iRacing World of Outlaws Sprint Car Preview: Eldora
The iRacing World of Outlaws NOS Energy Sprint Car World Championship is known for crowning a number of different winners every season, and the start of the 2020-21 campaign has been no exception. Tonight’s round at Eldora Speedway, however, just might crown the first repeat winner of the season.
One of the premier dirt tracks in the United States, Eldora has played host to the series five times in previous campaigns. Of those five races, Alex Bergeron and Tim Ryan—not only the only two champions in series history, but also the winners of the first two races of this season at Volusia and Knoxville—have combined for four of the checkered flags, scoring two apiece. Coming into tonight’s event with wins under their belt already, each is a safe bet for their second win of the year.
But to do it, they’ll have to get through last year’s iRacing World of Outlaws Late Model World Champion Hayden Cardwell. Cardwell scored podiums in the first two races of the season to take an early points lead, and paid that success off with his first series victory last week at Fairbury. The question now is if the Tennessee native can extend his advantage by going back-to-back. While he had an impressive drive from 17th to seventh in the late models here earlier this year, his next World Championship-level win at Eldora will be his first in either division.
Other front-runners looking for their first win of the season include series veteran Nick Cooper, whose resurgence early this season has him third in points, and Kendal Tucker, who leads the Swindell Speedlab Esports brigade at fifth in the championship. Braden Eyler, last season’s breakout driver, is seventh coming into the night, while sixth place Tyler Schell and eighth place Cole Neuhalfen are strong candidates to succeed Eyler as this season’s surprise championship contender. Meanwhile, Tucker’s teammate Adam Elby, who sits 12th in points, is the only driver other than Bergeron or Ryan to take a win at Eldora in this series.
DirtVision is the new home of the iRacing World of Outlaws NOS Energy Sprint Car World Championship for the 2020-21 season. Fans can visit www.dirtvision.com and register for a free account to watch every race of the season for free on Monday nights at 9PM ET.
Tonight’s iRacing World of Outlaws NOS Energy Sprint Car World Championship action from Eldora Speedway kicks off at 9PM ET on DirtVision. The series returns to action next Monday from Lernerville Speedway, a track where both Bergeron and Ryan have won twice in previous seasons. For more information on iRacing and for special offers, visit www.iracing.com.