California | Maryland |
28 | Kaleb Bryan | Rolla, Missouri | Missouri S&T |
30 | Daniel Nanney | Clinton Twp, Michigan | Macomb CC |
31 | Matthew L Morton | Pickerington, Ohio | Ohio State Newark |
34 | Andy Trupiano | Flat Rock, Michigan | Detroit Mercy |
37 | Charles Wimbley | Brooklyn, New York | Guilford College |
42 | Braden Muhvic | Minneapolis, Minnesota | Minnesota – Mankato |
44 | Logan Clampitt | Trabuco Canyon, California | Cal State Fullerton |
48 | Christian Charbonneau | Chesterfield, VA | Dallas Baptist |
49 | Garrett Lowe | Gastonia, North Carolina | UNC at Charlotte |
51 | Arron Brown | Nelsonia, Virginia | Eastern Shore CC |
52 | Jack Coyne | Warren, NJ | Rensselaer Poly. |
54 | Daniel Faulkingham | Jonesport, Maine | Maine at Machias |
62 | Anthony Burroughs | Saint Peters, Missouri | St. Charles CC |
68 | Thomas Coonan | Rolla, Missouri | Missouri S&T |
70 | Coleson Phelps | Vinton, Iowa | Iowa State |
71 | Douglas Newbigging | Trucksville, PA | King’s College |
72 | Jeremy O. Burns | Clarke County, Virginia | Longwood |
75 | Jose Solis Jr | East Hatford, CT | Manchester CC |
79 | Austin Farr | Lomita, California | Liberty University |
86 | Zach Sprouse | Stafford, VA | George Mason |
98 | Jake Hall | Spartanburg, South Carolina | Clemson University |
99 | Mario Merenda | Tulsa, Oklahoma | Oklahoma |
The eNASCAR College iRacing Series Powered by NACE Starleague is supported by Coca-Cola, Logitech G, and DBOX. For more information on the series and how to compete, visit https://playfly.com/enascar-college-iracing-series/. For more information on iRacing and for special offers, visit www.iracing.com.