Jimmy Mullis returns to eNASCAR victory lane at Nashville Superspeedway

The 2023 eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series season has not been short of late race drama. On Tuesday night at Nashville Superspeedway, Rise eSports’ Jimmy Mullis added fuel on to that already lit fire, taking back victory from the clutches of defeat by use of the front bumper on Jim Beaver eSports’ Garrett Lowe, who passed him just two corners earlier on the final lap in eNASCAR Overtime.

During a late caution pit cycle, at lap 88, Mullis opted to stay on track and maintain the lead he worked around both Front Row Motorsports’ Allen Boes and Stewart-Haas Racing’s Steven Wilson for. Mullis had about a quarter of the remaining field also choose to stay out for track position over a set of two fresh right side tires, the popular call on pit road throughout the night. Back in 16th on the ensuing restart was Lowe, who decided to pit from 10th.

A couple of late race incidents set up the final overtime restart on lap 103. Mullis managed to get a great restart, but the life in Lowe’s tires allowed him to hook the bottom on the first lap, crossing the line in second as they took the white flag. Mullis held on through Turns 1 and 2, but Lowe was there. On the backstretch, Mullis moved low to block, and Lowe would look to the high side, which was not the preferred lane. With the better virtual right side rubber, Lowe made it stick and had all but passed Mullis as they entered Turn 4. Not to be denied, Mullis gave it some gas and slid up into Lowe’s door, enough to slow him down on exit. Lowe still maintained the lead for a brief moment, but with some momentum and an opportune knock between bumpers, Mullis had sent Lowe into the wall as they came to the line. Mullis took the win, Stewart-Haas Racing’s Dylan Duval pulled off second place, and Lowe had to settle for third.

Lowe’s Jim Beaver eSports’ teammate Malik Ray managed to pull off a fourth place effort while Vicente Salas from Williams eSports and polesitter Nick Ottinger from William Byron eSports finished fifth and sixth, respectively. All three of those drivers managed to lead at some point or another throughout the race, with Ottinger leading on two occasions, losing the lead to Ray the first time and Salas the second time.

Pit road was an interesting place to be, and the varied strategies worked to add some flavor to the battle for the win. Throughout the night, most drivers opted for two-tire pit calls, citing how the left sides could benefit from not being changed and maintaining heat within. There were times where no tires was the right call, namely when Ottinger stayed out on Lap 18 and led and again when Boes had taken the lead just before halfway, leading 24 laps on the night.

It wasn’t the best of nights for some of the championship favorites, either. JR Motorsports’ Michael Conti, the Team Dillon eSports duo of Tucker Minter and Jordy Lopez, and 2022 Championship 4 competitor Graham Bowlin for the Charlotte Phoenix all had off nights, all four finishing outside the top 20. All but the latter have wins to fall back on, which all but locks them into the 2023 eNASCAR Playoffs in a few weeks. Bowlin, on the other hand, will now have to watch out for the new winner Mullis, as well as the points runners right behind. Bowlin is now tied with Ray for eighth on the playoff grid as it stands, with Front Row Motorsports’ Michael Cosey Jr. now in that 10th and final spot. However, if Mullis can gain five points on the top 20 cut line, his win will guarantee him a place in the battle for the 2023 Championship.

If Mullis is unable to get there, Cosey Jr. then has to worry about William Byron eSports’ Matt Bussa, only nine points behind, as well as the possibility of another new winner already in the top 20. Currently, four playoff spots are filled by those with the most points without a win, but up to three of those positions can be filled by new winners, including Mullis should he enter the top 20. It will be interesting to see how it all shakes out in the final two races of the 2023 eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series regular season.

eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series results from Nashville Superspeedway were as follows:

eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series points through 12 rounds are as follows:

1. Michael Conti, 342, 2 wins
2. Nick Ottinger, 319
3. Jordy Lopez Jr., 305, 1 win
4. Tucker Minter, 293, 2 wins
5. Casey Kirwan, 286, 2 wins
6. Malik Ray, 283
7. Graham Bowlin, 283
8. Michael Cosey Jr., 278
9. Matt Bussa, 269
10. Bobby Zalenski, 265, 3 wins
11. Garrett Manes, 261
12. Steven Wilson, 259, 1 win
    *21. Jimmy Mullis, 193, 1 win

Only two races remain in the 2023 eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series regular season. The next eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series event will be at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on July 25. Pocono Raceway is scheduled to be the regular season finale a week after that, on August 1. Both tracks are places where Mullis has won before, and even more interesting is that Mullis will be looking for his fourth straight win at The Magic Mile in two weeks.

Race coverage for New Hampshire will start on Tuesday, July 25 at 9 p.m. ET at eNASCAR.com/live. The Countdown to Green, presented by Wendy’s, will kick things off at 8:30 p.m. ET.

For more information on the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series, visit www.enascar.com or www.iracing.com/enascar. For more information on iRacing and for special offers, visit www.iracing.com.

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