OFFICIAL EVENT GUIDE ROUND 14 OF 18 • AUGUST 17, 2021 9:00 PM EASTERN • eNASCAR.COM/LIVE
NICK OTTINGER 2020 eNASCAR CHAMPION LOGITECH G DRIVER
EVENT INFORMATION • 2021 RACE WINNERS • 2020 EVENT RESULTS FEATURE: THE PATH TO THE PLAYOFFS • 2021 eNASCAR SPOTTER GUIDE e NASCAR COCA-COLA iRACING SERIES
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
SECTION PAGE Logitech G Challenge 100 Info . . . . . . . . . 4 FEATURE: The Path to the Playoffs . . . . . . . . . 6 2021 eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series Schedule . . . . . . 8 2020 eNASCAR Michigan Race Results . . . . . . . . 9 Logitech G Challenge 100 Spotter Guide . . . . . . . . 10
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LOGITECH G CHALLENGE 100 INFO LOGITECH G ANNOUNCES PARTNERSHIP WITH eNASCAR Newark, CA (August 3, 2021) — Logitech G, a brand of Logitech and leading innovator of gaming technologies and gear, is proud to announce that it has become an official partner of eNASCAR, and the Logitech G 923 will be the official wheel and pedal of the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series™. “We’re excited to team up with eNASCAR to upgrade the driving experience for the remainder of the 2021 season.” said Jim Hoey, global head of G Challenge at Logitech G. “Logitech G’s TRUEFORCE technology dials directly into the game’s physics and delivers an unprecedented realistic racing experience of any wheel on the market today, and we know the drivers are going to love it.” “Logitech has for many years been an ardent supporter of sim racing, and they have played a major role in elevating the profile of the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series,” said Nick Rend, managing director of gaming and esports, NASCAR. “We’re excited to help them take a deeper dive into the world of eNASCAR as they continue to innovate around how partners activate in the sim racing space.”
the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series event, now called the Logitech G Challenge 100, at the virtual Michigan International Speedway on August 17. Logitech G will use this platform to promote its annual G Challenge event, with 2021 marking the fourth annual Logitech McLaren G Challenge. As a result of this agreement, this joint venture is now the largest global eRacing event. In addition to the partnership with eNASCAR, Logitech G has established additional relationships in motorsports as virtual racing and simulation continues to be a key training technique for younger racers. Some of those relationships include William Byron and Bubba Wallace in the NASCAR Cup Series. Logitech G is the title sponsor of Byron’s eRacing team – William Byron eSports – which fields two cars in the Coca-Cola iRacing Series for Nick Ottinger and Logan Clampitt. The Brand also supports Formula 1 racing through relationships with McLaren and Lando Norris, and is shepherding the next generation of racers with a relationship through TRD (Toyota Racing Development) and its TD2 driver development program.
As part of the collaboration with eNASCAR, Logitech G will also serve as the entitlement sponsor for
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RACE FACTS
PAST MICHIGAN WINNERS
RACE Logitech G Challenge 100 ROUND 14 of 18 DATE August 17, 2021 LOCATION Michigan International Speedway LENGTH 100 laps/200 miles SCHEDULE Countdown to Green, 8:30PM ET Logitech G Challenge 100, 9PM ET WATCH eNASCAR.com/live iRacing.com/live twitch.tv/iRacing
2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010-1 2010-2
Casey Kirwan Garrett Lowe Ryan Luza Michael Conti Ray Alfalla Kenny Humpe Chad J. Laughton Ray Alfalla Jason Karlavige Steve Sheehan Richard Towler Derek Wood
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An unprecedented run of winners to start the 2021 season has created a playoff landscape unlike any other in the history of the series. Who leaves Michigan with a shot at the title?
THE PATH TO THE PLAYOFFS by Chris Leone Coming into the 2021 season, it was clear that a format change to the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series playoffs was going to dramatically reshape how the season would play out. Rewarding race wins above all else meant that a driver could salvage their entire season with just one trip to the winner’s circle, provided that they could stay within the top 20 in points when all was said and done. As a result, the playoff grid coming into the Logitech G Challenge 100 at Michigan is completely different than it would have been had these been last year’s results. Of course, there’s no way of knowing how differently some of these drivers would have raced if it had been a points-only playoff grid; still, there are a lot of names who would have been sitting pretty at this time last year whose playoff hopes end if they don’t win this race. Without further ado, here’s a look at all of the drivers in the playoff hunt, and their positions coming in:
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CURRENTLY IN #23 Mitchell deJong | 23XI | 2 wins As safe as safe can be. deJong became the first repeat race winner at Road America thanks to his road course prowess, but he’s been no slouch on the ovals, either. Still, he can breathe easy at Michigan, and just focus on learning for the playoffs. #10 Graham Bowlin | Stewart-Haas | 1 win He went into Watkins Glen the best driver without a playoff berth, and he came out a first-time eNASCAR winner after holding off deJong and Zalenski in what may be the clutch drive of the year. That’s a statement move going into crunch time. #32 Keegan Leahy | 23XI | 1 win His win may be ancient history by now, but Leahy has always been the analytical type. Always learning, the Halifax native certainly has a notebook hundreds of pages long on how he can make the most of the final four races of the season. #83 Bobby Zalenski | Letarte Esports | 1 win After years of taking his road course domination for
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granted, we all faced a shock when Zalenski didn’t score a win at COTA, Road America, or Watkins Glen. The good news? Another consistent season, plus a victory at Pocono, have him in good shape. #8 Michael Conti | JR Motorsports | 1 win The Big One claimed most of the top cars at Daytona, but Conti’s position in the lead allowed him to avoid it and feel comfortable about the playoffs from race one. The former series champion and Michigan winner enters the night sixth in points. #55 Vicente Salas | Spacestation | 1 win Salas made Richmond Raceway into his own personal playground in the spring, leading every single lap on the way to his first career victory. The Spacestation-backed rookie didn’t rest on his laurels, though, as he comes into Michigan 10th in points. #97 Logan Clampitt | William Byron | 1 win The Logitech-backed Clampitt scored an emotional win at Atlanta in the spring, his first since moving from California to North Carolina to pursue his sim racing dreams. He’s also got a decent cushion on 20th place in points and should feel pretty safe. #46 Jimmy Mullis | Richmond Raceway | 1 win What a difference one race can make. Mullis has dominated New Hampshire for years now, and it hit on the schedule just as he teetered on the edge of the top 20. After backing that win up with an All-Star Race victory, he’s found his mojo at the right time. #77 Bob Bryant | Kligerman Sport | 1 win Bryant’s win at Auto Club, a very similar track to Michigan, just may have set the template for tonight’s race. The sim racing veteran found a way to stretch his fuel mileage to make it a one-stop race and coasted to his first career eNASCAR victory. #4 Ryan Luza | XSET | 1 win Luza’s win at Homestead feels like a distant memory as a number of tough breaks have knocked him down in the standings. He’s tied with Bryant in points and one behind Mullis, so if we get a new winner, he’ll desperately want to beat both at the finish. CURRENTLY OUT #17 Steven Wilson | Roush Fenway | 309 pts.
This year’s other standout rookie, Wilson has been knocking on the door of a win all season and sits third in points. A win will assuredly give him a welldeserved playoff berth. Anything less, and he’ll be wondering what could have been in years past. #3 Corey Vincent | Team Dillon | 292 pts. eNASCAR’s Mr. Consistency, Vincent almost always seems to find his way into the top 10 in points, and he currently sits seventh. But he’ll need to find victory lane for the first time since Indianapolis 2019 if he wants to make it onto the playoff grid. #9 Michael Guest | Jim Beaver | 283 pts. A runner-up finish at Daytona and an uncanny ability to pass cars had Guest as high as second in points, but he’s faltered slightly as of late. Now, it’s either score his first career eNASCAR victory, or settle for racing for 11th in the season standings. #38 Casey Kirwan | XSET | 281 pts. There’s a good chance that the ever-popular Kirwan couldn’t be happier to see Michigan as the cutoff race of the regular season. After all, he won this race last year in a mad dash to the checkered flag. Repeating that is his only path into the playoffs. #25 Nick Ottinger | William Byron | 275 pts. The defending eNASCAR champion has been surprisingly shut out of the winner’s circle in his title defense. Can the Logitech-backed driver master a pressure cooker of a race like he did in last year’s season finale, and earn a chance to go back-to-back? #36 Chris Shearburn | Letarte Esports | 1 win Shearburn’s win at Kansas had him sitting pretty, until a series of bad finishes and string of new winners combined to knock him out of the playoff grid and the top 20 in points. It’ll likely take a second victory and a whole lot of help to change his fortune. #51 Ray Alfalla | Joe Gibbs Racing | 1 win Sorry, Four-Time. Alfalla began to turn around the season from hell when he won the Coca-Cola 300 at Charlotte, but he still couldn’t crack the top 20 in points by this race, and remains 22 behind even Shearburn. The drive for five awaits another year.
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2021 SCHEDULE/RACE WINNERS
DATE LOCATION WINNER TEAM February 1 Clash at Daytona* Logan Clampitt* William Byron eSports February 8 Daytona International Speedway Michael Conti JR Motorsports February 23 Homestead-Miami Speedway Keegan Leahy 23XI March 2 Las Vegas Motor Speedway Ryan Luza XSET March 16 Atlanta Motor Speedway Logan Clampitt William Byron eSports March 30 Auto Club Speedway Bob Bryant Kligerman Sport April 13 Richmond Raceway Vicente Salas Spacestation Gaming April 27 Kansas Speedway Chris Shearburn Letarte Esports May 18 Circuit of the Americas Mitchell deJong 23XI May 25 Charlotte Motor Speedway Ray Alfalla Joe Gibbs Racing June 22 Pocono Raceway Bobby Zalenski Letarte Esports June 29 Road America Mitchell deJong 23XI July 13 New Hampshire Motor Speedway Jimmy Mullis Richmond Raceway Esports July 27 All-Star Open* Matt Bussa* Mode Motorsports All-Star Heat* Graham Bowlin* Stewart-Haas Esports All-Star Race* Jimmy Mullis* Richmond Raceway Esports August 3 Watkins Glen International Graham Bowlin Stewart-Haas Esports August 17 Michigan International Speedway August 31 Darlington Raceway Sept. 14 Bristol Motor Speedway Sept. 28 Talladega Superspeedway October 12 Texas Motor Speedway *denotes a non-points event; race winner cannot use victory towards a 2021 playoff berth
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2020 RACE RESULTS
FIN. ST. NO. NAME MANUFACTURER LAPS LED GAP BEST PTS. 1 4 23 Casey Kirwan Toyota 108 23 38.330 45 2 14 54 Alex McCollum Chevrolet 108 4 -0.094 38.632 40 3 36 2 Ray Alfalla Chevrolet 108 8 -0.119 38.723 39 4 1 36 Chris Shearburn Chevrolet 108 4 -0.196 38.362 38 5 19 37 Christian Challiner Chevrolet 108 0 -0.257 38.238 36 6 18 27 Corey Vincent Ford 108 4 -0.290 38.279 36 7 24 55 Caine Cook Ford 108 13 -0.368 38.234 35 8 9 83 Bobby Zalenski Chevrolet 108 9 -0.592 38.138 34 9 21 99 Logan Clampitt Toyota 108 4 -0.649 38.112 33 10 5 33 Michael Guest Chevrolet 108 6 -0.675 38.438 32 11 37 5 Matt Bussa Ford 108 2 -0.749 38.097 31 12 17 88 Brad Davies Chevrolet 108 0 -0.754 38.294 29 13 13 3 Blake Reynolds Chevrolet 108 0 -0.892 38.368 28 14 33 14 Brandon Hayse Kettelle Ford 108 0 -0.945 38.261 27 15 22 8 Michael Conti Chevrolet 108 0 -1.007 37.858 26 16 3 32 Keegan Leahy Toyota 108 0 -1.500 38.096 25 17 38 16 Chris Overland Ford 108 0 -1.591 38.624 24 18 16 77 Bob Bryant Toyota 108 0 -1.676 38.359 23 19 26 15 Michael Guariglia Ford 108 0 -1.753 38.232 22 20 11 79 Brian Schoenburg Ford 108 0 -1.857 38.438 21 21 32 46 Jimmy Mullis Toyota 108 0 -1.885 38.254 20 22 39 1 Steve Sheehan Chevrolet 108 0 -2.180 38.574 19 23 34 9 Eric J. Smith Ford 108 0 -2.186 38.046 18 24 29 90 Zack Novak Toyota 108 0 -2.241 38.361 17 25 31 41 Dylan Duval Ford 108 0 -2.598 38.415 16 26 23 4 Santiago Tirres Chevrolet 108 0 -3.480 38.461 15 27 27 53 Ryan Michael Luza Ford 108 1 -5.875 38.346 15 28 6 6 Nathan Lyon Ford 108 0 -6.051 38.409 13 29 8 18 Graham A. Bowlin Toyota 108 10 -11.052 38.516 13 30 7 17 Kollin Keister Ford 108 8 -11.495 38.525 12 31 35 24 Jake Nichols Ford 108 0 -15.308 38.433 10 32 30 10 Justin Bolton Ford 108 0 -33.875 38.775 9 33 15 66 Jarl Teien Chevrolet 106 11 -2 L 38.607 9 34 28 97 John Gorlinsky Chevrolet 106 0 -2 L 38.642 7 35 20 21 Garrett Lowe Ford 104 0 -4 L 38.517 6 36 25 75 Phillip Diaz Ford 103 1 -5 L 38.458 6 37 12 25 Nick Ottinger Chevrolet 5 0 -103 L 42.845 4 38 2 51 Malik Ray Toyota 3 0 -105 L 3 39 10 47 Jeremy R Allen Chevrolet 3 0 -105 L 1:08.480 2
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LOGITECH G CHALLENGE 100 SPOTTER GUIDE
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LOGITECH G CHALLENGE 100 SPOTTER GUIDE
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LOGITECH G CHALLENGE 100 SPOTTER GUIDE
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