Garrett Lowe booked his spot in the Championship Four by winning the first eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series playoff race of the year at a virtual Michigan International Speedway on Tuesday.
On a late restart, Lowe used his tire advantage to pass (No. 4) to move in front, and he went on to earn his fourth series victory.
Steven Wilson pushed Lowe late, but it wasn’t enough.
Lowe, from Gastonia, N.C., drove the No. 15 Ford to a 0.134-second win over Wilson in the No. 10 Ford.
“It’s a huge relief,” Lowe said. “After Nashville, we were down in the dumps for a good week there. We pulled ourselves up by the bootstraps and went to work. We had a killer car at New Hampshire to lock us into the playoffs.
“Tonight we didn’t have the best car. It took some strategy. … We were kind of waiting on that caution and we finally got it. We just had to take the opportunities when they came.”
Wilson, of Iowa City, said of the ending, “Honestly it was pretty frustrating. I feel like we had a fast car and we could have made some moves. … I got super lucky there at the end. I made a crazy save into (turn) 3. My wheel was locked fully to the right and then (other drivers) ended up wrecking around me, which led to the green-white-checkered, which obviously helped me out.
“Just super happy with second, and congrats to G-Lowe.”
Michael Guest came in third place in the No. 45 Toyota. Dylan Duval took fourth in the No. 41 Ford, and Jordy Lopez claimed fifth in the No. 3 Chevrolet.
The winners of the races at a virtual Dover Motor Speedway (Aug. 29) and a virtual Phoenix Raceway (Sept. 12) will join Lowe in competing for the Dale Earnhardt Cup at a virtual Homestead Miami Speedway (Sept. 26). A fourth driver — or more if there are repeat race winners — will be in the Championship 4 based on the points standings.
The series champion will receive $100,000 from the $300,000 prize pool.
–Field Level Media