Yes, you read the title right! Virtual NASCAR racing!
This past weekend NASCAR earned a combined 81% rating and 1.339 million viewers for Sunday’s Pro Series Invitational (simulcast on Fox and FS1). That means NASCAR just broke its own record for the most-viewed eSports event in U.S. TV history.
The telecast was the highest rated and most-watched sportscast of the weekend, finishing ahead of the ESPN 30 For 30 “Celtics/Lakers” on ABC the previous day (80%, 1.18M viewers ), via PRN.
31 drivers (Retired and Current) have entered the Pro Invitational series on iRacing.
iRacing is the world’s premier motorsports racing simulation. iRacing puts you in the driver’s seat by allowing members to experience one of the most competitive forms of motorsports: Virtual racing.
With that said, many of the older fans were very skeptical about the whole virtual racing.
Many said, “I’m not going to waste my weekend watching grown men play video games”!
But these races are more than just drivers racing in virtual form. It gives people something to watch that’s live and actually competitive rather than just clicking through channels hoping to find something fun to watch.
This coming Sunday, the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series will be at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway at 1pm ET, on FS1 and FOX. Bristol is one of the most known tracks in NASCAR history, which makes it even more fun that it’s now going virtual.
I highly suggest you tune in whether you’re a racing fan or not!
Photo: Chris Graythen / Getty Images.
