Kernich Out Front in NiCBS
July 2nd, 2013 by Jaime Baker
The NASCAR iRacing.com Class B Series has enjoyed a variety of tracks over the last several weeks including stops at Iowa Speedway along with races at the fast Michigan International Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway in the Lone Star state. With Iowa the second short track of the season, teams and drivers looked to survive the tight confines of the .875 mile short track.
Armando Vargas walked away from the corn fields of Iowa sitting atop the week standings after collecting the victory in the Strength of Field event for the week. Vargas bested Ian Hann to collect the victory and collect 300 championship points for the week. Andrew Shirley was third for the week with 270 points. Brett Nesbitt and Ryan Manning rounded-out the top five for the sixth week of the season.
Anthony Kernich led the overall NiCBS standings following the events at Iowa with 1,357 points, 98 more than second placed Brandon Buie2. Following his victory at Iowa, Vargas was third, 292 points out of the championship lead with Alex Scribner and Jeff Dukehart fourth and fifth, respectively.
Michigan International Speedway was up next for the NiCBS as they moved east and to one of the fastest tracks on the circuit. MIS would prove to be a test of focus as sim-racers raced side-by-side and nose-to-tail for a majority of the race.
The Strength of Field event at Michigan went to NASCAR iRacing.com Series World Championship driver, Chad J Laughton. Laughton led 31 laps in route to his victory and collected 317 points for the week. Tom Moustakas came home second and earned 303 points for the week, while Vargas continues his strong form by collecting 289 points, good for third in the MIS week. Richard Dusett, another NiSWC driver, finished fourth for the week ahead of Buie2.
Following Michigan, Kernich maintained a 96 point lead over Buie2 with Vargas closing to within 264 points of the championship lead and Scribner and Dukehart ensconced in fourth and fifth.
High banked, high speed Texas Motor Speedway was on tap for Week Eight as the series made its second visit to a mile and a half track of the season. Vargas picked up the win in the TMS Strength of Field event, collecting 277 points for his efforts. Brad Patton closed the week in second with 255 points, ten more than Buie2 who took third overall at Texas. Chad Pruitt and championship contender, Anthony Kernich rounded out the top five as teams headed to the Bluegrass state.
Kentucky Speedway has been a challenge to drivers and teams since its arrival in the services a few seasons ago. Although it may look like “just another” 1.5 mile oval, drivers and teams have typically had to battle a track that is unlike most cookie cutter tracks on the schedule.
NiSWC ace Michael Conti picked-up the win in the Strength of Field event on Friday night, Conti leading 49 laps in route to his victory and 308 point payday. Fellow NiSWC competitor Danny Hansen, finished second to Conti and collected 293 points. Kernich earned 278 points during the Kentucky week, with Buie2 and Moustakas rounding out the top five.
Following the week at Kentucky, Kernich continues to lead the overall season standings with a 49 point advantage over Buie2 as the NiCBS heads to Daytona International Speedway. Vargas has closed the gap to the top two and sits 191 points out of the lead with Scribner and Zach A. Hudson occupying P4 and P5 heading the Big D.
Shawn W Brown made the most starts at Kentucky, taking the green flag eight times. Brown also collected six top five finishes to lead the series in that regard while Stephanie Lessentine topped the series in poles for the week with two.
Brandon Buie set fast time for the Kentucky week with a lap of 30.934 seconds, with Tom Moustakas second at 30.952s. Buie2 was third for the week, followed by Lee Herron and Kernich the top five.
Week 10 of the NASCAR iRacing.com Class B Series heads to Daytona International Speedway for Week 10 of the season. Will the championship leads stumble at the restrictor plate track? Can anyone catch Kernich and Buie2 for the overall points lead? Find out next week on inRacingNews.com!