Getting a Grip on PIR

The season of huge races continued for the NASCAR iRacing.com Class A Series, this time it was Week Five at Phoenix International Raceway. With forty-one sim racers topping the 200 point mark, it was another strong week for many NASCAR iRacing.com Pro Series hopefuls. The aging PIR surface offers little grip, so the few who were able to find traction would be propelled to victory lane in some of the most hotly-contested races of the season.

A visit to PIR meant the Class A action was hotter than ever.

The top split of the week, once again nearing the all time SoF record, was won by the NiPS bound Jason Karlavige. Kenneth O’Keefe dominated much of the race before having some harsh luck, which surrendered the lead to Karlavige, who was able to seal the deal and the 387 points that came along with it. Not surprisingly, NASCAR iRacing.com Series World Championship drivers filled-in the rest of the top five, with the second highest Class A licensed finisher being Alex Ciambrone. Despite finishing outside the top five, Ciambrone earned 315 which will go a long way in his bid to race his way to the next level.

Other NiCAS notables were Jared Crawford finishing second in his only race on the week, earning 338 points towards his bid for the championship. Dylan Duval came up with 310 big ones as he makes the transition to the high powered Chrevrolet Impala SS, and Jorn Jens put together a very solid week, scoring 293 points on his way to being tenth overall on the week.

The strong numbers just keep rolling in for 2012 Season One of the NiCAS. This week 645 drivers took to the tricky, flat one mile in hopes of establishing their names in the top level oval car in the world. Seven drivers took the green flag ten or more times, the most being a tie at fifteen starts between Howard Bell of the Mid-South Club, and Helge Hoel of Scandinavia. However it was a different story in the wins department, with two NiSWC drivers at the top with four (Patrick Baldwin, Nick Ottinger).

As will be the case for this season, and the next two, the top twelve Division One Class A-licensed drivers will be promoted to compete in the NiPS come year’s end. To no surprise this has provided a spark for many top drivers, hoping to progress to the top. Right now Karlavige leads the charge with 1655 points, but Crawford is just nine markers back. Adam Gilliland  has put together an impressive start, and currently rounds out the podium. Philipp Geiss is putting the DE-AT-CH Club on the map with his solid footing inside the top five; he is followed by former NiSWC driver Matthew Moose. Other notables inside the top twelve as the season nears the midway point are last season’s champion Kile Gottula, and the surprising Jens.

Next week promises to keep the excitement rolling as the series heads into Sin City for a week of 200mph fun. Las Vegas Motor Speedway is always a favorite among sim racers; with high speeds and high banks there is a lot to like!  Be sure to check back at inRacingNews.com next week for a wrap up of all the week’s events.

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