When NASCAR stars visit a new track for the first time, it seems James Davison’s a quick study.

Davison led flag-to-flag in Tuesday night’s eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series’ Windy City 110, picking up his second consecutive victory on a brand-new circuit on the streets of Chicago in iRacing’s virtual version of the NASCAR Next Gen race car.

For the first time ever, NASCAR Cup Series stars took to a conceptual street course brought to life on iRacing in the downtown Chicago Loop around Grant Park. The 2.2-mile virtual circuit features plenty of Chicago landmarks, including Lake Shore Drive and Buckingham Fountain. And, while the circuit doesn’t host NASCAR races today, iRacing still laser-scanned the streets and modeled the famous Chicago skyline for as much of a realistic experience as possible. 

In the last Pro Invitational Series race, which was hosted at Circuit of the Americas, Davison dominated, earning his first series victory at the 3.41-mile road course in Austin, Texas, just four days prior to the Cup Series’ first visit to the track. 

Davison picked up where he left off last month, grabbing his second win in a row and writing his name in history as the first NASCAR winner on the streets of Chicago — virtually, at least.

Mirroring COTA’s front row, Davison, the 34-year-old Australian racer, qualified on pole alongside second-place Anthony Alfredo. Alfredo’s promising qualifying run went sour in a hurry, however; a first-turn, first-lap spin ended his trip to the Windy City early, denying his hopes of a first Pro Invitational Series win. 

Davison wasted no time putting distance on the field after Alfredo’s mishap, running fast lap after fast lap, untouchable from any other driver.

A necessary pit stop added another twist with most drivers opting to split the race in two with a refuel and fresh tires around the halfway mark. 

Attrition was the name of the game, with plenty of Cup Series heavy-hitters, well, hitting heavily against the track’s narrow course and tough walls. Drivers were afforded two fast repairs — a fresh, new car after a crash that’s a luxury of racing virtually — but plenty of racers quickly used up their cars on the unfamiliar twists and turns.

But all the while, Davison checked out from the field, easily picking up the win over Rick Ware Racing teammate Josh Bilicki — by a staggering 56-second margin.

Justin Haley held his own against the road-racing experts throughout the night to finish third, while Garrett Smithley and Martin Truex Jr. finished just behind. Timmy Hill edged Matt DiBenedetto late to claim sixth place, and Ross Chastain, Quin Houff, and NASCAR on FOX in-race reporter Joey Logano rounded out the top 10.

And, while the race is all just for fun — and to sling some stock cars around the streets of Chicago for the first time ever — iRacing will donate $5,000 (that’s U.S. dollars, James) to a charity of Davison’s choice in celebration of the victory. 

The eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series is set to continue later this season with coverage on NBC Sports. For now, however, iRacing members can try out the Chicago Street Circuit, made available for the first time in the sim following the Windy City 110. 

Three weeks ago at Dover International Speedway, they took the top four finishing spots. The next week at Circuit of The Americas, they finished one-two. At Charlotte Motor Speedway over Memorial Day weekend, they took first, second, fourth and fifth.

Short track, road course, intermediate track – it hasn’t mattered. Regardless of the layout or racing package, Hendrick Motorsports drivers have asserted their dominance over the rest of the Cup Series field, and it’s something we should probably get used to.

“I think it’s sustainable. I don’t think it’s just a three-race run,” said sharp NASCAR bettor Blake Phillips. “There’s been a lot of signs pointing to Hendrick having a dominant season, and it’s happening. They’ve had the speed, they’ve had the runs.”

RELATED: NASCAR Bet Center | Betting odds for Sonoma

That sentiment is consistent with the championship futures pricing at Las Vegas-based SuperBook USA, where Hendrick’s Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott are listed as the top two favorites to hoist the Cup in November. Larson boasts the shortest odds at 9/2 (+450, or bet $100 to win $450), followed by Elliott at 6/1 (+600). William Bryon and Alex Bowman are also getting respect in the futures market, offered at 12/1 and 14/1, respectively, after both opening the season at long odds of 30/1.

Ed Salmons, vice president of risk management at the SuperBook, pointed to this past Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 as a prime example of the garage’s superiority.

In addition to Larson’s wins in Charlotte and Las Vegas, “there was so many races he dominated that he didn’t win,” Salmons said. “Chase was all over the place in these races (early in this season); he’s finally now putting it together. If it wasn’t for Larson, he would have been the dominant winner (in Charlotte). It seemed like (Byron) was faster than Kyle, but he just couldn’t figure out how to pass them. Bowman had (a shock issue), and he ran fifth. So yeah, I think that says how fast these guys have been.”

Elliott is the easy early favorite to win Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway, eyeing his second straight road course victory after finishing first two weeks ago in Austin. The SuperBook opened the No. 9 at 9/4 odds (+225) and he now sits at 2/1 odds. He’s followed by Martin Truex Jr. – who won the two most recent races here (2018, 2019) – at 5/1. Larson and Kyle Busch are next on the oddsboard, priced at 7/1 apiece, while oddsmakers give Denny Hamlin a reasonable shot at 10/1 odds.

The betting market, in other words, expects Hendrick drivers to be occupying many of the top spots once again.

“This season, we have an unusual mix of different formats, track sizes, track types, and Hendrick’s been good at all of them so far,” said Phillips. “They’ve been good at the short tracks and, and they’ve been good at the mile-and-a-halfs, and of course you’ve got really great road course guys, like Chase Elliott. It’s hard to count them out for any track. …. They’ve had speed across the board. I don’t think they’re unbeatable by any means, but I think that we should expect to see all four of those cars up there in the top 10, top 15 for the foreseeable future. And you’re at least gonna see one or two of those guys in the top three pretty much every race.”

This is NASCAR, though, so of course there will be some ebbs and flows throughout the season.

“NASCAR is just such a sport of change,” said Salmons. “…. You’re going to get into some different tracks, like Pocono, which is more just straight horsepower, and usually that changes some things. The Hendrick cars are really good on these turning tracks. …. I’m interested to see how they do at Pocono because they haven’t really run all that well there. But the way they’re running this year, it’s hard to tell they’re not going to do it again, just because every week now it’s just complete domination.”

And under the current playoff format, the oddsmaker anticipates the top drivers being around at the end with a chance to claim the championship. After accounting for bonus points for wins and stage wins, Larson, for example, figures to advance with little trouble.

“Kyle Larson should probably just start each of the three (first-round playoff) races, run a lap and go home,” Salmons said. “That’s how many points he’s going to be up. He’s guaranteed to move through. And even in the second round, it’s not going to take much for him to move through. It’s such a low bar to cross to get the good guys to at least the final eight. …. It’s just hard to think that between Larson and Elliott, that those two guys aren’t going to have (a chance at the title).”

Marcus DiNitto is a writer and editor living in Charlotte, North Carolina. He has been covering sports for nearly two-and-a-half decades and sports betting for more than 10 years. His first NASCAR betting experience was in 1995 at North Wilkesboro Speedway, where he went 0-for-3 on his matchup picks. Read his articles and follow him on Twitter; do not bet his picks.

When Jeff Sarver retired from the United States Army in 2011, there were times he felt lost, “not knowing where I’m supposed to be, what I’m supposed to do,” he said. He was looking for something to keep him occupied and moving, and he found it at the race track.

In 2013, Sarver put in an offer for a race car he said was “sleeping under a tarp” at his neighbor’s house. He had raced dirt bikes and ATVs when he was really young, and had always had a love for race cars and mechanical work that challenged him mentally.

There was a lot more to racing than he realized, though.

6.16.18 lax Speedway 2018©Forte Design/Mary Schill
Jeff Sarver (Forte Design/Mary Schill)

“I was an idiot. I had no clue,” Sarver said with a laugh. “I had three different sized wheels on the car. I didn’t know about wedge. I didn’t know anything about that stuff. I just thought you just jump in it and go, and the majority of the work is really setting the car up and making changes.”

The work and learning has been healing for Sarver, though. He finds working on the car comforting, and gives him something to do in retirement.

Sarver spent 17 years in the Army. In 2005, a reporter spent 38 days embedded with him on a deployment, and took all the videos, pictures, and notes from that time and made it into the movie, “The Hurt Locker,” which was released in 2008 and was awarded Best Picture and five other Oscars.

Sarver began racing at La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway — a 1/4-mile and 5/8-mile asphalt oval track in West Salem, Wisconsin, in 2013.

Since he began eight years ago, he said the sport of racing has helped him “more than anybody could ever understand.”

“Ever since I retired I’ve always felt lost,” Sarver said. “This kind of keeps me grounded, keeps me occupied, keeps me moving. Because if you’re not doing anything you’re just sitting around thinking about 20 years of being away from home in other countries and the whole combat.

“With other drivers, they’re kind of thick-headed and have big egos, but they also have a human side where they remember how they felt when they started off. The majority of them are really personable. A lot of them have helped me out in many ways that they don’t even know.

“There’s friendships I have at La Crosse that are probably as tight as the friendships I had in the Army.”

Even though he’s been racing eight years, Sarver said he’s never really ran a full season, and there are still learning curves he’s trying to overcome.

“I want to race a little bit harder. I’ve always been afraid of either tearing my car up or tearing somebody else’s car up and I’ve been really, really, really reserved,” he said. “I don’t have that background of go-kart racing for years and four-cylinder racing for years. I don’t have that. So it’s taken me several years to try to figure it out and now that I’ve finally figured it out at the end of last year and was finally getting comfortable in the car, this year it’s like, OK, I’m comfortable now in the car. Now I’ve just got to push.’”

Racing has grown into a family sport for the Sarvers, and Sarver said the sport allows him to spend even more time with his children. His 13-year-old son and 12-year-old daughter are at all the races, and get in the cars themselves, racing a 4-cylinder enduro car last summer.

And this year will be “a lot more racing” for the whole family. Sarver and his son are putting together a car to take to street drags at the track, and this week they picked up another limited late model they’re going to put together this summer so his two kids can get in some practice laps on a bigger track. His son also has 16 shows scheduled for this season.

“My kids, we do everything together,” he said. “I enjoy spending time with my kids. My kids come first before racing and if it was something my kids wanted to do, we’ll go do it.”

Sarver said his car got “tore up,” in an Octoberfest event, and between getting his car and his son’s car ready, he hopes both can be on the track in the next couple weeks.

When he’s not racing, though, he’s at the track, his new comfort zone.

“Between my kids and gymnastics and wrestling and their racing and my dogs, the rest of my time goes to the cars,” Sarver said.

“I love the car, I love working on the car, but it’s just something about being at the track with other people with the same like-minded hobbies or passions. But then you also have all the little kids walking round talking to the drivers.

“It’s just the people. It’s the little kids that come to watch.”

See where your favorite driver will pit for the Toyota / Save Mart 350 Sunday at Sonoma Raceway (4 p.m. ET, FS1, PRN, SiriusXM).

Stewart-Haas Racing announced Wednesday that Autodesk Fusion 360 has agreed to an extension of its partnership with the team, serving as primary sponsor for its No. 41 Ford and driver Cole Custer for six NASCAR Cup Series races this season.

Autodesk’s 2021 livery debuts this weekend at Sonoma Raceway, not far from the software company’s San Francisco headquarters. Autodesk will also serve as primary sponsor of the No. 41 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s road course (Aug. 15), Daytona International Speedway (Aug. 28), Bristol Motor Speedway (Sept. 18), Talladega Superspeedway (Oct. 3) and Charlotte Motor Speedway’s road course (Oct. 10).

“It’s just been a great relationship and it’s been awesome having them on the car,” Custer said.  “We use their software a ton at the race shop to be able to design parts and do different things, so they’re a huge part of what we do.”

RELATED: Sonoma/Mid-Ohio weekend schedule

The partnership extends beyond mere product placement on the car, as Autodesk is in its fourth year helping SHR develop lightweight, durable components for its vehicles. Among those advances was Stewart-Haas’ redesign of a lighter brake pedal, made through Autodesk’s Fusion 360 program.

“Autodesk is more than just a sponsor — it’s a key asset in making our cars perform every weekend,” said Greg Zipadelli, SHR’s vice president of competition. “How we stay on top of new technologies while ensuring reliability is directly attributable to Autodesk and its technical support.”

Autodesk was a featured or associate sponsor on the No. 41 Ford in six Cup Series races last year, sharing space with HaasTooling.

Kyle Larson has claimed the Busch Pole Award for Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 (4 p.m. ET on FS1, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Sonoma Raceway.

Larson, who won last weekend’s event at Charlotte Motor Speedway, will start his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet from the pole position. Larson is one of three drivers with multiple wins in 2021, joining Joe Gibbs Racing’s Martin Truex Jr. and teammate Alex Bowman.

RELATED: Sonoma/Mid-Ohio weekend schedule | 2021 Cup Series standings

Austin Cindric’s No. 22 Team Penske Ford is on the pole for Saturday’s B&L Transport 170 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (1 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM) in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

As NASCAR adapted to COVID-19 protocols last season, practice and qualifying were eliminated at a majority of national-series events to limit at-track time, exposure and to cut race weekend costs. To determine starting lineups, competition officials used grouped draws, added inversions for weekend doubleheaders, and eventually adopted a performance-metrics formula. That metrics format remains in place this season, drawing on performance from both individual races and season-long results.

NASCAR’s metrics formula for 2021 weighs:

    • 25 percent: Driver’s finishing position from the previous race
    • 25 percent: Car owner’s finishing position from the previous race
    • 35 percent: Team owner points ranking
    • 15 percent: Fastest lap from the previous race

See the full lineup for Sunday’s Cup Series race below.

Start pos.
Driver Car # Team
1 Kyle Larson 5 Hendrick Motorsports
2 Chase Elliott 9 Hendrick Motorsports
3 William Byron 24 Hendrick Motorsports
4 Denny Hamlin 11 Joe Gibbs Racing
5 Kyle Busch 18 Joe Gibbs Racing
6 Austin Dillon 3 Richard Childress Racing
7 Alex Bowman 48 Hendrick Motorsports
8 Kevin Harvick 4 Stewart-Haas Racing
9 Brad Keselowski 2 Team Penske
10 Tyler Reddick 8 Richard Childress Racing
11 Ryan Blaney 12 Team Penske
12 Chris Buescher 17 Roush Fenway Racing
13 Joey Logano 22 Team Penske
14 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing
15 Bubba Wallace 23 23XI Racing
16 Daniel Suarez 99 Trackhouse Racing Team
17 Matt DiBenedetto 21 Wood Brothers Racing
18 Erik Jones 43 Richard Petty Motorsports
19 Martin Truex Jr. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing
20 Christopher Bell 20 Joe Gibbs Racing
21 Michael McDowell 34 Front Row Motorsports
22 Corey LaJoie 7 Spire Motorsports
23 Cole Custer 41 Stewart-Haas Racing
24 Ryan Newman 6 Roush Fenway Racing
25 Chase Briscoe 14 Stewart-Haas Racing
26 Aric Almirola 10 Stewart-Haas Racing
27 Ryan Preece 37 JTG Daugherty Racing
28 Anthony Alfredo 38 Front Row Motorsports
29 Ross Chastain 42 Chip Ganassi Racing
30 Kurt Busch 1 Chip Ganassi Racing
31 Ben Rhodes 77 Spire Motorsports
32 James Davison 15 Rick Ware Racing
33 Quin Houff 00 StarCom Racing
34 Garrett Smithley 53 Rick Ware Racing
35 Scott Heckert 78 Live Fast Motorsports
36 Josh Bilicki 52 Rick Ware Racing
37 Cody Ware 51 Petty Ware Racing

Practice and qualifying are tentatively scheduled for eight Cup Series races this year. Busch Pole Qualifying was held for the season-opening Daytona 500, and rain canceled the qualifying races for Bristol Motor Speedway’s dirt-track race. The next Cup Series event with qualifying scheduled is before the June 20 debut at Nashville Superspeedway.

Meet the NASCAR Fan Council Member of the Month for June 2021!

Name: Matt
Current City: Scranton, Pennsylvania
Member Since: 2019

GETTING TO KNOW MATT:

Q:  How did you first become interested in NASCAR? 

“I’m sure my father introduced me to NASCAR but I’ve loved it ever since I can remember! I remember at a very young age (7-8), my father taking us to Harvey’s Lake, PA to see Rusty Wallace’s show car. They fired it up that day and I remember standing there scared, excited, curious and all around just fired up! Never looked back!”

Q: What is your favorite part about NASCAR?

“I don’t think I could narrow it down to one thing I like most. The competition, the noises, the characters, the ingenuity, teamwork, excitement, accessibility, air guns, it’s all just great! For me, NASCAR brings my family together each week to share a meal and watch the race. That is probably my favorite thing about NASCAR.”

Q: What is your favorite NASCAR memory?

“I took my wife to her first NASCAR race at Pocono a few years back. Dale Jr won the race when Brad Keselowski got held up by Danica Patrick allowing Jr. to make a pass for the lead with just a few to go. The place went insane and my wife was just as excited as everyone else! She wasn’t a fan of anyone really at the point but we were sort of Junior Nation that day and it was a blast. She is pregnant with our first child right now, Gatlin James (this Fan Council Q&A was done before Gatlin was born in March). I’m hoping to make some new favorite memories with him by side like I have with my father!”

Q: Do you have a favorite in any of the following categories?

Current Driver: “Corey LaJoie.”

Past Driver: “Jeff Gordon.”

Up and Coming Driver: “Chase Briscoe.”

Team: “Stewart-Haas.”

Track: “Martinsville Speedway.”

Q: What do you like to do in your free time? 

“I’m an outdoorsman so most of my free time is hunting and fishing related. I enjoy dirt track racing as well and have found a real love of Port Royal in Pennsylvania. This is about to shift I’m sure as we welcomed our first child Gatlin James!”

FROM ALL OF US AT NASCAR, WE THANK MATT FOR HIS CONTINUED SUPPORT AND LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING FROM HIM IN 2021!

Look for Matt on the Official NASCAR Fan Council page on NASCAR.COM.

The fifth round of the 2021 eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series is set for Wednesday at virtual Chicago Street Course, with coverage beginning at 6 p.m. ET on FS1. The race, a 51-lapper featuring 37 cars and two resets, will get underway at 8 p.m. ET, also on FS1. Practice will be an extension of Race Hub/pre-race programming from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. ET on FS1.

The fan-vote winner, as revealed on FS1’s NASCAR Race Hub is once again Jesse Iwuji. The popular NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver will join promoter’s provisional pick Dale Earnhardt Jr. as special entries into the race.

Wednesday’s race was designed with the idea to give fans a preview of the Chicago Street Course, which has a tentative configuration of the virtual circuit measuring roughly 2.2 miles and connecting some of Chicago’s landmark streets, including Michigan Avenue and Lake Shore Drive, lapping the perimeter of Grant Park with the downtown skyline as a backdrop.

Here is the entry list for Wednesday’s Pro Invitational Series race (subject to change).

No. Team Driver
00 StarCom Racing Quin Houff
2 Team Penske Brad Keselowski
3 Richard Childress Racing Austin Dillon
4 Stewart-Haas Racing Kevin Harvick
5 Hendrick Motorsports Kyle Larson
6 Roush Fenway Racing Ryan Newman
7 Spire Motorsports Corey LaJoie
8 Richard Childress Racing Tyler Reddick
9 Hendrick Motorsports Chase Elliott
10 Stewart-Haas Racing Aric Almirola
11 Joe Gibbs Racing Denny Hamlin
12 Team Penske Ryan Blaney
14 Stewart-Haas Racing Chase Briscoe
15 Rick Ware Racing James Davison
17 Roush Fenway Racing Chris Buescher
19 Joe Gibbs Racing Martin Truex Jr.
20 Joe Gibbs Racing Christopher Bell
21 Wood Brothers Racing Matt DiBenedetto
22 Team Penske Joey Logano
23 23XI Bubba Wallace
24 Hendrick Motorsports William Byron
38 Front Row Motorsports Anthony Alfredo
41 Stewart-Haas Racing Cole Custer
42 Chip Ganassi Racing Ross Chastain
43 Richard Petty Motorsports Erik Jones
47 JTG Daugherty Racing Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
48 Hendrick Motorsports Alex Bowman
51 Petty Ware Racing Garrett Smithley
52 Rick Ware Racing Josh Bilicki
53 Rick Ware Racing Joey Gase
77 Spire Motorsports Justin Haley
78 Live Fast Motorsports Kyle Tilley
99 Trackhouse Racing Team Daniel Suarez
66 MBM Motorsports Timmy Hill
88 Promoter’s Provisional Dale Earnhardt Jr.
87 Fan Vote Jesse Iwuji

NASCAR issued penalties to three Cup Series teams Tuesday, including a one-race suspension to Kevin Bellicourt of Spire Motorsports after Sunday’s event at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Spire’s No. 77 Chevrolet was found with two unsecured lug nuts after Justin Haley drove the car to a 28th-place finish in Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600. The violation of Section 10.9.10.4 in the NASCAR Rule Book meant a $20,000 fine for Bellicourt, plus a one-race ban for the next points-paying event.

RELATED: Sonoma/Mid-Ohio weekend schedule

Spire announced Tuesday afternoon that veteran Peter Sospenzo would fill in for Bellicourt this weekend at Sonoma Raceway. Camping World Truck Series regular Ben Rhodes is set to make his Cup Series debut in Spire’s No. 77 in Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 (4 p.m. ET, FS1, PRN, SiriusXM).

Crew chiefs for two other teams — both from Hendrick Motorsports — were issued $10,000 fines for single-lug infractions after the 600-miler:

No. 24 Chevrolet crew chief Ryan “Rudy” Fugle (driver William Byron)
No. 48 Chevrolet crew chief Greg Ives (driver Alex Bowman)

One of the sports world’s premier, fan-friendly venues is set to play host to NASCAR Championship Weekend in 2022, Phoenix Raceway announced Tuesday.

The Valley of the Sun will once again host the final weekend of the NASCAR season, scheduled for Nov. 4-6, 2022. The 1-mile Avondale, Arizona oval first hosted the sport’s pinnacle events in 2020 and is scheduled to crown four champions in three days for the second consecutive season this fall.

MORE: 2021 NASCAR schedule

“We’re so proud of the fact that we get to host NASCAR’s biggest weekend, crowning those four champions and celebrating the series, our drivers, our teams,” track president Julie Giese told NASCAR.com. “It’s going to be a great event. We’re really looking forward to it and honored that we have the opportunity to host this once again.”

The 2022 NASCAR Championship Weekend will again feature culminating events in the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and the ARCA Menards Series West.

Phoenix played the backdrop to a historic weekend last fall, seeing Chase Elliott win his first career NASCAR Cup Series championship while teammate and seven-time title winner Jimmie Johnson wrapped up a Hall of Fame career behind the wheel of the No. 48 Chevrolet.

The scenic mountain views add to the ambiance, but the racing itself is front and center for some of the sport’s best fans as they get treated to a first-class sports-viewing experience.

“Not only is the weather amazing in Arizona in November, the experience at the race track is second to none,” said Giese. “We redeveloped the track a couple years ago and really made it about the fans. We reinvented that fan experience. It was all about immersing our fans into race weekend. 

“I think what makes our sport so great anyway is the access, and just how much you can get into the sport when you’re at the race track and be part of it, for us it was taking that to the next level.”

The full 2022 NASCAR schedule will be unveiled at a later date, TBD.

Season ticket renewals are already underway for fans to lock in their seats for the 2022 championship weekend. To learn more about becoming a Phoenix Raceway Season Ticket Holder, please call 866-408-RACE (7223). Public on-sale for the 2022 NASCAR Championship Event will occur at a later date.

To learn more about all happenings and upcoming events Phoenix Raceway, including the 2021 NASCAR Championship Weekend later this season, Nov. 5-7, please visit PhoenixRaceway.com.