During the COVID-19 pandemic, the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational series had a historic debut.
Setting record high numbers for TV viewership, and offering fans a platform that hosted their favourite racers on the track. Moreover, the world of racing esports had witnessed growth through iRacing. Which is all possible due to the abundance of NASCAR content that iRacing provides.
The timeline of eNASCAR on iRacing
iRacing has been hosting ENASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series for the past 11 years. As it is the most proficient simulator of its kind. Since then, there has been many changes that the scene has gone through. As a result, the eNASCAR Coca-Cola Series now in 2021 has a prize pool of $300,000, and is sanctioned by NASCAR.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQrr-e9whEY
THE RACE IS ON: The best drivers on the iRacing platform putting it all on the track, who will come out on top?
As the time passed, the scene prospered slowly. However, the pandemic caused many races to hold their brakes. Following NASCAR cancelling many races, iRacing helped provide a virtual circuit for the races. And as a result, iRacing attracted the biggest names in the world of NASCAR, such as Chase Elliott.
Racing fans got exposed to the game their favourite drivers raced on. This exposure to iRacing through esports was groundbreaking. The world of racing witnessed a paradigm shift in the esports industry. Furthermore, even though many physical races are occurring in 2021, eNASCAR is going strong and thriving. It is safe to say that it has solidified its community. And the numbers are phenomenal. The NASCAR iRacing Series in 2020 had over 250,000 hours watched, and almost 6,000 average viewers, peaking at 23,000 viewers!
The relationship between NASCAR and iRacing
After being a Licensee of NASCAR for over 10 years, iRacing has gotten a significant boost as of recently. Becoming an influential partner with NASCAR, iRacing now plays a part in many processes behind the curtains.
The two companies now work hand in hand and there are examples of that in their works. For instance, the structures of the schedules of NASCAR and eNASCAR series complement one another! Giving the fans a mid-week iRacing series, as well as the NASCAR series on weekends. Overall, more content for all the NASCAR fans out there!
There's more to iRacing than being a phenomenal platform for racing esports though! Now, more NASCAR drivers and teams are looking into iRacing. They are using it to keep their skills fresh, and to practice new tracks.
The future of iRacing esports
The partnership between NASCAR and iRacing speaks volumes by itself. However, eNASCAR is even reaching out further to create new series. The eNASCAR International was unveiled on 17 June, 2021. The fast-growing and successful esports platform, is showing how the future of iRacing esports is looking very bright.
The growing esports scene of iRacing esports gives us hopes of a platform that is heading in the right direction. The trust of a company of the calibre of NASCAR, says a lot. And there are great things coming for iRacing esports and racing esports in general! Stay tuned for more iRacing news and takes, right here at Racing Games!