Motorsport News

Briar LaPradd Wins By a Nose for 1st Career eNASCAR Coke Series Victory at Michigan

24mis Race 19

It may not have been for a spot in the Championship 4, but for Briar LaPradd, it was a special moment all the same as he captured his first career eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series win in the Logi Play Days 140 at the virtual Michigan International Speedway on Tuesday, Aug. 13.

“It means a lot,” LaPradd, driver of the JR Motorsports No. 88, said about his first win on the Sunoco Post Race Report. “Like I said, I worked really hard since 2016 just trying to make my way through the ranks. I can’t believe I’m a Coke Series winner, honestly. It’s unreal.”

LaPradd held off a furious challenge from playoff driver Parker White, winning by just three one-thousandths of a second. White settled for second, but he was the only playoff driver to finish in the top five.

“Yeah, I felt really confident in my car,” White said looking back on the finish. “Just to be in position, that is all I could ask for. I really couldn’t have done anything different there.”

Casey Kirwan finished third, with Jimmy Mullis and Matt Bussa rounding out the top five in fourth and fifth, respectively.

TONIGHT’S ACTION

Wyatt Tinsley took the pole at Michigan but did not stay up front long, surrendering the lead to White on the backstretch of the opening lap. Four laps later, White was the one getting passed by fellow playoff driver Dylan Duval for the top spot.

The field logged laps under green until the first caution came out on lap 15 for the No. 8 of Kaden Honeycutt spinning out in turn three, the end of a chain reaction that included playoff drivers Bobby Zalenski and Tucker Minter. While most of the drivers came down pit road for tires and fuel, six of them stayed out, led by Dylan Ault in the No. 40.

Off the lap 18 restart, White sliced and diced his way through the pack from seventh back to the lead. Then, on lap 20, Vicente Salas became the first driver to run into trouble when he wrecked and went around on the frontstretch due to contact with Garrett Manes, who got bumped by Steven Wilson.

Salas’ rough night continued on lap 31 when he spun out again on the backstretch but avoided any further damage, bringing out the race’s third caution. All the while, White continued to show the way as the race passed the halfway point.

Then, in quick succession, LaPradd took the lead with 34 laps to go, but surrender it two laps later to defending series champion Wilson. During that battle, playoff driver Graham Bowlin…

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