Track Specs: .750-mile oval / 75 laps
McCandless’ finish: 19th
LaPradd’s finish: 39th
MOORESVILLE, N.C. (March 26, 2025) – Blake McCandless led the way for JR Motorsports on Tuesday night in the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series, leading the field in the late going on older tires before finishing 19th in the event at the virtual Richmond Raceway. Teammate Briar LaPradd was advancing up the standings before a computer glitch stopped his drive and resulted in a 39th-place finish. (Watch the full race.)
McCandless, driving the No. 8 C4 Energy Chevrolet, qualified 35th overall and raced to a 16th-place result in his 25-lap heat race, which slotted him 31st for the 75-lap main. Once the main event got under way, McCandless took to the high line and swept to 26th over the first 50 laps. A caution period late in the going saw McCandless gamble on staying out and he assumed the lead for the restart, pacing his first laps in the series.
On the restart, his old tires could not keep pace with the new rubber behind him and he fell out of the top 25 in short order. A caution flag sent the race to overtime, which allowed McCandless time to get two fresh tires, and he raced back to 19th before the checkered flag waved, avoiding three separate incidents with the help of spotter Matthew Zwack. The rally put the first-year JRM driver 24th in series points after four races.
For LaPradd, it was a frustrating night at one of his better tracks. The driver of the No. 88 Ledford Billiard Supply Chevrolet qualified 34th, which put him 17th for the start of his heat race. In the 25-lap qualifier, the Tennessee driver advanced four positions to finish 13th, which put him 26th for the start of the 75-lap main.
After avoiding a crash on the initial start, LaPradd was set to move up the order when he suffered a computer outage. That ended his night in 39th position, and he dropped to 40th in series points as a result.
Steven Wilson won the event over Zack Novak, with Parker White, Vicente Salas and Donovan Strauss the rest of the top five. The two-car JR Motorsports team will next compete in two weeks at the virtual Rockingham Speedway.
Blake McCandless, driver No. 8 C4 Energy Chevrolet team
“I’ve always been very aggressive to try and pull the strategy card when the opportunity presents itself. I was surprised not many others attempted the same thing, and given how these races typically end I thought we could gain a few spots if we caught some timely yellows. Rather than sitting in 26th and following the field, I figured we’d swing for the fences. Unfortunately, it didn’t end exactly like I had hoped, but we still managed to salvage a decent day in a race where qualifying mattered so much and I just really struggled with that again. However, I am so pumped about the special throwback scheme we have planned for Rockingham coming up in a few weeks, and it is by far my favorite track on the iRacing service. I think we have a lot to build on to try and get back in the Top 20 in points and start chasing wins here soon!”
Briar LaPradd, driver No. 88 Ledford Billiard Supply Chevrolet team
“It was a pretty quick and unfortunate night once again for the No. 88 Ledford Billiard Supply Chevrolet. We had a good 25-lap run in the heat and I was positive about the coming feature. I managed to avoid the wreck on the opening lap, which was a good omen, but then our computer crashed right after. I am so ready to get out of this slump and looking forward to Rockingham in a couple of weeks.”