EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the second half of a two-part feature on Illinois micro racer Aiden Purdue, who made his USAC midget debut last month and has been competing in various dirt events on iRacing since the breakout of the COVID-19 virus in the United States.

To read part one, click here.

CLINTON, Ill. — While Aiden Purdue’s real-life racing schedule is on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he’s spent plenty of time keeping his skills sharp thanks to the iRacing simulation platform.

As fate would have it, like he got with a midget start at the Shamrock Classic in March, Purdue had an opportunity he never expected fall into his lap thanks to his sim-racing exploits.

Purdue, a three-year iRacing veteran, was among the first to really put his name out into the spotlight when racing leagues across the country turned to sim-racing as a way to provide content to fans.

“I’d had iRacing for three previous years, so I was used to the sim and that’s how I was able to be as good as I’ve been able to show here recently,” said Purdue. “I’d had a lot of practice on it, turning laps night and day for a while, so it’s been a case where I live and dream off this set up now. It was very cool when this actually happened, you know; you never want it to be because of a pandemic that this happens, but to have the experience that I do on iRacing and that to be the platform that really came to the forefront for people trying to find some entertainment … I feel very fortunate for that.”

Purdue finished 11th in the first USAC iRacing event at the virtual Kokomo (Ind.) Speedway, but ran against some of the best of the best that night.

That performance was followed by a surprise phone call from Tim Clauson, the co-owner of Clauson-Marshall Racing, the defending champion team of the NOS Energy Drink USAC National Midget Series.

“So Tim called me … roughly three to four weeks ago. I was just relaxed, honestly, and didn’t expect it,” Purdue recalled. “We knew we had McCreery’s stuff (in real life), but Tim offered for me to do the sim stuff and really represent them because he wanted to get involved in the sim eventually, and possibly launch a sim team. So I talked to Daniel (Robinson) and my mom and dad, and when I told them, they said that they really thought it would be a good idea. Obviously, it’s not really real life, but it could open that door and the whole idea of doing this was to open doors for me and my future.

“That’s what all this is about.”

As a part of the newfound association, Purdue was tasked to carry the Driven2SaveLives colors and the No. 39bc aboard his virtual midget and virtual sprint car in the USAC iRacing Challenge, donning the same scheme normally piloted by Clauson-Marshall Racing driver Cole Bodine in real-life competition.

Purdue immediately repaid Clauson’s faith in him by taking the car to a $500 victory in the second race of the USAC iRacing Challenge at the simulated Knoxville (Iowa) Raceway.

The Illinois teenager slid Australian Kaidon Brown on a green-white-checkered restart and hung on to collect the win, opening a lot of eyes about his abilities.

“The attention even that win got, I wasn’t expecting it,” Purdue admitted. “But that’s what we set out to do, you know? I’m a racer and I wanted to win, obviously, but I don’t think you could have scripted it any better than that … winning in the first race with that scheme and representing Clauson-Marshall like that.

“It was just a really neat night and one that will stick with me.”

While Purdue has made his recent iRacing efforts for CMR look effortless — with a win, a second-place finish and two third-place runs in four starts since April 11 — he admitted he felt the pressure of such a high-profile situation at first.

“It was crazy the first few times I stepped foot in that car because you realize that they won the championship last year and they’re one of the best teams out there, but now I just tell myself that I’m going to do my best and that I want to represent them in the best way possible,” Purdue noted. “I don’t want to make that bad impression on everyone watching them because they are a big deal and you’ve got to show respect (for that) and everything else. But I definitely feel that this was a dream come true.

“I’ve talked to Tim in real life before but when he shot me that message, it was outstanding,” he added. “I didn’t even know what to say. It’s such a big honor to be with such a great team.”

While right now, Purdue’s association with CMR is only in the virtual world, the young racer admitted he’s hoping the connection and relationship he’s building with them could lead to future opportunities on the race track.

“We’re just trying to have fun right now, but it would be cool to build on this and maybe even get me a ride with them at some point,” Purdue admitted. “We don’t know about anything like that as of right now; it’s just for fun and to represent them well on the sim, but you never know where life can take you, especially in racing. Heck, I wouldn’t care if it’s just one time, but even so, that would still be something, you know? And that could be the difference between opening that door and opening eyes with different sponsors.

“I don’t think a few weeks ago that we could have thought that iRacing could really spark interest for the real world, but it’s a different world right now and we’re just happy to capitalize on any opportunity we can get, whether it’s real or simulated. I hope I can continue doing Tim and everyone at CMR proud.”