Track Specs: 1.54-mile oval / 163 laps
Conti’s finish: 4th
Davies’ finish: 6th
MOORESVILLE, N.C. (March 17, 2021) – JR Motorsports iRacing drivers Michael Conti and Brad Davies put together a pair of sterling performances on Tuesday night in the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series event at the virtual Atlanta Motor Speedway. (Watch the full race.)
Conti, driving the No. 8 WR1 Sim Chassis Chevrolet, finished fourth after a disappointing 33rd-place result in the previous race, while Davies drove his No. 88 AXE Chevrolet to a solid sixth-place finish, marking the first time both JRM drivers have finished in the top six since last season at Texas, when the duo crossed the line first (Conti) and second (Davies). The JRM drivers were both in the top 10 in the season opener this year, with Conti winning and Davies 10th.
Conti dialed in a solid set-up on his WR1 Chevrolet for qualifying, knowing that it would be difficult to make passes early in the race. Starting from 13th on the bottom line, Conti spent the opening run trying to make headway in the throng nestled into the top groove despite being faster than several of those ahead. With only one caution flag in the 163-lap event, being able to make time on long green-flag runs was imperative, and the New Jersey driver was able to do so.
Over the next two stints, Conti was able to use his superior long-run pace to advance and wound up fourth. Having already qualified for a chance at the $100,000 winner-take-all championship race at the end of the season, Conti improved his point standing as well with the top five. He has finishes of first, 10th and sixth in the first four races so far in 2021.
Davies, starting 10th after a fine qualifying run, had set up his AXE-backed Chevrolet to run the bottom, which is the toughest place to navigate on the worn-out Atlanta asphalt. Banking on multiple grooves being available to him, Davies was stymied early on by the rush to the top line and an inability to finish passes on the low line. After the early caution flag, Davies found himself stuck in 19th position, and like Conti waited for the field to separate.
Picking off a few cars on the way to the final pit stop, Davies got creative when he came down pit road. With his AXE-backed Camaro trending a touch to the free side and knowing he did not need a full tank to make it to the end, Davies did not fill the fuel tank all the way in hopes that it would help his loose-handling machine. The adjustment worked to perfection and Davies was on a rail the rest of the way, driving from 12th to seventh. About 10 laps from the end, crew chief John Prather called his driver to say that there was a chance the fuel would run out before the checkered flag waved.
After running behind sixth-place Keegan Leahy for the next several laps, Prather told his driver he was good to go on fuel, and Davies caught and passed Leahy to eventually finish sixth.
Logan Clampitt won the race, breaking a 44-race winless streak after leading 97 of the 163 laps. Nick Ottinger was second, with Zack Nichols, Conti and Steven Wilson the remainder of the top five. Davies led the second five in sixth.
The eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series will compete again on March 30 at the virtual Auto Club Speedway.
Michael Conti, driver No. 8 WR1 Sim Chassis JR Motorsports Chevrolet team
“I’m extremely proud of the effort everyone on the No. 8 WR1 team put in over the last two weeks. We knew our speed at Vegas was strong, but could never show it due to being taken out early. While last night was certainly not the easiest race I’ve ever taken part in, our car’s maneuverability and long-run speed made passes possible. In an event which proved tough to pass, we overcame that and drove past a lot of good cars. On top of that, I felt like I was becoming more and more comfortable on my new WR1 sim rig and VRS DirectForce Pro wheel as the night went on. Last night’s performance gives us a lot of confidence going into Auto Club in two weeks’ time.”
Brad Davies, driver No. 88 AXE JR Motorsports Chevrolet team
“I’m really proud of the effort that went into the set-up this week. I felt like our AXE Chevy was one of the best two or three cars out there on the long run. It’s unfortunate that we got held up early by a few guys, but that’s the way it goes sometimes. I just tried to be patient out there and take opportunities as they presented themselves instead of forcing something. We came up just shy of our first top-five of the season due to a slight miscalculation on fuel but I’d rather take sixth and finish under power than run out with a lap or two to go. Overall, I’m really pleased with our performance the last few races and can’t wait to ride the momentum into Auto Club in a couple of weeks!”