Team Penske eNASCAR Heat Pro League Race Report

April 22, 2020

Team Penske eSports eNASCAR Heat Pro League Race Report

Track:                  Virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway
Race:                   Round 1 – NASCAR Cup Series
Date:                   April 22, 2020

No. 2 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang – Brian Tedeschi (ShellVPower22)

Start: 8th
Finish: 8th
Status: Running
Laps Completed: 50/50
Points: 9th (-27)

Notes:
Brian Tedeschi, winner of the inaugural NASCAR Heat Pro League race for the Xbox console in 2019, started the 2020 season off with an eighth-place finish at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway on Wednesday night.
After starting from the eighth position, Tedeschi narrowly missed a multi-car wreck on the first lap to move into fourth place on the ensuing restart. However, he would drop to the back to execute a one-stop pit strategy before coming to pit road with on lap 28.
A caution flag flew just as he was getting onto pit road, a great break that resulted in Tedeschi taking over the lead when the race resumed at lap 30
Intense, three-wide racing at the front of the field followed as Tedeschi traded the lead several times before he was pushed into the outside wall off Turn Four with nine laps to go, ending his chance at victory.

Quote: 
“The first half of the race was all about fuel saving. We really lucked out when it came to catching the caution at the right time while getting on to pit road and ended up restarting with the lead. We had a strong Shell-Pennzoil Ford after that and there was some hard racing at the front. That’s what it’s all about but we had some contact with the 21 car there in the end that cost us a shot to win. It’s a long season and we’ll be back.”
 

No. 22 Wurth Ford Mustang – Corey Rothgeb (Wurth_2)

Start: 14th
Finish: 7th
Status: Running
Laps Completed: 50/50
Points: 9th (-27)

Notes:
Corey Rothgeb (Wurth_2) stuck to his one-stop pit strategy from the drop of the green flag in Wednesday’s NASCAR Heat Pro League (eNHPL) season opener at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway, and was rewarded with a solid, seventh-place finish.
After stretching his fuel until lap 25 of the 50-lap event, Rothgeb was able to move to the front of the field during pit stops. He eventually made his was down pit road from the fourth position.
Rothgeb, sporting a new sponsor on the No. 2 Ford Mustang in Wurth, cycled back to the 12th position before making a strong drive through the field over the remaining laps of the race to score a top-10 finish.
The next race for the eNHPL will be Wednesday, April 29 when the series will race in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoor Truck Series at Watkins Glen International.

Quote: 
"We had a good Wurth Ford Mustang tonight, but we didn’t really get a chance to show that from the drop of the green flag. I knew some others were going to be on a fuel-saving strategy, so we needed to do the same right from the start of the race. We played the strategy right, but just had a slow pit stop that kept us from finishing a bit higher.”