Jim Beaver eSports Pays Tribute to Ken Block in eNASCAR Opener with New Signings Malik Ray, Garrett Lowe
Images via Apex Action Photography and eNASCAR
Jim Beaver eSports will officially kick off its fifth season as a part of the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series on Tuesday night, fielding an all-new driver lineup in the first points race of the year at Daytona International Speedway. Drivers Malik Ray and Garrett Lowe will take the wheel of the team’s pair of Ford Mustangs, which will be running Ken Block tribute schemes for the opening round put together by 2022 eNASCAR Paint Scheme of the Year painter Matt Kalish. The race will stream live at eNASCAR.com/live at 9PM ET, with Countdown to Green coverage immediately preceding.
Each of the new drivers brings an impressive pedigree to JBE, which finished third in eNASCAR team points last year and is looking for its first race win in 2023. Lowe is a multi-time eNASCAR race winner and playoff qualifier, making last year’s Round of 10 after scoring a win at Kansas Speedway last spring. Ray is widely recognized as one of eNASCAR’s superspeedway aces and boldest personalities, whose Twitch streams are some of the most popular in the series and who comes off impressive runs in both the FTF 500 and Podium 500. Both drivers also have experience in iRacing’s off-road efforts, with Lowe a multi-year competitor in the iRacing Rallycross World Championship and Ray a past competitor in iRX All-Star events.
JBE is pleased to welcome the return of Big Green Egg for the fourth consecutive season, where the world’s leading manufacturer of premier outdoor cooking systems will unite with Lowe on the #15 Ford Mustang. For Daytona, Lowe’s car will pay tribute to Block’s Gymkhana 3 paint scheme, his first video behind the wheel of a Ford and the beginning of a relationship that transformed motorsports and action sports alike.
Ray, meanwhile, will take the wheel of the renumbered #7 Ford Mustang, which will carry the colors of new partner Belching Beaver Brewery and the all-new Jim Beaver’s Misadventure IPA, Beaver’s new signature beer that will soon be available nationwide. Ray’s Daytona car will carry Block’s 2013 paint scheme, a look that culminated with his first career Global Rallycross victory in Las Vegas. Multiple members of the JBE organization were on hand working for GRC at the event, including Beaver himself as the on-site announcer.
The Block schemes follow JBE’s tributes to Travis Pastrana from last year’s eNASCAR event at Darlington Raceway, which were so popular with fans that the team kept them for the balance of the 2022 season. Pastrana’s 2013 paint scheme, adapted to the #15 Ford run by Blake Reynolds, was chosen as the eNASCAR Paint Scheme of the Year.
“I’m hyped for the new eNASCAR season,” said Beaver. “I’m thrilled with both of our new driver signings—Malik is a driver I’ve had my eye on for a long time because he brings a personality like no other to the series, and Garrett did an amazing job getting to the playoffs last year and showed he’s ready for even more by running so well in the Clash two weeks ago. I can think of no better driver pairing to carry tributes to my friend Ken Block at Daytona, and I know they’ll represent him well. Thank you also to our new partners at Belching Beaver and our returning friends at Big Green Egg for coming on board for the season—we can’t wait to get it going!”
For more information on Jim Beaver eSports, visit www.jimbeaver15.com/esports.