Kollin Keister Wins First eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series Race in Charlotte

Roush Fenway Racing’s Kollin Keister put the perfect mix of speed and pit strategy to use in Tuesday night’s eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series action, becoming the 52nd winner in series history when he took the checkered flag in the Coca-Cola 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The series rookie pulled away from the field in the race’s closing stages, leading a race-high 84 of 200 laps to take the win in just his first career start.

Charlotte saw a return to the high-caliber racing of the series’ opening rounds, as just one early caution for contact between Phil Diaz and Dylan Duval slowed the field. With Charlotte serving as the longest race of the season, those 192 green flag laps meant that whichever driver nailed the strategy best would likely find himself in victory lane. Some drivers relied on saving fuel in hopes of a late-race caution giving them track position, while others planned around a three-stop strategy and looked to turn as many fast laps as possible. JR Motorsports’ Michael Conti led 75 laps, second most in the field, before shuffling back to 16th at the finish.

In the end, it was Keister who shuffled into the lead for the first time at Lap 104, and for good a second time on Lap 151. Unfazed by points leader Ryan Luza of Williams Esports in his rear view mirror, the series rookie—who had missed the previous round at Dover International Speedway—drove a smooth and consistent final stint, extending his lead to just under two and a half seconds at the finish. He continued a streak dating back to 2010 where Charlotte has produced a different winner every season, and became the fourth driver to earn his first career victory at the track.

Wood Brothers driver Garrett Lowe added yet another top five finish to a stellar 2020 campaign so far, getting around Luza for second, while front row starters Graham Bowlin and Keegan Leahy completed the top five, with Leahy climbing to second in points behind Luza in the process. 28 of the 40 starters finished the race on the lead lap.

Results from Tuesday’s eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series Coca-Cola 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway were as follows:

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

1. Ryan Luza, 247
2. Keegan Leahy, 227
3. Bobby Zalenski, 224
4. Garrett Lowe, 213
5. Brad Davies, 199
6. Michael Conti, 196
7. Graham Bowlin, 190
8. Nick Ottinger, 189
9. Jake Nichols, 176
10. John Gorlinsky, 173

The eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series returns to action on Friday, May 29 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, moving from its normal Tuesday race date to accommodate real-world NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series racing at Charlotte. Williams Esports’ Matt Bussa is the most recent Atlanta winner, having taken the checkered flag in the series’ last visit to the track in 2018. The race can be seen at 9PM ET at eNASCAR.com/live. For more information on iRacing and for special offers, visit www.iracing.com.

You may also like...

Recommended

This Week in iRacing: November 19-25, 2024

Recommended

2024-25 World of Outlaws Pro Series | Race Preview | Race 2: Weedsport

Recommended

THIS WEEK: iRacing SCCA Runoffs Special Event

Recommended

Michele Costantini leads every lap at Milwaukee; Diogo Pinto closes in on INDYCAR ButtKicker iRacing Pro Series title