Tucker Minter punches playoff ticket with eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series win at Nashville

The question of ‘when’ was answered on Tuesday night for William Byron eSports’ Tucker Minter.

Following a stretch of races that saw him finish second on three occasions, with a third place in between, Minter’s chances at clinching a spot in the 2024 eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series playoff field were dwindling. Dover Motor Speedway was arguably his best shot, but it took until the other concrete intermediate, Nashville Superspeedway, for the sophomore to punch his ticket. Minter only led the final 14 laps, but a combination of speed and strategy put him in the perfect position for victory.

“Been so close all season long,” Minter said post-race. “I haven’t had the luck, in some ways. With how the playoffs picture is, it was so tight, sweating that. It feels really relieving going into the Chicago Street Course next week, racing from the Navy Pier, I don’t have to worry about my playoff points standings.”

From third on the grid, Minter started behind Bobby Zalenski (Joe Gibbs Racing) and Vicente Salas (Kanaan Esports). The opening sequence saw little separation, with Salas and Zalenski side-by-side for nearly an entire 10-lap run. Minter took the pair three-wide, but that allowed for Salas to get the jump off of the corner and take full control.

From there, Minter moved up into second while Zalenski began to fade backwards. The only caution of the race fell on lap 12, when Garrett Manes (fgrAccel eRacing) took a slide after contact with Kevin Harvick Inc’s Jimmy Mullis, last year’s winner at Nashville.

The majority of the field stayed out, with some faking pit entry to try and sway others in. On the ensuing restart, three-wide racing between Donovan Strauss (Williams Esports), Kaden Honeycutt, and Darik Bourdeau (Front Row Motorsports) resulted in a spin by Bourdeau, which collected former champion Casey Kirwan (Spire Motorsports) and his teammate, Malik Ray.

The race stayed green, however, as the field quickly singled out. Another close call, this one involving Quami Scott (Letarte eSports), Jonathon Dulaney (Team Dillon Esports), and Timothy Holmes (RFK Racing) sent the two rookies into a drift, but both were able to correct.

From here, a number of strategies were set for the end of the running of the 100-lap event. At halfway, Zack Novak (OXYGEN Esports) began the first cycle of stops. Salas reacted and pitted the next time by, but Minter was able to leap frog through the pit cycle.

The other OXYGEN car, Femi Olatunbosun, also pitted early, with him and RFK Racing’s Collin Bowden leading the cycle. Parker White (Williams Esports) opted for a two-tire strategy, soon after Minter had pitted for four tires. The shorter stop put White ahead of Minter, and eventually, both were able to get around Olatunbosun and Bowden for the lead of the cycle.

Meanwhile up front, Steven Wilson (M80) and Seth DeMerchant (fgrAccel eRacing) were running a longer strategy. DeMerchant had a hybrid strategy, pitting between the early stoppers and the late stoppers. Taylor Hurst (Team Dillon Esports) and Keegan Leahy (23XI) were the last to pit with just about 15 laps to go.

As the pit stops cycled, Minter caught White for the net lead. White didn’t put up too big of a fight, and Minter was able to slide by easily. The two had a healthy gap over those racing for third, and White possibly figured finishing in second would be best for his points outlook.

Minter strolled home for the victory, his first of 2024 and the fourth of his career. The win all but locks him into the 2024 eNASCAR Playoffs, as he becomes the eighth different winner in 11 races so far. White wound up in second, while DeMerchant, on the hybrid strategy, took Bowden, Salas, and Michael Cosey Jr (Front Row Motorsports) four-wide on the final lap to score third, his best career finish.

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

eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series Driver’s Standings through Round 11 are as follows:

1. Steven Wilson, 343 (3 WINS)
2. Parker White, 316
3. Vicente Salas, 305 (1 WIN)
4. Nick Ottinger, 294
5. Tucker Minter, 283 (1 WIN)
6. Bobby Zalenski, 279 (1 WIN)
7. Kaden Honeycutt, 256
8. Casey Kirwan, 249
9. Zack Novak, 244
10. Jordy Lopez, 240
    11. Garrett Lowe, 233 (1 WIN)
    14. Dylan Duval, 221 (1 WIN)
    20. Wyatt Tinsley, 197 (1 WIN)
    ————————————-
    21. Malik Ray, 191 (1 WIN)

eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series Segment 3 Standings after Round 2 of 5 are as follows:

1. Steven Wilson, 77
2. Tucker Minter, 75
3. Parker White, 74
4. Graham A. Bowlin, 73
5. Jordy Lopez, 61
6. Zack Novak, 60
7. Seth DeMerchant, 57
8. Michael Cosey Jr, 55
   Bobby Zalenski, 55
   Femi Olatunbosun, 55

eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series Team Standings through Round 11 are as follows:

1. William Byron eSports (#25/#97), 572
2. Williams Esports (#51/#53), 518
3. Kanaan Esports (#11/#66), 515
4. M80 (#10/#80), 512
5. Joe Gibbs Racing (#18/#54), 491

With only three opportunities left to punch a ticket to the eNASCAR Playoffs, next up is a return date to Chicago for some street course racing next week. Both Wyatt Tinsley (QuikTrip Pioneers Gaming) and Malik Ray are teetering on the top 20 line, with Tinsley in and Ray out leaving Nashville. They’ll need to be above that line to have a chance at racing for the Dale Earnhardt Jr Cup this season.

Parker White doesn’t have a win yet, but he does lead the Segment #3 standings after two races with Chicago up next, a track he nearly won at a season ago. In the Team Standings, William Byron eSports extends their lead with their first win of the season.

The 40 top-rated eNASCAR drivers will head to the Chicago Street Course after a short week for the 12th race of the 2024 season. Last year, Bobby Zalenski outdueled Parker White and Steven Wilson for the inaugural victory.

Tune in on Tuesday, July 2nd, at 7:30 p.m. ET for the Countdown to Green. Race coverage for the event begins at 8 p.m. ET at eNASCAR.com/live and across iRacing social media channels.

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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