eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series: Richmond Notes

William Byron is a +195 favorite to win Sunday at Richmond.

eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series

Next Race: Toyota Owners 150

The Place: Virtual Richmond Raceway

The Date: Sunday, April 19

The Time: 1 p.m. ET

TV: FOX (where available and subject to change), FS1 and FOX Sports App

Distance: 150 Laps

Saturday Night Thunder

The Place: Virtual Richmond Raceway

The Date: Saturday, April 4

The Time: 8 p.m. ET

Online: enascar.com/live

Distance: Four heat races – 10 Laps; Last Chance Qualifier – 16 Laps; Main Event – 125 Laps

Additional Resources to Assist in Coverage

• Post-Race Teleconference with Winner – Sunday, 3:15 p.m ET
• Entry lists and iRacing Stats for Saturday and Sunday
• Race content hub, to include additional resources available on NASCARMedia.com on Sunday - photo gallery, teleconference audio & transcript 

Going green at virtual Richmond!

While NASCAR’s on-track activity has been postponed through the weekend of May 3rd to align with CDC guidance, drivers and fans are turning to the virtual world to see some of the best racing competition around.

NASCAR, iRacing and FOX Sports teamed up to deliver the first-ever eNASCAR iRacing Pro invitational Series event, the Dixie Vodka 150, at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway after all national pro sports were put on hold due to the pandemic a few weeks ago. FOX Sports later committed to covering the remainder of the season, which began Sunday, March 29, at 1 p.m. ET from virtual Texas Motor Speedway. Two weeks ago, the series went to battle at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway, where ultimately William Byron took the checkered flag.

After a brief break last weekend in observance of the Easter holiday, the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series is back in action this Sunday at virtual Richmond Raceway.

Entitled FOX NASCAR iRacing, the races will be simulcast on the FOX broadcast network where available, FS1 and the FOX Sports app. Races will also be available in Canada through FOX Sports Racing.

The most recent race of the series, the 150-lap virtual race event at Bristol Motor Speedway, was full of excitement. Veteran iRacer Byron won the pole award and led a majority of the race en route to his 293^rd iRacing win.

John Hunter Nemechek finished second to Byron, Timmy Hill, the Texas race winner, finished third, Denny Hamlin finished fourth and Matt DiBenedetto rounded out the top five.

The series inaugural event on March 22, won by three-time Daytona 500 winner Hamlin, drew 903,000 viewers on FS1. The second series race at Texas Motor Speedway, won by Hill, drew 1.3 million viewers.

Bristol’s virtual race drew 1.179 million viewers and got a 0.81 rating.

  

Sunday’s Toyota Owners 150 at Richmond Raceway (1 p.m. ET on FOX, FS1, FOX Sports App) will once again feature FOX NASCAR broadcasters Jeff Gordon, Mike Joy and Larry McReynolds calling the action, as well as Clint Bowyer serving as the in-race analyst.

Saturday Night Thunder at Richmond Raceway

Two weeks ago marked the introduction of a new iRacing event, Saturday Night Thunder, that used ARCA cars. This weekend’s race at virtual Richmond will use NASCAR Xfinity Series cars including the Supra, Mustang and Camaro.

The Saturday Night Thunder entry list includes drivers from the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series, NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series, ARCA Menards Series, NASCAR PEAK Mexico Series and NASCAR Whelen Euro Series. 

The format will be similar to short-track events and will feature multiple heat races and one main event. The event will be live streamed at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, April 18, on enascar.com/live, and on NASCAR’s YouTube channel.

The format will be as follows (all times ET):

7 p.m.: One-hour practice session

8 p.m.: Stream starts on eNASCAR.com/NASCAR YouTube Channel

8:05 p.m.:  Two-lap single-car qualifying session. This will set the starting grid for the heats.

8:08 p.m.:   

·       Heat 1 starts. All heats will be 10 laps with no cautions and one reset. There will be four heats and six cars will advance from each heat.

·       Heats will immediately be followed by one Last Chance Qualifier. This will be 15 laps with no cautions. Top two drivers will advance to main event.

·       Heats will set the starting grid for main race with a field of 26 cars.

·       Main event will be 150 laps with manual cautions and one reset. There will also be three attempts at a green-white-checkered finish.

Sunday’s run of show and race format 

Sunday’s Toyota Owners 150 will be preceded by a Richmond Qualifier race of 13 drivers who are not locked in, giving them a chance to race their way into the main event. A two-lap qualifying session will set the grid for the qualifying race. The qualifier race will be 25 laps with no cautions or resets. The top two finishers will transfer to the main event and then two additional provisionals will be chosen by FOX.

The main race will be a total of 150 laps with double-file restarts and lapped cars will go to the rear. There will be three attempts at a green-white-checkered finish, if necessary. The locked entry list consists of a tentative 26-car lineup with the format being the default iRacing Richmond setup. But, after Sunday morning’s qualifier race, the main event with feature 30 cars.

Drivers will be allowed one reset this week at virtual Richmond Raceway. If a car is damaged, drivers must drive back to their pit stall and come to a complete stop. This will automatically apply the fast repair and give the driver a new car.

The below times are approximate and subject to change:

10 a.m. – Practice session goes live

10:30 a.m. – Two-lap qualifying session begins to set grid for Richmond Qualifier (Three minutes)

10:33 a.m. – 25-lap Richmond Qualifier race (Four drivers will advance to 1 p.m. main event)

12:50 p.m. – Qualifying (Three minutes, two laps)

1:00 p.m. – FOX, FS1, FOX Sports App broadcast begins

1:13 p.m. – Green flag (150 laps)

Statistical Notes

A wide range of drivers with various experience both at Richmond Raceway and in iRacing will be contending in this Sunday’s Toyota Owners 150 in the fourth race of the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series (1 p.m. ET on FOX – where available and subject to change, FS1 and the FOX Sports app).

Below is a list of anticipated participants (listed numerically), their statistics, and career highlights, for the fourth race of the series. Please note, the participant list is subject to change.

Note on iRacing stats below:

The stats are cumulative lifetime stats for each driver in public oval events in stock car disciplines (ranging from top-level Cup cars to Legends) on iRacing. It doesn’t include stats from private leagues. Statistics for drivers who have starts in the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series include those races run.

Entry lists (lists are subject to change and will be updated on NASCARMedia.com):

Invited Drivers:

#1 Kurt Busch                                   

#2 Brad Keselowski                          

#3 Austin Dillon                                

#4 Kevin Harvick                               

#6 Ross Chastain                               

#9 Chase Elliott                                 

#11 Denny Hamlin                              

#12 Ryan Blaney                                 

#13 Ty Dillon                                       

#14 Clint Bowyer                                

#17 Chris Buescher                             

#18 Kyle Busch                                   

#20 Erik Jones                                     

#21 Matt DiBennedetto                       

#22 Joey Logano                                 

#24 William Byron                              

#31 Tyler Reddick                               

#37 Ryan Preece                                 

#38 John Hunter Nemechek                

#43 Bubba Wallace                             

#48 Jimmie Johnson                           

#51 Garrett Smithley                          

#66 Timmy Hill                                  

#77 Parker Kligerman                        

#88 Alex Bowman                             

#95 Christopher Bell

Qualifying Race Entries:

#00 Quin Houff

#8 Dale Earnhardt Jr

#15 Brennan Poole

#19 Bobby Labonte

#32 Corey LaJoie

#34 Michael McDowell

#41 Cole Custer

#47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

#49 Chad Finchum

#52 JJ Yeley

#53 Joey Gase

#89 Landon Cassill

#96 Daniel Suarez

Invited Drivers (Listed in numerical order):

Kurt Busch – iRacing #1

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Richmond Raceway

NASCAR Cup Series: 38 starts, 2 wins, 7 top fives, 15 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 2 starts, 1 win, 2 top fives, 2 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 1 start, 0 wins, 1 top five, 1 top 10

Highlights:

·       Won his first Richmond Cup Series race in the fall of 2005 and his second in the spring of 2015.

·       His two Xfinity Series starts (and one win) at Richmond came while racing for his brother Kyle’s team in 2012.

·       Started from the pole and finished third in his lone Gander Trucks start at Richmond in 2000, which was also his national series track debut.

·       2004 NASCAR Cup Series champion; winner of the inaugural NASCAR Playoffs

·       Has driven for many of NASCAR’s most iconic teams such as Roush-Fenway Racing, Team Penske, Furniture Row Racing, Stewart-Haas

·       Racing, and now Chip Ganassi Racing

·       Multiple winner in all three NASCAR national series

·       2000 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Rookie of the Year and championship runner-up

Overall iRacing Stats

·       3 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives and 0 poles

·       Finished 35^th at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway

·       Finished 10^th at virtual Texas Motor Speedway

·       Finished 19^th at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway

Brad Keselowski – iRacing #2

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 2 Team Penske Ford

NASCAR National Series Stats at Richmond Raceway

NASCAR Cup Series: 21 starts, 1 win, 5 top fives, 11 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 17 starts, 4 wins, 9 top fives, 10 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 1 start, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s

Highlights:

• Made his national series track debut in 2005 in the Gander Trucks.
• Won his first Xfinity Series race at Richmond in the spring of 2009, swept the 2013 race and won most recent in 2017.
• His Cup Series win came from the pole in the fall of 2014.
• Has 30 wins to his name with 116 top fives, 188 top 10s and 17 pole awards in the Cup Series
• His first Cup Series win came in his second Cup Series season at Talladega Superspeedway in 2009
• Won the 2012 NASCAR Cup Series Championship for Team Penske
• Won the 2010 NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship and won the Most Popular Driver Award three years in a row (2008-2010)
• Made his national series debut in the Gander Trucks in 2004

Overall iRacing Stats

• 33 starts, 7 wins, 19 top fives, 3 poles
• Finished 25^th at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway
• Placed 24^th at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway

Austin Dillon – iRacing #3

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series - No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Richmond Raceway

NASCAR Cup Series: 12 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 2 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 10 starts, 0 wins, 2 top fives, 7 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

·         Made his national series track debut in Richmond in the Xfinity Series in 2008

·         Had a best track finish of fourth in the Xfinity Series at Richmond (spring, 2017)

·         Got his first Cup Series win in 2017 at Charlotte Motor Speedway

·         Won the 2018 Daytona 500

·         Won the 2013 NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship

·         Won the Xfinity Series Rookie-of-the-Year Award n 2012

·         Is the 2011 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Champion as well as the Most Popular Driver

·         Won rookie of the year honors in Gander Trucks in 2010

Overall iRacing Stats

·         3 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives and 0 poles

·         Finished 27^th at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway

·         Finished 29^th at virtual Texas Motor Speedway

·         Finished 15^th at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway

Kevin Harvick – iRacing #4

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series - No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford

NASCAR National Series Stats at Richmond Raceway

NASCAR Cup Series: 38 starts, 3 wins, 15 top fives, 25 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 27 starts, 7 wins, 18 top fives, 21 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 5 starts, 0 wins, 3 top fives, 3 top 10s

Highlights:

·       Made his national series track debut in 1998 in the Gander Trucks

·       Won his first Cup Series race at Richmond in the fall of 2006.

·       Won his first Xfinity Series race at Richmond in 2003, then won three straight from the fall of 2005 and through the 2006 season. His most recent Xfinity Series win came in the spring of 2014.

·       2014 NASCAR Cup Series Champion and 2007 Daytona 500 winner

• Has qualified for the NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4 five-times in the last six seasons.
• Has made 13 NASCAR Cup Series Playoff appearances, tied for second-most all-time
• 2001 and 2006 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion
• 2007, 2009 and 2011 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series champion owner with wife DeLana Harvick
• 2001 NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year
• 1998 NASCAR K&N Pro Series West champion 

Overall iRacing Stats

·       N/A

·       Is making his eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series debut this weekend at virtual Richmond Raceway

Ross Chastain – iRacing #6

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Xfinity Series – No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Richmond Raceway

NASCAR Cup Series: 4 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 9 starts, 0 wins, 1 top five, 1 top 10

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

·         His best finish at Richmond was runner-up in the Xfinity Series in the fall of 2018.

·         Chastain made his NASCAR national series track debut at Richmond in the Gander Trucks in 2015.

·         This year, he has filled in for Ryan Newman in the No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford in the NASCAR Cup Series for three races

·         In 2019, he completed 19 races in the Xfinity Series and posted a win at Daytona with Kaulig Racing

·         In 2018, he made the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs and won his first career race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway racing for Chip Ganassi Racing

·         In 2011, he made his NASCAR national series debut in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series debut at Lucas Oil Raceway

Overall iRacing Stats

·         540 starts, 67 wins, 196 top fives and 64 poles

·         Finished 14^th at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway

·         Finished 22^nd at virtual Texas Motor Speedway

·         Finished 16^th at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway

Chase Elliott – iRacing #9

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series - No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Richmond Raceway

NASCAR Cup Series: 9 starts, 0 wins, 2 top fives, 3 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 4 starts, 1 win, 4 top fives, 4 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

·       Made his national series track debut in 2014 in the Xfinity Series.

·       His best Cup Series finish at Richmond came in the spring of 2018, finishing second. He won the Xfinity Series race in the fall of 2015 and had a pair of second-place finishes in his first two Xfinity races.

·       Got his first Cup Series win at Watkins Glen International in 2018, then went on to win two more times that season (Dover-2, Kanas-2)

·       Won three races in 2019 including the Charlotte Road Course

·       Won the Cup Series Most Popular Driver Award for the last two years (2018, 2019)

·       Won the Cup Series Rookie-of-the-Year Award in 2016

·       Won Gander Trucks Most Popular Driver Award in 2015

·       2014 NASCAR Xfinity Series Champion and won rookie of the year and most popular driver in the same year

Overall iRacing Stats

·       258 starts, 36 wins, 107 top fives, 31 poles

·       Finished 24^th at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway

·       Finished 20^th at virtual Texas Motor Speedway

·       Finished 30^th at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway

Denny Hamlin – iRacing #11

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

NASCAR National Series Stats at Richmond Raceway

NASCAR Cup Series: 27 starts, 3 wins, 13 top fives, 17 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 14 starts, 3 wins, 6 top fives, 10 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 1 start, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s

Highlights:

·       Won the inaugural eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway

·       Made his national series track debut in 2004 in the Gander Trucks and finished 16^th.

·       His first Cup Series win at Richmond came in the fall of 2009. He also won in the fall of 2010 and the fall of 2016.

·       Won his first Xfinity Series race at Richmond in the spring of 2008 and his most recent race in the spring of 2015. His other win was in the spring of 2011.

·       Won Cup Series Rookie of the Year Award in 2006

·       Has 38 Cup Series wins to his name and the first came in 2006 at Pocono Raceway

·       He has 162 top fives, 261 top 10s and 33 poles in the Cup Series

·       2019 was a career-best season for him, winning six races and making it to the Championship 4

·       Won the Daytona 500 three times (2016, 2019, 2020)

·       Is already in the Playoffs this season with his season-opening win at Daytona

Overall iRacing Stats

·       166 starts, 31 wins, 76 top fives, 31 poles

·       Won the first race at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway with a last-lap pass on Dale Earnhardt Jr.

·       Finished 24^th at virtual Texas Motor Speedway

·       Finished 4^th at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway

Ryan Blaney – iRacing #12

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series - No. 12 Team Penske Ford

NASCAR National Series Stats at Richmond Raceway

NASCAR Cup Series: 8 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 5 starts, 0 wins, 2 top fives, 5 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

·       Made his national series debut at Richmond in the Xfinity Series in 2012, finishing 7^th.

·       His best finish at Richmond was in the Xfinity Series – fourth in the fall of 2014.

·       Has won a race and earned a Cup Series Playoff berth in each season from 2017-19 and has three total wins in the Cup Series.

·       Finished runner-up in 2014 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series standings, won most popular driver in the series

·       Won 2013 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award 

Overall iRacing Stats

·       2 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 poles

·       Finished 27^th at virtual Texas Motor Speedway

·       Finished 28^th at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway

Ty Dillon – iRacing #13

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 13 Germain Racing Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Richmond Raceway

NASCAR Cup Series: 6 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 10 starts, 0 wins, 2 top fives, 7 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

·       Made his national series track debut in 2012 in the Xfinity Series

·       Has a best finish of second at Richmond in the Xfinity Series in the spring of 2016.

·       In 2019, got his best Cup Series finish at the spring Daytona race in fourth place

·       Made his Cup Series debut in 2014 at Atlanta Motor Speedway

·       Won Most Popular Driver Award for Gander Trucks in 2013

·       In 2012, Dillon won Rookie-of-the-Year honors for the Gander Trucks

Overall iRacing Stats

·       3 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives and 0 poles

·       Finished 19^th at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway

·       Finished 16^th at virtual Texas Motor Speedway

·       Finished 25^th at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway

Clint Bowyer – iRacing #14

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series - No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford

NASCAR National Series Stats at Richmond Raceway

NASCAR Cup Series: 28 starts, 2 wins, 5 top fives, 16 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 11 starts, 1 win, 2 top fives, 6 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

·       His two Cup Series wins came in the spring of 2008 and in the fall of 2012.

·       Bowyer won the Xfinity Series race in the spring of 2007 at Richmond.

·       Bowyer made his NASCAR national series track debut at Richmond in the Xfinity Series in 2005.

·       In 2019, Bowyer qualified for the Playoffs on points and finished ninth in the series standing

·       Bowyer was the runner-up for the 2012 NASCAR Cup Series championship

·       He won the 2008 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship

·       Multiple winner in all three NASCAR national series. (10 NASCAR Cup Series, eight NASCAR Xfinity Series, 14 Gander Trucks wins)

Overall iRacing Stats

·       3 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives and 0 poles

·       Finished 16^th at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway

·       Finished 11^th at virtual Texas Motor Speedway

·       Finished 11^th at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway

Chris Buescher – iRacing #17

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series - No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford

NASCAR National Series Stats at Richmond Raceway

NASCAR Cup Series: 8 starts – best finish of 17^th in 2017

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 5 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 3 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

• Got his best track finish in the Xfinity Series in 2014, finishing seventh
• Made his Cup Series debut at the track in 2016 and finished 34^th
• Buescher joined Roush-Fenway Racing for the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season
• In 2016, he won first NASCAR Cup Series race (Pocono-2) in his rookie season; first driver since Joey Logano (2009) to accomplish the feat
• One of three drivers in NASCAR Cup Series history to make the Playoffs in their rookie season, joining Chase Elliott and Denny Hamlin
• Won the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship in 2015
• Was the 2012 ARCA Menards Series champion

Overall iRacing Stats

• 3 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives and 0 poles
• Finished 28^th at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway
• Finished 18^th at virtual Texas Motor Speedway
• Finished 23^rd at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway

Kyle Busch – iRacing #18

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

NASCAR National Series Stats at Richmond Raceway

NASCAR Cup Series: 29 starts, 6 wins, 18 top fives, 22 top 10s, 2 poles

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 22 starts, 6 wins, 16 top fives, 19 top 10s, 6 poles

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 2 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s

Highlights:

·         Made Cup Series debut at the track in 2005 and finished fourth

·         Got his first Cup Series win a the track in 2009 for Joe Gibbs Racing

·         Won at Richmond in his first career start in the Xfinity Series in 2004 from the pole

·         Reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion, also won championship in 2015. One of two (Jimmie Johnson) active drivers with multiple Cup championships

·         Has made the Championship 4 in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs the last five consecutive seasons

·         Won the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship in 2009

·         In 2010, set all-time single-season record with 24 victories across NASCAR’s three national series

·         Currently has most all-time NASCAR national series wins with 208 (56 Cup, 96 Xfinity, 57 Gander Trucks)

·         Record seven-time NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series owner champion (2010, ’13, ’14, ’15, ’16, ’17 and ‘19) and one driver championship (2015)

Overall iRacing Stats

·         3 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives and 0 poles

·         Finished 29^th at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway

·         Finished 17^th at Texas Motor Speedway

·         Finished 18^th at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway

Erik Jones – iRacing #20

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series - No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

NASCAR National Series Stats at Richmond Raceway

NASCAR Cup Series: 6 starts – best finish of sixth in 2017

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 4 starts, 0 wins, 3 top fives, 3 top 10s, 1 pole

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

• Made his Cup Series track debut in 2017 for Barney Visser
• In 2015, made his first track start in the Xfinity Series and finished fourth
• Won his first pole award at the track in 2016 in the Xfinity Series
• Won his first NASCAR Cup Series race at Daytona International Speedway in July of 2018
• 2017 NASCAR Cup Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year - becoming the first driver to earn the award in all three of NASCAR’s national series
• 2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year
• 2015 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Champion and Sunoco Rookie of the Year - the youngest champion in series history

Overall iRacing Stats

• 3 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 poles
• Finished 10^th at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway
• Finished 21^st at virtual Texas Motor Speedway
• Finished 31^st at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway

Matt DiBenedetto – iRacing #21

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series - No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford

NASCAR National Series Stats at Richmond Raceway

NASCAR Cup Series: 10 starts – best finish of 14^th in 2019

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 4 starts – best finish of 26^th in 2014

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

·            Made his Cup Series debut at Richmond in 2015

·            His best finish at the track came last season at the second Richmond race finishing 14^th

·            Made his first start at the track in the Xfinity Series in 2013

·            Notched his first career top-five finish in 2019 at Sonoma Raceway

·            Signed with Wood Brothers Racing for the 2020 season after racing for Leavine Family Racing in 2019

·            His two career-best finishes were runner-up in Bristol Motor Speedway in 2019 and Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2020

·            His best finish in the Xfinity Series was in 2010 at Iowa Speedway, where he finished ninth

Overall iRacing Stats

·            313 starts, 77 wins, 205 top fives, 29 poles

·            Finished 11^th at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway

·            Finished 15^th at virtual Texas Motor Speedway

·            Finished fifth at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway

Joey Logano – iRacing #22

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series - No. 22 Team Penske Ford

NASCAR National Series Stats at Richmond Raceway

NASCAR Cup Series: 22 starts, 2 wins, 9 top fives, 12 top 10s, 2 poles

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 6 starts, 0 wins, 2 top fives, 5 top 10s, 1 pole

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

• Made Cup Series debut at Richmond in 2009
• Won his first Cup Series race at the track in 2014 and won again in 2017
• Won both pole awards at the track in 2015 in the Cup Series
• Made his Xfinity Series track debut in 2008 and started from the pole
• Best finish of second in the Xfinity Series at Richmond in 2015
• Became youngest driver to win a NASCAR Cup pole on March 19, 2010, at Bristol
• Won 2009 NASCAR Cup Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year, the youngest-ever winner of the award
• Became youngest driver to win a NASCAR Cup race on June 28, 2009, at New Hampshire Motor Speedway
• Became youngest driver to win a NASCAR Xfinity Series race on June 14, 2008, at Kentucky

Overall iRacing Stats

• 13 starts, 2 wins, 3 top fives and 4 poles
• Finished 15^th at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway
• Finished 17^th at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway

William Byron – iRacing #24

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Richmond Raceway

NASCAR Cup Series: 4 starts – best finish of 12^th in 2018

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 2 starts – best finish of seventh in 2017

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

·         Won the Pro Invitational Series race at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway

·         Made Cup Series track debut in 2018 and finished 12th

·         Made Xfinity Series track debut in 2017 – finished seventh at the second Richmond race that year

·         Earned first career Playoff berth in 2019, finishing a career-high 11th in final standings

·         Won the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award; becoming just the second driver all-time to win Rookie of the Year honors in all three NASCAR national series; joining Erik Jones

·         Won the 2017 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship and the Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award

·         Won the 2016 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series owner championship for Kyle Busch Motorsports and the Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award, setting a series rookie record with seven victories

·         Won the 2015 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East championship and the Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award

Overall iRacing Stats

·            1,469 starts, 293 wins, 699 top fives and 251 poles

·            Finished 34^th at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway

·            Finished seventh at virtual Texas and started from the pole

·            Won the race at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway and started from the pole

Tyler Reddick – iRacing #31

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series - No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Richmond Raceway

NASCAR Cup Series: N/A

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 5 starts, 0 wins, 1 top five, 3 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

• Made Xfinity Series debut at the track in 2017
• Best finish of fourth at Richmond in 2019
• Back-to-back NASCAR Xfinity Series champion (2018-2019), and first driver to do it with two different organizations (JR Motorsports 2018, Richard Childress Racing 2019).
• 2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year; just third driver in series history to win the title in his rookie season joining Chase Elliott (2014) and William Byron (2017).
• In 2017, captured his first NASCAR Xfinity Series victory, at Kentucky, while running a partial schedule.
• In 2015, he competed full-time in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series, winning his first race and finishing runner-up in the championship standings.

Overall iRacing Stats

• 2 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 poles
• Finished 28^th at virtual Texas Motor Speedway
• Finished eighth at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway

Ryan Preece – iRacing #37

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series - No. 37 JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Richmond Raceway

NASCAR Cup Series: 2 starts – best finish of 20^th in 2019

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 3 starts – best finish of 18^th in 2018

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

• Made his Cup Series track debut last season for JTG Daugherty Racing
• His Xfinity Series track debut was in 2016, finishing 23^rd
• Finished runner-up in 2019 Sunoco Rookie of the Year battle in the NASCAR Cup Series
• Won first career NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Iowa in 2017
• In 2013, he was the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion, youngest champion in series history

Overall iRacing Stats

• 254 starts, 42 wins, 103 top fives and 14 poles
• Finished 33rd at virtual Homestead Miami Speedway
• Finished runner-up at Texas Motor Speedway
• Finished sixth at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway

John Hunter Nemechek – iRacing #38

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series - No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford

NASCAR National Series Stats at Richmond Raceway

NASCAR Cup Series: N/A

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 3 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 1 top 10

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

• Has made three starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Richmond Raceway posting one top-10 finish (seventh).
• 2020 is Nemechek’s first fulltime season in the NASCAR Cup Series.
• Earned his first NASCAR Xfinity Series win in 2018 at Kansas while driving for Chip Ganassi Racing.
• Won his first NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series race at Chicagoland Speedway in 2015, driving for NEMCO Motorsports and has tallied six career wins in the series.

Overall iRacing Stats

• 291 starts, 29 wins, 98 top fives and 37 poles
• Finished 30th at virtual Homestead Miami Speedway.
• Finished 8th at virtual Texas Motor Speedway.
• Finished 2nd at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway.

Bubba Wallace – iRacing #43

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series - No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Richmond Raceway

NASCAR Cup Series: 4 starts, best finish of 12th (2019)

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 6 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 2 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

• Has posted two top-10 finishes in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Richmond Raceway.
• In 2018, Wallace finished in second in the Daytona 500 - the highest finish by a NASCAR Cup Series rookie to date. It was also the best finish by an African-American driver in the Great American Race.
• Made NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs in 2016, finishing 11th in the driver standings.
• Won his first NASCAR national series race in the Gander Trucks at Martinsville in 2013 and became the first African-American to win a NASCAR national touring series event since 1963.
• Has six career wins in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoor Truck Series.

Overall iRacing Stats

• 108 starts, 29 wins, 43 top fives and 32 poles
• Finished 7th at virtual Homestead Miami Speedway.
• Finished 25th at virtual Texas Motor Speedway.
• Finished 32nd at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway. 

Jimmie Johnson – iRacing #48

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series - No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Richmond Raceway

NASCAR Cup Series: 36 starts, 2 wins (2010, 2017), 12 top fives, 21 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 4 starts, 0 wins, 1 top five, 1 top 10

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

• Has won three times in the NASCAR Cup Series at Richmond Raceway (2007 sweep and Fall 2008).
• Tied with NASCAR Hall of Famers Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt for the most NASCAR Cup Series championships all-time with seven each.
• First driver in series history to win five consecutive NASCAR Cup Series titles (2006-10).
• Johnson ranks tied for sixth on the all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins list, with 83 wins.
• Has the series record with 15 NASCAR Cup Series Playoff berths.
• 2009 Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year.

Overall iRacing Stats

• 3 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 poles
• Finished 31st at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway.
• Finished 25th at virtual Texas Motor Speedway.
• Finished 25th at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway.

Garrett Smithley – iRacing #51

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series - No. 51 Petty Ware Racing Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Richmond Raceway

NASCAR Cup Series: N/A

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 8 starts, best finish of 19th (2019)

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

• Has made eight starts at Richmond in the NASCAR Xfinity Series posting a best finish of 19th in 2019.
• Finished a career-best 18th in the 2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series standings.
• Has a NASCAR national series career-best finish of fifth at Daytona in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

Overall iRacing Stats

• 1,228 starts, 146 wins, 537 top fives and 131 poles
• Finished 5th at virtual Homestead Miami Speedway.
• Finished 3rd at virtual Texas Motor Speedway.
• Finished 9th at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway.

Timmy Hill – iRacing #66

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 66 Motorsports Business Management Toyota

NASCAR National Series Stats at Richmond Raceway

NASCAR Cup Series: 3 starts, best finish of 34th (twice: 2013, 2017)

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 12 starts, best finish of 17th (2011)

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

• Won the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series race at virtual Texas Motor Speedway.
• Has posted a career-best finish of 17th in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Richmond Raceway.
• Finished third in the 2020 Xfinity Series season-opener at Daytona, his career-best NASCAR national series finish.
• Made his NASCAR Cup Series debut in 2012 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
• Owner of Hill Motorsports, fielding the No. 56 Chevrolet in the Gander Trucks.

Overall iRacing Stats

• 1,678 starts, 674 wins, 1,206 top fives, 456 poles
• Finished 3rd at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway.
• Won the race at virtual Texas Motor Speedway.
• Finished 3rd at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway.

Parker Kligerman – iRacing #77

Current Series/Occupation: NBC Sports TV Analyst and part-time NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series driver

NASCAR National Series Stats at Richmond Raceway

NASCAR Cup Series: N/A

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 3 starts, best finish of 11th (2013)

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

• Has made three starts at Richmond Raceway in the NASCAR Xfinity Series posting a best finish of 11th in 2013.
• Has made 28 NASCAR Cup Series starts since 2012.
• Finished a career-best ninth in the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship standings in 2013.
• Has posted a pair of wins in the Gander Trucks, both at Talladega (2012, 2017).
• Finished a career-best fifth in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series championship points in 2012.

Overall iRacing Stats

• 417 starts, 57 wins, 189 top fives and 11 poles
• Finished 13th at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway.
• Finished 12th at virtual Texas Motor Speedway.
• Finished 7th at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway.

Alex Bowman – iRacing #88

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series - No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Richmond Raceway

NASCAR Cup Series: 8 starts, best finish of 12th (2018)

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 3 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 1 top 10

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

• Has finished in the top-10 at Richmond Raceway in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
• Bowman captured his second career NASCAR Cup Series win earlier this season at Auto Club Speedway. His first came last year at Chicagoland Speedway.
• Bowman filled in the No. 88 for 10 races in 2016 while Dale Earnhardt Jr. was sidelined with concussion symptoms. He took over the ride fulltime in 2018 following Earnhardt’s retirement.
• He was the 2011 NASCAR Menards Series East and the 2012 ARCA Menards Series rookie of the year.

Overall iRacing Stats

• 3 starts, 0 wins, 1 top five and 0 poles
• Finished 6th at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway.
• Finished 5th at virtual Texas Motor Speedway.
• Finished 14th at virtual Richmond Raceway.

Christopher Bell – iRacing #95

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series - No. 96 Leavine Family Racing Toyota

NASCAR National Series Stats at Richmond Raceway

NASCAR Cup Series: N/A

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 5 starts, 3 wins (2018 sweep, 2019), 3 top fives, 4 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

• Has made five starts at Richmond Raceway in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and won three of them (2018 sweep, 2019).
• He won the 2019 Xfinity Spring race at Bristol.
• Has posted a total of 16 NASCAR Xfinity Series wins.
• Set the rookie single season Xfinity Series wins record with seven victories in 2018.
• 2017 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series champion
• Has a total of seven Gander Truck wins.

Overall iRacing Stats

• 1,029 starts, 237 wins, 556 top fives and 132 poles
• Finished 27th at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway.
• Finished 34th at virtual Texas Motor Speedway.
• Finished 12th at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway.

Qualifying Race Entries (Listed in numerical order)

Quin Houff – iRacing #00

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series - No. 00 StarComm Racing Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Richmond Raceway

NASCAR Cup Series: 2 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 2 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

• Made his national series track debut in 2017 in the Xfinity Series
• Made NASCAR Cup Series debut in 2019 at Phoenix Raceway for Spire Motorsports
• Competed part-time in 2019 in the NASCAR Cup Series making 17 starts for Spire Motorsports (13) and Premium Motorsports (4).

Overall iRacing Stats

• N/A
• Attempting to make his Pro Invitational Series debut at virtual Richmond Raceway

Dale Earnhardt Jr. – iRacing #8

Current Series/Occupation: Retired NASCAR Cup Series Driver, NBC Sports Analyst

NASCAR National Series Stats at Richmond Raceway

NASCAR Cup Series: 36 starts, 3 wins, 10 top fives, 14 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 8 starts, 4 wins, 6 top fives, 7 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

• Made his national series track debut in 1998 in the Xfinity Series – finishing second.
• He won his first Bristol Cup Series race in just his second series start at the track – spring of 2000.
• Won his first Xfinity Series race at Richmond in the fall of 1998 and then won three straight Xfinity Series races he entered (fall, 1999; fall 2002; spring 2016)
• Made his debut as an NBC broadcaster in 2018
• Retired from full-time racing at the end of 2017
• His first NASCAR national series win was in 1998 at Texas Motor Speedway for the Gander Trucks
• In 2000, he got his first Cup Series win, also at Texas Motor Speedway in his first full season in the series
• Won the Cup Series Most Popular Driver Award for 15 straight years (2003-2017)
• Won the 1998 and 1999 NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship
• In 1999, won the Xfinity Series Rookie-of-the-Year Award
• Team owner of Xfinity Series team JR Motorsports, collecting 47 wins since 2005

Overall iRacing Stats

• 417 starts, 194 wins, 334 top fives, 188 poles
• Finished runner-up at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway
• Finished 6^th at virtual Texas Motor Speedway
• Finished 22^nd at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway

Brennan Poole – iRacing #15

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series - No. 15 Premium Motorsports Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Richmond Raceway

NASCAR Cup Series: 2 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 6 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 3 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

• Made his national series track debut in 2015 in the Xfinity Series
• In 2016, made inaugural NASCAR Xfinity Series playoffs, finishing career-best eighth in points.

Overall iRacing Stats

• N/A
• Attempting to make his Pro Invitational Series debut at virtual Richmond Raceway

Bobby Labonte – iRacing #19

Current Series/Occupation: 2020 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee

NASCAR National Series Stats at Richmond Raceway

NASCAR Cup Series: 41 starts, 0 wins, 4 top fives, 10 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 13 starts, 0 wins, 3 top fives, 8 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

• Best finish of second in the Cup Series at Richmond in the fall of 1999 and spring of 2003
• Made his national series track debut in 1990 in the Xfinity Series – finishing third.
• Labonte was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2020. He joins his brother, Terry, with the prestigious honor
• He won the 2000 NASCAR Cup Series championship
• Labonte has 21 NASCAR Cup Series wins, 10 Xfinity Series and one Gander Trucks win
• He is one of 27 drivers to have a win in all three of NASCAR’s national series

Overall iRacing Stats

• 78 starts, 7 wins, 31 top fives, 5 poles
• Finished 18^th at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway
• Finished 13^th at virtual Texas Motor Speedway
• Finished 13^th at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway

Corey LaJoie – iRacing #32

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series - No. 32 GoFas Racing Ford

NASCAR National Series Stats at Richmond Raceway

NASCAR Cup Series: 5 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: N/A

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

• Made his national series track debut in 2017 in the NASCAR Cup Series.
• In 2019, LaJoie posted career-bests in starting position (16th, Kansas), finishing position (sixth, Daytona) and final points position (29th in points).
• In 2014, he made his NASCAR Cup Series debut at New Hampshire Motorsports Speedway.

Overall iRacing Stats

• N/A
• Attempting to make his Pro Invitational Series debut at virtual Richmond Raceway

Michael McDowell – iRacing #34

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series - No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford

NASCAR National Series Stats at Richmond Raceway

NASCAR Cup Series: 18 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 5 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 1 top 10

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

• Made his national series track debut in 2009 in the Xfinity Series and finished eighth
• McDowell is entering his 13th season in the NASCAR Cup Series
• Finished a career-best 26th in the 2017 and 2018 NASCAR Cup Series standings
• Earned his lone NASCAR Xfinity Series win in 2016 at Road America

Overall iRacing Stats

• 103 starts, 25 wins, 45 top fives and 25 poles
• Finished 23^rd at virtual Homestead Miami Speedway
• Finished 12^th at virtual Texas Motor Speedway
• Finished 10^th at virtual Richmond Raceway

Cole Custer – iRacing #41

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series - No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 

NASCAR National Series Stats at Richmond Raceway

NASCAR Cup Series: 1 start, he started 10th but finished 26th

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 7 starts, 1 win (2019), 2 top fives, 4 top 10s, one pole

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

• Won at Richmond Raceway in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2019.
• Currently in his rookie season in the NASCAR Cup Series with Stewart-Haas Racing.

·         In 2018, he made his NASCAR Cup Series debut for Rick Ware Racing. He made three starts for the team posting a best finish of 25th at Las Vegas. 

·         Has made 104 NASCAR Xfinity Series starts posting nine career wins.

·         In 2014, he became the youngest driver in NASCAR national series history to win a race at the age of 16 years, seven months, 28 days (NGROTS, New Hampshire).

·         In 2014, he became the youngest driver in NASCAR national series history to win a pole at the age of 16 years, four months, 22 days (NGROTS, Gateway).

Overall iRacing Stats

• N/A
• Attempting to make his Pro Invitational Series debut at virtual Richmond Raceway

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – iRacing #47

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series - No. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Richmond Raceway

NASCAR Cup Series: 14 starts, 0 wins, 1 top five, 2 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 6 starts, 0 wins, 4 top fives, 4 top 10s, one pole

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

• Has finished in the top-five in the NASCAR Cup Series at Richmond (fourth in 2017). 
• Captured first two NASCAR Cup Series wins in 2017 (Talladega-1, Daytona-2),
• 2013 NASCAR Cup Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year.
• Two-time NASCAR Xfinity Series champion (2011, 2012).
• 2010 NASCAR Xfinity Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year.

Overall iRacing Stats

• 67 starts, 6 wins, 26 top fives and 1 pole
• Finished 21st at virtual Homestead Miami Speedway.
• Finished 23rd at virtual Texas Motor Speedway.
• Finished 29th at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway.

Chad Finchum – iRacing #49

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Xfinity Series – No. 13 Motorsports Business Toyota

NASCAR National Series Stats at Richmond Raceway

NASCAR Cup Series: N/A

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 4 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

• Made his national series track debut in 2018 in the Xfinity Series.
• In 2019, competed in his second full season for MBM finishing the year a career-best 26th in the standings.
• Made NASCAR Xfinity Series debut in 2017 with Motorsports Business Management at Dover.

Overall iRacing Stats

• N/A
• Attempting to make his Pro Invitational Series debut at virtual Richmond Raceway

JJ Yeley – iRacing #52

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 52 Rick Ware Racing Ford

NASCAR National Series Stats at Richmond Raceway

NASCAR Cup Series: 13 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 1 top 10

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 23 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

• Made his national series track debut in 2004 in the Xfinity Series.
• Best finish at Richmond is 10^th in the fall of 2007 in the Cup Series.
• Yeley has competed for various teams throughout the NASCAR Cup Series and Xfinity Series.
• 2003 United States Auto Club (USAC) Triple Crown (Silver Crown, sprint, midget) champion.
• Won 2001 USAC sprint car championship, 2002 USAC Silver Crown championship.
• In 1995 became youngest driver to win Sprint Car Racing Association (SCRA) feature.

Overall iRacing Stats

• N/A
• Attempting to make his Pro Invitational Series debut at virtual Richmond Raceway

Joey Gase – iRacing #53

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 53 Rick Ware Racing Ford

NASCAR National Series Stats at Richmond Raceway

NASCAR Cup Series: 3 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 14 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

• Made his national series track debut in 2013 in the Xfinity Series.
• Made his NASCAR Cup Series debut at Chicagoland Speedway in 2014 for GoFas Racing.
• In 1995 became youngest driver to win Sprint Car Racing Association (SCRA) feature.

Overall iRacing Stats

• N/A
• Attempting to make his Pro Invitational Series debut at virtual Richmond Raceway

Landon Cassill – iRacing #89

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Xfinity Series – No. 89 Shepherd Racing Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Richmond Raceway

NASCAR Cup Series: 19 starts, best finish of 19th (2012)

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 11 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 1 top 10

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

·            Has made starts at Richmond Raceway in the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series; scoring a top-10 finish in the Xfinity Series in 2015.

·            In 2014, he scored a NASCAR Cup Series career-best fourth-place finish at Talladega.

·            In 2010, he made his NASCAR Cup Series debut at Michigan.

·            In 2008, he won the NASCAR Xfinity Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year award.

Overall iRacing Stats

·            45 starts, 4 wins, 26 top fives and 2 poles

·            Finished 12th at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway.

·            Finished 4th at virtual Texas Motor Speedway.

·            Finished 20th at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway.

Daniel Suarez – iRacing #96

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series - No. 96 Gaunt Brothers Racing Toyota

NASCAR National Series Stats at Richmond Raceway

NASCAR Cup Series: 6 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 3 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 6 starts, 0 wins, 1 top five, 3 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

• Has posted top-10 finishes in both the NASCAR Cup Series and the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Richmond Raceway.
• Competed in the NASCAR Cup Series for Stewart-Haas Racing in 2018-2019; finished a career-best 17th in Cup points in ‘19.
• Made NASCAR Cup Series debut for Joe Gibbs Racing in 2017, finished the season 20th in points
• 2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series Champion -  the first Latin American, as well as the first NASCAR Drive for Diversity graduate, to win a NASCAR national series title.
• In 2016, he became the first Mexican driver to win in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, claiming three victories at Michigan, Dover and Homestead-Miami.
• 2015 NASCAR Xfinity Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year - the first Mexican driver to win the award.

Overall iRacing Stats

• 2 starts, 0 wins, 0 top five and 0 poles
• Finished 33rd at virtual Texas Motor Speedway.
• Finished 27th at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway

Odds to win eNASCAR Richmond Toyota Owners 150

William Byron has been the best so far in eNASCAR.

WILLIAM HILL SPORTSBOOKS
eNASCAR iRACING PRO INVITATIONAL SERIES
ODDS TO WIN TOYOTA OWNERS 150
VIRTUAL RICHMOND RACEWAY
SUNDAY, APRIL 19, 2020 - 1:15 PM ET

WILLIAM BYRON 9/5
TIMMY HILL 5/1
DENNY HAMLIN 7/1
PARKER KLINGERMAN 10/1
JOHN HUNTER NEMECHECK 12/1
GARRETT SMITHLEY 12/1
ALEX BOWMAN 12/1
RYAN PREECE 12/1
CHRISTOPHER BELL 14/1
KYLE BUSCH 14/1
ROSS CHASTAIN 30/1
MATT DIBENEDETTO 40/1
JOEY LOGANO 50/1
CHASE ELLIOTT 50/1
KEVIN HARVICK 50/1
BUBBA WALLACE 50/1
CLINT BOWYER 50/1
BRAD KESELOWSKI 50/1
KURT BUSCH 60/1
ERIK JONES 75/1
TYLER REDDICK 75/1
CHRIS BUESCHER 75/1
JIMMIE JOHNSON 75/1
TY DILLON 75/1
RYAN BLANEY 100/1
AUSTIN DILLON 125/1

eNASCAR iRacing Betting Preview: Richmond Raceway

Best idea is to stay away from elite Cup drivers.

eNASCAR iRacing heads to Richmond on Sunday

The NASCAR Cup Series has been shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic like all the other American sports, but they found a hidden gem with iRacing.

The popular racing series were fortunate to get the top Cup drivers involved and they broadcast the racing on Fox Sports, which has seen at least 1.1 million fans tune in during its first three races on the network.

Two weeks ago, the Nevada Gaming Control Board approved sportsbooks to start booking eNASCAR and iRacing for the first time.

The new betting market has been received well by bettors looking for some action other than the slim pickings of Belarus soccer, ping pong and other obscure events from the norm.

So if we can bet it, we might as well discuss some possible candidates to win and make some extra money while most of us aren’t working.

2020 iRACING Pro Invitational Series Results - Winners
Race 1, March 22 - Homestead-Miami Speedway, Denny Hamlin
Race 2, March 29 - Texas Motor Speedway, Timmy Hill
Race 3, April 5 - Bristol Motor Speedway, William Byron

When the shutdown is eventually over and the real NASCAR is in action, I probably won’t be betting iRacing anymore, but it’s been a fun process to research each of the first three races because I feel like I’m back in the early 1990s again creating NASCAR odds with no internet. Practice times aren’t readily available other than following a driver on Twitch.TV and records on tracks are nowhere to be found.

Back in the day, I used my NASCAR Winston Cup yearbook and results from similar tracks during the season to post odds and I’d adjust after qualifying and then hope to get practice results somewhere on Saturday before Sunday’s race waiting for someone to call with information. It was fun in a way but also distressing because of so many loose ends with a small group of people knowing a lot more about who should be favored and where the true value was. Fortunately, I never got beat that bad.

So when I look at the field for Sunday’s Toyota Owners 150 at virtual Richmond, I kind of treat it in the way I did in the 1990s -- very carefully, but not afraid because everyone is in my same boat with information or lack of it.

Simulator experience is everything here, so don't venture too far into creating a sequence where top Cup drivers like Kyle Busch wins, but he's 20-to-1 to do so, and that's also why we gamble.

Read More Here....Top-5 Finish Prediction on VegasInsider.com

Bettors adapting to iRacing during quarantine

William Byron won from the pole at virtual Bristol Sunday.

Friday, the Nevada Gaming Control Board approved eNASCAR iRacing weekly racing events for wagering within the state to William Hill and Circa sportsbooks after two weeks of denying two of the only four books still operating their mobile phone systems.

It was unknown to NGCB and they needed more info on it before approving, but eventually were satisfied that it met the state’s strict criteria.

Both books got right to it with odds to win for Sunday’s race at the virtual Bristol Motor Speedway because they had been ready to post odds for the first two weeks of the iRacing Pro Invitational Series that features up to 32 actual NASCAR Cup drivers who are racing from their homes on high-tech simulators which give the drivers all the elements of real racing.

William Byron won Sunday’s race from the pole with Circa posting him as the initial +315 favorite while William Hill had him at 7-1 and took 28 percent of its wagers on the event on him before closing at +300. Circa was pleased with its action and win results, especially on their Yes-No win props where you can bet on drivers not to win. Denny Hamlin was +850 to win the race, but you could lay -1500 that he wouldn’t. That’s a new wrinkle for any NASCAR event.

Taking bets on iRacing likely wouldn’t have happened, at least this year, if it wasn’t for everything being shut down due to COVID-19. What sent it over the edge and had bettors requesting it was because the real drivers were participating and the simulators proved to be much more advanced than the typical video game.

Fox Sports picked it up, broadcast it live on television and it was the most-watched sports event for its first three weekends getting at least 1.3 million viewers in all three.

As a comparison, some of the sports networks tried to replicate it by having real players compete in Madden or NBA 2K and it came nowhere close to eNASCAR’s rating success. At no point would Derwin James’ actual skills on the football field translate to his skills playing the video game as it does with Clint Bowyer driving a simulator.

“I’m worn out,” Bowyer said following Sunday’s Food City Showdown. “I’m sweaty. I’m frustrated. I’m mad. But, man, it was still a lot of fun. Bristol is a very challenging racetrack, as it is in real life. I can’t wait to get back on a bigger track and, more importantly, back in real life. Bristol is such a fun track, such a fun weekend. I had people texting me all week saying what they would be doing at that particular moment.”

It’s not easy for the Cup drivers and the drivers who have regularly been participating in iRacing have an edge, but the Cup drivers are catching on. What’s even better is they love bringing something to all their fans during the shutdown. It gives the NASCAR fan something to look forward to all week while being quarantined. It’s not real racing, but it kind of is since we know all the characters. There are times when watching that I can’t tell it’s not real racing because the graphics are so perfect.

Of course, the main difference is that the drivers aren’t putting their lives at risk at 200 mph. And in iRacing, just because a driver wrecks it doesn’t end his day as they have two re-sets that completely fix their cars. It makes drivers more aggressive than they might usually be with no consequences.

Sunday’s race also brought us something we haven’t seen before when Bubba Wallace lost his sponsor on Twitter. Wallace, who had a rough race early on, used up his two re-sets and was still not competing well and simply quit. He turned the game off and walked away knowing he couldn’t do any better than last place. Then Wallace turned to twitter to respond to criticism, “Bahaha I’m dying at my mentions right now,’ he tweeted. “I ruined so many people’s day by quitting a video game. Bahaha. A video game. Damn quarantine life is rough.”

READ MORE HERE.....GAMING TODAY

Odds to win 2020 eNASCAR Food City showdown at virtual Bristol

Timmy Hill is the 4/1 favorite to win at Bristol.

WILLIAM HILL SPORTSBOOKS
NASCAR IRACING PRO INVITATIONAL SERIES
ODDS TO WIN ENASCAR IRACING FOOD CITY SHOWDOWN
VIRTUAL BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY
SUNDAY, APRIL 5, 2020 - 1:15 PM ET

TIMMY HILL 4/1
DALE EARNHARDT JR 13/2
GARRET SMITHLEY 7/1
WILLIAM BYRON 7/1
DENNY HAMLIN 12/1
ALEX BOWMAN 12/1
RYAN PREECE 12/1
PARKER KLINGERMAN 15/1
ERIK JONES 25/1
LANDON CASSILL 25/1
CHRISTOPHER BELL 25/1
CHASE ELLIOTT 28/1
KYLE LARSON 30/1
MATT DIBENEDETTO 30/1
JOEY LOGANO 30/1
JOHN HUNTER NEMECHECK 30/1
MICHAEL McDOWELL 35/1
RYAN BLANEY 35/1
ROSS CHASTAIN 40/1
BUBBA WALLACE 40/1
CLINT BOWYER 40/1
KYLE BUSCH 40/1
TYLER REDDICK 40/1
TY DILLON 50/1
JIMMIE JOHNSON 50/1
KURT BUSCH 60/1
BOBBY LABONTE 60/1
RICKY STENHOUSE JR 60/1
CHRIS BUESCHER 75/1
AUSTIN DILLON 75/1