Our first iRacing season has come to a conclusion with D.J. Fluck winning the inaugural championship. The final score was seven wins to six wins and it came down to our very last race, a rematch of week one at Charlotte. We’re going to provide a summary of each race today, what we’ve learned, and what’s next for Wednesday Night Dash.
Week 1 – Charlotte Motor Speedway
Our first week out was at Charlotte using the Dallara DW12 and Erik had just purchased his racing wheel. He struggled all evening and the only thing memorable about the race is our crash at lap 21 which is now the centerpiece of our intro video.
Winner: D.J. Fluck (1-0)
Week 2 – Oran Park Raceway
We took on the former Oran Park Raceway in Australia using the Formula Vee for the first time. Because of a rookie mistake, Erik attempted to change configurations while pitting and lost too much time. D.J. struggled through with a bad configuration but held on to win.
Winner: D.J. Fluck (2-0)
Week 3 – Phoenix International Raceway (2008)
Back to the oval track and running Dallara DW12s on the legacy edition of Phoenix International Raceway, this race was much closer until Erik was faked out by a glitchy Internet connection and crashed into the wall.
Winner: D.J. Fluck (3-0)
Week 4 – Lime Rock Park
Back in the Formula Vee for a trip to the northeast US and a visit to Lime Rock Park. This race resulted in a spin-out for both drivers and the closest finish of the series, by under half a second.
Winner: D.J. Fluck (4-0)
Week 5 – Indianapolis Motor Speedway
This was a homecoming for us and because of a mistake in the race setup, we raced the full 35 minutes and got finished just under 50 laps. D.J. forgot to enable his pit limiter and was black-flagged during pit stops, giving Erik his first win.
Winner: Erik Richardson (1-4)
Week 6 – Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Road)
Back to back weeks at Indianapolis, we took the Dallara IR-18 to a road course for the first time and both drivers had problems staying on the track. A late spin and crash by Erik gave D.J. the comfortable win.
Winner: D.J. Fluck (5-1)
Week 7 – Daytona International Speedway
This week, we took the Next-Gen Chevy Camaro for a spin around one of the world’s most famous ovals. The race was clean, resulting in multiple passes and our closest finish (0.04 seconds) for the entire iRacing season.
Winner: D.J. Fluck (6-1)
Week 8 – Charlotte Legends Road Course
Back in the Formula Vee, D.J. could not stay on the track and struggled with a lack of preparation. Outside of a late crash after D.J. spun, no other major racing as Erik won this race easily.
Winner: Erik Richardson (2-6)
Week 9 – Langley Speedway
Street Stocks and a short track make for good racing as long as you don’t blow your engine. D.J. pushed too hard and blew his engine, costing him any chance of a win. Erik was back in victory lane for a second week in a row. Unfortunately, the replay file was corrupt, so we were not able to post a highlight video.
Winner: Erik Richardson (3-6)
Week 10 – WeatherTech Raceway at Laguna Seca
Taking the Dallara IR18 out for a spin at Laguna Seca, D.J. struggled with keeping the car on the track at a decent pace and Erik won this race easily.
Winner: Erik Richardson (4-6)
Week 11 – Auto Club Speedway
We took the ARCA Menards Monte Carlo out for a spin for the first time and it resulted in close racing for most of the event. A late mistake by D.J. allowed Erik to pull away for his fourth win in a row of the iRacing season.
Winner: Erik Richardson (5-6)
Week 12 – Watkins Glen Internatioal
The most famous road course on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule was the next stop on our iRacing season. It turned into the race that lead to the 6-6 tie between Erik and D.J. Both drivers had incidents, including Erik losing his hood on the famous “inner loop”. Even without the accident, he turned much better times.
Winner: Erik Richardson (6-6)
Week 13 – Charlotte Motor Speedway Rematch
Erik took the pole position, but an early mistake on lap two allowed D.J. to take the lead and not look back. Erik attempted to pit early, locked up the brakes, and wrecked causing him to fall a lap down. He regained the lap, but he ran out of time before D.J. crossed the finish line to take the championship.
Winner: D.J. Fluck (7-6)
Final Records: D.J. Fluck (7-6), Erik Richardson (6-7)
What Did We Learn?
We learned a lot about iRacing and streaming over our 13 races. When we first started the stream we figured we would hit stream on Twitch Studio and see where it takes us. As we moved on, we figured out how to make it into more of a somewhat professional production by creating an intro video for the series. We finally made the move to OBS Studio late in the season and started simulcasting with Restream.IO
Preparation is key. There were some weeks where we picked the car/track combination too late so there wasn’t enough time to practice and work on adjusting the car configuration. Then again, we didn’t really know how to configure a car and arguably still don’t know as much as we hoped to.
The Future of WND iRacing Season
So what’s next for Wednesday Night Dash? Well, we’ll have more details in January, but we’re looking at expanding the league and having a weekly race with up to 26 drivers a race and turning this into a full-sanctioned iRacing season series. We won’t be changing the car every week moving forward, but instead breaking the year up into five, eight-week seasons.
Sponsor Spotlight
We’re excited to be partnered with Priority Tire! Priority tire has some of the best prices around and will ship the tire to either you or a partner shop local to you at whatever time works for you! Some areas even offer mobile tire replacement on-site at your home or office. Shop, buy and book all from the Priority Tire website. With a great selection of tires, the best prices, great customer service, and convenient options for installation, why would you buy your tires anywhere else?
Merchandise Spotlight
Pace Car Quote T-Shirt
This t-shirt is everything you’ve dreamed of and more. It feels soft and lightweight, with the right amount of stretch. It’s comfortable and flattering for all.
• 100% combed and ring-spun cotton (Heather colors contain polyester)
• Ash color is 99% combed and ring-spun cotton, 1% polyester
• Heather colors are 52% combed and ring-spun cotton, 48% polyester
• Ath…
Although it’s probably too late for Christmas gifts, the F-R Racing Merchandise store has great-looking merchandise that will help support the growth and development of our team! Our featured item this week is our infamous pace car quote shirt from the Daytona Wednesday Night Dash race.
