KANNAPOLIS, N.C. (Jan. 12, 2021) – Stewart-Haas eSports, the sim racing extension of Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), has named its two drivers for the 2021 eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series – Dylan Duval and Graham Bowlin.
Duval returns to Stewart-Haas eSports for a second straight season. The 25-year-old from Halifax, Nova Scotia, is the first Canadian iRacing winner in series history, taking the checkered flag at virtual Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2016. Duval has made 93 starts in his eight-year career, scoring nine top-five and 25 top-10 finishes while earning a best points result of fifth in 2016.
“I’m extremely proud to be back with Stewart-Haas eSports,” said Duval, who is a graphic designer when not competing in iRacing events. “It meant the world when they picked me last year and it’s really encouraging to know that this team has my back. They believe in my ability to run up front and I’m ready to show they made the right decision in having me return for a second season.”
New to Stewart-Haas eSports is Bowlin, a Texas native who was a rookie in the 2020 eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series. The 18-year-old from Houston finished 11th in the championship standings for Joe Gibbs Racing. He earned two poles and notched two top-fives and six top-10s with 90 laps led. Bowlin also scored a non-points victory in the All-Star Race at virtual North Wilkesboro Speedway.
“I’m genuinely excited to join Stewart-Haas eSports,” said Bowlin, a senior in high school. “I have high expectations for this season and I think that being paired with Dylan makes our team really strong.”
Bowlin will race Stewart-Haas eSports’ No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang and Duval will pilot the team’s No. 41 Ford Mustang.
Smithfield has increased its involvement with Stewart-Haas eSports in 2021. The American food company with a global reach will be prominently featured on Bowlin’s No. 10 Ford Mustang for every race and will be the presenting sponsor of Stewart-Haas eSports LIVE, the team’s exclusive, in-race onboard stream. Smithfield will also present a weekly track overview that will be shared across the Stewart-Haas Racing and Stewart-Haas eSports social media accounts.
“To amplify our 10th consecutive year of sponsorship within the sport, Smithfield is expanding its involvement by becoming more active in the esports space through our overall partnership with Stewart-Haas Racing,” said Tim Zimmer, Chief Marketing Officer, Smithfield. “We’re proud to support the emerging esports initiative within the industry and are thrilled to take this next step with Stewart-Haas eSports and Graham Bowlin.”
The 2021 season marks the 12th year of the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series and it is the only officially sanctioned esports series of NASCAR. The eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series features the top-40 paved oval sim racers in the world competing in racecar replicas engineered from the ground up in cooperation with real-world race teams, applying accurate mechanical and dynamic models on exact copies of NASCAR’s greatest venues.
The schedule for the 2021 eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series will be released at a later date.
Feature Photo Courtesy of Stewart-Haas Racing.