Ottinger Wins eNASCAR Tilt in Talladega as Clampitt, deJong Secure Championship 4 Berths

Defending eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series champion Nick Ottinger may not have the opportunity to defend his title two weeks from now, but he got the best consolation prize he could ask for on Tuesday night: a win at Talladega Superspeedway in the penultimate round of the 2021 season. The William Byron eSports driver led a large group of drivers who pit early, took advantage of the track position, and led much of the race to take his 18th career victory, and help teammate Logan Clampitt secure a Championship 4 berth with a team 1-2 finish.

Going into the night, Letarte Esports’ Bobby Zalenski and 23XI’s Keegan Leahy had already guaranteed their spots in the Championship 4, but seven of the other eight playoff drivers could have earned their way in on points. Only JR Motorsports’ Michael Conti, the only previous superspeedway winner of 2021 at Daytona, was restricted to a mathematical win-or-go-home scenario. Spacestation Gaming’s Vicente Salas would draw first blood by qualifying on the pole, becoming the only playoff driver in the top 10 on the grid and one of just a handful in the top 20.

Like most eNASCAR superspeedway races of late, there would be only one caution; unlike most of those races, it would come at the very start of the race, not the very end. Jim Beaver eSports’ Michael Guest would attempt to merge into the bottom lane as Lap 1 drew to a close, but Joe Gibbs Racing’s Ray Alfalla would have none of it, leading to contact and spins for both cars. But the 40 best stock car sim racers in the world would avoid further contact, turning what could have been the Big One into a relatively harmless yellow.

When the next green flag flew, it would never let up, forcing drivers to play pit strategy. Multiple distinct groups would establish themselves early on, with Ottinger, Clampitt, Conti, Matt Bussa of Kyle Long’s Mode Motorsports, and Kligerman Sport’s Bob Bryant among the pack that pit earliest and Roush Fenway Racing’s Steven Wilson pairing up with Joe Gibbs Racing’s Femi Olat to stay out late. When the first cycle drew to a close, the early pitters had a nine-second lead on the second pack.

That group would remain clear out front through the final stops and into the closing laps of the race as the urgency turned up. Conti would jump to the outside after taking the white flag in hopes of making a run, but Bryant would stay in line to advance to third, ending Conti’s hopes of a win and a second career eNASCAR title. In the end, nobody would be able to make a move on Ottinger, who led Clampitt, Bryant, and Bussa across the line in that order. Alongside Zalenski, Leahy, and Clampitt, 23XI’s Mitchell deJong would secure the final Championship 4 berth with an eighth place result.

Full results from Tuesday’s eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series race at Talladega Superspeedway were as follows:

Fin.

St.

No.

Name

Manufacturer

Laps

Interval

Led

Best

Pts

14025Nick OttingerChevrolet944847.81940
22897Logan ClampittChevrolet94-0.058047.83135
33177Bob BryantChevrolet94-0.161047.82534
42375Matt BussaFord94-0.204047.83033
5268Michael ContiChevrolet94-0.827047.81932
63488Brad DaviesChevrolet94-0.942047.80231
71883Bobby ZalenskiChevrolet94-4.308047.82330
81123Mitchell deJongToyota94-4.390947.87729
91432Keegan LeahyToyota94-4.481047.86928
1052Garrett ManesToyota94-4.557047.84027
111517Steven Wilson3Ford94-4.646047.80026
121018Femi OlatToyota94-22.9121047.87625
131310Graham A. BowlinFord94-22.940047.87024
14224Jake NicholsFord94-23.0282647.73823
15441Dylan DuvalFord94-23.055047.86622
16351Ray AlfallaToyota94-23.084047.72821
173090Zack NovakToyota94-23.119047.56120
182746Jimmy MullisToyota94-23.238047.53219
1989Michael GuestFord94-23.280047.65718
20193Corey VincentChevrolet94-23.461047.50117
21621Garrett LoweFord94-24.071047.81416
222214Blade WhittFord94-24.305047.50815
232467Allen BoesChevrolet94-24.924047.57314
24394Ryan Michael LuzaFord94-28.013047.97213
252115Caine CookFord94-28.084047.68012
263366Blake ReynoldsChevrolet94-28.150047.95711
273544Anthony BurroughsChevrolet94-28.306047.81010
283752Jake MathesonFord94-28.360047.7839
292533Taylor HurstChevrolet94-28.524047.6268
301636Chris ShearburnChevrolet93-1 L047.5897
311279Ryan DoucetteFord93-1 L047.6166
322937Derek JustisChevrolet93-1 L047.6125
333829Zack NicholsFord93-1 L047.8684
34155Vicente SalasFord93-1 L047.8033
35911Malik RayFord93-1 L047.7822
36738Casey KirwanFord93-1 L147.8791
37176Nathan LyonFord93-1 L047.6371
383647Brian SchoenburgChevrolet92-2 L047.8521
393216John GorlinskyFord86-8 L047.8331
40201Ashton CrowderToyota64-30 L047.5551

 

The 2021 eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series season concludes on Tuesday, October 12 at Texas Motor Speedway, where Zalenski, Leahy, Clampitt, and deJong will battle for the $300,000 season long purse and $100,000 championship prize. As always, coverage begins with iRacing Countdown to Green at 8:30PM ET, with the racing action picking up at 9PM ET on eNASCAR.com/live and iRacing’s social media channels. Evan Posocco, Steve Letarte, and Parker Kligerman will be on the call for the remainder of the 2021 season. For more information on iRacing and for special offers, visit www.iRacing.com.

Images via Justin Melillo