With Chicagoland now in the books, so is the first NASCAR iRacing.com Class A Series (NiCAS) season of 2013. The Gen6 cars threw a curveball to drivers and teams, as well as delayed the start of the season, but ten drivers were able to adjust on the fly better than anyone and will be rewarded with a trip to the 2013 NASCAR iRacing.com Pro Series (NiPS). The new style stockcars evened the playing field for everyone, and it showed in the final standings as there was a refreshing mix of new and old faces at the top.
Dylan Duval is a driver that has had a lot of success on the iRacing.com service in the trucks, but has now elevated himself to the top of the charts in the NiCAS to take home the 2013 Season 1 Overall Championship. With ten wins and twenty top fives in his thirty starts, Duval put up outstanding numbers all the while competing in mostly 5000+ SoF races. Brandon Atkinson finished a distant second, earning himself the second seed into the 2013 NiPS. Atkinson only snagged three wins on the year, but in a series like the NiCAS where attrition is always a factor, consistency is key. Rounding out the top three was Kenny Humpe, who will be a definite favorite in the upcoming NiPS.
Brandon Buie was not on the radar of many people when the season kicked off, but after an impressive fourth place overall finish and a transfer into the NiPS, he will have a hard time flying under the radar anytime soon. Former NiPS competitor Justin Trombley will be making a return to the prominent series as he rounds out the top five, just four points behind fourth place Buie. Kevin Burris from Hamlet, NC showed up big for season one, finishing sixth overall, with Tyler Laughlin from Knoxville, TN finishing seventh and also advancing to the NiPS. Lee Herron, former pro Nic Morse, and PJ Stergios rounded out the top ten and will all advance. Brian Day was the first man out by a mere twenty points as he will now have to suit up for Season Two.
Returning NiPS driver Kenny Humpe and current NASCAR iRacing.com Series World Championship (NiSWC) driver Brandon Schmidt tied for most wins on the season with eleven. However the slight edge goes to Humpe who did it in twenty races, compared to Schmidt’s twenty nine. The Champion Dylan Duval was the only other driver with double digit wins on the season with ten. Jim J Robinson yarded the field in top fives with thirty five on the season, while Schmidt led the way in poles with sixteen.
In an effort to make point battles competitive and fun for everyone involved, iRacing.com splits drivers into ten divisions with drivers who have similar skillsets. This allows for less experienced drivers to still have the challenge of points racing, as they gain experience. It also allows for ten very happy people at seasons end, instead of just one.
Patrick Davis Jr. led the charge of Division Two drivers to claim the title by over 100 points, while the Californian Michael Clemente took home Division Three honors. CW Webster put distance between himself and second place Paul Beardmore in Division Four, while Nate Chodur claimed Division Five in another runaway. Division Six was much closer as Chuck Earnest edged Scott Bolster by thirty seven points, while Division Seven went to Don Norris by a wide margin. Justin Erickson dominated Division Eight, Thomas Engle took Division Nine, and the final Champion is Brian Guedesse of Division ten.
With one season now in the books with the new Gen6 stockcars, teams have developed a notebook of things the car likes and doesn’t like. As well as drivers now having experience adjusting to what the car needs behind the wheel to make speed. Look for even closer racing next season as more teams begin to figure out the cars and look to race their way into the NiPS.
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