With NASCAR preparing to race at Circuit of the Americas for the first time, the Cup Series drivers were able to get a virtual feel for the new track during Wednesday’s eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series action. James Davison, a road course-savvy driver, led from flag to flag to win his first PIS event.
Davison started on the pole alongside Anthony Alfredo and quickly built a considerable lead over the field. While the Australian has never finished higher than twenty-second in a Cup race, he has considerable road racing experience in sports cars and the Road to Indy ladder along with two Xfinity Series road course top tens, making his success in Wednesday’s race rather unsurprising.
Others were not as lucky. Jesse Iwuji, who won the Fan Vote for the third straight round, wrecked coming to the green flag as did Clint Bowyer. Bowyer eventually tangled with Davison when he tried to pit, though neither driver suffered terminal damage. By the end of the pit cycle, Davison led Alfredo by over sixteen seconds.
Davison would take the checkered flag to complete a dominating performance ahead of Alfredo. A similarly dominant performance took place during the previous night’s eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series event at the track when rallycross and eSports driver Mitchell DeJong led from the opening lap.
While Rick Ware Racing is one of the weaker teams in the Cup grid, Davison’s victory continues a solid week for the team. On Saturday, RWR finished second with Romain Grosjean in the NTT IndyCar Series race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course after starting from the pole; Davison débuted the RWR IndyCar programme at last year’s Indianapolis 500. The layout is also on the Cup schedule for the first time.
“I hope to see all the fans come out for the event this weekend,” Davison said in a Twitter video. “It’s gonna be a hell of a show. I’m really excited. I can’t remember when I’ve been as excited for a race weekend as this one.”
He will drive the #15 in Sunday’s EchoPark Texas Grand Prix. While the race will be his first foray at the Austin circuit in a real-life stock car, Davison has competed there in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
Another road course awaits the Pro Invitational Series with the custom-made Chicago Street Course on 2 June.
