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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.

Matt DiBenedetto and the Wood Brothers Are Hitched Up and Ready For Bristol

by MikeApril 2, 2020

After a disappointing finish in the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang at the virtual Texas Motor Speedway last Sunday, Matt DiBenedetto now turns his attention to the virtual Bristol Motor Speedway, where he’ll pilot the No. 21 REESE/Draw-Tite Mustang in the third round of the NASCAR Pro Invitational iRacing Series. (more…)

An Interview With Timmy Hill, Winner of the O’Reilly Auto Parts 125 at the Virtual Texas Motor Speedway.

by MikeApril 2, 2020April 2, 2020

THE MODERATOR: Thank you to you all for joining us for the E NASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series race. We are now joined by Timmy Hill, the driver of the No. 66 RoofClaim Toyota and today’s winner of the O’Reilly Auto Parts 125 at the Virtual Texas Motor Speedway. (more…)

Hendrick Motorsports Fabricator Takes Real World Skills to Virtual Racing

by MikeApril 2, 2020

It was only one week into the popular and highly competitive eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series, and Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott knew he wanted a high-tech, high performance sim racing rig.

(more…)

CELSIUS to Partner with Front Row Motorsports and Michael McDowell for Virtual Bristol Race

by MikeApril 1, 2020

MCDOWELL ON VIRTUAL BRISTOL:

“I think that this weekend’s Pro Invitational Series race from virtual Bristol Motor Speedway is going to require a lot of concentration and stamina. Some people might think that just because this is a virtual race, that it will be relatively easy to compete in. However, the fact of the matter is that it still takes a lot of focus to be able to push your car to its limits, while trying your best not to crash with 35 other cars all around you.”

“Thankfully, to help me stay alert and on my game, I have CELSIUS Fitness Drinks coming on board this weekend. Not only will they be a primary sponsor of my virtual No. 34 Ford Mustang, but they have also been my go-to fitness drink for a long time. I drink a CELSIUS before every workout and on every race morning. Their drinks taste great and provide me with the energy that I need to perform any task.”

“I’m looking forward to another fun weekend of racing and encourage everyone to check out the full line of products that CELSIUS has to offer.”

CELSIUS Products: bit.ly/CELSIUSXMCDOWELL

About Celsius Holdings, Inc.

Celsius Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: CELH), is a global company with a proprietary, clinically proven formula for its master brand CELSIUS® and all its sub-brands. A lifestyle fitness drink and a pioneer in the rapidly growing performance energy sector, CELSIUS® has four beverage lines that each offer proprietary, functional, healthy-energy formulas clinically-proven to offer significant health benefits to its users. The four lines include, CELSIUS® Originals, CELSIUS HEAT™, CELSIUS® On-the-Go, and CELSIUS® Sweetened with Stevia. CELSIUS® has zero sugar, no preservatives, no aspartame, no high fructose corn syrup, and is non-GMO, with no artificial flavors or colors. The CELSIUS® line of products is Certified Kosher and Vegan. CELSIUS® is also soy and gluten-free and contains very little sodium. CELSIUS® is backed by six university studies that were published in peer-reviewed journals validating the unique benefits CELSIUS® provides. CELSIUS® is sold nationally at Target, CVS, GNC, Vitamin Shoppe, 7-Eleven, Dick’s Sporting Goods, The Fresh Market, Sprouts and other key regional retailers such as HEB, Publix, Winn-Dixie, Harris Teeter, Shaw’s and Food Lion. It is also available on Amazon, at fitness clubs and in select micro-markets across the country. For more information, visit CELSIUS® at www.celsius.com or Celsius Holdings, Inc., at www.celsiusholdingsinc.com.

Contact:

Mac MacLeod

JUSTIN MOORE TO PERFORM PRE-RACE CONCERT AHEAD OF eNASCAR iRACING PRO INVITATIONAL ON SUN., APR. 5

by MikeApril 1, 2020

Country music singer Justin Moore will perform a virtual pre-race concert this Sunday, Apr. 5 before the third eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series race. Moore will join NASCAR Cup Series driver Austin Dillon and NASCAR.com digital host Alex Weaver for the online event.

Moore, an award-winning singer/songwriter who has released five albums since his 2009 debut, will perform a couple of his songs and chat about the upcoming race at the virtual Bristol Motor Speedway. The race, which is set to air at 1 PM ET on FOX/FS1 (subject to change) and the FOX Sports App, will feature some of NASCAR’s biggest names.

The Arkansas native joins the list of virtual pre-race acts since the Pro Invitational Series developed in advance of the Dixie Vodka 125 at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway on March 22.

Fans can catch the virtual pre-race concert Sun., Apr. 5 at 12:30 PM ET on NASCAR’s YouTube, Facebook and Twitter.

YANMAR America to Power John Hunter Nemechek in eNASCAR iRacing Event at Bristol

by MikeApril 1, 2020

NEMECHEK ON VIRTUAL BRISTOL:

“It’s so cool to see that NASCAR broke its own record last weekend for the most-viewed eSports event in U.S. TV history and I’m honored to be a part of that. This obviously isn’t the situation anyone was hoping for or expecting, but the fact that we continue to come together each week to provide some entertainment and temporary relief from the everyday news says a lot about our racing community.

“Bristol is already such a challenging track for us in person and it will be interesting to see what it’s like in a virtual race. The preferred line at Bristol tends to move around as the race goes on, and as we’ve seen over the last two weeks of the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series, anything can happen. That said, I’m feeling pretty good about our No. 38 Ford Mustang.

“I’m also really glad we are able to have our partners at YANMAR America with us on the car this weekend. I was just gutted for them after not being able to race at Atlanta. They’re such a great group of people and I’m thankful for their outpouring of support for Front Row Motorsports since last year. I’m excited that we get to have them ‘along for the ride’ this weekend and look forward to the day when we can see the No. 38 YANMAR Ford Mustang on track in person, too.”

Drivers Justin Bolton and Dylan Duval Ready for First Short Track of 2020 eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Season

by MikeApril 1, 2020

Details:

• Event: eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series (Round 4 of 20)

• Time/Date: 9 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, March 31 (TONIGHT)

• Location: Virtual Bristol Motor Speedway (.533-mile oval)

• Distance: 250 laps (133.25 miles)

Where to Watch:

• eNASCAR.com/live

• Facebook.com/NASCAR

• YouTube.com/NASCAR

• Twitch.tv/iRacing

Overview:

• This is the first time in 2020 that the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series will compete on a short track. All of the series’ previous races have come at tracks 1.5 miles in length or longer.

• This is the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series’ fourth visit to the virtual Bristol Motor Speedway, but only its second since 2011.

• Last year’s eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series race at Bristol was run under the lights. This year’s edition is a daytime affair.

• Stewart-Haas eSports drivers Justin Bolton and Dylan Duval come into Bristol after each earned their season-best result in the series’ last race at the virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway. Duval finished 15th and Bolton was 17th.

• Duval finished 25th in last year’s race at Bristol, while Bolton makes his Bristol debut tonight.

Justin Bolton, driver of the No. 10 Get Busch Delivered! Ford Mustang:

“We’ve run well, but we don’t have the finishes to show for it. We were up toward the top-five at the end of the first run in our last two speedway races, but haven’t been able to get it done when it mattered. We’re going into Bristol optimistic that we can turn our season around. I’ll be driving the No. 10 Get Busch Delivered! Ford Mustang, and we’ve been spending a lot of time working on this setup. We feel confident that we’ll have something to compete with. And for those of you who are 21 or older, go to Busch.com/delivery and then enter your zip code to see what options are available in your area. From there, you can get Busch delivered right to your doorstep. While we’re racing, you can relax and unwind with an ice-cold Busch.”

Bolton is a 25-year-old engineer on Stewart-Haas Racing’s NASCAR Xfinity Series team who helped Cole Custer to a career-high seven victories in 2019. Bolton has raced in the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series off and on since 2014, accumulating 49 starts with nine top-five finishes and a career-best points result of ninth in 2015. The Latrobe, Pennsylvania, native also has real-world racing experience, as Bolton has raced Legends cars and Late Model stock cars, winning the 2013 Fall Classic at Hickory (N.C.) Motor Speedway in the Limited Late Model division.

Dylan Duval, driver of the No. 41 PEAK Coolant & Antifreeze Ford Mustang:

“Coming into the season, Bristol is the track I had circled as being the one I was most concerned about. Last season at Bristol, I really struggled and wasn’t happy with how we performed. The racing at Bristol is so close quarters – having an ill-handling car can lead to a very long night of racing. We’ve turned a lot of laps and have explored many setup options to get our PEAK Coolant & Antifreeze Ford Mustang dialed in for tonight’s race. There are a lot of unknowns going into it. It’s our first race on the low-downforce package, and this race will be in the daytime as opposed to last year’s race, which was at night. We’ve done our homework, though, and I think we’re prepared. This season has started off pretty rough for us – having an issue on pit road at Daytona and struggling with dirty air and passing at California. Going into Homestead last week, we needed to start turning our season around and we did exactly that with running inside of the top-10 and, ultimately, finishing 15th. Coming into Bristol, I’m hoping to build off of what we did at Homestead and continue to make up some points.”

Duval is a 24-year-old from Halifax, Nova Scotia. The graphic designer debuted in the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series in 2012 and is the first Canadian iRacing winner in series history, taking the checkered flag at the virtual Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2016. Duval has made 76 starts in his seven-year career, scoring eight top-fives and earning a best points finish of fifth in 2016.

About Stewart-Haas eSports:

NASCAR is the ultimate test of driver acumen and mechanical know-how, where teams scrutinize every detail in a never-ending quest for speed. Stewart-Haas Racing has thrived in this environment, winning races and championships to firmly establish its presence in NASCAR. Stewart-Haas eSports emulates these efforts in the virtual world, where sim technology provides a visceral experience that amplifies the grit and determination of NASCAR drivers in the real world. Stewart-Haas eSports is a natural extension of Stewart-Haas Racing, where competition and simulation are one. For more information, please visit us online at www.StewartHaasRacing.com and follow on Twitter @SHR_eSports.

About Stewart-Haas Racing:

Stewart-Haas Racing is the title-winning NASCAR team co-owned by three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart and Gene Haas, founder of Haas Automation – the largest CNC machine tool builder in North America. The Kannapolis, North Carolina-based organization has won two NASCAR Cup Series titles, one NASCAR Xfinity Series championship and more than 70 NASCAR races, including such crown-jewel events as the Daytona 500, Brickyard 400 and Southern 500. For more information, please visit us online at www.StewartHaasRacing.com, on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/StewartHaasRacing, on Twitter @StewartHaasRcng and on Instagram @StewartHaasRacing.

eNASCAR Pro Invitational iRacing Series at Texas | NASCAR ON FOX HIGHLIGHTS

by MikeMarch 30, 2020

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.