Virtual World of Outlaws Championship Points Race is On

Fireworks at Eldora for Elby in First-Ever Virtual World Of Outlaw Championship Series Race

by Randy Chenowth

The Greatest Show on Dirt kicked off the first round of its pair of iRacing World Championships at the virtual Eldora Speedway. Thirty-five of the best virtual dirt Sprint Car drivers duked it out for 20 spots in the main event.

It looked as if fast time for qualifying would go to Alex Bergeron of Victory Lane Racing, but in the closing moments Australian Tim Ryan of Evolution Racing Team snatched the top spot with a hot lap of 13.336 seconds, the top 15 separated by a mere 0.2 seconds.

The gloves came off early in the first heat, with drivers Justin Thomas and David Heileman tangling on the front straight, taking both out of contention for a transfer spot. Tim Ryan maintained the lead through his eight-lap heat and had a comfortable one-second lead throughout the race, with Dillion Semmelman, Robert Kerstetter, and John Battista rounding out the four transfer spots in Heat 1.

After getting relegated to second in qualifying, Bergeron would lead the field to green in Heat 2. He wouldn’t look back for eight nearly perfect laps to win by 2.5 seconds. But as comfortable as Alex’s drive was, the rest of the field was packed, with 2nd-9th being separated by 2.5 seconds, with positions constantly getting swapped and three-wide being a bit of a norm for this group. In the end, Dan Smolders, Ryan Pace, and Corey Hines transfered to the show with Bergeron.

Heat 3 contained the driver likely most disappointed by his performance, Austen Semmelmann. Austen rolled off eighth in his heat race and looked determined to move his way forward into one of the coveted top-four transfer positions. Nick Cooper and Chris Brenner would have a fantastic scrap for second in the closing laps and hold onto their second and third positions. Austen would end up a disappointing P7, joining VLR teammate David Heileman in the Last Chance Showdown, easily two of the big upsets of the evening. AJ Neben and Cam Dance would be the other two drivers to transfer from Heat 3.

The top three starting spots were held by 3rd Base Bar & Grill Teammates James Edens, Adam Elby, and Matthew Mckinney in the final heat, but the notable name in this field was CBR owner/driver Chase Briscoe rolling off sixth. The three teammates broke away early and just tried to ensure all cars got into the show. Chase Briscoe quickly picked up the fifth spot and began harassing the 10 of Rusty Kruger through the last four laps. With a lap and a half left, Kruger put a tire into the fence. Chase pounced on the opportunity, but it would be drama quickly as the 55 of Robert Kendall immediately went wheel to wheel with Chase, resulting in a bit of contact. Chase held onto the transfer spot as they took the white. However, Kruger and Briscoe would make contact down the back straight on the final lap, which saw both cars end up facing the wrong way, and Level 7 driver Ricky Thornton ended up lucking his way into a transfer spot with the trio of Adam Elby, Matt Mckinney, and James Edens taking the top three spots.

The Last Chance Showdown was full of big names who had disappointing runs in their heats: Austen Semmelmann, David Heileman, Chase Briscoe, Howard Weaver, Rusty Kruger and more. Nineteen cars would battle for four transfer positions, meaning 15 people would have their night cut short. JLR Motorsports driver Jesse Dakus would have the pole and lead early. Anthony Lopresto would take the lead after a few laps and hold onto it until the end, with Jesse Dakus, Chase Cabre, and Howard Weaver joining Anthony in the Feature. This left drivers such as Briscoe, Semmelman, Heileman, Thomas, Casch, and Kruger out of the show.

With the field set for the 30-lap Feature, excitement was built early and often. After working through a mid-pack yellow, the 98 of Tim Ryan was able to stretch leads during green conditions. The second run Alex found the wall and dropped a few spots. A mid-point caution allowed Alex to reset and get back with the leaders. Tim Ryan took the lead and looked confident up in front at first. A slight bobble off of 2 allowed Adam Elby to slip by just as a caution flew, handing the 74 the race lead. On a restart with six to go, we saw the 98s’ night come to a disappointing close. Fighting three-wide for second with Bergeron and Neben, a slight touch sent Ryan into the wall and into a pack of cars, causing by far the biggest pileup of the night. That set us up for a two-lap restart, which the 74 of Elby controlled beautifully, roaring home with the inaugural win for the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Championship Series on iRacing. Alex Bergeron, AJ Neben, Anthony Lopresto, and John Battista rounded out the top five.

The World Of Outlaws Sprint Car World Championship returns on May 21st at the Dirt Track at Charlotte. However, on the 14th the World Of Outlaws Late Model World Championship makes its debut at Volusia Speedway Park for 50 laps of intense action. Once again coverage will be streamed live on DirtVision.

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS FROM ELDORA SPEEDWAY, MAY 7, 2018

OFFICIAL RESULTS FROM ELDORA SPEEDWAY, MAY 7, 2018

POINT STANDINGS AFTER MAY 7, 2018