Posted on by Staff Report

It all comes down to this.

Tonight, we will crown the first-ever eNASCAR Heat Pro League champion live from Arena 43 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Points have been reset for the Championship 4 teams and all focus turns to these two final races – one on the PlayStation platform and one on Xbox. The team with the most combined points at the end of the night will walk away with the inaugural eNASCAR Heat Pro League championship title.

Let’s meet the four teams who will compete for the inaugural championship and preview their chances at glory.

MORE: Full eNASCAR coverage

Team Penske Esports: Corey Rothgeb (PlayStation 4) and Brian Tedeschi (Xbox One)

A mainstay at the top of the championship standings, Team Penske Esports has not faced a true do-or-die situation throughout the entire season. Since the team’s overall victory at the season opener in Charlotte, Roger Penske’s gaming squad has set its Ford Mustangs on cruise control.

However, with the points reset, the team now is on equal footing with the three other contending teams and will need to outrun the competition straight up to lock down the title. Corey Rothgeb is coming off two straight top-five efforts and will need to continue surging late in the season to position Penske well heading into the Xbox race. From there, it’s on teammate Brian Tedeschi to seal the deal.

JR Motorsports: Jason Keffer (PlayStation 4) and Tyler Dohar (Xbox One)

No team is hotter than JR Motorsports right now. Despite facing elimination several times, drivers Jason Keffer and Tyler Dohar have risen to the occasion and secured a spot in the Championship 4.

While they only have one individual race victory in 2019, Keffer and Dohar have put up strong stats in nearly every other category. The No. 88 of Dohar carries a league best average finish of 3.7, with seven finishes of third or better. There’s no doubt he’ll be a favorite in the Xbox race, but how much pressure will he face? Keffer cannot falter in the opening PlayStation race if they plan on bringing home a championship.

RELATED: Full series standings

Stewart-Haas Gaming: SHG_HotRod_14p (PlayStation 4) and SHG Slick 14x (Xbox One)

Stewart-Haas Gaming drivers have collected six wins on the season — three more than any other team in the league. When they’re firing on all cylinders, they’re close to unbeatable. The masked duo of HotRod and Slick could easily dominate both races and run away with the championship tonight.

The only problem? They’re massively inconsistent – it’s been a tale of two seasons. Look no further than the latest race at Homestead, where Slick captured the win in his Xbox race but saw teammate HotRod fade to 11th-place effort in the PlayStation feature.

With all teams equal on 4,000 points, there’s no more room for error. Both drivers need to find success at the virtual ISM Raceway or there’s little chance of hoisting the hardware.

Leavine Family Gaming: Josh Harbin (PlayStation 4) and Nick Vroman (Xbox One)

Leavine Family Gaming is playing with house money after a walk-off win at Homestead propelled them to the eNASCAR Heat Pro League finale. Pressure doesn’t seem to bother Josh Harbin, who rocketed to his second win of the Playoffs. Expect Tuscaloosa’s own to be a serious contender in tonight’s PlayStation race.

The question marks come when you glance over to Nick Vroman’s results on the Xbox side. Despite entering the season as an early favorite, Vroman remains winless and carries an average finish of 8.2 on the season. However, there’s no better way to silence the critics than to surge in the finale and claim the championship for Leavine Family Gaming.

RELATED: More on live event

—

Coverage of the eNASCAR Heat Pro League finale begins tonight at 7:30 pm ET on eNASCAR.com, facebook.com/NASCAR and twitch.tv/704NASCARHeat.

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR competition officials handed down penalties to Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 20 group Tuesday, docking the team for a lug-nut infraction after last weekend’s race at Kansas Speedway.

At-track officials discovered one lug nut not safely secured on the No. 20 Toyota after Erik Jones finished seventh in Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 at the 1.5-mile track. Tuesday, officials fined No. 20 crew chief Chris Gayle $10,000 for the safety violation.

RELATED: Official Kansas results

Posted on by Steve Luvender

Tonight: eNASCAR Heat Pro League Championship Race

A season’s worth of efforts will culminate in the crowning of a champion tonight when the world’s fastest gamers take to the virtual ISM Raceway for the winner-take-all eNASCAR Heat Pro League finale (7:30 p.m. ET, eNASCAR.com).

Who’s in contention

The inaugural eNASCAR Heat Pro League Championship 4 consists of four finalist teams that bested the competition throughout a rigorous and competitive season.

• Team Penske Esports
Corey Rothgeb (PlayStation 4)
Brian Tedeschi (Xbox One)

• JR Motorsports
Jason Keffer (PlayStation 4)
Tyler Dohar (Xbox One)

• Stewart-Haas Gaming
SHG_HotRod_14p (PlayStation 4)
SHG Slick 14x (Xbox One)

• Leavine Family Gaming
Josh Harbin (PlayStation 4)
Nick Vroman (Xbox One)

How they got here

ISM Raceway — the real race track in Arizona — marked the beginning of the eNASCAR Heat Pro League, where a preseason draft was held for team driver selection back in March. Now, the virtual ISM Raceway determines which team earns the crown.

The 14 teams of the Heat Pro League started their season at Charlotte Motor Speedway in a live event in May. Throughout the summer months, drivers battled it out to make the playoffs — and then survived a three-race series of eliminations at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Kansas Speedway and Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Now, with just four teams remaining in contention, the winning team with the highest combined point total at the ISM Raceway finale will take home the title of inaugural eNASCAR Heat Pro League champion.

Race format

There are two races for two consoles: NASCAR Heat 4 for PlayStation 4 first, then Xbox One following.

• ISM Raceway (1-mile oval)
• 70 laps
• No stage breaks
• No competition cautions
• Custom setups
• 4x wear
• Full damage

On PlayStation 4, SHG Slick 14x of Stewart Haas Gaming will start pole position, while Team Penske Esports racer Pennzoil2 (Brian Tedeschi) rolls off first on Xbox One.

Each of the 14 teams — four of which remain in championship contention — fields two drivers, one for each console. Points are scored by combined team total following the end of both races.

All 28 players are racing live in Arena 43 at NASCAR Plaza in Charlotte, North Carolina. The race will stream live on eNASCAR.com (this fine website), NASCAR Heat’s Facebook page and at 704nascarheat on Twitch.

Oh, and stay for the prizes, too. NASCAR Heat is giving away Playseat chairs, a NASCAR Racing experience, NASCAR Heat 4 Gold Edition games and a $100 NASCAR store gift card.

Another Day at the Office

Newly crowned eNASCAR PEAK Antifreeze iRacing Series champ Zack Novak visited iRacing headquarters as part of his victory lap. According to iRacing’s tweet, Zack also tried out some new content, so we fully expect Dale Earnhardt Jr. to ask him how North Wilkesboro is coming along.

Novak also stopped by Reddit for an AMA.

Sunoco’s eWorld vs. Real World Challenge

What happens when Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series star Bubba Wallace faces off against eNASCAR PEAK Antifreeze iRacing Series drivers Malik Ray and Jimmy Mullis?

Read more

What’s that track?

What’s this graffiti-laden track? iRacing asked Twitter for wrong answers, and Twitter certainly delivered.


NASCAR Heat 4 October DLC Available

Do you like throwback paint schemes? Thought so. We do, too. NASCAR Heat 4’s October content pack is now available with a whole bunch of new additions, included with a season pass, or $12.99 for a one-time purchase.

 

iRacing Pro Series Begins

The final step in the ladder to the eNASCAR PEAK Antifreeze iRacing Series begins tonight in a seven-race series that will promote 20 drivers to the 2020 class of iRacing’s highest level of oval racing.

While the top 20 points finishers in the 2019 PEAK iRacing Series are guaranteed a seat in the 2020 field, the bottom 20 must compete against 20 up-and-coming drivers. The top half after the seven-race Pro Series gets promoted, and the bottom half — well, they don’t.

Four-time PEAK iRacing Series champ Ray Alfalla, who missed last year’s cutoff by just two points, will compete in the Pro Series for the first time in nine years.

 

iRacing Paint Scheme of the Week

Feeling spooky? Brantley Roden painted Kyle Busch’s M&M’s Halloween Toyota for iRacing.

eNASCAR paint scheme


Video of the Week

If you haven’t been keeping up with Rajah Caruth’s “Types of iRacers” series, you’re missing out.

Part 2:

Part 3: 

Posted on by
No. Driver Sponsor Make Organization
00 Landon Cassill Sea Deck / Units Chevrolet StarCom Racing
1 Kurt Busch Global Poker Chevrolet Chip Ganassi Racing
2 Brad Keselowski Alliance Truck Parts Ford Team Penske
3 Austin Dillon American Ethanol Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
4 Kevin Harvick Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford Stewart-Haas Racing
6 Ryan Newman Blue Bird Ford Roush Fenway Racing
8 Daniel Hemric Chevrolet Accessories Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
9 Chase Elliott Mountain Dew Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
10 Aric Almirola Smithfield Ford Stewart-Haas Racing
11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Freight Toyota Joe Gibbs Racing
12 Ryan Blaney Menards / Richmond Ford Team Penske
13 Ty Dillon GEICO Chevrolet Germain Racing
14 Clint Bowyer BlueDEF Ford Stewart-Haas Racing
15 Ross Chastain TBA Chevrolet Premium Motorsports
17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Fifth Third Bank Ford Roush Fenway Racing
18 Kyle Busch M&M’s Halloween Toyota Joe Gibbs Racing
19 Martin Truex Jr. Auto Owners Insurance Toyota Joe Gibbs Racing
20 Erik Jones DeWalt Toyota Joe Gibbs Racing
21 Paul Menard Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford Wood Brothers Racing
22 Joey Logano Shell Pennzoil Ford Team Penske
24 William Byron Liberty University Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
27 Reed Sorenson VIPRacingExperience.com Chevrolet Premium Motorsports
32 Corey LaJoie CorvetteParts.net Ford Go Fas Racing
34 Michael McDowell A&W All American Foods Ford Front Row Motorsports
36 Matt Tifft Surface Sunscreen / Tunity Ford Front Row Motorsports
37 Chris Buescher Clorox Chevrolet JTG Daugherty Racing
38 David Ragan MDS Transport Ford Front Row Motorsports
41 Daniel Suarez Haas Automation Ford Stewart-Haas Racing
42 Kyle Larson Clover Chevrolet Chip Ganassi Racing
43 Bubba Wallace Victory Junction Chevrolet Richard Petty Motorsports
47 Ryan Preece Kroger Chevrolet JTG Daugherty Racing
48 Jimmie Johnson Ally Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
51 BJ McLeod Jacob Companies Chevrolet Petty Ware Racing
52 Garrett Smithley Rich Mar Florist Chevrolet Rick Ware Racing
53 JJ Yeley Gotta Kill It To Heal It Chevrolet Rick Ware Racing
77 Timmy Hill TBD Chevrolet Spire Motorsports
88 Alex Bowman LLumar Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
95 Matt DiBenedetto Toyota Express Maintenance Toyota Leavine Family Racing
Posted on by Official NASCAR Release

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — NASCAR, Race Team Alliance and 704Games announced today a live event that will crown the inaugural champion of the eNASCAR Heat Pro League™. For the first time ever, NASCAR teams and their gamers will gather in Arena 43 at NASCAR Plaza to witness the historic competition featuring two races, one Playstation 4 and one Xbox One, that will determine the inaugural eNASCAR Heat Pro League champion.

Starting at 7:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, October 23, fans can tune in to eNASCAR.com, Twitch via 704Games and Facebook for the live coverage of the eNASCAR Heat Pro League Championship from the virtual ISM Raceway.

“The combined effort of the entire NASCAR industry, as well as the enthusiasm around the eNASCAR Heat Pro League, has made for a remarkable first season,” said Tim Clark, senior vice president and chief digital officer, NASCAR. “The live finale will continue to showcase the action-packed racing fans have come to expect from this series.”

RELATED: MORE eNASCAR coverage

The full-field of eNASCAR Heat Pro League gamers will travel to Charlotte, North Carolina, for the live season finale. Competitors will face off live in two feature events, the first on PlayStation 4 followed by an Xbox One race. The Championship 4 team with the most combined points at the end of the night will walk away with the first-ever eNASCAR Heat Pro League championship title.

The Championship 4 teams were set following a pair of races at the virtual Kansas Speedway and include:

  • Team Penske Esports: Corey Rothgeb (PlayStation 4) and Brian Tedeschi (Xbox One)
  • JR Motorsports: Jason Keffer (PlayStation 4) and Tyler Dohar (Xbox One)
  • Stewart-Haas Gaming: SHG_HotRod_14p (PlayStation 4) and SHG Slick 14x (Xbox One)
  • Leavine Family Gaming: Josh Harbin (PlayStation 4) and Nick Vroman (Xbox One)

“As we approach the final lap of the eNASCAR Heat Pro League’s first season, I’m most excited about the league’s electricity and how swiftly it developed,” said Colin Smith, President of 704Games. “Our drivers have proven to not only be talented racers, but also charismatic members of the NASCAR community. 704Games, NASCAR and the RTA are thrilled with our league’s trajectory into next season and, like our fans, are eagerly awaiting to see which team takes the championship.”

The eNASCAR Heat Pro League, a collaboration between NASCAR, RTA and 704Games, is NASCAR’s first-ever esports league on consoles. In its first year, the league featured 14 teams and 28 gamers, each owned and operated by prominent NASCAR race teams. Each team fielded two drivers, one competing on Xbox One and the other on PlayStation 4, all competing for the shared championship. The eNASCAR Heat Pro League transitioned to NASCAR Heat 4, the latest game in the NASCAR Heat franchise, in September, prior to the playoffs.

Posted on by Data Skrive

Cole Custer finished 11th in the Kansas Lottery 300 at Kansas Speedway, adding 45 points to his season total.

Custer now sits at No. 2 in the NASCAR Xfinity Series playoff standings with 3095 points.

Brandon Jones brought home the win in the race, with Tyler Reddick finishing second, and Chase Briscoe crossing the finish line third. Michael Annett brought home fourth place, followed by Justin Allgaier in the No. 5 spot.

Christopher Bell came away victorious in Stage 1, and Custer finished out front in Stage 2.

Custer qualified in fifth position at 179.307 mph. He led on five occasions for a total of 85 laps. The fourth-year driver has piled up nine career victories, 37 top-five finishes and has placed in the top 10 in 68 races.

Custer battled 37 other cars in the field and the race endured eight cautions and 41 caution laps. There were 12 lead changes before the checkered flag.

Toyota added 40 points to its season totals with Jones’s victory. Overall, Chevrolet ranks No. 1 with 1076 points, followed by Ford in the No. 2 spot with 1062. Toyota sits at No. 3 with 1056 points on the season.

Cole Custer Driver Page | Get Cole Custer Gear | Race Center

Posted on by Data Skrive

Ryan Sieg finished ninth in the Kansas Lottery 300 at Kansas Speedway, adding 28 points to his season total.

Sieg now sits at No. 12 in the NASCAR Xfinity Series standings with 2095 points.

Brandon Jones came away with the victory in the race, with Tyler Reddick finishing second, and Chase Briscoe placing third. Michael Annett brought home fourth place, followed by Justin Allgaier in the No. 5 spot.

Christopher Bell came away victorious in Stage 1, and Cole Custer took Stage 2.

Sieg qualified in 13th position at 176.453 mph. He still is looking for career victory No. 1, but owns five top-five finishes and 20 finishes in the top 10.

There were 38 cars in the field, and the race endured eight cautions and 41 caution laps. Prior to the checkered flag there were 12 lead changes.

Toyota added 40 points to its season totals with Jones’s victory. Overall, Chevrolet ranks No. 1 with 1076 points, followed by Ford in the No. 2 spot with 1062. Toyota sits at No. 3 with 1056 points on the season.

Ryan Sieg Driver Page | Race Center

Posted on by Data Skrive

Jeremy Clements placed sixth in the Kansas Lottery 300 at Kansas Speedway, adding 31 points to his season total. Clements now sits at 647 points on the season.

Brandon Jones came away with the victory in the race, with Tyler Reddick finishing second, and Chase Briscoe crossing the finish line third. Michael Annett brought home fourth place, followed by Justin Allgaier in the No. 5 spot.

Christopher Bell came away victorious in Stage 1, and Cole Custer won Stage 2.

Clements qualified in sixth position at 178.843 mph. The 14th-year driver has collected one career victory, three top-five finishes and has placed in the top 10 in 19 races.

There were 38 cars in the field, and the race endured eight cautions and 41 caution laps. There were 12 lead changes.

Toyota added 40 points to its season totals with Jones’s victory. Overall, Chevrolet ranks No. 1 with 1076 points, followed by Ford in the No. 2 spot with 1062. Toyota sits at No. 3 with 1056 points on the season.

Jeremy Clements Driver Page | Race Center

Posted on by Data Skrive

Chase Briscoe finished third in the Kansas Lottery 300 at Kansas Speedway, adding 44 points to his season total.

Briscoe now sits at No. 5 in the NASCAR Xfinity Series standings with 3057 points. He’s collected 12 top-five finishes in 2019.

Brandon Jones finished out front in the race, with Tyler Reddick taking second. Michael Annett brought home fourth place, followed by Justin Allgaier in the No. 5 spot.

Christopher Bell came away victorious in Stage 1, and Cole Custer finished out front in Stage 2.

Briscoe qualified in 11th position at 177.655 mph. He led on two occasions for a total of 33 laps. The second-year driver has tallied two career victories, 13 top-five finishes and has placed in the top 10 in 28 races.

Briscoe battled 37 other cars in the field and the race saw eight cautions and 41 caution laps. There were 12 lead changes before the checkered flag.

Toyota added 40 points to its season total with Jones’s victory. Overall, Chevrolet ranks No. 1 with 1076 points, followed by Ford in the No. 2 spot with 1062. Toyota sits at No. 3 with 1056 points on the season.

Chase Briscoe Driver Page | Get Chase Briscoe Gear | Race Center

Posted on by Data Skrive

Tyler Reddick finished second in the Kansas Lottery 300 at Kansas Speedway, adding 50 points to his season total.

Reddick now sits at No. 3 in the NASCAR Xfinity Series standings with 3094 points. He’s collected 22 top-five finishes in 2019.

After the race, Reddick and Cole Custer got into a scuffle after an on-track incident cost them both the victory.

Brandon Jones earned the checkered flag in the race, with Chase Briscoe placing third. Michael Annett brought home fourth place, followed by Justin Allgaier in the No. 5 spot.

Christopher Bell came away victorious in Stage 1, and Custer took Stage 2.

Reddick qualified in fourth position at 179.313 mph. The third-year driver has collected eight career victories, 33 top-five finishes and has placed in the top 10 in 51 races.

There were 38 cars in the field, and the race endured eight cautions and 41 caution laps. There were 12 lead changes.

Toyota added 40 points to its season total with Jones’s victory. Overall, Chevrolet ranks No. 1 with 1076 points, followed by Ford in the No. 2 spot with 1062. Toyota sits at No. 3 with 1056 points on the season.

Tyler Reddick Driver Page | Get Tyler Reddick Gear | Race Center