Williams Esports Team Preview Enascar 2021
Coca-Cola iRacing Series

2021 Coca-Cola Series team preview: Williams Esports

February 1, 2021

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

Williams Esports

Owner: Williams Racing, longtime Formula 1 team.
Manufacturer: Ford
Twitter: @WilliamsEsports

2021 drivers

No. 29: Zack Nichols
Hometown: Jackson, MI
Twitter: @ZackN24
First season: 2021
15th in 2020 iRacing Pro Series

No. 52: Jake Matheson
Hometown: Hillsboro, NH
Twitter: @MathesonRacing
First season: 2021
10th in 2020 iRacing Pro Series

2020 highlights

Ryan Luza headlined Williams Esports’ success in 2020, winning three consecutive races — the team’s first wins. Luza nearly won the championship until a late-race crash at Homestead knocked him out of contention.

Matt Bussa, the team’s second driver, experienced bad luck piled on top of bad luck, falling out of the top 20 in the season’s final race.

Jake Matheson and Zack Nichols, meanwhile, worked through the Road to Pro Series and the iRacing Pro Series to finally reach the top of the ladder — they’ll join Williams as rookies in 2021.

2021 outlook

It’s a bold choice for Williams Esports to sign two drivers brand new to the series for 2021, and the drivers have quite a lot to live up to, following Luza’s stint with the team.

Jake Matheson’s a real-world short-track driver, where he’s won track championships in the Northeast. Clearly, it’s given him an edge to succeed in the iRacing ranks.

Nichols, a fellow real-world racer — indoor racing is his specialty — climbed the iRacing ladder with remarkable consistency in 2020. The Coca-Cola iRacing Series is undoubtedly the toughest test yet, but the points certainly add up when you can “top 10 them to death.”

Steve’s bold prediction

You want a bold prediction? Here’s a bold prediction: These guys are both sleepers for playoff contention. Real-world racing experience is huge, and you don’t simply luck into graduating from both the Road to Pro Series and the iRacing Pro Series. I think Williams Esports knew what they were doing by signing these up-and-comers.