WATCH: NASCAR Heat 5 Ultimate Summer Showdown Round 2, Texas, LIVE on Traxion

The second round of the NASCAR Heat 5 Ultimate Summer Showdown at Texas Motor Speedway takes off at 8:00 p.m. EDT / 1:00 a.m. BST live on the Traxion.GG YouTube channel. As it was for the last round at Darlington, 24 drivers per console (Xbox One, PlayStation 4) have qualified for the main event after a week of open qualifiers back at the end of May. 

Like Darlington, the Top 3 finishers in each race will qualify for the Ultimate Summer Showdown Championship Event at Atlanta Motor Speedway on 22^nd July. Drivers not able to get it done at Texas will have one more shot at Pocono Raceway in Round 3. Qualifiers for that event will open at midnight following the Texas event and will run until 17^th June. The third main event at Pocono will kick off the first day of July. 

XBOX FIELD WIDE OPEN WITHOUT BROOKS 

Looking at the entry list on the Xbox side, 15 drivers from Darlington make their return to the Showdown. Nine drivers have competed in the eNASCAR Heat Pro League in either season, and two of the drivers on the roster have already locked into the championship, those drivers being Luis Zaiter and Cody Giles.  

Justin Brooks, who won the first race at Darlington, was seemingly more than fast enough to qualify for the second round, but opted out since he was already locked into the title battle. There will not be any Brooks vs Buttafuoco this time around, which could mean an easier time for Daniel Buttafuoco or anyone else in the field to earn their ticket in this race to the championship round. 

Buttafuoco, the eNASCAR Heat Pro League Season 2 champion, took the pole for the Xbox race. Here’s the rest of the starting lineup.

CHAMPION CALIBER RETURNS TO PLAYSTATION ROSTER

A lot of similarities can be found on the PlayStation roster. 14 drivers are back in Round Two and 10 drivers claim their fame as drivers from the first two seasons of the eNASCAR Heat Pro League. The Darlington winner, Josh Harbin, is on the roster, as is the runner up from that race, Thomas Cohick. Joe West is the third driver on the PlayStation side locked into the championship round, but he is not on the Texas roster.  

eNASCAR Heat Pro League Season 2 championship contender Josh Parker and Season 1 Champion Brandyn Gritton are both making their first start of the Showdown. Gritton announced his retirement from competing after the second Pro League season concluded, but he’s back in business in his SHR eSports No. 14 Mustang. Three drivers are pulling double duty, running both console races at Texas. Both Cody Giles and Tim Moore are doing it for a second time while Matthew Heale attempts for his first time. 

Maxwell Castro will lead the field to green in the PlayStation race. Here’s how the rest of the field stacks up.

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.