Richmond Raceway Esports Team Preview 2021
Coca-Cola iRacing Series

2021 Coca-Cola Series team preview: Richmond Raceway eSports

January 28, 2021

We’re previewing each team competing in the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series ahead of the 2021 season.

Richmond Raceway eSports

Owner: Richmond Raceway, everybody’s favorite three-quarter-mile D-shaped race track that people on Twitter can’t seem to agree on whether or not it’s a short track. (It’s a short track.)
Manufacturer: Toyota
Twitter: @RReSports

2021 drivers

No. 46: Jimmy Mullis
Age: 20
Hometown: Midland, NC
Twitter: @jmullisracing
First season: 2017
2020 rank: 5th

No. 90: Zack Novak
Age: 19
Hometown: Clinton, CT
Twitter: @znovak15
First season: 2017
2020 rank: 21st
2018 eNASCAR Ignite Series champion
2019 eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series champion

2020 highlights

It was a tale of two seasons for the Richmond Raceway eSports bunch.

For defending series champ Zack Novak, expectations were high. In 2019, Novak bested the field, including heavy-hitter Keegan Leahy — on national television — and walked away with a hefty paycheck. Unfortunately for Novak, like most of us, 2020 didn’t quite live up to expectations.

The champ struggled to back up his 2019 speed and often found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. The year ended with a winless Novak landing outside the top 20 in points, facing relegation — something unthinkable at the start of the season.

On the other side of the coin, Jimmy Mullis turned heads — for the right reason. Driver No. 46 scored a pair of wins and fought like mad to reach the top eight in time for the playoffs. While he came up just short of reaching the Championship 4, he proved once again he can get the job done when the pressure’s on.

2021 outlook

Both Novak and Mullis return to Richmond Raceway eSports — one of the few teams keeping their driver lineup intact after a wild free-agency period with a whole lot of fresh blood in the series.

For Mullis, the plan is simple: repeat the past two seasons. Find Victory Lane, make the playoffs, and have a good time. For Novak, it’s all about channeling that 2019 magic all over again. Luckily, his fall from the top isn’t totally unprecedented; 2018 champ Ray Alfalla had a lousy 2019, but rebounded with a win and playoff performance in 2020. Novak could follow in the G.O.A.T.’s footsteps.

Steve’s bold prediction

It’s not exactly a bold prediction on my part that both Mullis and Novak win races in 2021, so I’ll put some parameters around it: Mullis will win in July (he always does), and Novak will get one at an intermediate track. Just like old times. (And by old times, I mean 2019.)