American culture | The MotorSportsNews.Net(work)

NASCAR AMERICA PRESENTS NBC eSPORTS SHORT TRACK iRACING CHALLENGE BEGINNING MONDAY, APRIL 6 ON NBCSN

by MikeApril 2, 2020April 2, 2020

Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin Headline Group of 18 Drivers Slated to Compete at Rockingham Speedway, Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis, Myrtle Beach Speedway and Martinsville Speedway

Daily Races Air Monday-Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET on NBCSN; Championship Thursday at 7 p.m. ET

STAMFORD, Conn. – April 2, 2020 – Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin headline a group of 18 drivers that will compete at virtual versions of iconic and short tracks across America next week on NBCSN, as NASCAR America presents the NBC eSports Short Track iRacing Challenge beginning Monday, April 6, at 7 p.m. ET.

From Monday-Wednesday, six different drivers will compete in two timed races in Cup Series cars at an iconic track at 7 p.m. ET on NBCSN. The top two finishers from each night will advance to the championship race at the virtual Martinsville Speedway on Thursday night on NBCSN.

Monday – Rockingham Speedway
Tuesday – Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis
Wednesday – Myrtle Beach Speedway
Thursday – Martinsville Speedway (Championship Race)

The following drivers will compete in the NBC eSports Short Track iRacing Challenge:

Monday at Rockingham Speedway – Kyle Busch, William Byron, Austin Dillon, Parker Kligerman, Tyler Reddick and Bubba Wallace
Tuesday at Lucas Oil Raceway – Justin Allgaier, Christopher Bell, Chase Briscoe, Harrison Burton, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson
Wednesday at Myrtle Beach Speedway – Landon Cassill, Matt DiBenedetto, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Timmy Hill, Ryan Preece and Myatt Snider

“We’re proud to continue our successful collaboration with iRacing and NASCAR, which began last year, to produce the NBC eSports Short Track iRacing Challenge,” said Jeff Behnke, vice president, production, NASCAR on NBC and NBCSN. “Thanks to all the drivers from the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series for joining in what should be four consecutive nights of entertainment and fun for all the great race fans and viewers.”

“Of all of the events we’ve been putting together for real-world pros, the NBC eSports Short Track iRacing Challenge should be one of the most fun,” said Steve Myers, iRacing executive producer. “So many of the top drivers in NASCAR have honed their skills on both local short tracks and iRacing, and combining the two for a virtual week-long showdown should deliver plenty of excitement. We can’t wait to see who takes the checkered flag and bragging rights!”

This marks the latest collaboration between NBC Sports and iRacing, which began in 2019 when NBC Sports telecast the first-ever eNASCAR live event on television. NBC Sports and iRacing teamed up to present the 2019 eNASCAR PEAK Antifreeze iRacing Championship in a two-hour event live on NBCSN last October. Earlier this year, it was announced that six races of the 2020 eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series Playoffs will air live on NBCSN later this fall.

NBC Sports NASCAR commentators Rick Allen and Steve Letarte will call the action, including interviews with drivers during the races. Jeff Burton and Marty Snider will host the NBC eSports Short Track iRacing Challenge via Zoom.

Kyle Busch Texas Pro Invitational Race Report – Inaugural eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series Race

by MikeMarch 30, 2020

Details:

• Event: eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series
• Date: Sunday, March 29
• Location: Virtual Texas Motor Speedway (1.5-mile oval)
• Distance: 125 laps (187.5 miles)

• Winner: Timmy Hill of MBM Motorsports in Overtime

• Note: Race extended five laps past its scheduled 125-lap distance due to a green-white-checkered finish.

Kyle Busch Result:

• Kyle Busch (Started 19th, Finished 17th / Running, completed 130 of 130 laps)

Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry:

You got into an early accident, but you were able to recover and worked your way back into the top-10 late in the race. Can you take us through your race?

“The early wreck, I don’t know what happened there. I was just rolling down the straightaway – I was on the outside – and I just got clipped by the 12 (Ryan Blaney) and spun out and crashed and killed everything and we kept rolling under green because they didn’t throw a yellow for that one. So we rolled around to try and stay on the lead lap and wait for another caution that they would throw a yellow for. That didn’t happen until we went a lap down. But the caution came out and we were able to pit and use our reset and get some tires on it and then we got the wavearound, which was good. That kind of set up the run to the front. We drove from the back, I don’t know, 25th or 26th, all the way back up into the top-10. There was that one long run with a green-flag stop. We had a good roll, we were mowing some guys down and had a fast car on the long runs. There at the end we got caught up in a wreck again. I came off of (turn) two and was following the 43 (Bubba Wallace) and thought I saw a couple of guys get crossed up down low. So I wasn’t sure if the bottom was going to check up, so I was trying to stay high so I could see it and it looked like it was all good and I was going to go back down to the bottom. And when we were entering (turn) three, the 8 car (Dale Earnhardt Jr.) stuck it in there on the bottom on me and we ended up in the wall. There was a big wreck in front of us, too, on that same corner when we got back rolling again, and we were going through a couple of those guys and they did another yellow. We didn’t have a crash repair, so we fixed our car as best as we could fix it to finish the race. That was kind of all there was to it.”

Notes:

• This was Busch’s second iRacing Pro Invitational start.

• In addition to being the founding sponsor of Joe Gibbs Racing back in 1992, Interstate Batteries was also the founding sponsor of Gibbs Gaming and is a sponsor of the No. 18 Interstate Batteries Toyota in the weekly eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series.

• The eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series is an exhibition esports series featuring a collection of actual racecar drivers from the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series.

• While the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series kicked off last weekend at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway and continued at Texas this afternoon, it is a multiweek series emulating the original 2020 NASCAR Cup Series schedule.

• With the sports world on a necessary hiatus to combat the spread of the coronavirus, the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series exists in place of actual NASCAR events.

•Each race in the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series consists of 35 drivers.

NASCAR Cup Series…. Thirteen Years Ago

by MikeMarch 20, 2020March 20, 2020

Since I’m working from home, and a little bored as a result, I went out to the NASCAR Media site to see if I could dig up something interesting…. and I came across these official car photos from 2007! That was one of the years we had the “NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series”. Who was driving back then, and who for? Let’s take a look…

(more…)

NASCAR is Postponing All Race Events Through May 3rd

by WebmasterMarch 16, 2020March 16, 2020

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 16, 2020) – “The health and safety of our fans, industry and the communities in which we race is our most important priority, so in accordance with recent CDC guidance, NASCAR is currently postponing all race events through May 3rd, with plans to return racing in Martinsville. We appreciate the patience of our fans and we look forward to returning to the racetrack. We intend to hold all 36 races this season, with future rescheduling soon to be determined as we continue to monitor this situation closely with public health officials and medical experts. What is important now transcends the world of sports and our focus is on everyone’s safety and well-being as we navigate this challenging time together.”

(NASCAR PR)

TV Tune In Alert – Auto Club Speedway Weekend Schedule

by MikeFebruary 27, 2020February 27, 2020

Richard Childress Racing has provided a TV tune-in list for this weekend’s racing at Auto Club Speedway in California. (more…)

eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series Returns to NBCSN

by MikeFebruary 5, 2020

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 5, 2020) – NASCAR and iRacing announced today the longest-running eNASCAR iRacing esports series will return for its 11^th season on February 11 with a new entitlement sponsor, increased prize pool to more than $300,000 and the return of live telecasts on NBCSN. (more…)

MOTORTREND GROUP AND NASCAR JOIN FORCES FOR THE ALL-NEW SPORTS DOCUSERIES NASCAR ALL IN: BATTLE FOR DAYTONA

by MikeFebruary 4, 2020

—NASCAR ALL IN: BATTLE FOR DAYTONA to World Premiere on MotorTrend’s Subscription Streaming Service Monday, February 10, 2020—

(Los Angeles and Charlotte) – MotorTrend Group, a Discovery company, and NASCAR announced today a new partnership to create NASCAR ALL IN: BATTLE FOR DAYTONA, a bold new sports documentary series chronicling the commitment, struggles and sacrifices of drivers, their teams and families in the chase for greatness at the biggest race of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series™ season, the DAYTONA 500^®. The all-new, limited series produced by NASCAR Productions will world premiere every Monday beginning Monday, February 10, 2020, on the MotorTrend App, the only subscription streaming service dedicated entirely to the motoring world. (more…)

NASCAR and Mack Trucks Announce Multi-Year Extension

by MikeJanuary 23, 2020January 23, 2020

Popular NASCAR Salutes Mack Anthem Fan Vote to Return in 2020;
Iconic American Brand to Remain the “Official Hauler of NASCAR”

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 23, 2020) – As the 2020 season rolls into view and the industry prepares to hit the open roads, NASCAR and Mack Trucks announced today a multi-year extension that continues its designation as the “Official Hauler of NASCAR®.” (more…)

The Latest Articles from SpeedwayMedia

by MikeMarch 28, 2019March 28, 2019

Click through for the latest reads from our friends at SpeedwayMedia.com….

(more…)

Tony Stewart Recalls First Time He Met Dale Earnhardt Jr…. In the NASCAR Hauler After An Incident at Pikes Peak

by WebmasterFebruary 20, 2019February 20, 2019

On the “Dale Jr. Download,” Tony Stewart recalls the first time they met at Pikes Peak after an on-track incident landed both of them in the NASCAR hauler. And basically started their friendship.

Video courtesy of NASCAR Media