FONTANA, Calif. – For the second time in three races, the eNASCAR PEAK Antifreeze iRacing Series came down to a last-lap photo finish, this time with a new winner emerging from Tuesday night’s mayhem.
Twenty-year-old independent driver Eric J. Smith notched his first-career series victory by leading only the final lap, storming from sixth on the final restart with three to go to shock the eSports world.
Smith was the beneficiary of a three-wide battle for the lead gone wrong off turn two, when Nick Ottinger, Corey Vincent and Ryan Luza all came together while racing for the top spot.
Vincent, who led 32 straight laps prior to the final circuit, was working the middle at the white flag, with Ottinger on the bottom and Luza on the far outside of the virtual two-mile oval. As the trio worked through the second corner, Luza ducked in behind Vincent for a moment before shooting to the middle.
The end results of that move were disastrous for the frontrunners.
Contact between Luza and Vincent sent the No. 27 down the race track into Ottinger, while Smith – who had just moved up top to take fourth – squeezed through a cloud of smoke to grab the point heading for the third turn.
Now with Keegan Leahy to his inside flank, Smith kept his momentum up through the final two corners and edged Leahy out at the finish line by .019 of a second, the closest finish of the season so far.
The surprise result led to an emotional celebration for Smith, an Illinois native studying mechanical engineering at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
“I don’t know how to explain (that finish), I really don’t,” said a stunned Smith after the race. “That was insane. I have to thank GoPro Motorplex and everyone who made this car fast, first off, because man … it dug on top coming to the checkered (flag).
“The hole just opened up for me off turn two,” he added. “I was hoping they would get loose on the bottom, and I just took that, ran all the way through (turn) four and knew coming to the line that I had it.”
Tuesday night marked the debut of NASCAR’s new-for-2019 aerodynamic package on the iRacing simulation service, with the end results turning out to be as wild and crazy as everyone anticipated.
“The package was nuts, everyone was super aggressive, and tires meant a ton, especially early on in a run … when I went from 31st to ninth, or whatever it was,” Smith noted. “The package was a lot how I expected it to be, but I think we were thrown a curveball with the weather and how cool the sim let it get during the race. We were all flat-footed for most of the race, a lot longer than any of us thought.
“I knew it would be a battle of strategy, and my previous IndyCar experience (on the sim) told me that driving an aero-push was going to be a skill for the race,” continued Smith. I was getting massive runs just by getting on the gas super-early and carrying speed through the apex. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever driven before.”
Behind Smith and Leahy, Luza saved his car and came back to the line to complete the podium in third, just ahead of Joe Gibbs Racing’s Bobby Zalenski and Williams eSports’ Matt Bussa.
Daytona winner Zack Novak crossed sixth for Roush Fenway Racing, followed by four-time series champion Ray Alfalla, polesitter Michael Conti, Jimmy Mullis and Caine Cook.
Ottinger crossed the line 22nd, while Vincent was relegated to 33rd in the final rundown.
Tuesday’s 100-lap, 200-mile race featured eight cautions for 29 laps and 17 lead changes among 11 different drivers.
The eNASCAR PEAK Antifreeze iRacing Series continues March 26 at the virtual Texas Motor Speedway.
The finish:
Eric J. Smith, Keegan Leahy, Ryan Luza, Bobby Zalenski, Matt Bussa, Zack Novak, Ray Alfalla, Michael Conti, Jimmy Mullis, Caine Cook, Nickolas Shelton, Jake Nichols, Blake Reynolds, Logan Clampitt, Malik Ray, Jarl Teien, Garrett Lowe, Nathan Lyon, Ashton Crowder, Benjamin W. Nelson, Ryan Lowe, Nick Ottinger, Casey Kirwan, Dylan Duval, Logan Kress, Taylor Hurst, Brian Schoenburg, Timmy Hill, Chris Shearburn, Casey Tucker, Adam Benefiel, Michael Guariglia, Corey Vincent, Michael Guest, Christian Challiner, Phillip Diaz, Chris Overland, Brad Davies, Cody Byus, Brandon Kettelle.