Editor’s note: Visit eNASCAR.com for full coverage.
The 2019 season marks significant changes to the eNASCAR PEAK Antifreeze iRacing Series. Not only will the series prize pool increase tenfold, reaching six-digit figures for its 10th season, the star power is raised with the arrival of real-world NASCAR teams and professional eSports teams.
On Wednesday, the 12 new virtual-car-owning teams, including familiar NASCAR outfits JR Motorsports, Wood Brothers Racing, Joe Gibbs Racing, JTG Daugherty Racing and Roush Fenway Racing, drafted two drivers each from the pool of 40 eligible drivers.
https://twitter.com/JRMotorsports/status/1090640420051259396
The 40 eligible racers qualified for the series through their iRacing performance — either through finishing top-20 in 2018 PEAK Series standings, or by graduating to the series through placing in the top-20 in the iRacing Pro qualifier Series.
Draft results were announced Friday.
https://twitter.com/iRacing/status/1091454144752304129
Legendary NASCAR team Wood Brothers Racing landed the first pick. Four-time and defending series champion Ray Alfalla was chosen first — he’ll pilot the No. 21 Ford in the 2019 season.
https://twitter.com/woodbrothers21/status/1090620881049669632
Each driver drafted for a team will represent their organization through an officially designed car in 2019, along with receiving an additional $500 cash bonus from iRacing. The remaining undrafted drivers will continue to participate in the series as free agents.
Here are the full draft results:
Round 1
| Team | Driver |
| Wood Brothers Racing | Ray Alfalla |
| Flipside Tactics | Michael Luza |
| JR Motorsports | Michael Conti |
| G2 Esports | Keegan Leahy |
| Joe Gibbs Racing | Bobby Zalenski |
| Williams Esports | Matt Bussa |
| Burton Kligerman Esports | Logan Clampitt |
| JTG Daugherty Racing | Nick Ottinger |
| Clint Bowyer Racing | Nickolas Shelton |
| Roush Fenway Racing | Zack Novak |
| Richmond Raceway Esports | Jimmy Mullis |
| Renegades | Corey Vincent |
Round 2
| Team | Driver |
| Renegades | Garrett Lowe |
| Richmond Raceway Esports | Malik Ray |
| Roush Fenway Racing | Michael Guest |
| Clint Bowyer Racing | Casey Kirwan |
| JTG Daugherty Racing | Christian Challiner |
| Burton Kligerman Esports | Ashton Crowder |
| Williams Esports | Brian Schoenburg |
| Joe Gibbs Racing | Jake Nichols |
| G2 Esports | Jarl Teien |
| JR Motorsports | Brad Davies |
| Flipside Tactics | Timmy Hill |
| Wood Brothers Racing | Chris Overland |
Watch the full draft:
https://twitter.com/DaleJr/status/1090623010137092097
The eNASCAR PEAK Antifreeze iRacing Series kicks off its 2019 season Feb. 12 at Daytona. The series, which features virtual replicas of Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series cars on 18 real-world NASCAR tracks, culminates in a four-race playoffs, crowning a champion Oct. 8.
Each round of the eNASCAR PEAK Antifreeze Series will be broadcast live Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on eNASCAR.com and on the iRacing eSports Network.