Redemption for Garrett Lowe, eNASCAR winner at New Hampshire

The script went crazy on Tuesday night for the penultimate regular season event in the 2023 eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series season. Just two weeks removed from a controversial move that landed Rise eSports’ Jimmy Mullis back in victory lane at the expense of Jim Beaver eSports’ Garrett Lowe, the tables were turned as Lowe scored his third career victory and first of 2023 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in the Maconi Setup Shop 101. The win ended Mullis’s reign as the master of the Magic Mile, as he had won three straight previously since 2018. It was also a first for Jim Beaver eSports in the series, and it locks Lowe into the eNASCAR Playoffs for a fourth time in his five-year career.

Lowe was wheeling in a livery that portrayed the 1996 NASCAR Cup Series “protest” paint scheme made famous by Felix Sabates in response to what he felt was an unfair penalty to Kyle Petty in the Coca-Cola 600 that season. Lowe and his teammate Malik Ray carried the same message on the door that Petty did in Dover – “Todo Es Justo En Amor Y Carreras” – which roughly translates to “all is fair in love and racecars.” Sabates felt that Dale Earnhardt could get away with rougher driving than anybody else; in contrast, JBE was trying to advocate for less aggression across the board, but the scheme generated just as much talk.

Starting from third behind Team Dillon eSports’ Jordy Lopez and Williams eSports’ Donovan Strauss, Lowe was in the conversation the entire night. Lopez led the first lap, but on the second, both Strauss and Lowe managed to get through and pull away. While there were a few spats on track, namely an early one that ruined the debut of the Kansas City Pioneers’ QuikTrip livery on Derek Justis’s #31 car, the race stayed green during the entirety of the first half. That meant green flag pit stops were on the menu, and Strauss, Lowe and Lopez, along with about half the field, all opted to pit in around that halfway mark.

This gave the lead to XSET’s Casey Kirwan for a spell. Kirwan had to safely let the faster cars with new tires get by while he felt a barrage of bumps from Ray, who wanted to lead the way. As they fought, however, the caution flew at lap 62 as Strauss was working on getting through the cars with older tires. Strauss came up to the back bumper of Stewart-Haas Racing’s Dylan Duval and made contact, sending the #41 into a spin cycle.

That would set up a second half filled with a total of six cautions over the final 43 laps, as well as a split pit strategy. Of course, the drivers that had stayed out to this point all needed to come in and take service, as their tires would not be optimal for the remainder of the race. This cycled Strauss back to the lead as about 10 cars of those who had already pitted decided to stay out for the track position.

A wave of cautions came over the second half of the race, with contenders like Kansas City Pioneers’ Wyatt Tinsley and JR Motorsports’ Michael Conti finding themselves in the conversation due to the strategy. On lap 74, Lowe managed to get back to second, and then in the next corner, moved Strauss out of the way to take the lead for the first time.

A few more cautions, a few more restarts, and one eNASCAR Overtime restart later, the final two laps would decide the winner. Lowe had the lead alongside a hungry Strauss. Rise eSports’ Zack Novak had moved into the third position, the highest running driver on the newer tire strategy from lap 62. Lowe was able to pull away as Novak wrestled second place away from Strauss. Barney held the yellow as Lowe took the white, then the checkered flag to win.

With the results, now seven drivers are officially locked into the eNASCAR Playoffs. With three wins, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Bobby Zalenski will have the most bonus points when the points reset, unless fellow locks Conti, Kirwan or Team Dillon eSports’ Tucker Minter can grab their own third victory in the Pocono regular season finale. Lopez, Stewart-Haas Racing’s Steven Wilson, and now Lowe make up the final three drivers all locked in with a victory leaving New Hampshire. Mullis, with his win from Nashville, is also currently on the playoff grid, but is still not a lock as he could still potentially fall out of the top 20 in points.

Nick Ottinger (William Byron eSports) is the best on points at current, with a 27 point advantage over Charlotte Phoenix driver Graham Bowlin and more than a race worth to Ray. If there isn’t a new winner or if Mullis drops out, Ottinger will be locked in on points. Bowlin holds the final spot at current, but will be in a predicament with either a poor finish or a new winner at Pocono if Mullis stays in the top 20. Bowlin will have to fend off Ray, Tony Kanaan Esports’ rookie Parker White, Front Row Motorsports’ rookie Michael Cosey Jr., and a multiple time playoff driver in William Byron eSports’ Matt Bussa, all of whom could point their way in over Bowlin in the right circumstances.

Of course, they would be out of luck if there’s a new winner at Pocono that comes from behind them on points. Mathematically, anyone up to RFK Racing rookie Timmy Holmes, who is 28th in points, could win and get in with some help. Other names outside the playoffs include 2021 series champion Keegan Leahy of 23XI in 17th and Novak, the 2019 champion, down in 26th.

eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series results from New Hampshire Motor Speedway were as follows:

eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series points through 13 rounds are as follows:

1. Michael Conti, 375, 2 wins, LOCKED IN
2. Nick Ottinger, 335
3. Jordy Lopez Jr., 322, 1 win, LOCKED IN
4. Tucker Minter, 316, 2 wins, LOCKED IN
5. Casey Kirwan, 312, 2 wins, LOCKED IN
6. Graham Bowlin, 308
7. Steven Wilson, 290, 1 win, LOCKED IN
8. Bobby Zalenski, 285, 3 wins, LOCKED IN
9. Malik Ray, 284
10. Parker White, 280
11. Michael Cosey Jr., 279
12. Matt Bussa, 279
13. Garrett Lowe, 276, 1 win, LOCKED IN
    19. Jimmy Mullis, 223, 1 win, +6 PTS over 21st

There’s just one race left to go to decide who goes playoff racing in the 2023 eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series season. The final regular season event will be at Pocono Raceway next Tuesday, and the 40 competitors will all utilize the same fixed setup. Last season, Casey Kirwan barely edged Zack Novak to win at the line by inches in one of the most dramatic finishes in eNASCAR history.

Race coverage for Pocono Raceway will start on Tuesday, August 1 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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