Cody Porter captured Race 2 of the Fire For Effect ARCA Series at Charlotte Motor Speedway with a last-lap pass, holding off Colby Cooper2 by 0.324 seconds. Holden McGill led a race-high 65 laps, but the closing moments belonged to Porter.
| Pos | Driver | Car | # | Started | Laps | Interval | Inc |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cody Porter | 04 | 1 | -00.000 | 4 | ||
| 2 | Colby Cooper2 | 71 | 3 | -00.324 | 0 | ||
| 3 | Holden McGill | 31 | 2 | -01.396 | 2 | ||
| 4 | Ethan A Thompson | 98 | 6 | -05.023 | 2 | ||
| 5 | Derrick Darby | 2 | 5 | -08.395 | 12 | ||
| 6 | Adam Ramsey | 97 | 11 | -08.748 | 2 | ||
| 7 | Michael Loveless | 68 | 4 | -10.187 | 0 | ||
| 8 | Joseph Essenberg | 10 | 10 | -11.737 | 4 | ||
| 9 | James Beard | 25 | 13 | -14.236 | 4 | ||
| 10 | Cole Crawford2 | 4 | 15 | -15.527 | 7 | ||
| 11 | Chris Romano | 41 | 7 | -17.267 | 4 | ||
| 12 | Shariff Walker2 | 16 | 14 | -20.976 | 3 | ||
| 13 | Corey Powell4 | 92 | 23 | -25.728 | 8 | ||
| 14 | Christian Filippone2 | 27 | 16 | -1 L | 15 | ||
| 15 | Shawn Thomas4 | 26 | 17 | -1 L | 4 | ||
| 16 | Sean Kiser | 52 | 8 | -2 L | 7 | ||
| 17 | Christopher Reel | 13 | 12 | -2 L | 6 | ||
| 18 | Joe Konen | 72 | 9 | -2 L | 12 | ||
| 19 | JJ Pope | 82 | 22 | -6 L | 16 | ||
| 20 | Matthew Whitney3 | 00 | 24 | -9 L | 32 | ||
| 21 | Gary May | 5 | 20 | -44 L | 5 | ||
| 22 | Homer Martinez | 24 | 21 | -71 L | 4 | ||
| 23 | Devin Bellamy | 44 | 18 | -50 L | 27 | ||
| 24 | Chris Etchepare | 99 | 19 | -100 L | 0 |
Charlotte belonged to McGill for most of the night, but Porter owned the final lap
Race 2 of the Fire For Effect ARCA Series brought Major League Sim Racing to Charlotte Motor Speedway for a 100-lap ARCA Open event that came down to the final lap. After a night largely shaped by Holden McGill’s pace at the front, Cody Porter made the move that mattered most, taking the lead late and driving away just enough to claim the win.
Porter led 19 laps and crossed the line 0.324 seconds ahead of Colby Cooper2, securing a dramatic Charlotte victory in one of the early statement races for the Fire For Effect ARCA Series. The finish gave Porter the result, but the story of the race was built around a front group that never fully let the outcome feel settled.
The race-defining moment came on the final lap, when Porter completed the pass for the win. Charlotte had rewarded long-run speed and track position throughout the night, but Porter stayed close enough to make his move when the opportunity arrived. With the race on the line, he executed cleanly and turned a late chance into a victory.
McGill was the dominant driver statistically, leading 65 laps and controlling much of the race before finishing third. It was a strong performance that showed race-winning speed, but the closing lap flipped the result. In a 100-lap race where McGill spent most of the night in command, third place will likely feel like a missed opportunity.
Cooper also left Charlotte with a strong result, finishing second and recording the fastest lap of the race. His 28.855 on Lap 76 showed that he had the pace to contend late, and he remained close enough to Porter at the finish to keep the pressure on through the final corner.
Ethan A. Thompson finished fourth, with Derrick Darby completing the top five. Adam Ramsey added a solid run from 11th to sixth, while Brett Robinson, Garrett Smithley, James Beard, and Cole Crawford2 rounded out the top 10.
Deeper in the field, Corey Powell4 put together the strongest position-gain run of the night, moving from 23rd to 13th. In a race where Charlotte rewarded patience and clean execution, Powell’s climb through the field stood out as one of the more efficient drives outside the top 10.
For MLSR and the Fire For Effect ARCA Series, Race 2 delivered a strong Charlotte storyline: a dominant driver, a late challenger, and a final-lap pass for the win. Porter leaves with the victory, McGill leaves with the laps-led mark, and the series moves forward with another competitive race in the books.
Driver of the race: Cody Porter earned Driver of the Race after leading 19 laps and making the last-lap pass to win at Charlotte Motor Speedway
Fastest lap: Colby Cooper2 recorded the fastest lap of the race with a 28.855 on Lap 76
Best drive: Corey Powell gets Best Drive after moving from 23rd to 13th, the largest position gain in the field.
Hard luck: Holden McGill was the Hard Luck story after leading a race-high 65 laps but finishing third. McGill controlled much of the event, but the race slipped away in the closing moments after Porter’s late move.