Round two of the iRacing Champions League Gateway Nationals Season 2 shifted to the Chili Bowl on December 2, 2025, and the Off Road Trucks absolutely tore the place apart. With a mixed field of Pro 4s and Lites, the 50–lap feature turned into pure chaos, trucks scattered over the racing surface as drivers searched for grip, room, and survival. When it was over, first–time starter Brenden McGlothlin stood on top of the results sheet, while Seth Gregory quietly played the long game and emerged from the night as the new championship leader.

McGlothlin started ninth and wasted little time carving through the field. Once he got to the front, he was nearly untouchable, leading 46 of the 50 laps on his way to the win in the Lucas Oil Off Road Truck. Only two other drivers officially led a lap: Gregory and Nicholas McGeathy, who each spent a brief two–lap spell at the front before McGlothlin reasserted control. Behind him, Aidan Strawberry delivered a strong, steady drive from second on the grid to second at the finish, backing up his solid opening–round performance with another podium. Robert Hentschel completed the podium in third, matching his speed with consistency to keep himself immediately relevant in the points after just a single start.

The race produced several standout drives in the pack. Michael Bednar was the clear hard charger of the night, launching from 17th on the starting grid to finish eighth, gaining nine positions in the process. Just behind that effort on the improvement chart was Dusty Fincher, who climbed from 16th to 10th, while Bryce Powers2 turned an eighth–place start into a fourth–place finish to land inside the top five. At the other end of the spectrum, McGeathy’s night was the toughest: after starting fourth, leading two laps, and showing front–running pace with a 12.541s best lap, he tumbled all the way to 18th and was scored as DQ/Scoring Invalidated, losing 14 positions. Hentschel recorded the fastest lap of the race at 12.437 seconds, underscoring how competitive the fight was among the front group even as the field strung out and trucks filled every lane on track.

Gregory’s run was all about the big picture. He started on pole, once again claimed the qualifying bonus point (his second in as many races), and led a couple of laps early before settling into fifth at the finish. That result gave him 8 race points plus the 1–point qualifying bonus, adding to the 10 points he scored in the Season 2 opener. With the Gateway Nationals format paying 12 points to win and one point less per finishing position, plus a single point for fast time, Gregory’s combination of back–to–back top–five finishes and a perfect 2-for-2 record in qualifying bonuses has elevated him to the top of the standings on 19 points. Strawberry’s runner–up finish, added to his first–round result, moves him to second in the standings on 18 points, just a single point behind Gregory and very clearly trending upward after improving from sixth in the opener to second in the truck feature.

The rest of the championship picture is already tight behind that leading duo. McGlothlin’s dominant debut immediately plants him in a share of third with 12 points, tied with opening–round winner Austin Weekley2, who slipped from the top spot in the table but remains well within striking distance. Former runner–up Karson Keeler now sits fifth on 11 points, just ahead of Tracen Glick and Hentschel on 10 points apiece. Bryce Powers2 slots into eighth on 9 points, with Lane Seratt (8 points) and Caleb Hall and Doug Welch (7 points each) rounding out the current top ten. Welch now has two starts in the books but only one top ten, showing how unforgiving the format can be for drivers trying to build steady momentum over the six–race season.

Just outside the top ten, a cluster of new names has logged their first Gateway Nationals starts of the season and immediately jumped into the conversation. Bednar’s hard–charging eighth–place effort earns him 5 points and a share of 13th in the standings, while Fincher’s 10th–place finish gives him 3 points and a spot inside the top 20. Further back, drivers like Jb Roe, Ricky Arnold, Brayden E Carter, Rylee Johnson, McGeathy, Peyton Oswald, and Matthew Shultz all opened their accounts with 1– or 2–point nights, joining returning names such as Lincoln Smith, Jarrod Klay, Braxton McCullough, and Gerald Lee2 in a crowded mid–field. With four races left in this six–round Gateway Nationals Season 2 and a maximum of 13 points available per event (12 for the win plus 1 for quick time), there are still 52 points on the table—more than enough for anyone in the current top 20 to mount a serious run toward the front.

As the Gateway Nationals roll on, the storylines are starting to crystallize. Gregory has established himself as the early benchmark on consistency and qualifying speed, Strawberry has become his closest pursuer with a clear upward trajectory, and McGlothlin has proven that a new name can instantly shake up the order with a single dominant night. Meanwhile, heavy hitters from the opener like Weekley, Keeler, and Glick are now in chase mode, knowing that every mistake in this chaotic, multi–discipline series can cost several positions and several points in the blink of an eye. With trucks already turning the Chili Bowl into a battlefield and multiple disciplines still to come, Season 2 is setting up to be a relentless test of adaptability, pace, and damage limitation.

Results:

  1. Brenden McGlothlin, 2) Aidan Strawberry, 3) Robert Hentschel, 4) Bryce Powers2, 5) Seth Gregory, 6) Caleb Hall, 7) Bryce Hobbs, 8) Michael Bednar, 9) Brandon Dittmer, 10) Dusty Fincher, 11) Jb Roe, 12) Matthew Shultz, 13) Brayden E Carter, 14) Doug Welch, 15) Ricky Arnold, 16) Rylee Johnson, 17) Peyton Oswald, 18) Nicholas McGeathy

Standings (Top 20):

  1. Seth Gregory – 19 pts, 2) Aidan Strawberry – 18 pts, 3) Brenden McGlothlin – 12 pts, 4) Austin Weekley2 – 12 pts, 5) Karson Keeler – 11 pts, 6) Tracen Glick – 10 pts, 7) Robert Hentschel – 10 pts, 8) Bryce Powers2 – 9 pts, 9) Lane Seratt – 8 pts, 10) Caleb Hall – 7 pts, 11) Doug Welch – 7 pts, 12) Bryce Hobbs – 6 pts, 13) Michael Bednar – 5 pts, 14) Lincoln Smith – 5 pts, 15) Brandon Dittmer – 4 pts, 16) Jarrod Klay – 4 pts, 17) Dusty Fincher – 3 pts, 18) Braxton McCullough – 3 pts, 19) Gerald Lee2 – 2 pts, 20) Jb Roe – 2 pts

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