Novak, Ray Start Strong for JRM in eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Opener at Charlotte

May 20, 2026

Track Specs: 1.5-mile oval / 100 laps
Novak’s finish: 13th
Ray’s finish: 19th

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (May 20, 2026) – Zack Novak and Malik Ray opened the 2026 eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing season with solid performances Tuesday night in their JR Motorsports debuts at the virtual Charlotte Motor Speedway. (Watch the full race).

Novak, driving the No. 8 Charleston Cue/Ledford Billiard Supply/WasherTech.com Chevrolet, led the way for the team with a 13th-place finish, while Ray’s Tint Solutions Camaro took the checkered flag in 19th.

Novak, the 2019 eNCCiRS champion, started ninth for the opener and hung in or near the top 10 for the majority of the event but lacked the pace of the leaders on longer runs. At his first pit stop, crew chief Logan Sheets tightened the car up in an effort to maintain track position.

Despite the solid run, Novak came across the finish line in 13th in the opening event of the season.

Ray, likewise making his first start for JRM in the eNCCiRS, qualified 25th thanks to a lack of turn in his No. 88 Chevrolet. After making his first pit stop of the season, the adjustment did not go far enough to fix the handling issue entirely and led to similar tight-handling problems in the second stint.

In the ensuing cycle of stops later in the race, Ray and his team went farther on the previous adjustments and freed the Tint Solutions Camaro up and began advancing up the order. He eventually finished 19th.

Following the opening race of the season, JR Motorsports’ two-car team ranks eighth in the team standings. Next action for Novak and Ray will be in two weeks’ time at the virtual Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Zack Novak, No. 8 Charleston Cue/Ledford Billiard Supply WasherTech.com Chevrolet team

“It was a solid start to the 2026 eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Championship for our No. 8 team. We ran just outside the top 10 all the way through but unfortunately lacked some of the pace the leaders had on the longer runs. We tightened it up some and thankfully, that helped us maintain our track position for the rest of the race. To come out of race one with solid points is always a good thing and we’re going to keep grinding. Looking forward to Atlanta in two weeks!”

Malik Ray, No. 88 Tint Solutions/Logitech Chevrolet team

“Our Tint Solutions Chevy felt the complete opposite of testing and we had no turn the entire race. We didn’t go far enough on adjustments at the first stop and wasted the second run struggling with the same issues of being tight. It could have been better but it could have been a lot worse, so I’m looking forward to the next race at Atlanta, which is my favorite of all the superspeedways.”