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Clint Bowyer Finishes 11th in O’Reilly Auto Parts 125; Chase Briscoe Gets Spun in Qualifying Race, Doesn’t Advance to Feature

by MikeMarch 30, 2020

Details:

• Race: O’Reilly Auto Parts 125 (Round 2)

• Series: 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

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

Stewart-Haas eSports Results:

• O’Reilly Auto Parts 125

• Clint Bowyer (Started 15th, Finished 11th / Running, completed 130 of 130 laps)

• Qualifying race

• Chase Briscoe (Started 7th, Finished 15th / Running, completed 30 of 30 laps)

Clint Bowyer, Driver of the No. 14 Rush Truck Centers Ford Mustang:

“Today was all about survival, guys. I needed a redo for my Rush Truck Centers Ford Mustang because I got together with (Greg) Biffle, ‘The Biff’, off of (turn) two. I guess we were three-wide. I didn’t realize we were three-wide. My spotter Jeff Gordon, I had to fire him halfway through the race and moved to Larry McReynolds. Larry said nothing when we were three-wide and I wrecked and collected a bunch of them. But again, a great time was had by all. Timmy Hill, big win for him and his brand. It’s going to be a lot of fun to compete in this over the next few weeks. But, man we are all in this together! Looking forward to next week.”

Chase Briscoe, Driver of the No. 98 Ford Performance Racing School/HighPoint.com Ford Mustang:

“Unfortunately, we didn’t make it through the qualifying race this week, so we’ll have to wait and give it another shot next weekend at Bristol. We had a really fast Ford Performance Racing School/HighPoint.com Mustang and it would’ve been interesting to see how we stacked up against the Cup drivers.”

Notes:

• 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.

• Xfinity and Truck Series drivers have to race their way into the feature event, and only four open spots were available for the O’Reilly Auto Parts 125. Alex Labbe won the 30-lap qualifying race, followed by Anthony Alfredo, Ty Majeski and Ruben Garcia, Jr.

• As an Xfinity Series driver, Briscoe was one of 32 drivers in the qualifying race attempting to finish in the top-four to earn a place in the O’Reilly Auto Parts 125. Briscoe was spun on lap 14 while running sixth, effectively ending his opportunity for a top-four finish.

• The eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series is a multi-week 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 and all races are broadcast by FOX Sports.

Next Up:

• Stewart-Haas eSports returns to action on Tuesday, March 31 in the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series race at the virtual Bristol Motor Speedway with drivers Justin Bolton and Dylan Duval.

• The race starts at 9 p.m. EDT with live coverage via:

• eNASCAR.com/live

• Facebook.com/NASCAR

• YouTube.com/NASCAR

• Twitch.tv/iRacing

• Duval and Bolton 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.

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.

View From the Virtual Pit Box – SHR Crew Chiefs Offer Their Take on iRacing

by MikeMarch 27, 2020

KANNAPOLIS, N.C. (March 27, 2020) – “When the winds of change blow, some people build walls and others build windmills.” This is an ancient Chinese proverb, and it’s particularly apt when it comes to NASCAR and its embrace of iRacing.

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Texas Invitational Advance – Erik Jones Readies for Round Two

by MikeMarch 27, 2020

Details:

Race: O’Reilly Auto Parts 125 (Round 2)
Series: eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series
Time/Date: 1 p.m. EDT on Sunday, March 29
Location: Virtual Texas Motor Speedway (1.5-mile oval)
Distance: 125 laps (187.5 miles)

Where to Watch:

FOX network
Announcers: Jeff Gordon, Mike Joy and Larry McReynolds, with in-race commentary from Clint Bowyer.
FS1 (DIRECTV Channel 219 and Dish Channel 150)
FOX Sports Go app
FOX Sports Racing for fans in Canada

DYK?:

Last Sunday’s eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series race at the virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway was the single most-watched esports event in U.S. history. The race drew 903,000 viewers on FS1, besting the previous high of 770,000 viewers when Mortal Kombat aired on The CW in 2016.
The race was the highest-rated broadcast on FS1 since mass postponements of sporting events began on March 15.
During the race, the #ProInvitationalSeries was the No. 1 trending topic on Twitter in the United States.

Overview:

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.
The eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series kicked off last Sunday at Homestead. It is a multi-week 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 and all races are broadcast by FOX Sports.

Erik Jones, driver of the No. 20 Craftsman Toyota Camry:

“I honestly did not know how I’d do in last week’s race at Homestead. It had been forever since I last went iRacing, so it was like I was a rookie all over again. But things came to me fairly quickly, although I’m still nowhere near where I want to be. Performance aside, I think we all came away from that race impressed with how the entire industry rallied around it, and fans seemed to like it too. Now we’re on big FOX this Sunday, so even more people will be watching. Obviously, that’s good, but it does kind of ramp up the pressure. You want to do well. Even though it’s a simulation, we’re all competitors and we want to win. And it’s appropriate that I’ve got CRAFTSMAN on my Toyota Camry this Sunday at Texas. I moved into a new house this week and between putting furniture together, hanging stuff up and even fixing a few things that broke, if I wasn’t carrying a box I was carrying a screwdriver or a wrench. iRacing practice time took a backseat to the move, so I hope my limited practice time doesn’t show up in the race.”

Jones started 25^th and finished 10^th in last week’s eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series race at Homestead.
Jones dusted off his iRacing skills for Homestead, as the race marked his return to iRacing after a lengthy layoff. In a tweet before the race, Jones said, “The last time I went iRacing, there was a solar eclipse. So, yeah, two rare events. Don’t miss this one!” For those wondering, the last solar eclipse in the U.S. happened on Aug. 21, 2017. Jones was 24 races into his rookie season in the NASCAR Cup Series.
In actual NASCAR Cup Series racing at Texas, Jones has three top-five and five top-10 finishes in seven career starts.
Jones’ best Texas finish is fourth, earned three straight times (April 2018, November 2018 and March 2019.)
In Jones’ last five starts at Texas, he has finished in the top-10 each time.
Jones is a three-time Xfinity Series winner at Texas. He won in his first Xfinity Series start at Texas on April 10, 2015. Jones then swept Texas’ 2017 slate of Xfinity Series races.
Jones has six career Xfinity Series starts at Texas and has never finished lower than fourth. And he’s qualified on the front row in every start except one, when he qualified third for the November 2015 race.
Jones is also a Truck Series winner at Texas. His third and most recent Truck Series start at Texas came in November 2015 and it ended in victory lane. It was Jones’ seventh career Truck Series win. Jones has only made two Truck Series starts since – one in 2016 and one in 2018. He scored top-10s in both.

NASCAR is keeping racing in perspective, all while planning to get back on the track

by MikeMarch 24, 2020March 24, 2020

(by Bob Pockrass for Fox Sports)

That was fun Sunday. A great distraction.

The eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series race on Sunday, won by Denny Hamlin, was cool to see, a great way to spend a couple hours and to try to forget the nervousness of a country plagued by the COVID-19 pandemic. (more…)

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…

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John Hunter Nemechek and CITGARD Enter eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Race at Homestead on Sunday

by MikeMarch 19, 2020

John Hunter Nemechek and CITGARD Enter eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Race at Homestead on Sunday… click past the jump for their graphic press release…

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Tony Stewart ‘Free Wheeling’ with Newfound Free Time

by MikeMarch 18, 2020March 18, 2020

With No Races to Run, NASCAR Hall of Famer Goes Retro with 1979 Ford Bronco

KANNAPOLIS, N.C. (March 18, 2020) – Born in 1971, Tony Stewart grew up in a robust era of car culture, where manufacturers catered directly to the consumer with unabashedly loud graphics splashed across premium versions of its cars and trucks.

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NASCAR, iRacing Introduce eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series

by MikeMarch 18, 2020March 18, 2020

NASCAR Cup Series Drivers and Racing Icons to Compete in Esports Series;

Exhibition Races to Provide Fans with Entertaining Content While NASCAR’s National Series Await Return

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 17, 2020) – NASCAR and iRacing announced today the formation of the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series, an exhibition esports series featuring many of the sports most talented and popular drivers. The simulation-style showcase will include a cross-section of competitors from the NASCAR Cup Series™, NASCAR Xfinity Series™, NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series™ and a group of NASCAR dignitaries.

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ARCA Menards Series East Music City 200 at Nashville Suspended

by MikeMarch 18, 2020March 18, 2020

Discussions Ongoing with USAC and Late Model Sanctioning Bodies

Nashville, TN (Tuesday, March 17, 2020) – ARCA Racing issued a statement on Monday, March 16, 2020 addressing ARCA Menards Series events scheduled through May 3^rd, including the Music City 200 at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway originally scheduled for Saturday, May 2^nd.

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Racing On Hold (The Phone)?!?!

by Chuck AbramsMarch 17, 2020March 21, 2020

Sports in general, and NASCAR in particular, is not exempt from COVID-19 spreading across the globe. Social distancing won’t work when stands are full of people sitting hip to hip. Well, OK, hip to hip isn’t at every track these days.

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