Updates from the Armchair: Drivers learn the Roval, eNASCAR Ignite Series finale, Brian Vickers goes 2018

Since the revamped Charlotte road course is still essentially a new track, the version raced in NASCAR last weekend is not yet in iRacing — the sim’s perfectionism when it comes to track detail means sim racers will have to wait a bit before logging laps on the 17-turn beast. iRacing, however, shared a private beta version of the track with NASCAR drivers looking to log laps at the new Roval track layout — and the racers seemed quite thankful for the opportunity. https://twitter.com/iRacingMyers/status/1044296991843524619 https://twitter.com/J_Allgaier/status/1045311780950441985 https://twitter.com/CBellRacing/status/1044710834897915904 https://twitter.com/JClements51/status/1045321524838899712 https://twitter.com/iRacing/status/1045336951929352193 https://twitter.com/joshbilicki/status/1044710470140268544 Each of them likely fared better than Landon Cassill’s first attempt. https://twitter.com/NASCARonNBC/status/1044979704128831489 Jesse Iwuji, mostly known for his stock car racing efforts, hopped in a sprint car and credited iRacing for help getting him up to speed. https://twitter.com/Jesse_Iwuji/status/1046571696566620160 Kaz Grala and Xfinity Series Charlotte road course winner Chase Briscoe spent a little extracurricular time in the virtual racing world, too. https://twitter.com/ChaseBriscoe5/status/1045016716345057281 The eNASCAR Ignite Series crowned its first champion. Connecticut’s Zack Novak, of NASCAR PEAK Antifreeze iRacing Series fame, won the season finale at Martinsville Speedway Thursday — not to mention a $10,000 racing scholarship. RELATED: Four eNASCAR Ignite Series takeaways https://twitter.com/NASCAR/status/1045750358285438976 NASCAR PEAK ANTIFREEZE iRACING SERIES UPDATE Playoffs contender Matt Bussa picked the ideal time for his first-career NASCAR PEAK Antifreeze iRacing Series victory. At iRacing’s virtual Atlanta Motor Speedway, the Radicals Online driver held off a late-race charge from the race-dominant Michael Conti. The win advances Bussa to the Championship 4 race at Homestead-Miami Speedway October 23. https://twitter.com/iRacing/status/1044781281823924224 The last chance to make the season-ending championship race comes Tuesday, October 9 at Dover International Speedway. Bussa and Darlington winner Michael Conti have secured their places, with two more up for grabs — currently held by defending champion Ryan Luza and three-time champ Ray Alfalla. https://twitter.com/evanposocco/status/1044784487391887360 iRACING PAINT SCHEMES OF THE WEEK Liam Brotherton created Alex Bowman’s AXALTA ride for iRacing, featuring the special green trimmings and decals featured in Bowman’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoffs effort. Rookie stripes not included. Dustin Winegardner brought a mid-2000s classic to 2018. Brian Vickers drove a Ditech/GMAC Chevrolet in 2004 — and it looks great on a 2018 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. VIDEO OF THE WEEK Don’t you hate when your wheel comes unplugged from the computer in the middle of the race? Maybe that’s what happened to Brad Keselowski in Turn 1 at the Charlotte road course Sunday. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPN5WJJb178