eNASCAR College iRacing Series Race Preview: Talladega
March 19th, 2024 by Justin Melillo
The eNASCAR College iRacing Series Powered by NACE Starleague returns for the seventh race on the 2023-24 academic calendar at Talladega Superspeedway. The third race of the 2024 Spring Semester section of the schedule, Talladega will host top collegiate iRacers for 60 laps around the 2.66-mile racetrack in Alabama. once again utilizing the NASCAR Craftsman Truck 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: Matthew Zwack entered Darlington with about a 10th place machine, but utilizing strategy combined with a perfectly-placed caution, the University of Michigan student found himself in the top spot with only a handful of laps remaining. As the laps counted down, the cautions continued up until the final restart. University of Maine at Machias’ Daniel Faulkingham gave him a look on the final lap, but Zwack held on for his first career College Series win.
Last Season: This is the first race at Talladega Superspeedway for the eNASCAR College iRacing Series since its inception back in 2022. Last year’s March event took place at Michigan International Speedway and it was won by Logan Clampitt.
Track Info: Envisioned by NASCAR founder Bill France Sr. to be even bigger and faster than Daytona International Speedway, Talladega Superspeedway opened in 1969 and has hosted the NASCAR Cup Series ever since. Renowned for its high speeds, Buddy Baker became the first driver in NASCAR history to turn a 200 mile per hour lap at the track in 1970, and Bill Elliott set NASCAR’s all-time qualifying record at Talladega with a speed of 212.809 mph in 1987. Talladega is also known for producing many first-time winners, such as Richard Brickhouse in its inaugural race, and lead changes, sometimes with dozens of drivers leading laps.
Entry List: The following 40 drivers have qualified for tonight’s eNASCAR College iRacing Series race at Talladega Superspeedway:
No. |
Name |
Hometown |
School |
1 | Benjamin A. White | Pensacola, Florida | Pensacola State |
2 | Reece Baham | Richmond, VA | Auburn |
4 | Nate S Stewart | Hopkinsville, Kentucky | Hopkinsville CC |
5 | Abraham E Vela | Houston, Texas | San Jacinto College |
7 | Brandon Shulenberger | Monroe, North Carolina | Wingate |
9 | Jeremy O. Burns | Clarke County, Virginia | Longwood |
10 | Arron Brown | Nelsonia, Virginia | Eastern Shore CC |
11 | John Forbes Jr | Rancho Santa Margarita, California | Saddleback |
12 | Jonathan W Evans | New Fairfield, Connecticut | Western Connecticut |
13 | C.L. Smith | Hayden, Alabama | Auburn |
14 | Aaron Mulrooney Jr | Fairlawn, Ohio | Kent State |
17 | Layne Graves | McPherson, Kansas | Wichita State |
18 | Matthew Zwack | Monroe, MI | Michigan |
19 | Elliot White | Santa Barbara, California | Maryland |
21 | Anthony Burroughs | Saint Peters, Missouri | St. Charles CC |
22 | Trey Coleman | Rockville, Virginia | Virginia CW |
23 | Chris H. Bryant | Greenville, SC | Methodist |
24 | Alexander Heider | St. Augustine, Florida | St Johns River |
25 | Jack A Clemons | Williamsburg, Virginia | Virginia Tech |
26 | Edward Sanchez2 | Brooklyn, New York | Baruch College |
27 | James Scioly | Spokane, Washington | Eastern Washington |
28 | Kelton Quick | Cincinnati, Ohio | Ball State |
30 | Daniel Nanney | Clinton Twp, Michigan | Ball State |
31 | Matthew L Morton | Pickerington, Ohio | Ohio State Newark |
37 | Charles Wimbley | Brooklyn, New York | Guilford College |
40 | Dylan Ault | Sacramento, California | Sacramento State |
42 | Garrett Viton | Medina, OH | Arizona State |
44 | Logan Clampitt | Trabuco Canyon, California | Cal State Fullerton |
49 | Garrett Lowe | Gastonia, North Carolina | UNC at Charlotte |
54 | Daniel Faulkingham | Jonesport, Maine | Maine at Machias |
62 | Landon Veleke | Dadeville, Alabama | Auburn |
70 | Coleson Phelps | Vinton, Iowa | Iowa State |
72 | Kealoha Hankins | Honolulu, Hawaii | UNC at Charlotte |
75 | Jose Solis Jr | East Hatford, CT | Manchester CC |
79 | Austin Farr | Lomita, California | Liberty University |
82 | Kaleb Bryan | Rolla, Missouri | Missouri S&T |
86 | Zach Sprouse | Stafford, VA | George Mason |
87 | Austin Green7 | Melbourne, Florida | ERAU Daytona |
91 | Colton Salek | Tampa, Florida | ERAU Daytona |
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.