We are living in unprecedented times. A global pandemic, toilet paper shortages and no sports.
The events that have unfolded in recent weeks are a recipe for creativity. We are all trying to find something or someone to help pass the time during social isolation. Your version of passing the time might be mowing the lawn or finally putting up the porch swing you bought your wife for her birthday (three years ago). Or maybe you prefer reading a good book or binging “Tiger King” on Netflix.
But even watching Joe Exotic repeatedly getting attacked by tigers gets old after a while. If you are in this boat of boredom, ESPN has a fun and entertaining solution for you: iRacing. Yes, you read that correctly.
In response to not being able to have cars on the actual track, NASCAR has created the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series to take the place of postponed races. In an article posted on its website, NASCAR announced that this series comes with a $300,000 reward and involves 40 of the world’s best sim racers. This series will take place over a 20-week period with a new race every Tuesday.
Ben Kennedy, NASCAR’s vice president of racing development, said of iRacing, “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.”
So what exactly is iRacing?
According to NASCAR.com, it is not men and women with headsets on and a game console sitting in front of their television. Instead, the technology NASCAR is using is a lot like those roller coaster simulators they use at Chuck E. Cheese or Dave & Buster’s.
Their simulator is called Formula 1 (F1) and is basically a car seat that is equipped with wheels, pedals, and screen in front of you. Many of the actual racing tracks are scanned and used for the simulation. This way, every crack or little pothole is scanned into the game. Because of this, it is an incredibly life-like experience that many professional drivers actually use to practice.
The next race is on April 14 and takes place on a virtual version of Richmond Raceway. You can watch the race and previous ones on the iRacing YouTube channel.