The final round of the NASCAR Heat 5 Ultimate Summer Showdown at Atlanta Motor Speedway takes off at 8:00 p.m. EDT / 1:00 a.m. BST live on the Traxion.GG YouTube channel.
After three previous events in the Showdown, it all comes down to one last race for each console. Justin Brooks and Daniel Buttafuoco were the big winners on the Xbox side with Brooks winning both times he decided to race. Josh Harbin, Joey Stone and Chase Williamson came up big for the PlayStation players in the same events.
Each of the previous three events at Darlington, Texas and Pocono locked in a total of nine drivers per console. Another five drivers from Atlanta qualifying were able to lock themselves in on speed, and the final spots were picked by the promoters, with announcers Hannah Newhouse choosing Tyler Dohar for Xbox and Russell Cox choosing Josh Parker for PlayStation.
The championship will come down to 60 laps in each console at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Earlier this week, the real version of the track began its work on a remodel for the 2022 season, but the old version will get one last hurrah in the virtual space on Thursday night. The previous model boasts old, worn out pavement, 24 degrees of banking, and some of the most iconic finishes in NASCAR history.
XBOX CHAMPIONSHIP LINEUP
The Xbox finale will pin familiar faces against one another for the chance to be the Ultimate Summer Showdown champion. Nine drivers from the first three races locked in based on finishing as one of the three highest in that event not already locked in. Justin Brooks was the only driver through the series with multiple wins, scoring the opening race win at Darlington and the Pocono win last time out.
- Justin Brooks (Darlington and Pocono winner)
- Daniel Buttafuoco (Texas winner)
- Luis Zaiter (Darlington P2)
- Tim Moore (Texas P2)
- Cody Giles (Darlington P3)
- Jeff Noe (Texas P3)
- Maxwell Castro (Pocono P3)
- Chase Williamson (Pocono P5)
- Elijah White (Pocono P7)
- Drew Jewah (Atlanta Open Qual)
- Nick Walker (Atlanta Open Qual)
- Jordan Bane (Atlanta Open Qual)
- Tyler Glass (Atlanta Open Qual)
- DJ Stanger (Atlanta Open Qual)
- Tyler Dohar (Promoter’s Choice)
In Season 2 of the eNASCAR Heat Pro League, there was a classic Atlanta finish among three drivers across the stripe, two of which will be battling for the showdown title. Nick Walker barely edged out the win over Brian Tedeschi and the eventual champ, Daniel Buttafuoco. Walker and Buttafuoco will both be racing on Thursday.
They’ll be joined by Brooks, Luis Zaiter and Tyler Dohar who all competed in that same race. Both Maxwell Castro and Cody Giles also raced in the Pro League event that night, but over on the PlayStation side. Castro and Giles are pulling double duty, with two chances to win a title on Thursday night. They’ll be joined by Chase Williamson and Tim Moore on both rosters.
After qualifying on Wednesday night, Brooks will lead the field to the green, looking to make it a perfect 3-for-3 in this showdown. Williamson will start alongside in the Xbox race. The rest of the starting grid can be seen below.
| Xbox Qualifying Results | ||||
| Place | Time | Name | Gamer Tag | Car |
| 1 | 28.809 | Justin Brooks | mrTRACKBAR33 | 37 |
| 2 | 28.815 | Chase Williamson | Ityobrochase | 22 |
| 3 | 28.891 | Tim Moore | Word Burton | 77 |
| 4 | 28.906 | Cody Giles | XXFluffyxX2 | 16 |
| 5 | 28.9244 | DJ Stanger | Nccarracing64 | 10 |
| 6 | 28.9245 | Daniel Buttafuoco | LuckyDog385 | 13 |
| 7 | 28.926 | Jordan Bane | Baner95888 | 19 |
| 8 | 28.936 | Maxwell Castro | TrnLftGoFast | 1 |
| 9 | 28.939 | Elijah White | TheAviator1024 | 12 |
| 10 | 28.94 | Jeff Noe | STOUT WHISKEY | 66 |
| 11 | 28.966 | Luis Zaiter | CGM x Rose | 42 |
| 12 | 28.992 | Tyler Glass | Tglass19 | 9 |
| 13 | 28.994 | Tyler Dohar | JRM Dohar88 | 88 |
| 14 | 29.011 | Nick Walker | wowTHATSgarbage | 11 |
| 15 | 29.036 | Drew Jewah | DrewLMAO | 14 |
PLAYSTATION CHAMPIONSHIP CONTENDERS
Just like the Xbox One field, the PlayStation field is full of familiar names from previous Ultimate Summer Showdown races. Nobody is making their first start of the season. Nine drivers made their way into the championship round by placing in the Top 3 positions not already locked in.
- Josh Harbin (Darlington winner)
- Joey Stone (Texas winner)
- Chase Williamson (Pocono winner)
- Thomas Cohick (Darlington P2)
- Maxwell Castro (Texas P2)
- Joe West (Darlington P3)
- Tim Moore (Texas P3)
- Matt Smith (Pocono P4)
- Owen Bridges (Pocono P5)
- Cody Giles (Atlanta Open Qual)
- Mike Braas (Atlanta Open Qual)
- Daniel Basse (Atlanta Open Qual)
- Chris Perkey (Atlanta Open Qual)
- Jordan Dworaczyk (Atlanta Open Qual)
- Josh Parker (Promoter’s Choice)
In the same eNASCAR Heat Pro League race at Atlanta in Season 2 mentioned above, Josh Harbin had the PlayStation side’s lead on the final lap before contact with Brandyn Gritton sent him out of the groove. Harbin, along with Josh Parker, Joey Stone, Mike Braas, Maxwell Castro and Cody Giles all took part in that race and will be trying to win a championship at the same track on Thursday night.
The four double duty drivers will have the best chance in the PlayStation race, with Williamson looking to defend a Winter Heat title from the pole position. Castro, Giles and Moore round out the first two rows on the starting grid. Here are the rest of the qualifying results.
| PS4 Qualifying Results | ||||
| Place | Time | Name | Gamer Tag | Car |
| 1 | 28.892 | Chase Williamson | Itsyourbrochase | 22 |
| 2 | 28.897 | Maxwell Castro | MaxBoost27 | 1 |
| 3 | 28.906 | Cody Giles | xX_Fluffy_Xx2 | 16 |
| 4 | 28.923 | Tim Moore | WordBurton | 77 |
| 5 | 28.925 | Chris Perkey | ThatManPerkey | 2 |
| 6 | 28.928 | Joey Stone | Sloppy_Joe_YT | 24 |
| 7 | 28.952 | Josh Harbin | ThAbEaR_95 | 95 |
| 8 | 28.957 | Matt Smith | FlashNine | 21 |
| 9 | 28.962 | Daniel Basse | DBdabest20 | 8 |
| 10 | 28.994 | Mike Braas | MikeRPM44 | 44 |
| 11 | 29.032 | Josh Parker | TheBolt_Parker18 | 18 |
| 12 | 29.06 | Jordan Dworaczyk | JCR_JWOWisBACK | 34 |
| 13 | 29.192 | Thomas Cohick | JCR_Clashin04 | 12 |
| 14 | 29.23 | Owen Bridges | NukaBobQuantum | 17 |
| 15 | 29.344 | Joe West | jaw2131 | 48 |
2021 ULTIMATE SUMMER SHOWDOWN OPEN QUALIFIERS SCHEDULE
Darlington Raceway: April 30, 2021 (12:01 a.m. ET) – May 6, 2021 (11:59 p.m. ET)
Texas Motor Speedway: May 21, 2021 (12:01 a.m. ET) – May 27, 2021 (11:59 p.m. ET)
Pocono Raceway: June 11, 2021 (12:01 a.m. ET) – June 17, 2021 (11:59 p.m. ET)
Atlanta Motor Speedway: July 2, 2021 (12:01 a.m. ET) – July 8, 2021 (11:59 p.m. ET)
2021 ULTIMATE SUMMER SHOWDOWN RACE SCHEDULE
Darlington Raceway: 20th May 1, 8 pm ET, 55 Laps (+2 Pace Laps)
Texas Motor Speedway: 10th June, 8 pm ET, 60 Laps (+2 Pace Laps)
Pocono Raceway: 1st July, 8 pm ET, 20 Laps (+2 Pace Laps)
Atlanta Motor Speedway: 22nd July, 8 pm ET, 60 Laps (+2 Pace Laps)
Watch the live events on the Traxion.GG YouTube, Facebook and Twitch channels.
