CONCORD, N.C. -- The inaugural eNASCAR Heat Pro League season didn’t go as planned for Nick Jobes and Sam Morris, but they are ready to tackle the 2020 season with experience and an important new tool.
During Wednesday’s eNASCAR Heat Pro League Draft, Hendrick Motorsports Gaming Club announced that not only did it keep 28-year-old Jobes from last year’s team, but the organization redrafted 24-year-old Morris. Jobes’ strength is on the Playstation 4 and Morris races on the Xbox One.
Both gamers agreed that knowing what to expect, plus their solid rapport, will give them a leg up and keep their racing consistent this year.
“I think coming into (the first season), being fresh-faced in the community, I had a lot to learn,” Jobes said. “Experience is key and coming into (last) season I really didn’t have much. As I gained that experience, it really allowed me to be more aggressive in the races.”
One big change that all eNASCAR Heat participants will need to heed is using a wheel instead of a controller. However, that should work out well for Jobes and Morris. Both used controllers last season, but Morris said his didn’t connect to the game properly and cost him some races.
“This year, I got a little bit of a chip on my shoulder,” Morris said. “I’m a little bit annoyed (with) how last year went. … I’ve always been more of a reserved guy and waiting until the end to try to not tick anybody off or not be the one to make the mistake … I ran well until the issues happened. I think annoyed would be a good word at how everything went. I’ve been kind of aggravated with it since the season ended.”
Despite the technical issues, Jobes and Morris said they are excited to be on the same team again. Now that they both must use a wheel to race, Jobes said it will be even easier for the pair to work together.
“When it comes down to setups, we have very similar driving styles, so it’s very easy for us to work with each other on building setups as opposed to maybe someone who has a different driving style,” he said. “It’s a little harder to work with them to build setups together, so it really helps from a time efficiency standpoint. We’re able to build together, as opposed to individually, so it’s definitely a huge benefit to have him on my side.”
Morris echoed Jobes, adding it meant a lot that Jobes vouched for him to be drafted again by Hendrick Motorsports GC.
“It’s nice to have the backing from the guys to give me another shot,” he said. “When Nick and I didn’t have issues, we ran really well. The last two races of the year, between (mine and his) total points we won overall. The potential is there, it’s just getting over the bad luck and now we can start fresh.”
Hendrick Motorsports is one of 14 race teams competing in the eNASCAR Heat Pro League and each race team will field two drivers -- one competing on Xbox One and the other on PlayStation 4.
The new season will feature three segments of four races, plus a wildcard race and the championship race.
Stay tuned to HendrickMotorsports.com for more Heat Pro League updates.