CONCORD, N.C. -- William Byron won his second iRacing event in a row after he took the checkered flag in overtime at virtual Richmond Raceway on Sunday.
The driver of the No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet led for 96 laps out of the 150-lap race at the fourth eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series event of the season.
"Driving the 24 car in real life for Hendrick Motorsports is a dream," Byron said after the win. "It's incredible."
Byron had last pitted during lap 100, but was pleased with the call for him to stay out during the last part of the race instead of getting fresh tires.
In a twist, there were no resets during this iRacing event, meaning if a driver had a bad accident he was done for the day.
That's what happened to Jimmie Johnson and Alex Bowman, who finished 26th and 22nd, respectively. In his best iRacing outing, Chase Elliott crossed the finish line in 11th.
Below is a closer look at how Sunday’s iRacing event unfolded for the four Hendrick Motorsports drivers.
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1 1LE
FINISHED: 11th
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Elliott was 23rd rolling off the grid but dropped to 30th by the eighth lap. Two laps later he was in 29th.
- When the caution came out before lap 26, Elliott was in 23rd. By lap 37 he was up to 20th. However, the third caution was dropped in lap 41, which allowed Elliott to move up to 16th.
- He was 22nd by lap 60 and was 19th by the halfway point of the race. He led the entire field for part of a lap when the majority of drivers decided to pit, but was back in 19th when the fourth caution of the race came out.
- Elliott moved up to 13th with 25 laps left and was able to slide up to 11th with four laps to go. By the time overtime started Elliott was in ninth, but he dropped two spots and was in 11th by the time the race finished.
WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 AXALTA CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1 1LE
FINISHED: 1st
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Byron started in the second row in third when the green flag was waved. He quickly moved into second place in his fan-designed Axalta Chevrolet. Even when the first caution came out, Byron was on the first-place driver’s tail, even getting in front of him for a second.
- Bryon remained in second when the second caution of the race came out. In lap 38 he moved up to the first-place spot for a few seconds but fell back to second again.
- He moved into first place for good at lap 61 and was able to stay ahead of the second-place competitor.
- Byron fell out of first place after he pitted with 50 laps left in the race but jumped back in the top position with fresh tires. He remained the leader as the fourth and fifth cautions came out.
- He looked to be cruising to victory when the sixth caution came out with three laps to go. Despite being tapped on the bumper in the final lap, Byron earned his second iRacing win in a row.
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 ALLY CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1 1LE
FINISHED: 26th
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Johnson was in 25th when the green flag was dropped. He slid up three spots to 22nd by the eighth lap, but fell back to 24th by the 20th lap of the event.
- He was in 22nd when the second caution came out a lap later. When the green flag was waived again Johnson was back up to 21st behind teammate Chase Elliott.
- It wasn’t long until the next caution came out at lap 41, which allowed Johnson to head to pit road. He was in 22nd place when the green flag was waved for the third time. He moved up to 20th by lap 60 and at the halfway point of the race he was cruising in 21st.
- Johnson surged to 13th when the fifth caution came out with less than 35 laps left. It was Johnson’s best position of the race so far. He decided to pit with 25 laps left and was on pit road when the sixth caution came out.
- Johnson was caught up in an accident on lap 123, which ultimately ended his day. He placed 26th.
ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 NOCO/CHEVY GOODS CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1 1LE
FINISHED: 22nd
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Bowman was one spot ahead of Elliott in 22nd place when the race began. By the fifth lap, he was in 19th and had moved up one more spot by lap 15.
- The second caution of the race saw Bowman drop all the way back to 26th after he was tapped. He made a pit stop and popped back on the track before the green flag dropped.
- He was one lap down once he was situated again but managed to move up to 23rd when the third caution occurred. He was in 21st with 70 laps left in the race right behind teammates Chase Elliott and Jimmie Johnson.
- By the fourth caution of the race with 46 laps left, Bowman was back in 23rd place but moved up to 18th when the fifth caution came out. He continued to move up the leaderboard and was in 15th at lap 130.
- However, Bowman was involved in the final incident of the race. He tried to keep going but was ruled out. He placed 22nd.