Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr and Kyle Busch at Homestead-Miami Speedway - NASCAR Cup Series (Photo: Brian Lawdermilk | Getty Images)
NASCAR iRacing event at Homestead to be shown LIVE on network TV; New entries added
Shane Walters
Online Racing: 24 current NASCAR Cup Series drivers are set to run this Sunday; Bobby LaBonte among them
The sporting industry has shutdown. United States officials are working to radically shutdown entire communities, thus is the case for the entire state of California.
NASCAR is currently on a break until May. Seven races are postponed due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19).
As drivers sit at home and wait it out with the rest of the country, they’ve dusted off their iRacing rigs.
NASCAR announced a weekly iRacing Series (eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series) which will make it’s debut this weekend. The series will feature many current and former NASCAR drivers along with other familiar names in the industry.
On Sunday, the first race of the new digital series will be shown LIVE via FS1.
“This is a unique opportunity to offer competitive and entertaining racing to our viewers as we all work through these challenging times together,” said Brad Zager, FOX Sports Executive Producer, EVP/Head of Production & Operations.
“We are following CDC guidelines to maintain a safe work environment, as the well-being of all those involved is paramount. We value our relationships across the NASCAR community and appreciate all of the effort that it took in bringing this project to life,” Zager concluded.
Dale Earnhardt Jr and NASCAR Hall of Famer Bobby Labonte will jump out of retirement to join the digital world. They join 24 current NASCAR Cup Series drivers.
“Got me some laps earlier today,” Kyle Larson said in a tweet. “Turns out I’m pretty terrible. Hoping the rest of my real life competitors are just as bad.”
Homestead iRacing Entries March 22, 2020
Current NASCAR Cup Series Drivers Kyle Busch Brad Keselowski Joey Logano Denny Hamlin Chase Elliott Clint Bowyer Kyle Larson Christopher Bell Bubba Wallace Chris Buescher William Byron Matt DiBenedetto Austin Dillon Ty Dillon Timmy Hill Michael McDowell John Hunter Nemechek Ryan Preece Garrett Smithley Erik Jones Ross Chastain Parker Kligerman Landon Cassill Ricky Stenhouse Jr
Notables Dale Earnhardt Jr Bobby LaBonte
Other entries will come from the NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Truck Series. 35 cars are set to take the green flag at the digital Homestead-Miami Speedway.
eNASCAR TV Schedule Homestead-Miami Speedway
This will be the most watched online racing event in the history of simulator racing.
Mike Joy and Jeff Gordon will cover the digital event. Clint Bowyer will serve as the in-car analyst.
The race will air on March 22, at 1:30 p.m. ET on FS1 and the FOX Sports app. The live show will be titled FOX NASCAR iRACING.
An hour and a half has been dedicated to the program on FS1. The race will be 100 laps.
This is as normal as racing is going to get for quite some time. Enjoy it.