Briar Lapradd picked a good time to secure his first career win, taking the checkered flag at a virtual Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Mich., on Tuesday night in the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series’ first playoff race.

Although Lapradd is not in postseason contention after failing to finish the regular season as a top-10 driver, he still managed to steal a victory from Parker White, the No. 9 seed in the playoffs. White’s No. 53 Chevrolet was just 0.004 seconds behind Lapradd’s No. 88 Chevrolet.

Since no playoff driver took first in the race Tuesday, the Championship 4 is still wide open.

“It means a lot,” Lapradd, a Manchester, Tenn., resident, said of now being a series winner. “I worked really hard since 2016 to just try and work my way through the ranks and just have fun doing what I love, and that’s racing. It’s been a long journey.”

White was still pleased with his finish despite coming up just short.

“I felt really confident in my car,” said White, who lives in Norridgewock, Maine. “When I was talking under caution, I felt like my car was just completely on rails. I wasn’t sliding the tires at all. So, just to be in that position, that was really all I could ask for.”

Casey Kirwan (No. 77) came in third, while Jimmy Mullis (No. 29) and Matt Bussa (No. 62) finished in fourth and fifth, respectively, to round out the top five. All three drivers were in Chevrolets.

The playoffs continue on Aug. 27 at a virtual Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas.

–Field Level Media