Honeycutt wins eNASCAR Contender iRacing Series finale at Texas; Salas claims title

Another eNASCAR Contender iRacing Series season is in the books after Tuesday night’s 100-lap feature at Texas Motor Speedway. Texas native Kaden Honeycutt took the final checkered flag of the 2023 season, bookending a Contender season with a pair of victories as he aims to reenter the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series in 2024. Honeycutt’s Deadzone Racing teammate, Vicente Salas, was a force to be reckoned with all season long, winning three times over the course of seven races, winning the title by 13 points over Ryan Luza once the drop was factored in.

Daniel Faulkingham, needing a solid finish to ensure a finish inside the top 20 in the standings, took the pole position, starting alongside Timmy Holmes on the front row. It took 29 laps before the first incident of the race, involving bubble driver Daniel Buttafuoco and Salas. Buttafuoco’s day wouldn’t be completely over, but his car would be destroyed, and the result would be a 35th place finish, not enough to finish inside the top 20 in the standings and be eligible for an invite to the highest level of eNASCAR for 2024.

Up front, it was all Faulkingham, leading the opening 51 laps before Femi Olatunbosun took control. The caution flew on Lap 53, and again, there were implications to the cut line. This time, it was Christopher Hill, the bubble driver just on the other side of the line coming in, who got into it with Richmond winner Darik Bourdeau, another driver healthy on points. The damage to Hill’s car forced early retirement and again, shook up the line.

A third and final caution would set things up for the final 35-lap stint of the race. Olatunbosun was in control while Faulkingham slipped back to fifth. Salas restarted in second, but Honeycutt managed to take the runner-up spot on the restart. Two laps later, Honeycutt took the lead from Olatunbosun and began to drive away. Faulkingham managed to get back to second place with eight laps to go. He hounded Honeycutt for the top spot, but he didn’t quite have enough to triumph.

eNASCAR Contender iRacing Series results from Texas Motor Speedway were as follows:

The second place finish for Faulkingham was more than enough to manage a place inside the top 20 in the final standings, jumping to 11th after coming into the race in 18th. Buttafuoco and Hill would find themselves out of the conversation after their incidents, but with a fifth place finish, Cody Byus picked up a huge amount of points, moving from 26th to 18th to secure a place inside the top 20.

At the line, the points shifted when Quami Scott was able to nose Blaze Crawford for 14th, a point he needed to ensure a three-way tie for 19th with Matthew Zwack and Ryan Doucette. Many of the drivers inside the top 20 are former eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series drivers, including Taylor Hurst, Briar LaPradd and most notably, “4-Time” champion Ray Alfalla, all of whom were off the roster in the 2023 season. Four of the top 20 drivers, including Seth DeMerchant, Jonathon Dulaney, Scott and Zwack, would be series rookies.

With 2014 series champion Michael Conti confirming on X (formerly Twitter) that he is truly done and won’t be returning to the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series in 2024, it is expected that at least 21 contenders will be invited to compete in the series. If any other 2023 eNASCAR drivers already locked in for 2024 decline their invitation, it might extend an invite to Derek Justis, who finished 22nd, to come back for another season. The official roster will be announced at a later date.

2023 eNASCAR Contender iRacing Series points following Round 7 are as follows:

1. Vicente Salas, 215
2. Ryan Luza, 202
3. Zack Novak, 196
4. Kaden Honeycutt, 183
5. Taylor Hurst, 158
6. Kollin Keister, 155
7. Femi Olatunbosun, 146
8. Seth DeMerchant, 145
9. Darik Bourdeau, 141
10. Wyatt Tinsley, 141
11. Daniel Faulkingham, 136
12. Dylan Ault, 134
13. Timmy Holmes, 133
14. Jonathon Dulaney, 133
15. Collin Bowden, 131
16. Briar LaPradd, 123
17. Ray Alfalla, 123
18. Cody Byus, 121
19. Ryan Doucette, 117
20. Quami Scott, 117
21. Matthew Zwack, 117
22. Derek Justis, 114
23. Daniel Smallwood, 111
24. Agnel Philip, 106
25. Anthony Burroughs, 106

The eNASCAR Contender iRacing Series is the final step on the Road to Pro ladder before becoming eligible to race in the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series. For more information on this series, visit www.iracing.com/enascar/rtp/. For more information on iRacing and for special offers, visit www.iracing.com.

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