Posted on by Holly Cain

There’s been no shortage of action and intrigue in the opening four rounds of the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series, but even the most experienced of the virtual competitors expect it all to turn up a notch with Sunday’s GEICO 70 at virtual Talladega Superspeedway (1 p.m. ET on FOX where available, FS1 and the FOX Sports App).

Fourteen former Talladega winners are entered this week as the sport continues to compete virtually and offer fans a racing retreat of sorts as the country deals with the COVID-19 pandemic.

The entry list for this week’s highly anticipated virtual Talladega stop includes one of the track’s all-time best — and easily most popular — in six-time NASCAR Cup Series Talladega winner Dale Earnhardt Jr. And for the first time in the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series’ brief history, another six-time Talladega winner, NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon, is coming out of the FOX television broadcast booth to test his own virtual Talladega grit competing against this talented entry list. 

“Man, I’m going to give it a try,” Gordon said Wednesday revealing his big news while doing a FOX Sports iRacing broadcast.

“We’ve been trying to get me behind the wheel of one of these sim rigs and I’m coming out of retirement, boys!”

RELATED: Talladega entry list | Gordon to run ‘Dega | Pro Invitational Series Power Rankings

This week’s grid will include former Talladega winners like Gordon’s fellow NASCAR Hall of Famer, Bobby Labonte, the 2000 NASCAR Cup Series champion who won a NASCAR Cup Series race at the big track in 1998 and then scored back-to-back IROC (International Race of Champions) wins in 2000-2001. 

Brad Keselowski, the 2012 NASCAR Cup Series champion, is right on Gordon’s and Earnhardt’s heels with five real-time victories at Talladega, earning his very first NASCAR Cup Series trophy with the win in the 2009 spring race at the track. His Team Penske teammate Joey Logano has three wins at Talladega and their teammate Ryan Blaney is the most recent winner, taking the 2019 playoff race win there.

Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson and popular driver/eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational in-race analyst Clint Bowyer both own a pair of Talladega trophies.

Reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch along with former series champ Kevin Harvick also have victories at Talladega, along with the opening eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational race winner Denny Hamlin, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chase Elliott and Aric Almirola, who will make his series debut on Sunday.

The last driver to win back-to-back at Talladega on the NASCAR schedule was Gordon, who swept the races in 2007. The last three races at the track have crowned first-time Talladega winners — Almirola (2018) and Elliott and Blaney in 2019. 

When it comes to the virtual world, however, the task is to find a way to disrupt the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational dominance of 22-year-old William Byron. The current driver of Gordon’s former No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet has won the last two races and led more laps (318) than any other driver. His nearly 300 iRacing victories in over 1,200 iRacing starts makes him the virtual veteran to beat.

RELATED: Pro Invitational Series lap leaders

Even with his superior skills in the virtual race world, Byron concedes it will be a whole different challenge this week on Talladega’s notoriously challenging 2.66-mile high-banked superspeedway.

“It’s going to be a tough race,” Byron said, looking ahead after his virtual Richmond victory last weekend.

“I think virtually you’re going to see a lot of aggression and things of that nature.” 

Fellow iRacing veteran Timmy Hill — the Texas Motor Speedway Pro Invitational race winner and only driver with finishes of third or better in all four Pro Invitational Series races — must be considered a threat for victory this week. Neither Byron nor Hill has won at Talladega in NASCAR, but they have been the class of the iRacing field at every stop. 

This week’s event will include a qualifying session (two laps per driver) just before the race start. Rules allow for one “reset” should a car wreck and suffer big damage in the race, and there will be a maximum of three potential green-white-checkered finishes.

Drivers from other NASCAR national series — from the NASCAR Xfinity Series to the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series to the ARCA Menards Series — will compete in the Saturday Night Thunder event at virtual Talladega Superspeedway. Two-lap, single-car qualifying will set heat grids. The top 20 cars from the two heats will transfer to the 57-lap (150-mile) main event that begins at 8 p.m. (ET) and will be broadcast on NASCAR’s YouTube channel and eNASCAR.com/live. More than 50 cars are currently entered.

Considering the bold, big moves fans normally see on the real Talladega Superspeedway, expectations are high, the intrigue is there, and certainly the driver lineup is top-notch for Sunday’s eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series race. It’s been tough to tell who has enjoyed this high profile opportunity to race more — competitor or fan.

“Looking forward to a bunch of fun at Talladega,” Hill posted on social media immediately after his runner-up effort to Byron at virtual Richmond last weekend.

And that’s something NASCAR fans have learned to count on.

Posted on by Staff Report

A virtual trip to sweet home Alabama is on tap for the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series, with William Byron aiming to continue his hot streak at treacherous Talladega Superspeedway.

Byron has won the last two races on the invitational iRacing circuit, created with real-world racing on hold because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Hendrick Motorsports driver will bring his No. 24 Chevrolet to the virtual 2.66-mile high banks for Sunday’s GEICO 70 (1 p.m. ET, FOX, FS1, FOX Sports App).

“I mean, it’s going to be a tough race,” Byron said after last Sunday’s triumph at virtual Richmond Raceway. “I think virtually you’re going to see a lot of aggression and things of that nature.”

RELATED: Byron pads streak | Getting started with iRacing

In a twist this week, Byron will start at the rear of the field. New for Talladega is an inversion of 10 cars, and specifically the top three finishers from Richmond starting at the tail end of the field, with the winner — Byron — starting last.

The event is the fifth race in the series for current and former NASCAR Cup Series standouts. Byron is the only multiple race winner; Denny Hamlin and Timmy Hill have each won once.

Qualifying for Sunday’s race will consist of single-car runs of two laps apiece. The race will be 70 laps, with manual cautions, one reset and a maximum of three green-white-checkered finish attempts. A field of 40 cars is expected.

The weekend will also include a preliminary tilt with Saturday Night Thunder for drivers from other NASCAR series. That race is set to start at 8 p.m. ET, broadcast on eNASCAR.com/live and streamed live on NASCAR’s YouTube Channel.

Qualifying for Saturday Night Thunder will consist of two-lap, single-car runs to set the grid for the two heat races. Each heat race will be 10 laps long with 20 cars transferring to the feature event for a total of 40 cars in the feature. The feature will be 150 miles or 57 laps, with one reset, manual cautions and a maximum of three green-white-checkered finish attempts.

Here are the preliminary entry lists for both events, which are subject to change. Jeff Gordon announced that he plans to take part in Sunday’s race:

eNASCAR Pro Invitational Series at Talladega

# Name Team
1 Kurt Busch Ganassi
2 Brad Keselowski Penske
3 Austin Dillon RCR
4 Kevin Harvick SHR
6 Ross Chastain Roush
8 Dale Earnhardt Jr Invitation
9 Chase Elliott HMS
10 Aric Armirola SHR
11 Denny Hamlin JGR
12 Ryan Blaney Penske
13 Ty Dillon Germain
14 Clint Bowyer SHR
15 Brennan Poole Premium
17 Chris Buescher Roush
18 Kyle Busch JGR
19 Bobby Labonte Invitation
20 Erik Jones JGR
21 Matt DiBennedetto Wood Bros.
22 Joey Logano Penske
24 William Byron HMS
24 Jeff Gordon HMS
31 Tyler Reddick RCR
32 Corey LaJoie GoFas
34 Michael McDowell Front Row
37 Ryan Preece JTG
38 John Hunter Nemechek Front Row
41 Cole Custer SHR
47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. JTG
48 Jimmie Johnson HMS
49 Chad Finchum MBM
51 Garrett Smithley Invitation
52 JJ Yeley Rick Ware
53 Joey Gase Rick Ware
66 Timmy Hill Invitation
77 Parker Kligerman Invitation
88 Alex Bowman HMS
89 Landon Cassill Invitation
95 Christopher Bell LFR
96 Daniel Suarez Gaunt Bros.

Saturday Night Thunder

NAME CAR #
Alex Labbe 90
Angela Ruch OO
Anthony Alfredo 33
Austin Cindric 22
Bayley Currey 74
Blake Koch 57
Brandon Brown 68
Brett Moffitt 23
Chase Briscoe 98
Chase Cabre 4
Christian Eckes 81
CJ Mclaughlin 39
Derek Kraus 19
Donny Lia O7
Drew Dollar O15
Gus Dean 56
Harrison Burton 20
Jeb Burton 8
Jeffrey Earnhardt 50
Jesse Iwuji 36
Joe Graf Jr. 80
Josh Berry 88
Josh Bilicki 99
Josh Williams 92
Justin Allgaier 7
Justin Haley 10
Kaz Grala 29
Kyle Weatherman 54
Landon Huffman 75
Logan Seavey 67
Matt Mills 5
Myatt Snider 93
Noah Gragson 9
Ruben Garcia 27
Ryan Ellis 78
Ryan Truex 40
Ryan Vargas 51
Scott Stenzel 63
Spencer Boyd 0 2
Stephen Leicht 25
Stewart Friesen 52
Thad Moffitt 46
Todd Gilliland 38
Ty Majeski 45
Ty Gibbs 18
Tyler Ankrum 26
Will Rodgers 55
Raphael Lessard
Tommy Joe Martin 44

 

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR legend Jeff Gordon will make his debut in the iRacing Pro Invitational Series on Sunday at virtual Talladega Superspeedway, he announced Wednesday night.

The four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and current FOX analyst has been in the booth for the first four races in the eNASCAR simulation league comprised of NASCAR Cup Series drivers as the real-world racing is on pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He’ll trade that spot Sunday for one in an iRacing rig.

“Man, I’m gonna give it a try,” Gordon said. “Coming out of retirement boys!”

RELATED: Pro Invitational Series Power Rankings | NASCAR on TV schedule

Tune in to watch Gordon’s Pro Invitational Series debut at 1 p.m. ET on FOX, FS1 and the FOX Sports App.

More details about the race will be announced soon.

Posted on by Staff Report

Eric Goodale‘s love for racing can be traced back to Saturday nights at Riverhead Raceway. Goodale would watch Chris Young tear up the track in his race car sponsored by his father Edgar Goodale‘s company Riverhead Building Supply.

“My father sponsored Chris, who unfortunately passed away a few years ago, from an early time in the figure eight cars and modifieds,” said Eric Goodale. “My parents would bring me to the track to watch him race. I fell in love with it more than a normal kid.”

Chris Young influenced Eric‘s brother Kevin Goodale, serving as a crew member before racing on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour.

“He wanted to be a driver,” the Riverhead, New York native said. “The aura of the tour sparked his interest.”

“I used to change his tires in high school and do anything else,” Goodale recalled.

“I already had the racing bug. It wasn‘t until we went on the road traveling to different tracks that I said it‘s what I wanted to do.”

RACING REFERENCE: Eric Goodale | Kevin Goodale

When both brothers were racing for their father‘s team, Eric said it was tough getting two cars ready for the race track every week. The program changed when Eric‘s No. 58 car is the only rac ecar they have to prepare for.

Eric has three different relationships with his father Edgar. The father/ son relationship, the business relationship at work and their racing relationship.

“Fortunately for me, I can get all three of those relationships in one day,” Goodale said. “My dad is one of the best people I know. He helped build a great life for his family by working hard his entire life. It‘s something he‘s passed on and instilled in each of his children.”

“It‘s really cool to have multiple dynamic relationships with him in all facets of my life.”

WATCH: Eric Goodale’s 2017 win at Stafford Motor Speedway

Eric said his mother Nancy is extremely passionate about modified racing.

“I remember a race at Thompson Motor Speedway in 2008 when I missed out on the World Series,” he said. “I‘m notoriously not a good qualifier. I had a really fast car and I got a bad draw and absolutely bombed my lap. As I pulled in off the track, my mom kind of started telling me what I didn‘t want to hear.”

“Her heart gives 110 percent. She cares every bit about the results and hard work we put in. It shows the passion we all have for the sport.”

The Goodale‘s run Riverhead Building Supply. With 18 retail locations across New York, Connecticut and Rhode Island that sell every kind of building materials from the foundation up, Goodale said the family-owned and operated business has grown tremendously in the last 20 years.

“My family employs other families and it really forms a lot of cool relationships,” Goodale said of the business his grandfather started in 1948. “It‘s nice to get to work with your family on a whole bunch of levels rather than seeing them every other day.”

Posted on by Terrin Waack

A small gesture goes a long way.

This season in the eNASCAR Heat Pro League, Josh Harbin’s No. 95 Leavine Family Gaming Toyota will sport a new decal for autism spectrum disorder awareness. The multi-color ribbon located on the back half of the vehicle is meant to recognize anyone and everyone with the disorder. The idea was inspired by Justin Monds, who hopes to one day console-race professionally and honor his young son with autism on his own car.

“Hey, man,” Harbin told Monds. “No matter what happens – you do or you don’t get drafted – your son is going to ride with me this year.”

And he will for all 14 races, starting with National Autism Awareness Month in April and going through the championship in July.

RELATED: Season 2 of eNASCAR Heat Pro League starts Wednesday

“I cried like a little 10-year-old girl,” Monds said. “My son means everything to me.”

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His name is Jacob. He’s 5 years old and Monds’ only child. They’re from Jacksonville, Florida.

Monds met Harbin, who lives in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, virtually through the Heat Pro League and personally at the 2019 finale in Charlotte, North Carolina. The two have stayed in contact ever since, sharing on-the-track and off-the-track life updates.

“Oh my gosh, Jacob has done so many amazing things over the past year with his school (Loretto Elementary School) and overcoming his conditions,” Monds said. “We’ve still got a long ways to go, but man, he’s done incredible things and it’s really opened up my eyes to what autism is.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported this year one in 34 boys and one in 144 girls are identified with autism, according to 2016 data. Overall, it impacts one in 54 children.

“I had to really adapt and appreciate those dealing with autism, whether they be teachers, parents, family members or extended family members,” Monds said. “It takes a village to help raise a kid to begin with, and then add in special needs, across the board that makes the job even tougher.”

The newfound support goes beyond the ribbon, too. Harbin’s sponsor, IT Consulting St. Petersburg, partnered with Autism Speaks and agreed to donate $5 for every Portal EV (a WiFi router) sold. ITC is also offering 25% off with driver codes, BEAR95 and JOSE95 – Jose Ruiz is Harbin’s LFG teammate; Ruiz is on Xbox One, while Harbin does PlayStation 4.

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Monds, meanwhile, is a crew chief for PETTY eSports.

“Basically, in my mind, it was just an old country boy from Alabama helping a friend out and letting him know somebody cares about him and his family,” Harbin said. “Good folks recognize good folks, and even in the virtual world, racing brings people together.”

RELATED: Relive the 2019 eNASCAR Heat Pro League season

If – and he says “when” – Harbin wins a race, he has promised to give Jacob a shout-out in Victory Lane. Doesn’t seem like a stretch when Harbin clarifies why he’s so confident he will win.

Harbin finished last season second in the final standings. He had three wins, eight top fives and 10 top 10s in 12 races. He averaged a 4.5 finish.

The 2020 season officially kicks off Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET at Homestead-Miami Speedway. All races can be streamed on eNASCAR.com/live.

“Nobody likes to lose,” Harbin said. “We’re looking for redemption this year, and what better way than to have some good support, some good folks on board with us to get it done.”

Screen Shot 2020 04 21 At 4.38.13 Pm

Posted on by Press Release

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (April 22, 2020) – NASCAR, Race Team Alliance and Motorsport Games announced today the highly anticipated eNASCAR Heat Pro League™ season two kicks off tonight at 8 p.m. ET at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway. The series will again be streamed on eNASCAR.com, as well as NASCAR Heat’s Twitch and Facebook.

“The eNASCAR Heat Pro League debut last year highlighted the significant opportunity for our esports platforms,” said Tim Clark, senior vice president and chief digital officer, NASCAR. “We’re excited about season two, and in the midst of this sport’s hiatus, we’re proud those platforms can help fill that void for our fans.”

RELATED: Complete eNASCAR coverage

The 2020 season features 14 races at tracks across the NASCAR circuit, including Eldora Speedway, Road America and Iowa Speedway, with gamers showcasing their skills in all three of NASCAR’s national series. The 14-race season is broken up into three four-race segments, with one driver per platform (Xbox One™ and PlayStation®4) capturing a spot in the Championship race as well as a shot at the $200,000 prize pool. In addition, a final wildcard event at the virtual Daytona International Speedway in July will allow for two more drivers to secure their Championship hopes.

“eNASCAR Heat Pro League competition helps create yet another opportunity for teams across NASCAR to engage with fans and grow their presence in the evolving esports space,” said Dmitry Kozko, CEO, Motorsport Games. “With an increased prize pool to $200,000 and a new schedule format, competitors and teams have more on the line this season, and the racing is sure to show it.”

The eNASCAR Heat Pro League will once again offer gamers the opportunity to race for one of 14 NASCAR teams, with all of last year’s teams returning. Prior to the virtual draft on April 8, organizations were required to clear at least one roster spot from last year. Chip Ganassi Gaming, GoFas Gaming and Joe Gibbs Gaming elected to start with fully clean slates. Teams had a pool of 48 gamers to choose from, with the draft order determined by inverse point standings from last season. Draft results and team rosters can be found here.

RELATED: Driver with a cause worth rooting for all season

The debut season of the eNASCAR Heat Pro League produced over one million live views of its race broadcasts and numerous live events throughout the year, including a live draft at Phoenix Raceway, an in-person race at Charlotte Motor Speedway and the Championship finale at NASCAR’s Arena 43 in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The eNASCAR Heat Pro League features 28 gamers from 14 teams, each owned and operated by prominent NASCAR race teams. Each team fields two drivers, one racing on Xbox One™ and the other on PlayStation®4, all competing for a shared championship. The eNASCAR Heat Pro League transitioned to NASCAR Heat 4, the latest game in the NASCAR Heat franchise, last September, prior to the 2019 playoffs.

For more information on the eNASCAR Heat Pro League and the 2020 season, please visit eNASCAR.com.

Regular Season Schedule
Segment 1 Race Date Track Series
1 April 22, 2020 Homestead-Miami Speedway NASCAR Cup Series
2 April 29, 2020 Watkins Glen International NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series
3 May 6, 2020 Dover International Speedway NASCAR Xfinity Series
4 May 13, 2020 New Hampshire Motor Speedway NASCAR Cup Series
Segment 2 1 May 20, 2020 Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series
2 May 27, 2020 Talladega Superspeedway NASCAR Cup Series
3 June 3, 2020 Iowa Speedway NASCAR Xfinity Series
4 June 10, 2020 Atlanta Motor Speedway NASCAR Cup Series
Segment 3 1 June 17, 2020 Eldora Speedway NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series
2 June 24, 2020 Auto Club Speedway NASCAR Cup Series
3 July 1, 2020 Road America NASCAR Xfinity Series
4 July 8, 2020 Las Vegas Motor Speedway NASCAR Cup Series
Wildcard July 15, 2020 Daytona International Speedway NASCAR Cup Series
Championship TBD TBD NASCAR Cup Series

 

Posted on by Staff Report

Where do you want to be on the last lap? Protecting the lead or setting up for a last-ditch pass for the win?

That’s always the big question at races with restrictor plates, like Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway, where the ability to suck up to the car in front of you and slingshot around often sets up for dramatic last-lap confrontations. It’s no different for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour when it visits New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Over the years, the ability for the Whelen Modified drivers to make multiple passes around the 1.053-mile oval earned near universal praise as one of the best races of the weekend – regardless of who else was running there. Throw in final lap heroics on a regular basis, and the tour race at the “Magic Mile” was a must-see event.

Which brings us to July of 2017 and the Eastern Propane and Oil 100.

RELATED: NASCAR Roots iRacing Series To Take Green Flag

When NASCAR Cup Series regular Ryan Newman made his foray into the tour, it didn’t take him long to get acclimated. Ryan Newman swept both New Hampshire Motor Speedway races in 2010, and won the Bristol Motor Speedway races in 2010 and 2011.

However, the South Bend, Indiania driver had his domination streak ended when he was stripped of his victory in the July 2011 F.W. Webb 100 and disqualified from the event for engine violations.

Since the DQ, Newman had six top fives in 12 starts, including a runner-up in September 2013.

In Newman’s absence from Victory Lane, Doug Coby won four times and Todd Szegedy three. Mike Stefanik had a pair of wins, while Ron Silk, Bobby Santos III, Woody Pitkat and Justin Bonsignore all have victories on the Whelen Modified Tour’s biggest stage.

RACING-REFERENCE: 2017 Whelen Modified Tour Results| Past Results at New Hampshire Motor Speedway

One of the names missing from that list, Timmy Solomito, arrived at New Hampshire primed to join the list.

The then 25-year-old from Islip, New York, had a breakout season in 2016, winning four times. He added three more wins in the first six races of 2017 and was coming off a win at his home track of Riverhead Raceway on Long Island.

The early season success gave Solomito a 13-point lead over Rowan Pennink, who had returned the Boehler Racing’s fabled ‘Ole Blue’ No. 3 to Victory Lane at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park earlier in the season. Eric Goodale was 29 points behind, followed by Justin Bonsignore (-38).

Doug Coby was still back in sixth, 54 points behind Solomito and trying to dig his way out of early season woes. Similarly, Ryan Preece was in eighth, 61 points back of the lead. Preece missed the race at Langley Speedway in Hampton, Virginia, when it was rained out and the rescheduled date conflicted with his wedding.

Setting the stage for Saturday’s Eastern Propane and Oil 100 was Friday’s 35-lap, non-points Whelen All-Star Shootout.

Newman took the point the competition caution on Lap 21, but Preece made the last-lap pass – the only lap he’d lead – to steal the win.

Preece was the fourth different winner of the all-start event, which began in 2014, and no driver had swept the weekend to date.

Posted on by Staff Report

Short-track tempers flared Sunday at virtual Richmond Raceway, but thankfully Ryan Preece and Matt DiBenedetto were — presumably — able to joke after the latest round of the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series.

RELATED: Byron repeats; race results

Preece won the pole and led the opening 59 laps of the Toyota Owners 150 presented by Toyota, but his No. 37 Chevrolet faded in the running order and made contact with Matt DiBenedetto’s No. 21 Ford in Turn 1. That prompted the race’s fourth caution period at Lap 99.

Their dispute over running room spilled over into further collisions later, with DiBenedetto taking the worst of it. DiBenedetto then lurked to make more contact before race officials opted to park him for the remainder of the event.

It was quite the turn for the 28-year-old DiBenedetto, who donned a giraffe costume for a light-hearted pre-race picture. Preece didn’t let him forget it after their mid-race joust.

DiBenedetto gave a more detailed account of his grievances in a post-race recap, delivered while still wearing his giraffe onesie.

Posted on by Staff Report

Check out the complete race results for the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series’ Toyota Owners 150 presented by Toyota at virtual Richmond Raceway.

Fin Str Car Driver Mfr Led Status
1 3 24 William Byron Chevrolet 94 Running
2 5 66 Timmy Hill Toyota 0 Running
3 10 77 Parker Kligerman Toyota 0 Running
4 2 89 Landon Cassill Chevrolet 0 Running
5 27 18 Kyle Busch Toyota 0 Running
6 13 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota 0 Running
7 24 20 Erik Jones Toyota 0 Running
8 4 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 0 Running
9 28 43 Bubba Wallace Chevrolet 0 Running
10 9 2 Brad Keselowski Ford 0 Running
11 23 9 Chase Elliott Chevrolet 1 Running
12 20 31 Tyler Reddick Chevrolet 0 Running
13 19 6 Ross Chastain Ford 0 Running
14 21 19 Bobby Labonte Toyota 0 Running
15 26 13 Ty Dillon Chevrolet 0 Running
16 12 38 John H. Nemechek Ford 0 Running
17 11 51 Garrett Smithley Chevrolet 0 Running
18 6 96 Daniel Suarez Toyota 0 Running
19 1 37 Ryan Preece Chevrolet 59 Running
20 16 1 Kurt Busch Chevrolet 0 Running
21 18 17 Chris Buescher Ford 0 Running
22 22 88 Alex Bowman Chevrolet 0 Running
23 15 12 Ryan Blaney Ford 0 Running
24 29 95 Christopher Bell Toyota 0 Disconnected
25 14 22 Joey Logano Ford 0 Running
26 25 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 0 Disconnected
27 8 21 Matt DiBenedetto Ford 0 Disqualified
28 7 3 Austin Dillon Chevrolet 0 Running
29 17 4 Kevin Harvick Ford 0 Running
30 30 14 Clint Bowyer Ford 0 Disconnected
Posted on by Holly Cain

William Byron became the first multi-time winner of the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series, holding off Timmy Hill by a mere .256 seconds in overtime at the virtual Richmond Raceway on Sunday afternoon. It was Byron’s second consecutive win in the series — answering a victory at iRacing’s virtual Bristol Motor Speedway two weeks ago just before the Easter off-week.

It certainly reaffirmed Byron’s position as the heralded master of the iRacing tournament among NASCAR Cup Series regulars. He has dominated in total laps led (319) in the four iRacing events in his No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet and was easily the class of the field in Sunday’s Toyota Owners 150 presented by Toyota, holding the point for 94 laps in the 154-lap race.

RELATED: Richmond race results

Parker Kligerman, Landon Cassill and reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch rounded out the Richmond top five. Denny Hamlin, who won the inaugural Pro Invitational Series event at Homestead, finished sixth followed by his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Erik Jones. Dale Earnhardt Jr., Bubba Wallace and Brad Keselowski rounded out the top 10 — the highest finish for both Keselowski and Wallace to date.

Despite several new entries this week, the Richmond race had the real competitive feel NASCAR fans have come to expect at the .75-mile oval.

And Byron, who partly got his competitive start in iRacing years ago, again put on a master class – holding off a group of competitors with fresher tires on a final race restart with three laps to go.

“I didn’t really know how that was going to work out, but luckily we were able to have a little bit of buffer to the guys with four tires, and then the late restart, just executed that well,’’ Byron said. “It was fun. Really enjoyed it. To go back‑to‑back is really cool. Having fun with it while we’re kind of in a hiatus here, but looking forward to getting back to real racing soon, too.’’

Matt DiBenedetto was parked late in the race after iRacing officials disapproved of avoidable contact he made – crashing Ryan Preece in the waning laps. It was a tough ending to a promising day for Preece, who won the pole position in qualifying and held a virtual “meet and greet” with his sponsors and fans before the green flag. He was the only other driver to lead multiple laps – his No. 37 JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet pacing the field for 59 laps, second only to the race winner.

MORE: Preece, DiBenedetto spar at virtual Richmond

One of the day’s most impressive runs came from Team Penske’s Brad Keselowski, who kept his No. 2 Ford among the top 10 for much of the race before a pit road miscue forced him to play catch-up again in the final laps. It was only Keselowski’s 34th iRacing start compared to Byron, for example, who has more than a thousand.

Top-10 finishers such as Kyle Busch, who finished fifth after starting 27th along with Jones (who started 24th) and Wallace (who started 28th) had to feel a strong sense of accomplishment on the afternoon.

Ultimately, strategy played a decisive hand in the dramatic final stretch to the checkered. A caution period with four laps remaining in regulation created an urgency for Byron. He had to hold off Hill – whose No. 66 Toyota was on fresher tires – in those frantic overtime laps.

And Byron and Hill have a virtual “history.” Byron was leading at Texas Motor Speedway when Hill moved him on a late-race restart to snatch the victory. On Sunday, it was just a clean fair sprint to the checkered.

“He raced me really clean; I was really thankful for that,’’ Byron said. “We’ve had some good races, honestly. Texas, obviously I was frustrated with Texas, but if I would have been in his position, I probably would have done the same thing, looking back on it.

“I think he’s done a really good job showing how consistent he is. I feel like he’s got good race craft, and I enjoy racing with him. I know what to expect when I race with him, that he is going to use the bumper, so I just have to race him back that way, and I think we both understand that. Fortunately I had just enough speed to kind of keep my gap there and win that race.”

Hill, the only driver with top-three finishes in all four eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series races, tweeted after the race that he was pleased with the effort, and like so many, already eagerly looking forward to the Talladega Superspeedway virtual high banks, where the series races next Sunday.

“Just came up a little bit short there at the end,’’ Hill said on Twitter. “Congratulations to @WilliamByron on the win! Looking forward to a bunch of fun at Talladega next week.’’

The fourth race in the online series was a fixed-setup event with no rapid-repair car resets allotted.

Contributing: Staff reports