Malik Ray made a crafty maneuver to the outside just before the finish line, allowing him to take the checkered flag on Tuesday night at a virtual Atlanta Motor Speedway as part of the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series.
Ray had never previously won on the Coca-Cola iRacing circuit, and it looked like his drought was going to continue when Collin Bowden had position on the inside as the drivers came around Turn 4.
Darik Bourdeau gave Ray a bit of a push and managed to steal Bowden’s spot coming down the stretch, but Ray opted to break toward the outer edge of the track, and the move paid off.
As soon as he crossed the finish line, Ray burst out in excitement, as a webcam showed him pumping his fists and screaming in celebratory fashion.
It took Ray — who drives the No. 7 Chevrolet — 94 career starts to earn his first victory.
“I’ve been trying to get one of these for like six years,” said Ray, who resides in Greer, S.C. “I just finally put it together.”
Ray is now hoping he can continue building momentum, and he even has his sights set on the playoffs.
“It’s sensational. That’s the only word to really (describe it),” Ray said. “I finally have a win, I should be in the top 20 in points, so as of right now, I think I’m in the playoffs. But either way, I’m gonna still be putting in effort.”
Bourdeau, in the No. 34 Ford, came in second, 0.023 second behind Ray. Bowden landed in third in the No. 17 Ford.
“To be honest, that was my best play,” Bourdeau said of giving Ray a nudge, adding that he wouldn’t have done anything differently on the home stretch. “The finish was pretty close. … As soon as I saw Malik, I saw and I knew what he was going to do, so I was like, ‘I’m just gonna push you.'”
Bourdeau currently lives in Quebec, Canada.
In the No. 45 Toyota, Michael Guest came in fourth, and Kollin Keister rounded out the top five in the No. 66 Toyota.
The series continues on March 26 at a virtual Richmond Raceway.
–Field Level Media