RICHMOND, Va. – NASCAR Hall of Famer Bobby Labonte converted a pole position start into a wire-to-wire victory in the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series last chance qualifier at the virtual Richmond Raceway Sunday morning.
Labonte led all 25 laps around the three-quarter-mile, D-shaped oval to take the win in the No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry, with Landon Cassill finishing second and also getting a transfer spot into the big show at 1 p.m. ET on FOX, FS1 and the FOX Sports App.
Daniel Suarez and Dale Earnhardt Jr. – who crossed third and fourth – may not have earned the direct transfers, but they were still able to breathe a sigh of relief after all was said and done.
Suarez and Earnhardt were chosen as the two “provisional” entries by FOX Sports to fill out the 30-car field for the Toyota Owners 150 presented by Toyota, guaranteeing their spots on the grid as well.
Corey LaJoie completed the top five in the LCQ and was the first driver fully out of the Pro Invitational Series field, followed by Joey Gase, Cole Custer, Michael McDowell, Chad Finchum and Brennan Poole.
The results:
1. 19-Bobby Labonte [1], 2. 89-Landon Cassill [3] / 3. 96-Daniel Suarez [2], 4. 8-Dale Earnhardt Jr. [6], 5. 32-Corey LaJoie [4], 6. 53-Joey Gase [8], 7. 41-Cole Custer [5], 8. 34-Michael McDowell [7], 9. 49-Chad Finchum [9], 10. 15-Brennan Poole [10], 11. 52-JJ Yeley (DNS).
Lead Changes: None
Lap Leader(s): Bobby Labonte 1-25
Laps Led: Bobby Labonte 25
Caution Flags: None
Margin of Victory: .553 seconds
Time of Race: 9 minutes, 19.170 seconds
Average Speed: 122.913 seconds