Tucker Minter held off Garrett Manes during the final lap to pick up the victory at a virtual Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway on Tuesday night as part of the 2023 eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series.
Manes, who hadn’t led a single lap all night, crept up on Minter’s bumper during the home stretch but was never able to overtake the rookie, who earned his second win of the campaign by 0.179 second. In the No. 33 Chevrolet, Minter became the fourth driver this season to win two races.
Minter also won at a virtual Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 14 in the inaugural race of the season.
“I was hoping, going into the year, to get like three top-5s,” said Minter, a native of Warrenton, Va. “The last eight races I guess have been such a struggle with qualifying. I’ve had a lot of pace in qualifying and then wasn’t able to translate to an actual session, so it’s been frustrating having to drive through the field.
“So (Tuesday) when we qualified in the top 10, I knew my chance was good.”
Manes, a native of Powhatan, Va., struggled on the last restart, potentially costing him the race.
“I’m kicking myself ’cause I feel like I actually had a really good opportunity,” said Manes, who drove the No. 12 Ford. “I let (Minter) turn away from me going into three, and I just got tight. I basically missed the corner, but it was just old tires.
“Away he went. There’s no real opportunity for me to get back. I was just too tight to follow him.”
Matt Bussa finished third in the No. 97 Chevrolet, while Michael Conti placed fourth in the No. 8 Chevrolet. Corey Vincent rounded out the top five in the No. 2 Toyota.
The series will return at the virtual World Wide Technology Raceway on June 13.
–Field Level Media
