Casey Kirwan’s fifth season in the Coca-Cola iRacing Series ended on top of the eNASCAR mountain.
By virtue of his runner-up finish at the virtual Phoenix Raceway on Tuesday (Oct. 25), Kirwan became the 10th different champion in the series’ 13-year history, receiving the $100,000 championship cash prize. Kirwan held off fellow championship contenders Bobby Zalenski, Graham Bowlin and Steven Wilson.
“I don’t even know what to say,” an emotional Kirwan said after accepting the Dale Earnhardt Jr. Championship trophy from the award’s namesake. “I’ve won a lot of big races, but they’ve never come with trophies like this.”
#eNASCAR @iRacing https://t.co/AVLOUAtdyd pic.twitter.com/3PXuhZ08Me
— Justin Melillo (@justinmelillo) October 26, 2022
Kirwan won the title in front of a live audience at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, N.C. Kirwan’s dad was among those in attendance, which made the moment that much more special for the champion.
“It meant a lot,” Kirwan said. “My dad has supported me for a long time. We’ve got 100,000 reasons to be pretty happy about the decision [to go iRacing] now. My dad has been my biggest supporter since back when I started five years ago.”
#eNASCAR @iRacing pic.twitter.com/uuqvDrBc9r
— Justin Melillo (@justinmelillo) October 26, 2022
For Zalenski, a third-place finish in the race was not enough, as his fifth Championship 4 appearance in six years ended in heartbreak once again.
“I don’t know what else I could have done in that race,” Zalenski said. “To make the final four five times and still not win it, it kills me. If I have to be the series’ Mark Martin, that’s an honor because he’s one of the greatest. That’s life.”
man
— Bobby Zalenski (@bobbyzalenski) October 26, 2022
Meanwhile, 2021 series champion Keegan Leahy got out in front of the championship fracas, leading the final 57 laps to take the checkered flag and end a disappointing 2022 on a winning note. Leahy’s win also helped him get back in the top 20 to guarantee his spot in the Coca-Cola iRacing Series in 2023.
“Unfortunately, I haven’t had these races when I needed this year to get the win,” Leahy said. “I’m happy to cap the year off solidly and show my face.”
The field wasted no time driving aggressively on the initial start, and that led to an opening lap caution due to a midpack wreck on the backstretch involving Collin Bowden, Ray Alfalla and Zack Novak. The messy…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Frontstretch…