Ryan Luza Wins Third Straight eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series Event at Richmond

Williams Esports’ Ryan Luza continued his recent dominance of the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series on Tuesday night by surviving 200 laps of wheel-to-wheel action at Richmond Raceway and taking the checkered flag. The 2017 series champion became the first driver since 2013 to earn three straight victories in iRacing’s premier NASCAR division, jumping to second in series points in the process.

Drivers struggled to find a rhythm on the challenging Virginia short track, and the relatively caution-free opening stretch of the season seemed a distant memory as 16 yellow flags slowed the field for a combined 77 laps. Jeremy Allen’s Lap 18 spin brought the field under its first yellow of the race, and a 36-lap green-flag run just before the halfway point proved to be the longest stretch of consecutive action, although the wrecks tended to steer clear of the leaders.

That meant a lot of alternative pit strategies for drivers throughout the field, with plenty of gamesmanship as some drivers faked moves to pit road under caution and others gambled on short runs by taking two tires for track position. The most successful of those moves late in the race would go to G2 Esports’ Jarl Teien, who led 37 laps in the closing stages despite running on older tires than the rest of the field.

Polesitter Jimmy Mullis, driving for Richmond Raceway eSports, led the first 49 laps of the race and seemed like the primary threat to win early on, but Luza would claw his way through the field from an abysmal 37th place starting spot to take the lead for the first time at lap 100. He would retake the lead for good from Teien on Lap 172 and hang on through two attempts at a green-white-checkered finish, caused by cautions for four-time series champion Ray Alfalla and Mullis, respectively.

Full results from eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series action at Bristol Motor Speedway were as follows:

The eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series season continues on April 28 at Dover International Speedway. The race can be streamed live at 9PM ET/6PM PT on eNASCAR.com/live and iracing.com/live. The eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series resumes on Sunday at 1PM ET on FOX and FS1 as real-world NASCAR Cup Series drivers take on Richmond International Raceway. For more information on iRacing and for special offers, visit www.iracing.com.