CONCORD, N.C. -- Nick Jobs was ecstatic Wednesday night after the first race of the season for the eNASCAR Heat Pro League Series -- he earned his first career win.
Using his new wheel for PlayStation 4, Jobes waited for the right opportunity to start working his way up the field in the 50-lap event at virtual Homestead. The play worked. He took the lead with seven laps left in the race and held on to win.
"It’s incredible to get the first win for Hendrick GC," Jobes said. "Coming off of a rough start in Season 1 where we had opportunities to win and weren’t able to capitalize on strategy, it really is incredible that we were finally able to get it and were able to have that strategy pay off."
A wheel and pedals now are mandated for all participants in the eNASCAR Heat Pro League Series, but Jobes didn't have a hard time adjusting. He said he's always been into sim racing and has put a lot of time in the week leading up to the first race with practice.
During those practice sessions, Jobes said he and teammate Sam Morris discovered some pitting strategies that ultimately had a hand in Jobes' victory.
"We utilized the other cars that were also saving (fuel) and used the draft to save additional fuel," Jobes explained. "I was able to save two more laps of fuel than everybody else did, so when we got to that round of pit stops, they went in after 25 laps. I was able to go 27, which meant I only had 23 laps to go after we got out of the pits."
Jobes said this strategy allowed him to go "full throttle" until the end when he had a sizable lead on the rest of the field.
"With seven or eight to go, I knew I had the win," he said.
Jobes will have his next chance to secure a win on April 29 at 8 p.m. ET for the second race of the eNASCAR Heat Pro League Series at Auto Club Speedway. Fans can catch the action on NASCARHeat.com, eNASCAR.com, through NASCAR Heat's Facebook Live page or through 704NASCAR Heat's Twitch page.