Back-to-back! Vicente Salas hangs on for eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series victory on the Streets of Chicago

For the second week in a row, Vicente Salas (Kanaan Esports) found his way to eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series victory lane, but not before almost losing it dramatically on the final lap of the main event at the Chicago Street Course on Tuesday night.

After nailing a lap that put him eighth on the board to invert to the pole for the Sprint, and after dominating all 15 laps of the Sprint, Salas led the opening 29 laps of the 30 lap Feature race. However, Steven Wilson (Spire Motorsports) had caught him moments after taking the white flag, and used the bumper in the right turn onto Lake Shore Drive to move into the top spot.

Bobby Zalenski (ERA eSports) was able to close in as a result, and as they took the right hander off of Lake Shore Drive, Zalenski shot it to the outside of both Salas and Wilson for the top spot. Wilson, having run into the marbles entering the corner, slid up into Zalenski, who was already against the wall in the center of the chute. The two collided, forcing Wilson into a spin, and allowing Salas to regain the spot. Salas held on from there for the victory.

“I didn’t know if Steven was going to go for something there,” Salas said post-race. “My tires were absolutely gone at the end. I thought I did a good job saving them, but at these road courses, and with my shifter kart background, I’m really used to going hard. I backed it up as much as I could, but he eventually got to us. His move was really, really clean—I think he could have done me a lot more dirty than he did… That ultimately set up him and Bobby to clash there, and we got through it.”

The win brings the win total for Salas up to four as he claims his first on a road—or in this case, street—course. His other victories include checkered flags at Richmond Raceway, Darlington Raceway, and Dover Motor Speedway one week ago. This is the first time in his career with multiple wins in a single season. Also, Salas currently leads the Segment 3 standings. He has 10 Playoff points—each additional win will add five more, and if he can hold on to the Segment 3 win, that would be another five to add on.

Salas joins Wilson, Tucker Minter (William Byron eSports), and Zalenski as the four drivers officially locked into the 2025 Playoffs. Kollin Keister (Jim Beaver eSports) can clinch if he stays more than 40 points ahead of 21st after Indianapolis. Zack Novak (Channel 199 Sim Racing) can also mathematically clinch a week early on points as well with the right finish in three weeks.

THE EVENT

As it has been in the last three road racing events in the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series, the race was broken up into three key elements. The first thing to worry about was qualifying. Eight points were on the table to the driver who could set the fastest time on the board. This time, it was Casey Kirwan (Kansas City Pioneers) who laid down the fastest lap, claiming the bonus.

However, a pole position would be a disadvantage when it came to the actual racing that followed. The pole sitter would become the eighth place starter, inverting behind the next seven drivers in the running order, the driver in eighth taking the pole position and only a single bonus point for their efforts. Vicente Salas nailed the invert just as he did at Interlagos, and claimed the pole position over Cody Byus (Apex Racing Team) and Bobby Zalenski, who would start third.

A Sprint race, set at 15 laps, would be the next section of the race. No points were on the table for this shootout, but the results would set the grid for the Main event later in the night. Salas led the field to the green and never looked back, leading all 15 laps en route to the victory. Steven Wilson wound up moving from fifth to second, while Zalenski held on to finish in third. Garrett Lowe (BS+COMPETITION) and Kirwan finished fourth and fifth, respectively.

The final gauntlet would be a 30 lap feature, with the regular amount of points on the line throughout the field, 40 going to the winner, 35 to second, all the way down to a single point for 36th on back. Salas once again led the field to the green. Wilson, Zalenski, Lowe, and Kirwan fell in line as the field attempted to figure it out behind.

Salas led the entire way, all 30 laps, but the last one would be an absolute thriller. Wilson, who saved some tire, had caught the dominant Salas. Zalenski was also right there in contention. Wilson made the move in Turn 2, right before they turned on to Lake Shore Drive for the final time. The side-by-side allowed for Zalenski to get into the conversation. Zalenski sent it on the outside, thinking he had made the move to win. Wilson slid into line, and the two made contact. That was enough for Salas to sneak back by for the win.

NOTABLES

Hyak Motorsports had a day. Not only did rookie Quentin Warman, in his first race under the Nexxus eSports alliance, collect another top-10 finish in his hometown race, but Dylan Ault had a hero drive to keep his playoff chances alive. Ault qualified in 12th, but in the opening corner of the opening lap of the Sprint race, he overcooked it into the tires and spun it 180 degrees in the wrong direction, placing him in last place immediately. Ault fought back to finish 22nd in the Sprint, then fought all the way back to finish 14th in the Main, keeping him tied on the bubble of the playoffs with Channel 199 Sim Racing’s Dylan Duval.

Speaking of Channel 199, Duval led the team with a ninth place run, but Zack Novak also had his own hero drive after getting pinballed around for a good portion of the opening laps in both the Sprint and Main. With a 20th place finish, it wasn’t enough to lock him in on points just yet, but he’s nearly there, and now with both drivers in the Playoff field leaving Chicago, that keeps the pair at the top of the Team Standings at the two-thirds mark of the season.

Michael Cosey Jr (ERA eSports) had a night to forget, as his chances at making the eNASCAR Playoffs took a turn for the worse after a major slide in the Sprint. A double downshift sent the #34 machine slideways into the tires at the end of Lake Shore Drive, shipping him from a top-15 to a DNF. In the Main, he miraculously moved from 35th to 18th in a single lap. However, connection issues from Donovan Strauss (Atlassian Williams Sim Racing) caught Cosey Jr in a bad predicament and ultimately led to both drivers finishing outside the top-30.

eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series results from Race #12 at Chicago were as follows:

eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series Playoff Standings afterRace #12 at Chicago are as follows:

1. #77 Steven Wilson | Spire Motorsports, 5 WINS
2. #97 Tucker Minter | William Byron eSports, 3 WINS
3. #11 Vicente Salas | Kanaan Esports, 2 WINS
4. #22 Bobby Zalenski | ERA eSports, 1 WIN
5. #15 Kollin Keister | Jim Beaver eSports, 1 WIN
6. #2 Zack Novak | Channel 199 Sim Racing, +81
7. #24 Casey Kirwan | Kansas City Pioneers, +42
8. #95 Parker White | Atlassian Williams, +32
9. #89 Jordy Lopez | BS+COMPETITION, +7
10. #199 Dylan Duval | Channel 199 Sim Racing, 0
    ———————————————————-
11. #47 Dylan Ault | HYAK Motorsports, 0
12. #34 Michael Cosey Jr | ERA eSports, -15
13. #21 Michael Guest | Vegas Inferno, -30
14. #4 Donovan Strauss | Atlassian Williams, -32
15. #12 Ryan Luza | fgrAccel, -33
16. #14 Seth DeMerchant | fgrAccel, -35

*At least THREE spots in the 2025 eNASCAR Playoffs will be filled on points

eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series SEGMENT 3 Standings afterRace #3 of 5 at Chicago are as follows:

1. #11 Vicente Salas | Kanaan Esports, 114 points
2. #89 Jordy Lopez | BS+COMPETITION, -16
3. #77 Steven Wilson | Spire Motorsports, -20
4. #2 Zack Novak | Channel 199 Sim Racing, -25
5. #22 Bobby Zalenski | ERA eSports, -29
6. #24 Casey Kirwan | Kansas City Pioneers, -31
7. #199 Dylan Duval | Channel 199 Sim Racing, -31
8. #47 Dylan Ault | Hyak Motorsports, -33
9. #15 Kollin Keister | Jim Beaver eSports, -36
10. #14 Seth DeMerchant | fgrAccel, -38

eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series Team Standings afterRace #12 at Chicago are as follows:

1. Channel 199 Sim Racing (#2/#199), 603 points
2. Spire Motorsports (#7/#77), -12
3. ERA eSports (#22, #34), -57
4. Atlassian Williams Sim Racing (#4/#95), -81
5. William Byron eSports (#25, #97), -89

eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series Rookie Standings afterRace #12 at Chicago are as follows:

1. #40 Connor Yeroschak | LETARTE eSports, 215 points
2. #3 Blaze Crawford | Team Dillon Esports, -23
3. #96 Christopher M. Hill | Apex Racing Team, -34
4. #50 Quentin Warman | HYAK Motorsports, -40
5. #8 Blake McCandless | JR Motorsports, -62
6. #5 Nate Stewart | Jim Beaver eSports, -79
7. #66 Alexander L Russell | Kanaan Esports, -95
8. #19 Eddie Kerner | Six Karma, -106

A number of drivers are in a place where a win would nearly guarantee them a spot in the eNASCAR Playoffs. While Indianapolis could be its own wild card, the true wild card race is the final one of the Regular Season at EchoPark Speedway. In the third and final Segment, with his two wins, Salas leads by a healthy margin, 16 points over the next driver, Jordy Lopez (BS+COMPETITION) and 20 over Wilson with two races to go.

Travis Pastrana’s Channel 199 Sim Racing team is still on top, but Spire Motorsports is still hanging around right on their heels. ERA eSports might have been closer with a solid night from Cosey Jr, but they aren’t completely out just yet. Neither are the defending champions at Atlassian Williams Sim Racing, although they are no longer close enough to swing back to the lead in a single race any longer, 81 points back.

Chicago would prove to be a challenge for most of the rookies. Connor Yeroschak (Letarte Esports) wound up retiring early, finishing 37th, and Blaze Crawford (Team Dillon Esports) struggled throughout the evening, finishing as the first car a lap down in 33rd. Christopher Hill (Apex Racing Team) had his own troubles and finished 36th, so the top-three all barely moved amongst each other. Quentin Warman picked up a solid amount as the rookie of the race in 10th. Also, Nate Stewart (Jim Beaver eSports) hung around the top-15 the entire night, ultimately finishing 16th after picking up damage early in the Main event.

The eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series will take a three-week break before returning on July 22nd for the penultimate event of the 2025 eNASCAR Regular Season. The oval of Indianapolis plays host to a crucial playoff deciding moment, a race that vaulted Daniel Faulkingham to his first eNASCAR Playoffs following his first career series victory one year ago.

The 13th round on the calendar is scheduled for Tuesday, July 22nd. Tune in at 7:30 p.m. ET for the Countdown to Green. Race coverage begins at 8 p.m. ET at eNASCAR.com/live and across iRacing social media channels.

For more information on the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series, visit eNASCAR.com or iRacing.com/eNASCAR.
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