Bowlin Dominates eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series Debut at World Wide Technology Raceway

Images via Justin Melillo

Charlotte Phoenix driver Graham Bowlin scored his first win of the 2022 eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series season on Tuesday night, taking the checkered flag in the first-ever eNASCAR round at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway. Rise eSports driver Zack Novak took his second straight runner-up finish behind him, while 2021 series runner-up Logan Clampitt scored a season-best third place for William Byron eSports on his birthday.

Kyle Long’s Mode Motorsports started exactly where it finished in last week’s Coca-Cola 150 at Charlotte, but this time it was Cody Byus instead of teammate Matt Bussa in P1. Byus would soon yield the lead to XSET’s Casey Kirwan, who would hold it for most of the first quarter of the race before Bowlin made the pass for the top spot. Only one close call, when Jim Beaver eSports’ Blake Reynolds and eRacr’s Darik Bourdeau made contact on the frontstretch, threatened to cause a caution, but both drivers kept moving forward and didn’t collect anyone else.

Instead, the first caution wouldn’t come until Lap 60, a few laps after some of the front runners had already pit, when Rise eSports’ Jimmy Mullis hit Elliott Sadler eSports driver Garrett Manes from behind in Turn 1. The yellow flew just after Bowlin made it onto pit road, allowing him to finish his stop, but those who came in behind him weren’t quite so lucky, and were black flagged for entering a closed pit.

Bowlin kept the lead as the race stayed green from there, and built a buffer of more than two seconds at race’s end. Behind Novak and Clampitt in second and third, Malik Ray would earn redemption from last week’s Charlotte strategy gamble in fourth place, while former series champion Ryan Luza completed the top five for XSET in fifth.

eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series results from World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway were as follows:

Fin.

St.

No.

Name

Team

Laps

Interval

Led

Best

Pts

1448Graham A. BowlinCharlotte Phoenix1200.0009734.35440
2195Zack NovakRise eSports120-2.822234.51835
3697Logan ClampittWilliam Byron eSports120-6.177034.49634
4307Malik RayiRacing Motorsports120-6.615034.61933
5234Ryan LuzaXSET120-6.831034.52632
63975Matt BussaMode Motorsports120-9.032034.69131
71121Garrett LoweWood Brothers Racing120-9.732034.53030
8519Vicente SalasWilliams eSports120-9.872034.56429
9925Nick OttingerWilliam Byron eSports120-10.307034.47428
10273Corey VincentTeam Dillon Esports120-11.276034.70227
11845Keegan Leahy23XI120-11.391034.65726
121341Dylan DuvalStewart Haas Racing120-11.891034.42525
131218Bobby ZalenskiJoe Gibbs Racing120-13.886034.50424
143251Ray AlfallaJoe Gibbs Racing120-14.808034.54523
15216Parker RetzlaffRoush Fenway Keselowski120-15.666034.70622
16295Casey KirwanXSET120-16.8321934.37921
172646Jimmy MullisRise eSports120-18.133034.68320
18355Allen BoesSpace Station Gaming120-19.173034.45919
191623Mitchell deJong23XI120-19.729034.32418
203520Donovan StraussWilliams eSports120-19.918034.54717
213117Kaden HoneycuttRoush Fenway Keselowski120-20.695034.69016
22208Michael ContiJR Motorsports120-21.441034.37615
232988Briar LaPraddJR Motorsports120-21.802034.74314
24124Cody ByusMode Motorsports120-22.628234.39413
253310Steven WilsonStewart Haas Racing120-23.378034.49712
261731Garrett ManesElliot Sadler eSports120-24.597034.51611
271469Collin BowdeneRacr120-25.121034.47110
282443Kollin KeisterCharlotte Phoenix120-26.594034.5699
292236Brian MercurioLetarte Esports120-27.168034.6828
30740Dylan AultLetarte Esports120-27.620034.4707
311879Femi OlatunbosunClint Bowyer Racing120-28.431034.6106
321516Blade WhittWood Brothers Racing120-28.652034.6165
331033Taylor HurstTeam Dillon Esports120-29.627034.4974
343614Nickolas SheltonClint Bowyer Racing120-30.933034.7263
353812Derek JustisiRacing Motorsports120-31.501034.6532
362515Blake ReynoldsJim Beaver eSports120-33.003034.5721
37282Liam BrothertonElliot Sadler eSports120-34.749034.6831
38379Michael GuestJim Beaver eSports119-1L034.7471
393442Darik BourdeaueRacr34DNF034.4721

eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series points through nine rounds are as follows:

  1. Matt Bussa, 250
  2. Nick Ottinger, 245
  3. Steven Wilson, 241
  4. Femi Olatunbosun, 220
  5. Casey Kirwan, 220
  6. Graham Bowlin, 213
  7. Corey Vincent, 208
  8. Zack Novak, 200
  9. Garrett Lowe, 193
  10. Michael Guest, 193

The 2022 eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series season resumes in three weeks’ time at Nashville Superspeedway, which trades last year’s All-Star Race for its first-ever eNASCAR points race in 2022. Broadcast coverage begins on Tuesday, June 21 at 8:30PM ET with Countdown to Green before the 9PM ET green flag, and can be seen at enascar.com/live.

For more information on the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series, visit www.enascar.com or www.iracing.com/enascar. For more information on iRacing and for special offers, visit www.iracing.com.