Manes breaks through for first eNASCAR win at Daytona playoff decider
Garrett Manes claimed his maiden victory in the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Championship Series at Daytona International Speedway, passing fuel-starved Blaze Crawford on the final lap of a chaotic triple-overtime finish. The win came in Manes' 80th career start in the series, ending a drought that included a heartbreaking near-miss at the same track four-and-a-half years earlier.
The race served as the Regular Season finale, with only ten drivers advancing to the Playoffs and a share of $500,000 plus the Dale Earnhardt Jr Cup. Manes, who started from pit road due to a restart violation, was already eliminated from Playoff contention entering the night, meaning the final four spots came down to points. Jake Nichols (TC Esports) finished second, followed by Blake Reynolds (Channel 199 Sim Racing) and Parker White (Williams F1 Team Gaming). The field completed 92 laps—12 more than the scheduled 80—with 41 lead changes among 20 drivers.
The Playoff field of ten includes Steven Wilson (Spire Motorsports), Bobby Zalenski (ERA eSports Team), Vicente Salas (Kanaan Esports), Garrett Lowe (BS+COMPETITION), Tucker Minter (William Byron eSports), Parker White, Connor Yeroschak (Letarte eSports), Shawn Conklin (RFK Racing), Wyatt Tinsley and Casey Kirwan (both Kansas City Pioneers). Notable misses included former 2025 Championship 4 competitor Zack Novak (JR Motorsports), who fell three points short, and Qualifying Series champion Quentin Warman (Hyak Motorsports), who missed by 17 points.
The final lap descended into pandemonium as fuel concerns mounted during the extended overtime. Steven Wilson led the most laps with 17, but pit-road fuel stops during the overtime periods left several contenders stranded. On the third and final overtime attempt, contact in Turn 4 involving Matthew Morton and Tucker Minter triggered a chain-reaction crash. Crawford, running out of fuel, lost the lead to Manes, who held on through the chaos to take the checkered flag.
The eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Championship Series Playoffs begin in two weeks at Michigan International Speedway.