2021 Logitech G Challenge 100 | eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series

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.”

As part of the collaboration with eNASCAR, Logitech G will also serve as the entitlement sponsor for 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.

RACE FACTS

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

PAST MICHIGAN WINNERS

2020 Casey Kirwan 2019 Garrett Lowe 2018 Ryan Luza 2017 Michael Conti 2016 Ray Alfalla 2015 Kenny Humpe 2014 Chad J. Laughton 2013 Ray Alfalla 2012 Jason Karlavige 2011 Steve Sheehan 2010-1 Richard Towler 2010-2 Derek Wood

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:

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 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. 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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