Cruise Caudell made it three first-time winners in three races to open up Season 5 for the DIRTcar eSports Street Stock League Wednesday night, passing defending champion Tyler Jackson in the closing laps to take the lead and the $100 victory at iRacing’s dirt-covered Bristol Motor Speedway.
Caudell, the House of Speed team driver from Hiawassee, GA, asserted his dominance around the half-mile throughout the two-round program, winning the first Preliminary Round Feature over Grady Ehrman and Daniel Stiffler and leading the transfer cars into the Final Round.
After turning the second-fastest lap in Qualifying, Caudell tucked-in behind polesitter Jackson through the opening circuits and nearly made the pass for the lead on him on Lap 6, but was forced back to second after an untimely caution flag was displayed before the leaders came back around to complete the lap.
“I thought I had gotten around him there for a little bit, and right when I was door-to-door with him, the caution came out and my heart sunk,” Caudell said. “Luckily, we were able to pull it off and come out with the win.”
Jackson led the field around for the next 13 laps and multiple restarts before Caudell was able to threaten for the lead again, which he did on Lap 19. Using the extreme low side of the banking, Caudell was able to dig-in underneath Jackson and nose ahead for the position at the start/finish line to take the lead, and soon after his first career DIRTcar eSports Feature victory.
RESULTS
1. 55-Cruise Caudell [2]; 2. 822-Tyler Jackson [1]; 3. 018-Jayce Floyd [5]; 4. 045-Kyle Jared [6]; 5. 21-Charles Barnes [3]; 6. 15-Adam Carlisle [4]; 7. 71-Daniel Stiffler [7]; 8. 157-Drew Hopkins [8]; 9. 3-James Richard [13]; 10. 43-Grady Ehrman [16]; 11. 5-Isaac Salas [11]; 12. 052-Billy Northcutt [9]; 13. 37-James Stockton [12]; 14. 51-Kyle Ramsey [15]; 15. 77-John Quill [22]; 16. 87-Rusty Bilger [21]; 17. 48-Kyle Vaughn [14]; 18. 2-Ty Dickenson [19]; 19. 100-Chris Hill [20]; 20. 1-Joshua Ringer [17]; 21. 64-Logan Koteles [10]; 22. 03-Dylan Thomas [23]; 23. 84-Bryce Dickenson [18]; DNS. 8-Cam Campbell
