Team Penske eSports eNASCAR Heat Pro League Race Report
Track: Virtual Iowa Speedway
Race: Round 7 – NASCAR Xfinity Series
Date: June 18, 2020
No. 2 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang – Brian Tedeschi (ShellVPower22)
Console: Xbox One
Start: 5th
Finish: 3rd
Status: Running
Laps Completed: 70/70
Points: 5th (-32)
Notes:
- Brian Tedeschi (ShellVPower22) put together a solid race in Thursday night’s eNASCAR Heat Pro League (eNHPL) event at virtual Iowa Speedway. Tedeschi claimed a third-place finish, showcasing the speed that was a hallmark of his 2019 season.
- The night began with the exciting news that eNHPL action will begin airing on MAVTV beginning this Sunday, June 21 at 8:00 pm ET, providing an extra layer of excitement to the popular esports series.
- Tedeschi started fifth and quickly raced up to the third position, where he would run for most of the 70-lap race.
- The Purdue University graduate looked to be in a great position to capitalize on a caution with 20 laps to go because he had not yet made his pit stop. Tedeschi restarted from the second position, briefly fell back in the field before rallying to grab third at the finish line.
- Tedeschi remains fifth in the driver standings with one race remaining in the second eNHPL segment in the 2020 season.
Quote:
“We had a really strong Shell V-Power Ford Mustang tonight, and the cautions fell our way when I really didn’t think they were going to do so. I thought we saved fuel like we needed to and we were a top three car on pure speed. Add all that up and we got our first podium of the season. We have a rhythm and we’re showing the speed we should have shown all season. I’m excited for the remainder of the season because I think we have a great shot at the finale.”
No. 22 Wurth Ford Mustang – Corey Rothgeb (Wurth_2)
Console: PlayStation 4
Start: 1st
Finish: 9th
Status: Running
Laps Completed: 70/70
Points: 2nd (-1)
Notes:
- Corey Rothgeb (Wurth_2) continued his momentum from winning at virtual Talladega Superspeedway two weeks ago into the pole position for Thursday night’s PlayStation 4 race for the eNASCAR Heat Pro League, but rough racing at the end of the 70-lap event left him with a ninth-place finish.
- The Waynesboro, Va. native looked strong early despite a bevy of early caution periods that brought the cars down pit road for fresh tires on the abrasive Iowa surface. He stayed inside the top five until the handling on the Wurth Ford began going away with just under 20 laps remaining.
- A caution with seven laps remaining setup a wild restart that featured lots of contact among the leaders. Rothgeb was shuffled back to 11th in the running order before recovering and fighting his way back to ninth at the checkered flag.
- Rothgeb heads into the final race of the second segment in the 2020 eNHPL season second in the driver standings just one point behind the leader. The segment winner automatically qualifies for a position in the championship finale.
Quote:
"We have a lot of good momentum right now with the Wurth Ford Mustang. We have both qualifying speed and race speed. I was confident we were coming into a set of tracks that were going to setup well for us. Unfortunately, we could just never get in a rhythm tonight with all the cautions and then it turned ugly at the end. We are only one point back of the segment win and for weeks I’ve been excited for Atlanta. We just need to execute.”