ROAR! - Weekly Racing Magazine - July 16, 2020

THE MILLION DOLLAR MAN TONY STEWART REVIVES IROC

5 LESSONS LEARNED AT BRISTOL

CHASE ELLIOTT CASHES IN WITH ALL-STAR RACE WIN AT BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY

JUST SAYIN’: FANS BACK IN THE STANDS

IN THE HOT SEAT WITH HARRISON BURTON

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TONY STEWART CREATING HIS OWN RACING LEAGUE IN 2021 In this week’s episode of Out of the Groove, host and creator Eric Estepp catches us up on all the big trending NASCAR stories of the week.

While he’s en route to the All-Star race (stay tuned for that episode next issue!), Eric talks us through some of the major announcements in the sport.

First up is the return of IROC, the legendary motorsports TV show. Ray Enernham and Tony Stewart have revived the series starting next year 0 0 4

ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: JULY 16, 2020

on CBS Sports, and renamed from IROC to the Superstar Racing Experience, or SRX for short.

Eric takes us through the impact this show might have on the sport, along with a list of likely drivers we might see make an appearance on the show.

But that’s not all. Of course Eric has a few thoughts on the All-Star Race, along with an update on the TV ratings for last weekend. Find out all about it and more on this week’s episode of Out of the Groove.

5 LESSONS LEARNED

5

LESSONS LEARNED AT BRISTOL CHASE ELLIOTT TAKES MILLION DOLLAR ALL-STAR WIN When NASCAR and Speedway Motorsports, LLC announced the NASCAR All-Star Race’s relocation to Bristol Motor Speedway, it’s safe to say that this annual exhibition race featuring the Cup Series’ best drivers and teams became one of the “can’t miss races” of 2020. While it was the second time in this race’s 36 previous editions not hosted by Charlotte Motor Speedway, drivers and teams still pursued the prestigious milliondollar prize and bragging rights. All told, Chase Elliott won the battle, but read the five, fresh takeaways from the NASCAR All-Star Race!

BY ROB TIONGSON

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: JULY 16, 2020

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5 LESSONS LEARNED

5

WALLACE AND MCDOWELL TANGLE IN ALL-STAR OPEN

T

empers immediately flared at Bristol Motor Speedway during the first stage of the NASCAR All-Star Open. On Lap 19, there wasn’t a lot of giving between Michael McDowell and Bubba Wallace coming into Turn 3. Both drivers, who were running well in the early going of the race, tangled with Wallace getting the worst of it when he slammed into the Turn 3 wall. Wallace, who was a favorite for the Fan Vote if he wasn’t able to race his way into the All-Star Race, was understandably upset and frustrated with his early exit from the event. “People say he’s one of the nicest guys in the garage,” Wallace said. “Can’t wait for the God-fearing text that he’s going to send me about preaching and praise and respect. What a joke he is.” It’s no joke that Wallace won’t exactly cut any slack to McDowell moving forward on the track.

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: JULY 16, 2020

5 LESSONS LEARNED

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ALL-STAR RACE FEATURES VARIOUSLY UNIQUE, INTERESTING EXPERIMENTS

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ertainly, the NASCAR All-Star Race has long featured some experiments that have either been embraced by the series such as the double-file restarts, the high downforce, low horsepower package introduced last year, and of course, those incredible one-off paint schemes. However, this year’s edition featured some interesting trials of the choose cone just past the frontstretch start/finish line, more prominent sponsorship placement with the car numbers skewed closer to the rear wheels, and underglow lighting nearly similar to the ones from the Fast and the Furious films.

Even for this traditionalist, some of these ideas were OK, but they likely needed some finetuning.

Without a doubt, there’s some potential for the underglow, especially if they’re more like the configuration featured during the NASCAR Awards Show Week at Nashville last year. However, it’ll be nice to see those car numbers return to their normal spots when the series heads to Texas.

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: JULY 16, 2020

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5 LESSONS LEARNED

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JIMMIE JOHNSON STRUGGLES IN FINAL ALL-STAR RACE

A

lthough Wednesday’s race was a non-points event, Jimmie Johnson was a virtual non-factor at Bristol Motor Speedway. Yes, the stats point to Johnson only winning twice (2010 and ’17) at this concrete venue. However, he had an incredible third place run during the spring race held in late May, so he seemed like a respectable pre-race favorite. Instead, Johnson hovered outside of the top-10 for a majority of the evening, a somewhat paltry showing for a driver who’s won the most All-Star Races (four). Never quite getting a handle of the high-banked, 0.533-mile short track, Johnson could only muster a 17th place finish.

While it was a disappointing final All-Star Race for Johnson, it doesn’t take away the fact that the El Cajon, Calif. native compiled many of his greatest NASCAR moments in this race. Moreover, Johnson gets at least one more shot at winning at Bristol during the Playoffs.

ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: JULY 16, 2020

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5 LESSONS LEARNED

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FOX NASCAR WRAPS UP EVENTFUL 20TH SEASON

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f there’s a group that weathered through 2020 to the best of their abilities, it’s the FOX NASCAR crew. From the hardworking women and men working on the production side to the on-camera crew of Mike Joy, Jeff Gordon, Larry McReynolds, Matt Yocum, Jamie Little, Vince Welch, Regan Smith, Shannon Spake, Kaitlyn Vincie, Lindsay Czarniak, Bobby Labonte, Adam Alexander, Ricky Craven, and Michael Waltrip, they handled FOX’s 20th season of NASCAR coverage in grand fashion. Immediately, they covered a dramatic Daytona 500 that seemed to set the tone of 2020. By that, they dealt with an emotional and difficult situation but did so with grace and poise. Of course, when the COVID-19 pandemic greatly altered plans for everyone around the world, FOX NASCAR’s team got creative. They treated the Pro Invitational Series races with professionalism and fun. Moreover, they carried us through these tough times like family embracing loved ones.

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: JULY 16, 2020

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5 LESSONS LEARNED

1

ELLIOTT CHASES HIS WAY TO MILLION DOLLARS

REPLACEMENT

LIFETIME

T

o say the least, it’s incredible to realize that the Elliott family are 2 for 2 for NASCAR All-Star Races held outside of Charlotte Motor Speedway. While yours truly would’ve been under a year old when Atlanta Motor Speedway hosted this annual exhibition affair, it’s safe to say the 2020 edition will be quite memorable. By that, Chase Elliott put on a dominant performance as led on two occasions for a total of 60 laps. Considering that there were 140 laps in this year’s All-Star Race, Elliott led over 42.86 percent of the event.

With a fast No. 9 Chevy Camaro and great pit stops and strategy, Elliott relished his million-dollar win at Bristol. “I can’t believe it,” Elliott said. “What a better night to have fans back than tonight.

There’s nothing like Bristol and the lights here. What a race to do it.

Just so proud of our team.”

©2020 Davidson’s, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: JULY 16, 2020

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RECAPPING JUST SAYIN’JIMMIE JOHNSON’S NASCAR CAREER ▶ RETURN OF FANS WAS A WELCOME SIGHT How amazing was it to see Chase Elliott waving at the fans, talking about how much he appreciated the fans and even gently bumping fists with a few fans after winning Wednesday night’s NASCAR All-Star Race at Bristol Motor Speedway? It’s been far too long — right at four months, to be exact — since more than 5,000 patrons were in the stands for a NASCAR event. By far the best part of Wednesday night was actually hearing people react when Elliott, NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver, emerged from his car just moments after taking the checkered flag. It sure beats the deafening and almost painful silence that recent race winners have experienced.

JA RED TURNER ▶▶ Give Bristol a break, people. Roundly criticized on social media for not producing the kind of thrilling laterace drama that fans have come to know and love at Bristol Motor Speedway, Wednesday night’s All-Star Race certainly could have yielded a more exciting finish. But to suggest that this event was a total bust and a disappointment, as some people did on social media, is completely unfair to the hard-working folks at Bristol who busted their tails on just a few weeks’ notice to make this all happen. OK, so maybe it wasn’t the greatest finish of all-time? Big deal. It was different. It was fun. And it’s certainly worth giving Bristol another shot at hosting this event in the future. ▶▶ McDowell & Bubba were both in the wrong. Easily the most controversial moment of Wednesday night came ■■ NASCAR fans got a chance to return to the race in Bristol. not during the main event but during the preliminary race when Michael McDowell and Bubba Wallace tangled, sending Wallace — a fan-favorite — into the wall and completely ruining his night and any hopes he harbored of making it into the All-Star Race. Both McDowell and Wallace were wrong in this situation, albeit for different reasons. McDowell was simply driving way over his head. And let’s hope that the contact wasn’t intentional, because it certainly appeared it could have been. Where Wallace went wrong was in his reaction. It’s never OK to make a cynical remark about a competitor’s religious faith, as Wallace did in a televised interview, just because you’re miffed.

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: JULY 16, 2020

RECAPPING JIMMIE JOHNSON’S NASCAR CAREER

■■ Jimmie Johnson clinched his seventh championship with a win at Homstead in 2016.

A CHAMPIONSHIP-CLINCHER JJ’S 2016 VICTORY AT HOMESTEAD MADE HIM ‘SEVEN-TIME’

BY JA RED TURNER

S

tatistically-speaking, Homestead-Miami Speedway hasn’t been one of Jimmie Johnson’s best tracks over the years. As a matter of fact, it’s been one of his worst.

Yet, ironically, it was at Homestead in November 2016 that Johnson marched into the history books with a win that propelled him to NASCAR royalty as he joined Richard Petty and the late Dale Earnhardt as the only seven-time champions of NASCAR’s premier series.

Not surprising in light of Johnson’s struggles at Homestead, his lone victory at the 1.5-mile South Florida track did not come easily. In fact, for most of the race, it appeared that Johnson might finish last among the four drivers who entered the season finale with a title shot.

But just when it seemed like Johnson would leave Homestead empty-handed for the 16th time, good fortune finally came his way. And it couldn’t have picked a better time to do so, since 2016 was and remains Johnson’s only appearance in the Championship 4 since NASCAR moved to the one-race, winner-take-all format in 2014.

The turning point of the race for Johnson came with 10 laps to go when one of his championship rivals, Carl Edwards, crashed out of the event while leading after being on the receiving end of a bump from fel-

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: JULY 16, 2020

low title contender Joey Logano.

Johnson maneuvered past the Edwards wreckage and Logano to join another fellow title contender, Kyle Busch, on Row 2 for a restart with five laps to go. Then on the restart, Johnson moved ahead of Busch before another caution set up a final restart with two laps to go. On that restart, Johnson lined up alongside race leader Kyle Larson but quickly sped past Larson and scooted away to take the checkered flag nearly a half second ahead of the Chip Ganassi Racing driver.

Logano, Johnson’s closest pursuer for the championship, crossed the finish line in fourth as Johnson let off a victorious scream over his in-car radio.

“Yes, yes!” he bellowed. “I don’t even know what to say.”

Turns out he didn’t need to say anything. As it has so many times throughout his illustrious career, Johnson’s driving in the clutch moments did his talking for him.

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18 TYLER REDDICK

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20 BUBBA WALLACE

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21 CHRIS BUESCHER

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23 CHRISTOPHER BELL

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24 MICHAEL MCDOWELL

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: JULY 16, 2020

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BRANDON JONES

401

7

ROSS CHASTAIN

583

8

JUSTIN ALLGAIER

491

9

MICHAEL ANNETT

443

10 RILEY HERBST

376

11 RYAN SIEG

364

12 BRANDON BROWN

321

13 MYATT SNIDER

307

14 JEREMY CLEMENTS

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15 ALEX LABBE

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16 JESSE LITTLE

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17 JOSH WILLIAMS

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: JULY 16, 2020

WINS

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TOP 5

TOP 10

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222

6

ZANE SMITH

221

7

TODD GILLILAND

220

8

BRETT MOFFITT

205

9

TYLER ANKRUM

201

10 JOHNNY SAUTER

198

11 DEREK KRAUS

184

12 MATT CRAFTON

179

13 TANNER GRAY

172

14 STEWART FRIESEN

170

15 RAPHAEL LESSARD

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16 TY MAJESKI

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17 JORDAN ANDERSON

102

18 CODIE ROHRBAUGH

96

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25 NATALIE DECKER

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63

27 CLAY GREENFIELD

43

28 PARKER KLIGERMAN

41

29 TIMMY HILL

39

30 BAYLEY CURREY

37

31 TYLER HILL

37

32 JENNIFER COBB

36

33 RYAN TRUEX

34

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: JULY 16, 2020 5/15/2020 8:30:21 AM

BY THE NUMBER

CAR NO.

34

BY K EITH WA LTZ

C

ar No. 34 has been involved in two of the most significant victories in NASCAR Cup Series history.

First, the 1949 Lincoln driven by Jim Roper, of Halstead, Kansas, carried No. 34 when it won the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race on June 19, 1949, at Charlotte Speedway, a three-quartermile dirt track. Roper, who started 12th in the 33-car field, inherited the victory after apparent winner Glenn Dunaway was disqualified when NASCAR officials discovered his car had illegal

■■ 1972 – Wendell Scott (ISC Archives via Getty Images photo)

rear springs.

The second milestone victory for car No. 34 came on Dec. 1, 1963, at Speedway Park in Jacksonville, Florida, when Wendell Scott became the first – and to date only – African American driver to visit Victory Lane in NASCAR’s premier stock car series.

Scott, who was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2015, started 15th in his 1962 Chevrolet and beat Buck Baker to the checkered flag by two laps on the half-mile dirt track.

Often serving as car owner, crew chief and driver, Scott made 469 of his 495 NASCAR Cup Series starts in car No. 34.

Overall statistics show that cars carrying No. 34 have been to Victory Lane four times and recorded 188 top-10 finishes in slightly more than 1,050 starts.

Bob Jenkins’ Front Row Motorsports has been the caretaker of No. 34 since 2005. Michael McDowell is the team’s current driver.

■■ 2020 – Michael McDowell (Getty Images photo)

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: JULY 16, 2020

DRIVER Q&A

KING OF THE HILL TRUCK SERIES UP-AND-COMER DETERMINED TO FIND SUCCESS WITH HATTORI

BY JOSEPH WOLK IN

Austin Hill didn’t come to the Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series with a ton of sponsorship dollars. But what he did bring to the table is a raw ability behind the wheel, and that’s what led him to Hattori Racing Enterprises, where he now looks to win the team’s second championship. ▶ HOW THRILLED ARE YOU WITH THE WAY THE SEASON IS GOING FOR THE NO. 16 team?

“I had plenty of confidence that we could be where we are right now. We feel like we should have a win and be locked into the playoffs, but our time will come. Everyone at HRE has been doing all the right things to make us competitive every week. We want to keep the point lead all season and not let up.” ▶ WHAT WOULD IT MEAN TO YOU TO WIN THE TRUCK SERIES TITLE? “Everyone that makes it to the NASCAR level envisions becoming a champion. That is our only task at hand is to win it all. It would mean the world to me and my family to get the job done and for everyone at HRE with all the work they put in each day. It would change my whole career.” ▶ HOW IMPORTANT IS IT FOR YOU TO SHOW THAT YOUR CONSISTENCY HAS IMPROVED THIS YEAR? “We just want to show everyone that we 0 3 0

ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: JULY 16, 2020

■■ Austin Hill, driver in the Truck Series

mean business. We had a rough start to 2019 after the Daytona win with issues that caused us not to finish a lot of races early in the season. By the end of the season, we showed consistency and speed and were able to bring that into the 2020 season.” ▶ WHEN YOU RUN XFINITY RACES, WHAT DO YOU LEARN THAT HELPS YOUR TRUCK SERIES EFFORT? “It just gives me extra laps around the track and helps me with how the races unfold and how the track changes throughout a race.

I hope to run more XFINITY races to keep me in the seat more and stay focused for times that the trucks are off for a few weeks.”

IN THE HOTSEAT

IN THE HOT SEAT

Harrison Burton

BY ROB TIONGSON

0 3 2

Throughout the season, Rob Tiongson interviews various drivers in the world of NASCAR. Today, he talks with Harrison Burton, a driver in the NASCAR XFNITY Series. ▶▶ During the COVID-19 hiatus, you competed in several IceBox Pickup Throwdown Series races?

How fun was it to be a part of this and to be a part of the sim racing community?

It was fun to be part of that community. It scratched that itch to compete while we had some down time.

It was fun to get on there and hang out with people that I haven’t seen in a while. I won a race on iRacing, which was a surprise as I’m not very good, so that was a lot fun. ▶▶ As one of the young, upcoming racers in NASCAR, how important is it to connect with new and existing fans, particularly when you’ve been at the track and with social media?

It’s super important as I think the drivers having personality is what drives this sport and we are in the entertainment business. I think you have to reach out to fans and have a personal interest in them. Fans are what drives this sport, and I think staying connected with them is really important. ▶▶ How has it been like to race under the current “normal” following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of getting prepared mentally and physically for races since NASCAR’s return?

The hardest thing is being mentally prepared. I can take care of the physical aspect of the sport, but the mentally prepared part of going to places that I’ve never been before without practice has been tough. I’m getting better at it as we go forward in the season, and I’m getting more confident heading into turn one to start the race without any practice.

ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: JULY 16, 2020

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JIMMY MULLIS EARNS MAGICAL WIN AT LOUDON

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lthough the kind, green pastures of Loudon, New Hampshire greeted the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series, it was anything but peaceful on the track.

All told, the only driver who cruised around New Hampshire Motor Speedway was Jimmy Mullis of Richmond Raceway eSports.

With a terrific starting spot of second, Mullis found himself in the lead by Lap 44. Virtually unchallenged for the balance of the race, the North Carolinian wheeled his No. 46 Coca-Cola Energy Toyota Camry in relatively clean but digital Granite State air.

Meanwhile, there were plenty of battles behind Mullis as the race progressed. In fact, the battle for second was quite marvelous, with the likes of Corey Vincent and Matt Bussa mixing it up with the usual favorites of Nick Ottinger, Graham Bowlin, and Mike Conti.

ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: JULY 16, 2020

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IRACING However, the caution flag would get plenty of airtime, literally and figuratively, for Round 10 of the season. On Lap 17, points leader Keegan Leahy slid into the Turn 3 wall.

Just 46 laps later, a backstretch incident involving Chris Overland and Brian Schoenburg brought out the race’s second caution period.

Although both drivers pressed on, the yellow flag would wave once more for a Turn 4 spin involving Dylan Duval.

Not long after, Blake Reynolds nearly spun in Turn 4, which bunched up the field for the race’s fourth yellow flag.

Incredibly, the race somewhat settled down when Mullis led the field back to green on the restart with 69 laps remaining. Certainly, Mullis held the advantage, but perennial contenders like Ray Alfalla and Ryan Luza started to make their way to the top-10.

With the race winding down, the aggression and intensity picked up on “The Magic Mile” as Bob Bryant went for the spin cycle between Turns 1 and 2 to bring out the fifth yellow of the 0 3 6

■■ Chris Overland and Brian Schoeburg brought out the caution in the race at Loudon.

evening with 38 to go.

Suddenly, it was “money time” for those virtual pit crews as Mullis and the lead lap drivers brought their mighty, virtual machines to their respective stalls for four fresh tires and fuel.

Perhaps feeling inspired by their driver’s dominant performance, the digital crew of Mullis cranked out another incredible pit stop, allowing their man to retain the lead off pit road.

Like driving in I-35 in Austin, Mullis and his peers would find themselves dealing with “stop and go” racing action in the final stretch of this race. Not long after the restart with 32 laps remaining, the race was under yellow for a sixth time with John Gorlinsky and Casey Kirwan collected in a Turn 2 squabble.

Indeed, the hits just kept coming 11 laps later when Zach Novak, the series’ defending champion, Ryan Luza, Christian Challiner, Brad Davies, and Ashton Crowder were involved in a skirmish around troublesome Turn 2. Although Luza drove away

ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: JULY 16, 2020

IRACING from the fracas, the battlescars of Loudon showed up on the cars of Challiner and Crowder.

Unfortunately, Challiner found himself going for another spin in Turn 2 with 15 to go which resulted in the race’s eighth caution.

Before Mullis could focus on the checkered flag, a backstretch melee involving Roush-Fenway Racing’s Kollin Keister and Nathan Lyon produced the ninth yellow of the evening with seven to go.

Just as Mullis led the restart with two laps left at Loudon, the race’s 10th caution came out for Jake Nichols. As a result, the field prepared for eNASCAR Overtime.

Once the field assembled for the race’s final restart, Mullis dropped the hammer like Ron Hornaday Jr, putting some daylight between himself and Matt Bussa.

Ultimately, Mullis’ incredible restart skills combined with great pit stops and impeccable driving rewarded him with his first eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series victory of the season. Netting his second victory at Loudon and his first since the series’ last visit in 2018, the mild-mannered racer was quite thrilled.

“This is incredible,” Mullis said. “This is the best performance I’ve ever had in the series. We just nailed it this week on the setup.

I’m just speechless at this point.”

Like most successful athletes and competitors, Mullis realized what he and his team could improve upon to be a part of the eNASCAR Playoffs picture.

“Qualifying is everything in this series,” Mullis observed. “We’ve just got to find more speed on the mile and a half tracks. If we can find more speed, we’ll definitely make a good run for them.”

While Mullis prevailed at Loudon, Matt Bussa, Nick Ottinger, Graham Bowlin, Mike Conti, Logan Clampitt, Ryan Luza, Ray Alfalla, Corey Vincent and Bobby Zalenski placed in the top-10.

As the race to the Playoffs heats up, Mullis and his on-track competitors prepare for Round 11 of the eNASCAR CocaCola iRacing Series season at the virtual Irish Hills of Michigan International Speedway on Tuesday, July 28th, 2020, at 9:00 PM ET/8:00 PM CT. NASCAR.com and iRacing’s Twitch channel will live stream the action.

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NASCAR DEFINED MR. POPULARITY. The sport’s reigning Most Popular Driver, Chase Elliott, earned his first NASCAR All-Star Race win Wednesday night at Bristol Motor Speedway — holding off reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch in the closing laps.

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: JULY 16, 2020

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