The race drew high marks for its realistic visuals, as well as competitive on-track racing
The eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series race on FS1 yesterday "wasn’t about the racing," but rather about "bringing some semblance of normalcy to a world that feels far from that in the wake of a global pandemic," according to Alex Andrejev of the CHARLOTTE OBSERVER. There was "recognition of the unavoidable reality that the coronavirus has forced upon the NASCAR, sports and broader world," but for 90 minutes yesterday, racing fans "could turn on their televisions or log onto their computers and feel connected through a live racing event." While many fans, drivers and media members "saw the event as a lighthearted escape, time could make the virtual races a more serious competitive event" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 3/23). The AP's Jenna Fryer wrote the virtual stands "were packed" for yesterday's race, as Jimmie Johnson "caused several wrecks, Denny Hamlin raced barefoot and damaged cars were repaired with the push of a button -- a few virtual signs that NASCAR backed quite an unreal race." The race "could serve as a petri dish for other sports to try the whole gamer thing." The classic games that "aired across TV over the weekend will get old in a hurry, and networks are desperate for something fresh until sports resume" (AP, 3/22).
HOW IT LOOKED: AWFUL ANNOUNCING's Jay Rigdon wrote FS1's broadcast, which featured normal NASCAR commentators Mike Joy and Jeff Gordon, along with Larry McReynolds and Clint Bowyer, "walked a very fine line from the jump, joking around with some of the usual race broadcast staples while also delivering a lot of relevant and interesting information about the game and how it both mimicked and differed from real racing." The race "looked fairly good on television, and close enough to the real thing to not be distracting at all; the track is obviously rendered to exacting detail, and the action flowed fairly well, aside from a spate of early cautions that broke up the race." Joy and Gordon "seamlessly calling a virtual race was very impressive; Gordon particularly did an incredible job with information; viewers likely came away knowing a lot more about both real driving and sim driving" (AWFULANNOUNCING.com, 3/22). iRacing Exec VP & Exec Producer Steve Myers said, "Since Friday of last week we've been working 20-hour days with their broadcast team to connect our broadcast room up here in Chelmsford [Mass.] to their Charlotte studio where they're going to have all the talent and everyone doing the TV portions of the show. But the digital broadcast, everything that's going on the racetrack will be coming out of here at our office" (BOSTON.com, 3/20).
HOW IT CAME TOGETHER: Hamlin said the idea for the race "came together in five or six days.” He said iRacing is something “five to six guys that race in the Cup Series do at some point during the week.” Hamlin: “A lot of guys started talking about, ‘Hey, I’m going to get on iRacing.’ ... Next thing you know iRacing sends out an email saying, ‘Hey, we’re thinking about putting together a race.'" Hamlin said, “In a matter of a couple days it had over 20 people commit, some that didn’t even have rigs to run on.” ESPN Radio’s Mike Golic Sr.: “This is so phenomenal that the pros, the guys who do this for real, are all doing this. I think it is one of the coolest things out there right now” (“Golic & Wingo,” ESPN Radio, 3/23).
THE NEW NORMAL? USA TODAY's Michelle Martinelli notes yesterday's virtual race was "just the first in the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series." When NASCAR announced this temporary replacement last week, it "described it as a 'multi-week series' but didn't specify the dates and times of any future races." However, because yesterday's race was at the virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway, the track where NASCAR would have been racing anyway, it is "reasonable to guess the next one will be at the virtual Texas Motor Speedway, where the sport was scheduled to be next weekend." If NASCAR gained even a handful of fans who caught some of yesterday's broadcast, Hamlin said that he would "consider that a success" (USA TODAY, 3/23). THE ATHLETIC's Jordan Bianchi wrote simulator racing has the "unique ability to closely replicate what it's like to participate in the real race." Many drivers have become a "strong advocate for the platform and have set up specialized simulators in their homes to race whenever they choose." Other races "will soon be revealed with the expectation that the schedule will largely mirror" the original '20 Cup schedule before the forced hiatus. NASCAR Senior VP & Chief Digital Officer Tim Clark said, "We shied away from determining the number of weeks just because we know how fluid this situation is. Our plan is to just do this for as long as we need to." Bianchi noted Fox Sports is "all-in, treating this as if it were a regular NASCAR weekend" (THEATHLETIC.com, 3/21).
LIKE THE REAL THING: In Daytona Beach, Ken Willis wrote, "Ten years from now, we might look back at this experiment as where it all started -- a stick of dynamite awaiting a match." iRacing is as "close as you can get without the fear of carbon monoxide poisoning." This type of racing "offers no potentially negative side effects, aside from embarrassment" (Daytona Beach NEWS-JOURNAL, 3/22). Bowyer said the simulator racing is "truly realistic beyond belief." USA TODAY's Martinelli noted Bowyer will be "providing in-race analysis for Fox" for the virtual races. Bowyer said, "I don't want to get my ass kicked on this thing with all these guys." Martinelli wrote NASCAR has a "unique advantage" over other sports during the coronavirus delays. The simulated tracks "have been created with extreme detail to mimic their real-life counterparts, and racers are competing with pedals and a steering wheel" (USA TODAY, 3/21).
TWITTER REAX: Dale Earnhardt Jr., who placed second in the race yesterday, tweeted, "Still can comprehend what today meant for iRacing. That service is going to grow from this. Not only will there be more subscribers but new content on the way. Exciting times for fans of the platform." Esports TV host Erin Simon: "iRacing & eNASCAR have had the best conversion/crossover opportunity that I've seen from traditional sports. Important to note even some new, young racers started driving via simulations before going pro." Driver Corey LaJoie: "Jeff and Mike are doing a great job keeping it light hearted but with solid facts. All the personalities are coming out. I was a skeptic but I think it’s entertaining." Fox Sports' Kaitlyn Vincie: "What do you all think so far of the iRacing event on FS1? It looks so realistic, and I feel a significant bright moment in an otherwise trying time. Something we can all enjoy for a bit."
INDYCAR JOINS IN: In Indianapolis, Nathan Brown reported IndyCar has partnered with iRacing to "put together the IndyCar iRacing Challenge." The six-race schedule will start March 28 and run "weekly each Saturday through May 2." Those races will be "streamed online for viewers at indycar.com, as well as the series' YouTube channel, via Facebook Live on the series' page, as well as iRacing's Twitch service." Each race day will begin with a "virtual autograph session, followed by qualifications before the green flag waives." Teams will be "designing their own virtual liveries to closely match their real-life paint schemes, and the cars will also feature the newly-added aeroscreen," set to debut this year (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 3/21).
