CONCORD, N.C. – Wednesday evening, the eNASCAR Heat Pro League took on Michigan International Speedway in "NASCAR Heat 3," and both Hendrick Motorsports Gaming Club drivers found themselves near the front of the pack at times in their respective races.
When all was said and done, it was a night that brought two top-10 finishes for Hendrick Motorsports GC. Sam Morris took home an eighth-place result on Xbox One and Nick Jobes finished sixth on PlayStation 4.
The Xbox race was up first, and Morris rolled off the grid 13th.
It took him just five laps to climb into the top 10, and when several competitors headed to pit road for green-flag stops, he climbed into the top five for the first time.
Following a pit stop of his own, the driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet found himself 12th at the competition caution, but he was able to move into eighth after avoiding a multiple-car incident.
From there, he advanced into the top five once again with 19 laps to go and made his way into the race lead seven laps later as competitors drove down pit road.
Following his own green-flag stop a lap later, he remained in the race lead when the field cycled through before ultimately finding himself racing for the lead in second place on the final lap.
He was caught up in a multiple-car incident just before the checkered flag, however, and ultimately took home the eighth-place finish.
Like his teammate, Jobes jumped inside the top 10 within the first five laps when the PlayStation race got underway next.
After rolling off the grid 12th, he was the first car to head to pit road for a green-flag stop and it paid off as he climbed back inside the top 10 as the field cycled through stops.
Following a competition caution, he leaped into the top five and quickly moved into the runner-up position racing for the lead with 25 laps remaining. He was shuffled to the high line and fell back in traffic, however, and settled into the 13th position as the laps wound down.
Pit stop strategy paid off for the driver of the No. 25 Chevrolet as he raced into eighth with just five laps remaining, and he passed two more competitors down the stretch to cross the finish line sixth.
Up next for the eNASCAR Heat Pro League is a trip to Daytona International Speedway on Wednesday, Aug. 21, in what will be the final event of the regular season. Coverage of those races will begin at 7:30 p.m. ET with live streams available on eNASCAR.com, Twitch and Facebook.
Currently, Hendrick Motorsports GC is just nine points behind the cutoff line to make the 10-team playoffs, which will begin on Wednesday, Sept. 11, at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.