A young fan sits in Brandon Jones’ car during the 3rd Annual NASCAR Xfinity Philadelphia Takeover on May 8, 2018. With iRacing, NASCAR is looking to develop young talent. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Auto racing might have the closest crossover from traditional sports to esports. The gaming realm already mirrors that of real racing, although without the extreme acceleration and deceleration drivers face in real-world cars. To take advantage of that natural link, NASCAR is launching a competitive youth esports series on the online driving portal iRacing.
Open worldwide to anyone aged 13-16, the 12-week series will begin in June, and looks to identify the next wave of talent. Races will take place on virtual copies of circuits such as Langley Speedway, The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park.
“As we expand our presence in Esports, NASCAR is uniquely positioned as the only sport that can develop skills transferable to real world competition,” explained Blake Davidson, NASCAR’s VP of consumer innovation, in a statement. “We’re excited to see the young, diverse and global talent pool this series attracts, especially as we cultivate our next generation of drivers.”
Here’s what else you need to know:
– iRacing is a leading online racing simulator. It offers a variety of tracks and cars, and the company its racing experience as “virtually indistinguishable from the real thing.”
– NASCAR’s esports racing series will consist of a regular season, playoffs and finals. The regular season, which is open to all participants, will have eight events. The top-50 with the most accumulated points from those races will qualify for the playoffs. From there, the top-30 racers will reach the championship round, held at the famous Martinsville Speedway.
– A current racer on the NASCAR circuit, William Byron, got his start through iRacing in 2011 when he was 14 years old. Byron now drives the No. 24 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.
SportTechie Takeaway
NASCAR isn’t fresh onto the esports scene, though with iRacing the organization is expanding its presence even further. Since 2010, NASCAR has sponsored nine seasons worth of the NASCAR PEAK Antifreeze iRacing Series (NPAS).
In the same way that NBA teams are launching esports franchises, Richmond Raceway recently became the first NASCAR Cup Series track to launch a team. Chaos Crew competes in the NPAS and features six drivers. For Richmond, esports presents an opportunity to get those already interested in simulation racing into a NASCAR venue.
