LaPradd 10th, Conti Overcomes Crash for 17th in eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series Grind at Kansas

Ron Lemasters | 5/12/2022

Briar LaPradd eNASCAR iRacing Ledford Billiard Supply Maconi Michael Conti News WR1 Sim Chassis

Racing in front of a live crowd in Charlotte, LaPradd and Conti both finished inside the top 20 at the virtual Kansas Speedway.

Track Specs: 1.5-mile oval / 100 laps

LaPradd's finish: 10th  

Conti's finish: 17th

Team Standings: 8th (-63) 

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (May 11, 2022) -- Briar LaPradd missed a big crash early in the running of Tuesday night's eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series race at the virtual Kansas Speedway and teammate Michael Conti couldn't. That was the difference for the two JR Motorsports drivers in the seventh eNCCiRS event of the season, as LaPradd earned a 10th-place finish and Conti managed the damage to come home 17th at the end of 100 laps. JRM's two-car team held on to eighth place in the team standings after seven races. (Watch the full race.)

Both LaPradd and Conti were part of a group of drivers competing onsite at the Charlotte Phoenix Esports Arena, and LaPradd, hoping to overcome a rough outing two weeks ago at Dover, qualified his No. 88 Ledford Billiard Supply Chevrolet in 22nd position. After just 12 laps of the 100-lap event, LaPradd had to do some fancy driving to miss a multi-car pileup off Turn 2. It was the first of a couple of incidents in Turn 2 on the night.

Heading to pit road with the rest of the field, LaPradd changed two tires and got back on track. The ensuing restart nearly finished LaPradd's race, as his Ledford Billiard Supply Chevrolet twitched in the high line and sent him straight down to the apron. Luckily, little damage was done to the No. 88 Camaro and LaPradd soldiered on in the top 20.

Following a couple of long green-flag runs, LaPradd had moved up to challenge for the top 10. A yellow flag with 10 laps remaining slowed the action, but LaPradd was unaffected. On the restart, the Tennessee native moved up from 14th in the order to eventually finish 10th despite a titanic struggle for the position with Malik Ray.

Conti had high hopes after qualifying fifth in the No. 8 WR1 Sim Chassis Chevrolet, despite doing so in the unfamiliar surroundings at the Charlotte Phoenix Esports Arena in front of a live audience. In the early stages of the race, Conti stayed in the top echelon until the first caution flag, when he elected to come to pit road for four tires and fuel.

Varying strategies were in play and Conti came off pit road in 13th position after some drivers stayed out and others took just two tires. On the ensuing restart, Conti was involved in a multi-car crash at lap 19 that saw longtime friend and rival Nick Ottinger impact the right side of Conti's Chevrolet. The crash did considerable damage to Conti's machine, which changed his strategy the rest of the way.

Limiting the damage as much as possible, Conti made adjustments to compensate and worked his way from 37th after the crash to 17th at the finish.

LaPradd maintained 25th in the driver standings, lopping 16 points off his deficit, while Conti remained 10th after seven races and gained nine points to trail by 46 markers. Conti is second on the Playoff grid with two wins so far this season.

In the team standings, JR Motorsports maintained eighth position, gaining five points to rest 63 behind the leader.

The eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series will race again on May 24 at the virtual Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Briar LaPradd, driver No. 88 Ledford Billiard Supply/Maconi Setup Shop JR Motorsports Chevrolet team

"Racing in front of a crowd that showed a lot of energy was amazing, a really cool experience for sure. The Ledford Billiard Supply Chevrolet was OK in qualifying and we started off from 22nd position, but we had to avoid carnage early in the initial run. The restart after the first caution could have ended our night, as I snapped loose off Turn 2 and went from the wall to the apron just like that. Managed to catch it and only took a little damage. We stayed after it and earned a 10th-place finish, which is good after the bad luck we've had recently. Overall, it was a good night for JRM at Kansas."

Michael Conti, driver No. 8 WR1 Sim Chassis JR Motorsports Chevrolet team

"Obviously, performance and results are always on the front of our mind, but tonight, there was a lot more at stake than usual. A live and in-person Coke event with competitors racing in front of an audience is a first-of-its-kind experience, and we pulled it off. That was the goal going into the night and in that respect, we succeeded. So, while the result is certainly not indicative of what we were capable of, we can walk away feeling pretty good about things. On top of that, it was great to see Briar finally get a finish he deserved as well. So, all in all, I'm thankful for Charlotte Phoenix and the opportunity to compete in their studio; from here, we'll begin working on prepping another sporty WR1 Camaro for Charlotte!"

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