Nick Ottinger locked down a spot in the Championship Four by winning at a virtual Dover Motor Speedway on Tuesday night in the second playoff race of the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series.
Ottinger, in the No. 25 Chevrolet, led comfortably for the final five-plus laps, building a three-car-length lead over Steven Wilson the final time around the track and prevailing by 0.236 seconds.
“I was using the tires up quite a bit obviously at the end, but you’re going for a spot at the final four,” said Ottinger, a resident of Claremont, N.C. “You’re gonna go all out.”
With his victory, Ottinger joins Garrett Lowe as the drivers who will already be among those competing for $100,000 next month in Charlotte, N.C., where the season concludes at a virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway. That race will be presented live from the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
Ottinger was crowned the series’ champion in 2020.
Although Wilson came up just short, finishing in second in the No. 10 Ford, he was still pleased with his performance.
“I was pretty happy,” said Wilson, who hails from Iowa City. “If I had a couple more laps, I think I could have gotten there, but I’ll take it. … Hopefully we can just finish the job at Phoenix.”
Lowe placed third in the No. 15 Ford. Jimmy Mullis, in the No. 46 Chevrolet, and Tucker Minter, in the No. 33 Chevrolet, followed to round out the top five.
Last season’s champion, Casey Kirwan, finished seventh in the No. 95 Chevrolet.
The playoffs continue on Sept. 12 when the series heads to a virtual Phoenix Raceway for the penultimate race. The winner of that race will seal a spot in the Championship Four, if he hasn’t earned a place already. A fourth driver — or a third and fourth driver if there is a repeat race winner — will be in the Championship Four based on the points standings.
–Field Level Media