Tucker Minter had been knocking on the door of an eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series win throughout the 2024 season. At Nashville Superspeedway, Minter at long last broke through for his first checkered flag of 2024 and the fourth of his eNCCiS career, vastly improving his odds of making the playoffs.
“It’s definitely relief,” Minter said when asked about his emotions on the Sunoco Post Race Report. “We’ve been so close all season long. It just feels so relieving going into the Chicago Street Course next week.”
Parker White came home as the runner-up, while Seth DeMerchant won an epic last-lap battle for third, the best finish in his rookie season.
“We got there at just the right time,” DeMerchant said about the four-wide battle. “I was just picking and choosing when to make my run. That was pretty wild entering four-wide on the inside and coming out in third.”
Michael Cosey Jr. and Vicente Salas completed the top five in fourth and fifth, respectively.
TONIGHT’S ACTION
Bobby Zalenski brought the 40-car field to the green flag from the pole position. For the first several laps, the pack remained tight, with Zalenski and outside polesitter Salas stuck side-by-side for the lead. On lap nine, Salas cleared Zalenski to break the stalemate and take control of the race.
On lap 12, the yellow flag waved for the first—and only—time when Garrett Manes went around in his No. 12 Toyota in turn three following contact with Jimmy Mullis in the No. 29 Ford. A small handful of drivers in the back of the field came down pit road under caution.
The race went back green on lap 15. Later that lap, Darik Bourdeau spun on the backstretch, with Casey Kirwan and Malik Ray also getting caught up in the incident. But since the crash stayed off the racing surface, the race remained under green-flag conditions.
During the extended green-flag run, the field stretched further apart than the opening laps, with Salas and Minter separating themselves to create a two-way battle for the lead. Out of the drivers that pitted under the first caution, Collin Bowden made big gains up the running order, cracking the top 10 after starting last.
Just past the halfway point, the green-flag pit cycle began, with the leaders Salas and Minter coming down for service on lap 52. Mullis and Wyatt Tinsley missed the pit entry, costing both drivers a bunch of time and track position. The pit cycle continued for over 25 laps, with Steven Wilson being the final driver to make his first stop of the day on lap 76.
Once the dust settled on pit stops, it was Minter who found his way back to the race lead. It was not an easy drive to the checkered flag for Minter, having to hold off White in the closing laps.
POINT STANDINGS (THREE RACES LEFT IN REGULAR SEASON)
| Steven Wilson | 3 Wins |
| Vicente Salas | 1 Win |
| Tucker Minter | 1 Win |
| Bobby Zalenski | 1 Win |
| Garrett Lowe | 1 Win |
| Dylan Duval | 1 Win |
| Wyatt Tinsley | 1 Win |
| Parker White | +67 |
| Nick Ottinger | +40 |
| Kaden Honeycutt | +2 |
| Casey Kirwan | -2 |
| Zack Novak | -12 |
| Jordy Lopez | -16 |
Malik Ray and Keegan Leahy both have race wins but are currently ineligible for the playoffs due to being outside the top 20 in points.
NEXT UP
The eNCCiS will hit the virtual streets of Chicago for a 15-lap heat and a 30-lap main feature next Tuesday, July 2. Race coverage starts at 7:30 p.m. with Countdown to Green, followed by the green flag from the Windy City shortly after 8 p.m. on enascar.com/live, youtube.com/iracingofficial, and twitch.tv/iracing.
About the author
Andrew Stoddard joined Frontstretch in May of 2022 as an iRacing contributor. He is a graduate of Hampden-Sydney College, the University of Richmond, and VCU. He works as an athletic communications specialist at Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Va.
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