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Coca-Cola Series: Mullis masters strategy in Vegas victory

September 22, 2020


When you’re gambling in Las Vegas, you need two things: good decision-making skills and a little luck. In Tuesday night’s eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series race from Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Jimmy Mullis had both, taking home his second win of 2020 after surviving a rash of crashes in the second half of the race.

Michael Conti started on pole for the second race in a row and looked strong on the first all-green fuel run to open the race. He and Ryan Luza swapped the lead numerous times, neither driver able to pull away. At one point, both former champs nearly ran into trouble when ducking off to pit road when the two cars made contact under heavy braking; luckily for both, they were able to pit safely.

A caution occurred on Lap 70 when playoff bubble drivers Graham Bowlin and Brad Davies tangled, which led to a textbook case of the old saying "cautions breed cautions" – the race didn’t stay green long after the seal was broken.

The most notable incident took place on Lap 96 when nearly 20 cars were swallowed up into a crash, including several fighting to reach the top eight. An inescapable draft pack made passing difficult, and combined with a mixture of tire strategies, it was a recipe with some unexpected results for some.

Brandon Kettelle of Clint Bowyer Racing, still seeking his first victory after 61 races, emerged as a contender later in the race, leading a total of 27 laps.

Kettelle looked poised for victory until Jimmy Mullis started picking his way through the pack late – a smart tire strategy, combined with some good fortune throughout the night, put his Richmond Raceway eSports Toyota in the lead, never looking back in the run to the finish.

Phil Diaz finished second for Mode Motorsports, while Nick Ottinger, Blake Reynolds, and Conti rounded out the top five.

The victory for Mullis – the fourth of his career – was his first to come outside the month of July, and his first on a 1.5-mile track. While he still finds himself 15 points out of the final playoff position, he also holds a 16-point cushion over Graham Bowlin, who’s 10th in points.

Following next week’s race at Talladega Superspeedway – where who wins is anybody’s guess – the playoffs begin. The top-eight drivers in points will advance to compete in a four-race challenge and a chance to win the champion’s $100,000.

Five drivers – Keegan Leahy, Bobby Zalenski, Michael Conti, Nick Ottinger, and Garrett Lowe – are mathematically locked in on points. Ryan Luza, Logan Clampitt and Ray Alfalla currently make up the rest of the top eight, but Mullis, Bowlin, Brad Davies, Corey Vincent, and Chris Shearburn still have a chance to make moves at Talladega.

Catch the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series regular season finale Tue., Sept. 29 at eNASCAR.com/live.

Race Results

Vegas Enascar Coke Series Results Round 15 2020