Denny Hamlin passed Dale Earnhardt, Jr. in the final corner to win the inaugural eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series event at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday afternoon. Although there were no cars on the physical track in South Florida, the engines were fired on the virtual iRacing Motorsport Simulations platform.
The 100-lap (150 miles) race featured a star-studded field competing at the track initially scheduled for this date on the real NASCAR Cup Series calendar.
Hamlin, an accomplished sim racer and three-time Daytona 500 champion, utilized a distinct tire advantage after a late pit stop and subsequent charge through the field to claim the victory.
Earlier in the week, Hamlin pledged a $5,000 donation towards COVID-19 victims in South Florida for a victory and $100 for every lap he led in the event.
“That was unbelievable. I didn’t think we were going to get back there,” Hamlin said. “Especially with 10 to go, we were 13th or so, I got bottled up back there. [I] really made the top line work the last two laps to get the win.”
Hamlin continued, “We had about a .2 advantage on tires [per lap], when they were running side-by-side, it helped me. My spotter [iRacing Pro Keegan Leahy, who competes for Denny Hamlin Racing] told me we were going to get there, just one [pass] per lap.”
Hamlin was able to use the top groove of the racetrack, something his competitors lacked for the majority of the afternoon. “The bottom is definitely preferred, but I felt like I had enough of a tire advantage to hold [Dale Earnhardt, Jr.] off. I ran my line, he gave me the proper space, and we were able to race clean to the line.”
After the race, Earnhardt told FS1, “He had ten laps newer tires, and he’s really good. I’ve raced with him on here for two decades. I thought he would be tough to beat.”
Earnhardt continued, “I was trying to get a good finish, I was trying to win the race, and I was trying not to wreck anybody. I probably gave Denny a little more room than I really wanted to. We got together off four. I thought we were going to have a photo-finish to the line. He had the tires, and he’s really fast. It was a fun race.”
Earnhardt, Jr., a prolific sim racer himself, met Hamlin through sim racing in the early 2000s. The two forged a friendship online, and Hamlin was a guest of Earnhardt’s for the 2004 Daytona 500, which Junior won. Hamlin fondly recounts the story of taking Earnhardt’s Harley J. Earl Trophy back to Junior’s motorhome.
Drivers like Garrett Smithley and Timmy Hill, among others, who compete in the top-three series in NASCAR that don’t get a lot of notoriety for their talents were able to put on stellar performances today.
The event was undoubtedly a success, and it’s highly likely this event will continue in the coming weeks. Race winner Hamlin thoroughly enjoyed the competition and stated that he would “love to do it again.”
I’m sure many of Hamlin’s competitors feel the same way as well.
Written by Greg Atkins
