It looks like NASCAR may be able to squeeze through the current health crisis better than other professional sports this spring when it comes to keeping both bettors and fans occupied. How? Through the new NASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series.
It all started in back in 2009 when NASCAR and iRacing entered into deal to deliver a NASCAR-sanctioned racing series into iRacing’s gaming platform. iRacing simulates real cars and tracks and enforces the same rules of conduct that are modeled on real auto racing events. It’s honestly one of the most realistic eSports platforms on the market. The contract between NASCAR and iRacing was to expire this year, but in light of recent events (or lack thereof) it’s a safe bet that there will be an extension into the foreseeable future. Why? Because to fill the NASCAR Cup Series void, events will be held on the iRacing platform. And no – not with public gamers in the cockpit, but real NASCAR Cup Series racers. Keep in mind that this isn’t like NBA players jumping on NBA 2K or NFL players plopping down on the sofa to duke it out on Madden. With iRacing Pro Invitational, real-world skills translate more directly to the competition via the integration of steering wheels and pedals.
The online series began on Sunday March 22 to replace the Dixie Vodka 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Repurposed as the NASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Homestead-Miami Speedway race, the event included Dale Earnhardt Jr., Denny Hamlin, Kurt and Kyle Busch, Jimmie Johnson, Clint Bowyer, Alex Bowman and Joey Logano. Each was outfitted at home with state-of-the art gaming consoles to mimic the look and feel of their respective cars. Toyota’s Denny Hamlin won the Homestead-Miami Speedway race – while driving barefoot.
Hamlin is currently ranked 11th on the NASCAR Cup Series – no word on whether or not these iRacing results will impact that, but don’t count on it.
Each future race will televised on FS1 for your viewing pleasure, and better yet, TopBet sportsbook is offering actionable odds on every race. Below is everything else you need to know about betting on iRacing. But first, sign up to make your bets.
As you can see, we laid out an anticipated iRacing Pro Invitational series schedule to mirror the entire NASCAR Cup Series schedule for 2020. Hopefully it doesn’t come to that, with the iRacing Pro Invitational ending sometime in the summer as professional sports and events come back into our lives. But whatever happens, make sure you’re prepared by signing up to bet on NASCAR, be it virtual or the real deal (fingers crossed on the latter).
