JRM’s Dohar Fifth, Gornick Seventh in Atlanta eNASCAR Heat Pro League Thrillers

JR Motorsports | 6/26/2020

Atlanta Brandt Good Humor Joe Gornick NASCAR Heat News Tyler Dohar

JRM's NASCAR Heat duo was back in action Thursday night in Atlanta where both Xbox and PS4 races turned out to be quite a show.

Track Specs:  1.54-mile oval / 55 laps
Dohar’s finish (XBox): 5th 
Gornick’s finish (PS4): 7th
XBox Point Standings: Dohar 6th (-44)
PS4 Point Standings: Gornick 12th (-46)
Team Point Standings: JRM 13th (-154)

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (June 26, 2020) – JR Motorsports drivers Tyler Dohar (XBox) and Joe Gornick (PS4) survived a wild night at the virtual Atlanta Motor Speedway on Thursday, with Dohar finishing fifth by just .182 seconds and Gornick battling to a seventh-place result in a wild finish at the stripe. The race served as the cutoff for Segment Two, which ratcheted up the competition.

Gornick, the Pennsylvania driver, started 11th in the opening race for the PS4 and concentrated on keeping his BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet on the bottom line. Over the opening stint, Gornick drove up to fifth place in just 14 laps, having fixed some calibration problems with his Fanatec wheel system. The competition was tight, as the top 11 were separated by less than a second. Gornick took third place a few laps later as pit stops began.

Gornick was one of just three drivers at speed when the caution waved with 36 laps remaining, and took service a lap later. He rejoined in fourth place with 33 laps to go but was soon shuffled to the outside, off the preferred line. He dropped to eighth in short order. From there, it was a matter of staying out of trouble. With 16 to go, cars started to hit pit road and Gornick was back up to third before he pitted with 14 laps remaining.

Gornick sat in eighth before the yellow came out again with just three laps remaining. Taking off from sixth, Gornick was shuffled on the initial break, and took the white flag in ninth. Over the final circuit, Gornick moved up two positions as cars clattered off the wall around him and finished seventh.

Brandyn Gritton won the event and locked himself into the championship race, with Jason Mitchell, Maxwell Castro, Josh Parker and Corey Rothgeb the top five. 

In the XBox nightcap, Dohar started his No. 88 Good Humor Chevrolet on the outside line in sixth, but began moving forward from the wave of the green flag. In just five laps, the Ohio driver was up to third with a fast Camaro, tagging along with Sam Morris and Slade Gravitt. He was second after eight laps and dove inside of Morris at the entry to Turn 3 on lap 9 to take the lead. Dohar was still there at lap 37 when the caution flag waved for the first time. Several cars had opted to pit prior to the yellow, and that put Dohar fifth when the field took the green again.

Dohar’s Good Humor Chevrolet was still fast, and he stayed in the top five as the laps wound down. He was back to second behind Gravitt with 27 laps remaining. Following a caution, Dohar restarted second and maintained the bottom line before getting shuffled off it a lap later. Falling back to sixth with 14 laps left, Dohar was still within a half-second of the leader.

Running second with three laps remaining, the caution waved to set up a green-white-checkered finish. Dohar ducked to pit road for tires and came out fifth for the run to the flag. Battling with the leaders, Dohar came home fifth, .182 second behind the winner, Nick Walker. Brian Tedeschi was second by .015 seconds, with Daniel Buttafuoco third. Matthew Heale was fourth and Dohar wrapped the top five. Buttafuoco clinched Segment Two and will race for the championship.

Dohar rose two spots in points among the XBox drivers, while Gornick jumped one to 12th in the PS4 standings.

The eNASCAR Heat Pro League returns to action on July 1 (Wednesday) at the virtual Eldora Speedway in the Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series machines.


Tyler Dohar, XBox driver No. 88 Good Humor Chevrolet team


Joe Gornick, PS4 driver No. 7 BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet team

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