With the real-world races tracks silent until early May, NASCAR will continue to fill Sundays with more sim racing.
Last Sunday a sim race was hastily put together on a virtual Atlanta Motor Speedway. With the series now out until May 9, the sim racing will get a bit more formal.
NASCAR and iRacing announced Tuesday the formation of the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series, an exhibition esports series featuring many of the sports most talented and popular drivers. The simulation-style showcase will include a cross-section of competitors from the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series, NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series™ and a group of NASCAR dignitaries.
The multi-week series will kick off this Sunday, March 22 at 1:30 p.m. ET on the virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway, which was the second race posponed last week. The remaining races and broadcast details will be announced at a later date.
“Until we have cars back on track, the entire NASCAR community has aligned to provide our passionate fans with a unique, fun and competitive experience on race day,” said Ben Kennedy, vice president, racing development, NASCAR. “Our long-time partners at iRacing offer an incredible product and we are excited to see how many of our best drivers will stack up in the virtual domain of competitive racing.”
NASCAR postponed events through May 3, prioritizing the health and safety of fans, the industry and race communities. The eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series will provide much needed racing entertainment for sports fans on the premier motorsports racing simulation platform, often used by NASCAR drivers to prepare for race events
The exhibition series will feature some of the best NASCAR drivers including:
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Kyle Busch
Denny Hamlin
Clint Bowyer
Kyle Larson
Christopher Bell
iRacing is in its 11th season and is the longest-running officially sanctioned esports racing series, the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series. The eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series features 40 of the best sim racers in the world competing for more than $300,000, one of the richest payouts in esports racing competition. The elite series features NASCAR and professional esports teams, including those established by NASCAR Cup Series drivers William Byron, Denny Hamlin and Austin Dillon.
Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.
- Hamlin: ‘We just couldn’t get it going’ - April 14, 2024
- Finally: Chase Elliott wins at Texas in a double overtime finish - April 14, 2024
- Photos: NASCAR at Texas Motor Speedway Sunday April 14, 2024 - April 14, 2024