As the world continues to adjust to the new reality of working from home, practicing social distancing, and not gathering in large crowds, fans of NASCAR will be getting their fix for white-knuckle racing in a new way.
While live events and broadcasts are being canceled or put on hold as a result of the increasing spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, shifting gears to the virtual world is proving to be a viable option for some sports.
NASCAR drivers had previously agreed to compete in eSports on the virtual speedways of the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series, with the inaugural race held last weekend at a digital version of the Homestead-Miami Speedway. After the first race drew over 900,000 viewers on FOX's FS1 network, the rest of the virtual series will be simulcast on FOX, FS1, and the FOX Sports app.
The races feature commentary provided by FOX's NASCAR broadcast team of Jeff Gordon, Mike Joy, and Larry McReynolds working from the FOX NASCAR studio in Charlotte. Driver Clint Bowyer provides "in-car commentary" for the races as well.
NASCAR isn't the only racing series going the virtual route, with Formula 1 also opting to host virtual races as its season is also on hold. Fans are looking for something, anything, that resembles normal life, and digital versions of their favorite racing series are trying to do fill that void.
The next race will be held at the (virtual) Texas Motor Speedway at 1 pm EDT.
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Source: eNASCAR