NBC eSports Short Track iRacing Challenge Preview – Myrtle Beach Speedway
Round #3 of the NBC eSports Short Track iRacing Challenge will take place tonight at 7PM at Myrtle Beach Speedway. Tonight’s race will set the field for the championship race at Martinsville on Thursday.
Myrtle Beach Speedway is a pretty racy short track. I would describe it as “Martinsville made into an intermediate track.” Of the three preliminary races to the championship, I think it will be the best tune-up race for Martinsville so these drivers might have an edge on Thursday.
The field for tonight is the deepest of the three preliminary nights. The drivers racing are Dale Earnhardt Jr., Timmy Hill, Landon Cassill, Ryan Preece, Matt DiBenedetto and Myatt Snider.
Here’s my Myrtle Beach Speedway Driver Rankings
1) Timmy Hill – Timmy Hill is a phenom at iRacing and I think will be the driver to beat at Myrtle Beach Speedway. In eNASCAR outside of William Byron, I think there’s no debate he’s been the next best driver. He raced his way to victory lane at Texas and he’s finished in the top 3 every race (2.3 average finish). Tonight, I think the road to victory lane goes thru him.
2) Dale Earnhardt Jr. – Dale Earnhardt Jr. is a strong eNASCAR performer who’ll be a favorite. In eNASCAR, Dale Earnhardt Jr. ranks among the best. He has a 10th place average finish and in two of the three races he’s finished in the top 6. Thinking outside the box, I wouldn’t be surprised if Earnhardt Jr. was the test driver for tonight who created the fixed setups much like fellow NBC employee Parker Kligerman did on Monday.
3) Ryan Preece – Ryan Preece probably isn’t getting the proper amount of iRacing love for Myrtle Beach, but I think there’s no question he’ll be well prepared and will be a contender. In eNASCAR he has a 5.3 average finish (2nd best) and he’s had a result in the top 8 every race.
4) Landon Cassill – Landon Cassill is a solid eNASCAR driver who shouldn’t be overlooked. His eNASCAR average finish is 12.0 which statistically ranks as the 9th best overall, but tonight among the six car field that ranks as the 5th best.
5) Matt DiBenedetto – Matt DiBenedetto may be racing in his underwear, but he’s been getting the job done. In eNASCAR his average finish is 10.3 and he’s had a result in the top 15 every race. Last week at Bristol he had his best result and finished 5th. This race happened last week, and DiBenedetto tweeted he didn’t practice for Bristol at all. Did he practice for Myrtle Beach instead? Guess we’ll find out tonight!
6) Myatt Snider – Myatt Snider is a lower series driver who’ll be competing tonight at Myrtle Beach. I really don’t know much about his iRacing prowess, but I do know last Saturday night at Bristol in the lower series he finished 14th.
