Posted on by Steve Luvender

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.

Each of them likely fared better than Landon Cassill’s first attempt.

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.

Kaz Grala and Xfinity Series Charlotte road course winner Chase Briscoe spent a little extracurricular time in the virtual racing world, too.

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

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.

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.

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

 

Posted on by Steve Luvender

Zack Novak claimed the inaugural eNASCAR Ignite Series championship Thursday night, beating Ireland’s Dave Walsh for a $10,000 racing scholarship, one-on-one time with Max Papis and a heap of other prizes.

The series, designed to showcase up-and-coming talent in a virtual setting, featured 13- to 16-year old drivers from around the globe racing on short tracks using iRacing’s legends cars — not much unlike the cars used at local short tracks to groom young talent for a future in stock car racing.

Here’s what we learned after the first season.

Zack Novak is really good.

Not only did Zack Novak put on an absolutely clutch performance to win the eNASCAR Ignite Series, he also is a NASCAR PEAK Antifreeze iRacing Series driver — and winner. In his rookie season, the driver from Connecticut won at Chicagoland Speedway, and he’s already picked up three runner-up finishes in 2018.

Zack Novak has proven at a young age he can get it done in the smaller, slower, lightweight eNASCAR Ignite Series legends cars, as well as the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series-replica cars of the PEAK Series.

People are watching.

The inaugural eNASCAR Ignite Series drew plenty of attention.

Between social coverage and live viewership, racing fans followed the progression of the series from its launch in June. The finale broadcast stream drew over 100,000 views.

The right people are paying attention.

There are eyes on the eNASCAR Ignite Series — and the right eyes, too.

NASCAR race director Jusan Hamilton tweeted his congratulations to the champ after stopping by the pre-race broadcast earlier in the evening.

iRacing’s Executive Vice President Steve Myers offered his congratulations, too.

There’s talent here.

In addition to highlighting Zack Novak’s skill, the eNASCAR Ignite Series made names for other up-and-comers.

Ireland’s Dave Walsh demonstrated maturity beyond his years in his post-race interview after coming up just short of the title.

Garrett Lowe of North Carolina led the entire playoff-opening race and looked like a favorite to contend.

Briar LaPradd made a name for himself throughout the season.

And that’s just a short list to start — a three-month season put the spotlight on a whole new crop of drivers.

Watch the eNASCAR Ignite Series finale broadcast from Martinsville:

Posted on by Staff Report

After a night of sleep — how much, we’re not sure — following a bummer of an ending at Charlotte, Jimmie Johnson says if he could do Sunday’s last lap over again, there’s just one thing he’d do differently.

MORE: Watch Johnson, Truex Jr. crash on final lap

Johnson was hounding Martin Truex Jr. on the last lap of Sunday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at the Charlotte road course. Seven-Time went for the slam dunk rather than the layup in the final opportunity to pass, and spun his car sideways trying to get by the No. 78 Toyota. The move also knocked Truex Jr.’s car around, allowing Ryan Blaney to steal the victory and ultimately eliminating Jimmie Johnson from the NASCAR Playoffs by virtue of a tiebreaker.

The change? Braking slightly different heading into the brake zone. That move, Johnson tweeted, would have put his car even with the No. 78 at the start/finish line.

So even though Johnson’s misfire Sunday dropped him to eighth place and out of the postseason, if given the option again, he’d still go for the win — just with a different tactic.

Posted on by Jessica Ruffin

CONCORD, N.C. — Kyle Larson’s bruised No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet sat on pit road looking more ready for a junkyard than any sort of celebration after Sunday’s Bank of America Roval 400 at the Charlotte road course.

But the 26-year-old driver shared a smile after limping to a 25th-place finish; he had made it into the Round of 12 in the NASCAR Playoffs.

Thanks to Jeffrey Earnhardt’s stalled No. 96 Toyota.

“I could still see (Earnhardt) was stalled, so I come off the wall and I go through some gears and the whole time I’m going, ‘Just please don’t go, please don’t go, please don’t move,’ ” Larson said on pit road. “Made it through there and it kind of looked like he was starting to get rolling and I hit the wall again because I had a blown right-front and I was just able to get in line.

“So, it was pretty stressful the last 30 seconds of that race.”

Larson was one of several drivers collected in a wreck triggered by Brad Keselowski in Turn 1 that brought out the red flag with six laps to go. Once the red flag was lifted, Larson brought his mangled No. 42 Chevrolet down pit road for repairs twice under caution.

WATCH: Massive pile-up collects several drivers

The repairs helped, but the car was still heavily damaged.

“I think our pit crew did an incredible job getting the car back together,” team co-owner Felix Sabates told a small group of reporters on pit road. “When he came on pit road, that car was a piece of junk. He went out because he had to make the speed and the camber was so far out the right-front tire was going to fall out of the car. So, we brought him back in and did with a hammer, put some nuts and bolts in there and he was able to finish the race.

“It’s a miracle.”

As Larson fought to maintain as many positions possible in the waning laps, he was also monitoring his fellow playoff drivers on the bubble.

“I was watching the board and I could see the big screen,” Larson said. “I could see the 9 (Chase Elliott) fell back and the 88 (Alex Bowman) passed him and I knew the 88 needed every point he could get at that point before they all crashed. I had kinda given up and then they said they all started crashing, so then I just started running hard just trying to get what I could. …

“You just gotta pray that something, I mean you hate to pray that something bad would happen to anybody, but kinda what you’re hoping for to keep your playoff hopes alive,” he continued with a chuckle. “Just cross my fingers and hope something crazy happens.”

It did; on the final lap coming to the checkered flag, leader Martin Truex Jr. and second-place Jimmie Johnson collided racing for the win, leaving Ryan Blaney to nab the victory in the final dash to the start-finish line. As the rest of the field raced to the finish behind the leaders, Daniel Hemric’s No. 8 clipped Earnhardt in the corner, causing the No. 96 to spin out and stall on the track.

Larson had already hit the wall once and blown a right-front tire. But there, he saw his chance and – though he hit the wall again doing so – pushed to pass the No. 96 and gain that precious playoff point that tied him for the final spot with Johnson and Aric Almirola. With Almirola and Larson earning a better finish at one of the races in the Round of 12 than Johnson, the No. 48 was out while the Nos. 10 and 42 were to the good.

RELATED: Playoff standings | Who’s in, who’s out

For Larson, admittance into the next round is a chance for redemption; after a strong 2017 season, he was eliminated in shocking fashion at Kansas Speedway on Oct. 22 after a blown engine took him out of the race early.

He was the victim of misfortune that day. But Sunday, he had luck on his side.

“Maybe just a little good karma from the issues I’ve had the last couple years,” he said. “… This is damn good luck, so hopefully we can keep some good luck going.”

Sabates wouldn’t mind a little luck – or at least, little less nail-biting, heart-racing moments.

“If we don’t win (the championship) this year, you’re not going to see me at the race track next year,” he said with a slight chuckle. “ … My heart can’t stand it, I’m too old for this stuff.”

Posted on by Zack Albert

CONCORD, N.C. — Charlotte Motor Speedway has been a relative constant in the stock-car racing world, a bedrock facility that’s stood as a NASCAR centerpiece for six decades. Few events here have introduced too many variables to what’s been the standard for speedways across the country.

Sunday was different. A lot different. The Charlotte Motor Speedway name above the main gate remained the same, but the NASCAR industry went headlong into largely unknown waters in the inaugural Bank of America Roval 400. The pre-race question of “What will happen?” hasn’t been asked with such urgency since two keystone events here: the first-ever 600-mile race in 1960 and the 1992 NASCAR All-Star Race, the first event under the lights on a track of its size.

RELATED: Full results | Postseason standings | Memorable firsts

What did happen Sunday was the late-race bedlam most predicted, but at an amplitude that still left the crowd abuzz. The race’s known ingredients before Sunday were part oval, part road course, part uncertainty. After 109 laps and a slam-bang last-lap-last-corner eruption, the recipe added a heaping spoonful of last-lap Mosport, a carnage-filled garage that resembled post-race Martinsville and a post-checkers retaliation that took a page from Bowman Gray Stadium.

“God almighty. You knew it was going to be something,” said Clint Bowyer, who skated through the chaos to finish third and advance in the playoff picture by a whisker. “I think it was a little bit of everything.”

It was. The 2.28-mile layout and the chance to win a first-time running brought out a competitive fire in seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson, who gambled with a chance at an eighth title on the table and lost. Johnson’s spirited daylong drive into contention immolated on the final chicane with a banzai bolt that defied physics and rational thought, collecting then-race leader Martin Truex Jr. in the process.

“Shell-shocked, for sure,” Johnson said. “Wish I could go back in time and let off the brakes back there a little bit and not take that opportunity because the championship is what we’re here for.”

RELATED: Spin on final lap sends Johnson out of playoffs 

The new circuit brought out an adrenalin-filled brushback pitch from the normally mild-mannered Truex, who rammed Johnson’s No. 48 Chevrolet on the cool-down lap. Johnson’s self-erasure from the postseason came as consolation to Truex, who offered a “what gives?” shrug in Johnson’s direction after parking on pit road.

Does Roval autocorrect to Rival? Surely, it does.

The elimination race brought out the claws from the typically measured Kyle Larson and Aric Almirola, who moved on to the Round of 12 by squeezing every drop out of severely battered cars more suited to the post-race scrap heap.

RELATED: Clutch pass saves Larson from elimination 

Both had tales to tell — Almirola of how he survived a mid-race crash, a penalty and a late-race crash to advance on a tiebreaker; and Larson urging an already damaged racer to the finish, slamming the wall twice on the last lap and escaping on the same tiebreak by gaining the critical position within yards of the checkered flag. Almirola, nervous all weekend, had told his crew chief that he just needed a one-point buffer to move on. “It turns out plus-zero is good enough,” he said.

At the end, there was a mild surprise in Victory Lane in Ryan Blaney, who hadn’t sniffed a top-five finish on a road course in his young Monster Energy Series career. Blaney, running third on the white-flag lap, didn’t expect it himself, only thinking, “Oh, something might happen here,” as he lurked behind the Truex-Johnson fracas.

Something did, creating a last-lap roar that left Marcus Smith, the track’s general manager, beaming in the aftermath. This event was his brainchild, stemming from the seemingly crazy idea that he floated to NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer Steve O’Donnell on a lark.

O’Donnell said he spoke briefly with Smith after the race to offer his congratulations. Fittingly, both were in Victory Lane.

RELATED: Blaney wins in thrilling finish | Smith: Roval ‘lived up to the hype’

Here’s hoping the one-race experiment becomes a fixture on the NASCAR calendar, but that the temporary frenzy of Roval-mania doesn’t lead to a full-fledged schedule overhaul. Fans might go all-in on the prospects for an encore elsewhere, but it’s hard to say if the drivers’ heartstrings could withstand it more than once a year.

“Now it’s time to think about a cold beer because, my God, I want one,” Bowyer said.

Cheers, Roval. The next round is on us.

Posted on by Staff Report

Everyone catch their breath yet? No? Us either.

The first-ever race on Charlotte Motor Speedway’s road course — the Roval — brought everything we imagined and so much more, culminating in Ryan Blaney’s first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win of the year in an instant-classic finish.

RELATED: Race results | Blaney wins in thrilling finish | Truex spins Johnson on cool-down lap

The reviews from drivers new and old poured in almost immediately, with broadcaster Dale Earnhardt Jr., who had a front-row seat, perfectly encapsulating what we just saw.

Bonkers, indeed. Here’s what else was said:

 

Posted on by Staff Report

Seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson had playoff advancement seemingly in the bag until he spun chasing down Martin Truex Jr. in the final corner on the final lap of Sunday’s Bank of America Roval 400 at the Charlotte road course.

Johnson was racing hard for the win, which would have been his first of the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season. A safe second-place finish would have advanced him from the NASCAR Playoffs opening round and into the Round of 12 that starts next week at Dover International Speedway.

RELATED: Race results | Blaney sneaks by for Charlotte victory

The spin not only ended up knocking Johnson down to an eighth-place finish, but it also spun Truex, who was set to cross the start/finish line first.

“Took myself out of a shot at the championship and obviously affected their day, which I feel bad about,” Johnson said with a sigh. “I wish I wouldn’t have been so focused on a race win and I could have transferred and kept my championship hopes alive, but we had such a good car and just one of those split-second decisions to race for the win instead of for the points and it bit me.”

Truex, who finished 14th, found Johnson on the cool-down lap and gave the No. 48 a firm tap with the No. 78 to show his displeasure.

“He (Jimmie Johnson) wasn’t ever going to make it through that corner whether I was there or not,” Truex said. “Just desperation on his part and pretty stupid really if you think about it because he was locked into the next round and now he’s out. I guess if there’s a silver lining, that’s it.”

WATCH: Truex spins Johnson on cool-down lap

Johnson ended the race in a three-way tie for 11th place in the standings with Kyle Larson and Aric Almirola, and the latter two held the tiebreakers and advanced.

Posted on by Reid Spencer

CONCORD, N.C. – In a race that was as wild as advertised in the closing laps, Ryan Blaney sped past crashing Jimmie Johnson and Martin Truex Jr. in the final corner to win Sunday’s inaugural Bank of America Roval 400 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course.

With his first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory of the season and the second of his career, Blaney advanced to Round of 12 in the NASCAR Playoffs.

RELATED: Full results | Stage 1 results | Stage 2 results 
SHOP: Blaney gear

Johnson wasn’t as lucky. The seven-time series champion was pressuring Truex on the final lap and powered his No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 to the inside of Truex’s No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota Camry off the banking of Turn 15 coming into the frontstretch chicane.

Johnson spun and collected Truex as he slid across the asphalt between Turns 16 and 17, knocking Truex’s Toyota toward the outside wall in the tri-oval. Blaney drove his No. 12 Team Penske Ford Fusion between the two wrecked cars and crossed the finish line .792 seconds ahead of runner-up Jamie McMurray. 

Because he had blown the chicane, Johnson stopped on the frontstretch as mandated by NASCAR before continuing across the finish line. He finished eighth and ended the event tied for 11th in the playoff standings with Aric Almirola and Kyle Larson, who completed the final lap in a car that had been all but destroyed in a Turn 1 wreck after a restart on Lap 104 of 109. 

MORE: Kes wrecks, takes Larson with him | Dillon wrecks out, ends playoff hopes

Almirola and Larson got the final two berths into the Round of 12 on a tiebreaker based on the best finish in the current round. Larson was second at Las Vegas, and Almirola took fifth place at Richmond. Johnson’s best result was the eighth at Charlotte, leaving him on the outside with Austin Dillon, Denny Hamlin and Erik Jones, who also were eliminated from the Monster Energy Series Playoffs in Sunday’s cutoff race. 

RELATED: Playoff standings

“Tough weekend, just kind of avoided some stuff,” Blaney said after he climbed from his car. “You hate to see two guys get into it there and take out two of the best cars all day. But that’s racing sometimes.

“We were just at the right spot at the right time. It’s cool to be in Victory Lane and move on to the next round.”

Truex, who led into the final chicane, was understandably disappointed with his 14th-place result.

“Last corner, desperation behind us, that’s what you get,” said Truex, a four-time winner this season. “I gave him (Johnson) the inside lane, and he had the run through (NASCAR Turn 4), and I was real tight down there. I let him have the inside going down inside coming out of 4 there to the chicane.

“He just over-drove it and was never going to make it and he used me as brakes and turned us both around. It sucks. We could have raced side-by-side off the last corner for a win, and that would have been cool. The fans would have been digging it, but instead we finished 14th and he’s locked out of the playoffs. I guess that’s what he gets.”

Joining Blaney, Larson and Almirola in Round of 12 of the Playoffs are Brad Keselowski (Las Vegas winner), Kyle Busch (Richmond winner), Truex (locked in after Richmond) and Kevin Harvick (who qualified for the next round when he took the green flag on Sunday).

Advancing on points were pole winner Kurt Busch, Joey Logano, Chase Elliott, Clint Bowyer and Alex Bowman. Bowyer ran third on Sunday, followed by Bowman, Kurt Busch, Elliott and AJ Allmendinger.

Posted on by Staff Report

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs field was whittled from 16 drivers to 12 on Sunday following the playoff race at the Charlotte road course, with Ryan Blaney winning.

The Roval was the site of the third and final race in the Round of 16. The four drivers lowest in the standings were eliminated from the postseason and the ability to compete for a championship in Miami.

MORE: Race results | Memorable weekend pics

The following drivers advanced to the Round of 12, and the below list reflects the new point totals. Remember, points reset to 3,000 for the below drivers, and then the drivers’ accrued playoff points are added.

1. Kyle Busch: 3,055 points
2. Kevin Harvick: 3,050 points
3. Martin Truex Jr.: 3,038 points
4. Brad Keselowski: 3,025 points
5. Clint Bowyer: 3,015 points
6. Joey Logano: 3,014 points
7. Kurt Busch: 3,014 points
8.  Ryan Blaney: 3,013 points
9. Chase Elliott: 3,008 points
10. Kyle Larson: 3,006 points
11. Aric Almirola: 3,001 points
12. Alex Bowman: 3,000 points

ELIMINATED: The four drivers eliminated from the postseason after Charlotte, the final of three races to comprise the Round of 16, were: Jimmie Johnson, Austin Dillon, Denny Hamlin and Erik Jones.

THREE-WAY TIE: A wreck with six laps to go in the race put Kyle Larson in a precarious spot. Then Jimmie Johnson spun going for the win on the last lap. The end result? A three-way tie in the standings between Kyle Larson, Aric Almirola and Jimmie Johnson for the final two spots. The tiebreaking procedures state the driver with the best finish in the current round of the playoffs will advance. Larson finished runner-up at Las Vegas, so he was the first driver through. Almirola’s fifth-place finish at Richmond was better than Johnson’s best finish of eighth (Richmond and Charlotte), so he got the nod for the last spot.

FALLING FLAT: William Byron slowed on the track with six laps remaining in Stage 2, feeling a tire problem. Moments later, his right front let go, shooting sparks and sending his No. 24 Chevrolet out of alignment. Playoffs driver Aric Almirola smacked the outside wall on the oval portion of the track while avoiding Byron’s No. 24. His No. 10 team called for a pit to straighten the fenders, but they were penalized for a tire violation and forced to serve a pass-through penalty. Later, the No. 10 took a spin courtesy of Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and incurred more damage. Somehow, Almirola held on to advance.

RELATED: Dillon’s day ends in disappointment

BAD HIT: Austin Dillon had done just about everything right this round, but an incident on Lap 58 put him in peril. Trying to avoid the checked-up No. 37 of Chris Buescher, Dillon went into the fence hard, drawing a caution and needing to pit to fix the damage. The impact? Dillon went 13 points below the cutoff line late, and then he got into the wall again less than 10 laps later and was forced to the garage, ending his playoff hopes.

BREATHING EASY: Beyond being an elimination race, Sunday’s contest was the first ever Monster Energy Series race at the Charlotte Roval, a combination road course and oval. Three drivers — Brad Keselowski, Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. — had already clinched a spot in the Round of 12, allowing them a measure of comfort not afforded to their competitors. Stewart-Haas Racing driver Kevin Harvick clinched a spot simply by taking the green flag

Posted on by Staff Report

Brad Keselowski wrecked on a restart with six laps to go in the Bank of America Roval 400 on Sunday at the Charlotte road course and took fellow NASCAR Playoff driver Kyle Larson with him — along with several others.

Keselowski, who was in the lead, appeared to overdrive the approach to the corner and the No. 2 Team Penske Ford barreled into the wall in Turn 1. Kyle Larson, who was following closely behind in second place, plowed into the No. 2 with the No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet as cars stacked up behind them.

RELATED: Race results 

Paul Menard, in the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford, and William Byron, in the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, were also involved in the initial pileup with Keselowski and Larson. A total of 15 cars were involved in the incident, including Kyle Busch, who exited the race.

The wreck brought out the red flag for 14 minutes, 27 seconds. Larson ended up narrowly advancing to the Round of 12 in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. Keselowski and Busch were already safe for advancement based on wins at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Richmond Raceway, respectively.