william byron

22nd-Place Result for Custer at Darlington

by Mike
22nd-Place Result for Custer at Darlington

Ford Driver Completes First Cup Race at South Carolina Track

 

 

Date: May 17, 2020

Event: The Real Heroes 400

Series: NASCAR Cup Series

Location: Darlington (S.C.) Raceway (1.366-mile oval)

Format: 293 laps, broken into three stages (90 laps/95 laps/108 laps)

Start/Finish: 14th/22nd (Running, completed 293 of 293 laps)

Point Standing: 24th with 88 points, 130 out of first

 

Race Winner: Kevin Harvick of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)

Stage 1 Winner: William Byron of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)

Stage 2 Winner: Brad Keselowski of Team Penske (Ford)

 

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-90):             

● Cole Custer started 14th and finished 21st.

● Within the first 10 laps Custer worked his way into the top-10.

● On lap 12 he reported his HaasTooling.com Mustang was tight.

● The Ford driver reached the eighth spot by lap 18.

● During the competition caution on lap 30, Custer reported his Mustang was still too tight while in the ninth position.

● He restarted on lap 39 after a pit stop for fuel, four tires and adjustments.

● Ended Stage 1 in the 21st spot with a tight Ford Mustang. Pitted during the break for fuel, four tires and adjustments to help with his tight condition.

 

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 91-185):

● Custer started 18th and finished 22nd.

● During the lap-110 caution Custer radioed to his crew that his HaasTooling.com Mustang was much better that run, but still a little tight. He pitted from 14th and restarted 15th on lap 116.

● During a caution on lap 125 Custer said his car was tight and pitted from 21st for fuel, four tires and adjustments.

● Restarted 17th on lap 130.

● Caution displayed on lap 156 with Custer in the 22nd position. He reported his Mustang “wasn’t bad” during that run and visited pit road for service.

● Restarted 22nd on lap 161, and was in the 19th spot on lap 165.

● Caution once again on lap 173 and Custer reported his car was decent from the 19th spot. Pitted for fuel, four tires and adjustments, and restarted 21st.

● Custer came down pit road during the Stage 2 break from 22nd for fuel, four tires and adjustments to help loosen his Mustang.

 

Final Stage Recap (Laps 186-293):

● Custer started 22nd and finished 22nd.

● Caution on lap 211 with the California native in the 22nd position. He reported his HaasTooling.com Mustang was pretty good, but was struggling to pass.

● Restarted 22nd on lap 218 and was 23rd when the next caution was displayed on lap 250.

● Pitted on lap 254 for fuel, four tires and adjustments to loosen up his Ford Mustang. Restarted 22nd on lap 258.

● With 25 laps left, Custer was back in the top-20.

● The Cup Series rookie finished 22nd in his first series start at Darlington.

 

Notes:

● There were 10 caution periods for a total of 57 laps.

● Only 24 of the 40 drivers in The Real Heroes 400 finished on the lead lap.

● Harvick remains the championship leader after Darlington with a 28-point advantage over second-place Bowman.

 

Cole Custer, Driver of the No. 41 HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

“Definitely wasn’t the day we wanted at Darlington. We started off the race really good. We were in the top-10 and I was pretty confident with the car, but I think I probably started out too conservative. I didn’t want get the Darlington stripe and ruin our day my first time here in a Cup car. I think I put us too far behind and it was so hard to come back from there. I’m looking forward to Wednesday. I feel like I learned a lot and we’ll be a lot stronger.”

 

Next Up:

The NASCAR Cup Series returns to Darlington on Wednesday, May 20 for a 500-kilometer race. It starts at 7:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FS1 and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Views: 446
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Bowyer Finishes 17th in Darlington Return

by Mike
Bowyer Finishes 17th in Darlington Return

No. 14 Ford Mustang Raced At Front Until Final Laps

 

Date: May 17, 2020

Event: The Real Heroes 400

Series: NASCAR Cup Series

Location: Darlington (S.C) Raceway (1.366-mile oval)

Format: 293 laps, broken into three stages (90 laps/95 laps/108 laps)

Start/Finish: 13th/17th (Running, completed 293 of 293 laps)

Point Standing:10th with 135 points, 83 out of first

 

Race Winner:      Kevin Harvick of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)

Stage 1 Winner:  William Byron of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)

Stage 2 Winner:  Brad Keselowski of Team Penske (Ford)

 

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-90):

● Clint Bowyer started 13th and finished seventh to earn four bonus points

● Despite no track time before the race, the No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Mobil 1 Ford Mustang enjoyed a smooth start until a crash at the back of the field brought out the caution on lap one.

● Bowyer reported his car was tight and dropped to 17th before rallying back to 14th at the lap-30 competition caution.

● The Kansas native restarted the race in 14th on lap 40 and moved to 10th within two laps turning top-five lap speeds.

● Bowyer continued a steady climb to the front turning ultra-quick times before finishing the stage in seventh.

● Minor air pressure changes plus a quick stop by the No. 14 crew moved Bowyer from seventh to fifth during the stage break.

 

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 91-185):

● Started fifth, finished fifth to earn six bonus points.

● The No.14 Rush Truck Centers/Mobil 1 Ford Mustang stayed in the top eight through cautions on lap 109 and 123.

● Bowyer raced in fifth at the lap-135 mark as he searched for the fastest way around the 1.33-mile, egg-shaped oval.

● The Ford driver battled for fourth midway through the stage with Denny Hamlin before another round of stops for a lap-154 caution.

● After all cars pitted under caution, Bowyer restarted the race in sixth for an eight-lap shootout to conclude the stage.

● Bowyer used a good restart to climb to fifth before the stage ended.

.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 186-293):

● Started seventh, finished 17th.

● The No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Mobil 1 Ford Mustang dropped to ninth on the restart but moved to sixth with 70 laps remaining.

● Bowyer raced in seventh with 60 to go when he reported his car was starting to get very loose.

● Bowyer faded to 10th with 50 laps to go telling the crew, “I’m in trouble. I don’t know what happened here.”

● A caution allowed Bowyer to visit pit road to tighten the car, but trouble during the stop dropped him to 15th with 34 laps to go.

● Bowyer suffered debris on the grill in the final laps and dropped to 17th by the time the checkered flag flew.

 

Notes:

●  Bowyer’s 17th-place finish plus 10 bonus points earned in the first two stages moved him from 13th to 10th in the standings.

●  Harvick’s victory marked the 73rd overall win for SHR. It was the organization’s 56th points-paying NASCAR Cup Series win, its first of the season and its second at Darlington.

●  This was SHR’s 20th NASCAR Cup Series victory with Ford. The team won its first race with Ford when former driver Kurt Busch captured the 2017 Daytona 500.

●  Harvick is responsible for SHR’s previous win at Darlington (2014 Southern 500).

●  This was Ford’s milestone 30th NASCAR Cup Series victory at Darlington. NASCAR Hall of Famer Curtis Turner won Ford’s first race at Darlington in 1966.

 

Clint Bowyer, driver of the No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Mobil 1 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

“That stunk. I don’t know how that got away from us. Really disappointed with what happened. I’ll be mad about this for a while, but we’ll get over it and be ready for Wednesday night. Our Rush Truck Centers/Mobil 1 Ford was fast and it was cool to be back racing today, just wish we had a better finish. Glad Kevin (Harvick) got SHR and Ford to victory lane.”

Views: 448
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Almirola Finishes 12th at Darlington

by Mike
Almirola Finishes 12th at Darlington

Smithfield/#GoodFoodChallenge Ford Driver Runs Top-Five Before Penalty Derails Day

 

Date: May 17, 2020

Event: The Real Heroes 400

Series: NASCAR Cup Series

Location: Darlington (S.C) Raceway (1.366-mile oval)

Format: 293 laps, broken into three stages (90 laps/95 laps/108 laps)

Start/Finish: 5th/12th (Running, completed 200 of 200 laps)

Point Standing:  7th (151 points, 67 out of first)

 

Race Winner: Kevin Harvick of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)

Stage 1 Winner: William Byron of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)

Stage 2 Winner: Brad Keselowski of Team Penske (Ford)

 

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-90):

●  Aric Almirola started fifth and finished sixth, earning five bonus points.

●  The No. 10 Smithfield/#GoodFoodChallenge Ford Mustang fell outside of the top-10 and Almirola raced his way back to eighth before the lap-30 competition caution. He took four tires, fuel and air pressure adjustments.

● During the restart, Almirola raced his way to sixth place.

● Spotter Joel Edmonds told Almirola he was turning top-three lap times on lap 86.

● At the end of the stage, Almirola pitted for four tires, fuel and wedge adjustments. He said he needed more front turn.

 

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 91-185):

●  Almirola started seventh and finished 21st.

●  The No. 10 Smithfield/#GoodFoodChallenge Ford Mustang raced to the top-five in the opening laps.

●  On lap 112, the caution was called with Aric in the seventh position. He pitted for four tires, fuel and adjustments.

●  Almirola pitted again on lap 125 under caution from 10th place for four tires, fuel and more chassis adjustments.

●  Another caution was called on lap 154. Almirola pitted for four tires, fuel and reversed prior adjustments.

●  He was handed an uncontrolled tire penalty and was demoted to the rear of the field.

●  Almirola raced back to 21st before the stage ended. He took four tires, fuel and adjustments following Stage 2.

 

Final Stage Recap (Laps 186-293):

●  Almirola started 21st and finished 12th.

●  Almirola said the No. 10 Smithfield/#GoodFoodChallenge Ford Mustang was building tighter at lap 202.

●  He pitted under caution on lap 216 for four tires, fuel and adjustments from the 17th position.

●  On lap 243, Almirola and the No. 10 Ford team began to see top-five lap speeds.

●  Almirola pitted on lap 255 for four fresh tires, fuel and adjustments and came off pit road 16th.

●  He gained four spots on the final restart and raced just outside of the top-10 before the checkered flag waved.

 

Notes:

●  This was Almirola’s third straight top-12. He finished eighth March 1 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California, and eighth in the series’ last race at Phoenix.

●  Almirola’s 12th-place result was just shy of bettering his previous best finish at Darlington – 11th, earned in the 2015 Southern 500.

●  There were 10 caution periods for a total of 57 laps.

●  Only 24 of the 40 drivers in The Real Heroes 400 finished on the lead lap.

●  Harvick remains the championship leader after Darlington with a 28-point advantage over second-place Bowman.

 

Aric Almirola, driver of the No. 10 Smithfield/#GoodFoodChallenge Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

“It was a decent day for us. When we had track position we ran up front. That was nice. Then we lost track position and got put to the back of the field. We just had to fight and climb our way back up for the rest of the race, but I’m really proud of my guys and I thought we had a top-10 car. We scored some stage points and had a solid day. I’m proud of everybody. I’m proud of NASCAR being

the first sport to get things going again. It was kind of eerie to walk out to pit road and not see anyone in the grandstands, but it sure felt good to get back in the race car and that thrill of competition was much needed. I hope everybody enjoyed it and I hope everybody got their fix on sports from watching us race. We’re one step closer back to normal. We’ll try again here Wednesday night and see if we can’t get it done. Congrats to Harvick on the win.”

 

Next Up: 

The NASCAR Cup Series returns to Darlington on Wednesday, May 20 for a 500-kilometer race. It starts at 7:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FS1 and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Views: 415
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William Byron goes back-to-back in eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series

by Mike
William Byron goes back-to-back in eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series

By Holly Cain
NASCAR Wire Service

William Byron became the first multi-time winner of the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series – holding off Timmy Hill by a mere .256-seconds at the virtual Richmond Raceway Sunday afternoon. It was Byron’s second consecutive win in the series – answering a victory at iRacing’s virtual Bristol Motor Speedway two weeks ago just before the Easter off-week. (more…)

Views: 537
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Entry Lists and Statistics – Virtual Richmond Raceway

by Mike
Entry Lists and Statistics – Virtual Richmond Raceway

Below are the entry lists (subject to change) and statistics for the Saturday Night Thunder and Sunday’s Toyota Owners 150 (1 p.m. ET on FOX – where available and subject to change, FS1 and the FOX Sports app) at virtual Richmond Raceway.

Note on iRacing stats below:

The stats are cumulative lifetime stats for each driver in public oval events in stock car disciplines (ranging from top-level Cup cars to Legends) on iRacing. It doesn’t include stats from private leagues. Statistics for drivers who have starts in the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series include those races run.



Saturday Night Thunder

Click for statistics (Coming soon)

Entry list is subject to change and will be updated here.

#00    Angela Ruch
#015    Drew Dollar
#099    Josh Bilicki
#1    Michael Annett
#2    Spencer Boyd
#4    Chase Cabre
#5    Bayley Currey
#5    Matt Mills
#7    Justin Allgaier
#8    Jeb Burton
#9    Noah Gragson
#10    Justin Haley
#13    Chad Finchum
#15    Brennan Poole
#19    Derek Kraus
#20    Harrison Burton
#22    Austin Cindric
#25    Stephen Leicht
#27    Ruben Garcia
#33    Anthony Alfredo
#34    Michael McDowell
#35    Todd Gilliland
#36    Jesse Iwuji
#40    Ryan Truex
#41    Cole Custer
#45    Ty Majeski
#52    Stewart Friesen
#53    Joey Gase
#54    Kyle Weatherman
#55    Will Rodgers
#57    Blake Koch
#63    Scott Stenzel
#67    Logan Seavey
#75    Landon Huffman
#78    Ryan Ellis
#81    Christian Eckes
#85    JJ Yeley
#88    Josh Berry
#89    Landon Cassill
#90    Alex Labbe
#93    Myatt Snider
#98    Chase Briscoe
#99    Elliott Sadler

Toyota Owners 150

Click for statistics (Coming Soon)

Entry list is subject to change and will be updated here.

Invited Race Entries
#1 Kurt Busch
#2 Brad Keselowski
#3 Austin Dillon
#4 Kevin Harvick
#6 Ross Chastain
#9 Chase Elliott
#11 Denny Hamlin
#12 Ryan Blaney
#13 Ty Dillon
#14 Clint Bowyer
#17 Chris Buescher
#18 Kyle Busch
#20 Erik Jones
#21 Matt DiBennedetto
#22 Joey Logano
#24 William Byron
#31 Tyler Reddick
#37 Ryan Preece
#38 John Hunter Nemechek
#43 Bubba Wallace
#48 Jimmie Johnson
#51 Garrett Smithley
#66 Timmy Hill
#77 Parker Kligerman
#88 Alex Bowman
#95 Christopher Bell

Qualifer Race Entries
#00 Quin Houff
#8 Dale Earnhardt Jr
#15 Brennan Poole
#19 Bobby Labonte
#32 Corey LaJoie
#34 Michael McDowell
#41 Cole Custer
#47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
#49 Chad Finchum
#52 JJ Yeley
#53 Joey Gase
#89 Landon Cassill
#96 Daniel Suarez

Views: 546
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Erik Jones / No. 20 Sport Clips Toyota Camry Preview

by Mike
Erik Jones / No. 20 Sport Clips Toyota Camry Preview

Toyota Owners 150 at Virtual Richmond Raceway

eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series

 

No. 20 Sport Clips Toyota Camry News and Notes:

  • JONES AT RICHMOND RACEWAY: In actual NASCAR races at Richmond Raceway, Erik Jones has six Cup Series starts with four top-15 finishes and a best-career finish of sixth in 2017 during his Rookie Season. In addition to his Cup Series starts, Jones has four starts at the Virginia short track in the Xfinity Series earning three top-five finishes and one pole starting position. He recorded his best finish at the track in the Xfinity Series in 2016 when he finished second.
  • FORMAT: This week’s eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series race at Richmond Raceway will consist of 150 laps with 30 drivers competing for the win. Drivers will qualify Sunday morning to set the field for the Toyota Owners 150.
  • ROUND 4: This week will mark round four of the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series. Jones has competed in the first three rounds and recorded his best finish of 10th at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway.
  • VIRTUAL BRITSOL RECAP: Erik Jones started and finished the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway in the 31st position after technical issues plagued Jones in the heat race and the race.
  • RACE INFO: The Toyota Owners 150 at Virtual Richmond Raceway is scheduled for Sunday, April 19, 2020. Coverage will begin at 1:00 p.m. ET on FOX and FOX Sports 1.

 

From the Driver’s Seat:

Erik Jones: “I’m looking forward to Richmond. I’ve got a new Sim setup for this weekend, so I think that will go really well. Richmond has been a pretty good track to me in the past in the Cup Series and in the Xfinity Series as well. I hope that we can go and have a good run and get out there and contend in the top 10, top five and have a good shot at it. I’ve been putting in some good time this week on the sim trying to figure out the track and continue to improve. Hopefully it all pays off this Sunday when we get racing.”

 

About Sport Clips

Sport Clips Haircuts is headquartered in Georgetown, Texas. It was established in 1993 and began franchising in 1995. The sports-themed haircutting franchise, which specializes in haircuts for men and boys, offers online check in for clients, and is ranked by Forbes as “Best Franchise to Buy” in the medium investment category and named a 2020 Top Franchise by Franchise Business Review. There are more than 1,850 Sport Clips stores open in the U.S. and Canada. Sport Clips is the “Official Haircutter” of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), offers veterans preferential pricing on haircuts and franchises, and was named a 2019 Top Franchise for Veterans by Entrepreneur. Sport Clips provides “Haircuts with Heart” through its annual Help A Hero fundraiser that has contributed nearly $8 million to the VFW; national partnership with St. Baldrick’s Foundation, the largest private funder of childhood cancer research grants; and other national and local philanthropic outreach. Sport Clips is a proud sponsor of Joe Gibbs Racing’s NASCAR drivers Erik Jones, Martin Truex, Jr., Kyle Busch, and Denny Hamlin; Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser-Sullivan Indy Car driver Santino Ferrucci; and partners with numerous NCAA and professional sports teams. To learn more about Sport Clips, visit sportclips.com.

Views: 533
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Denny Hamlin FedEx Racing Express Facts – Virtual Richmond Raceway

by Mike
Denny Hamlin FedEx Racing Express Facts – Virtual Richmond Raceway

Denny Hamlin

#11 “Thank you FedEx team members” Toyota

Joe Gibbs Racing

Virtual Race Info:

Race: Toyota Owners Pro Invitational

Date/Time: Sunday, April 19/1 p.m. ET

Race Distance: 150 Laps

Track Length: 0.75 miles

Track Shape: Oval

Banking: 14 degrees

Express Notes:

eNASCAR Bristol Recap: Denny Hamlin clawed his way from the back of the pack to a fourth-place finish in the April 5 eNASCAR Pro Invitational Series event at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway, earning a top-five in the “Thank you FedEx team members” Toyota. The event was the third in the iRacing video simulation series and the first featuring heat races before the main event. Hamlin spun and incurred damage during his 50-lap heat race, relegating him to the back of the starting grid. Rolling off 26th for the 150-lap main event, he raced with the damage for much of the day, gradually making his way toward the front. Once he reached the top 10, Hamlin used a fast repair – one of two “resets” allowed – to fix his FedEx Camry and give him a chance to race the leaders. He gained six more positions in the remaining laps but never caught up with the dominant car of William Byron, who led most of the day and won the race.

eNASCAR Richmond Preview: After a top-five finish at virtual Bristol, Hamlin will climb back into his iRacing rig on Sunday at his simulated hometown track of Richmond Raceway. Hamlin will look to add another win to his Pro Invitational Series run, in which he has one win and two top-five finishes through three races.

Hamlin and FedEx Provide Food Bank Donation: Ahead of this weekend’s eNASCAR event in Richmond, Hamlin and FedEx will donate more than 60,000 meals to the Chesterfield, Va., Food Bank. The Chesterfield Food Bank has seen an increase in demand since the start of the COVID-19 crisis, and the donation to the community in Hamlin’s hometown will provide much needed support. The 60,000 meals donated will provide food to more than 4,400 Chesterfield families for a week.

FedEx “Thank You” Paint Scheme: For Sunday’s eNASCAR event at virtual Richmond, the #11 car will pay tribute to the 475,000 FedEx team members who are working to deliver shipments around the world safely and securely during the COVID-19 pandemic. A special “Thank You” FedEx paint scheme will recognize all the FedEx team members who are working hard to deliver critical medical supplies and equipment to the healthcare community as well as basic goods to people at home.

Hamlin Conversation – Virtual Richmond:

What led you to making the donation to the Richmond Food Bank?

“Chesterfield will always be my home, so during these unprecedented and difficult times, we wanted to provide assistance to people in the community. I am grateful to FedEx for supporting a community that is so close to my heart. The people of Chesterfield are in my thoughts, and I know we will come through this stronger than before.”

You’ve been to Victory Lane at the real Richmond Raceway. Do you think you can do it virtually?

“Obviously, iRacing isn’t exactly the same as being behind the wheel of our real FedEx Camry, but it’s about as close as you can get using simulations. We’ve got one win already in this iRacing series, so I definitely think we can do it again.”

DATEEVENTLOCATIONSTARTFINISHLAPSSTATUSLED
Mar. 22Dixie Vodka 150Homestead91100/100Running14
Mar. 29O’Reilly 125Texas1724125/125Running0
Apr. 5Food City ShowdownBristol264150/150Running0
Averages/Totals17.39.6100% 14
Views: 439
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William Byron dominates in eNASCAR iRacing race at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway (results)

by Mike
William Byron dominates in eNASCAR iRacing race at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway (results)

A week after a late-race bump-and-run pass ended William Byron’s hope of a win in the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series, the Hendrick Motorsports driver who cut his teeth in the virtual racing world dominated a crash-filled Food City Showdown at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway. (more…)

Views: 537
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Bristol Invitational Advance – Clint Bowyer Simultaneously Simracing and Broadcasting

by Mike
Bristol Invitational Advance – Clint Bowyer Simultaneously Simracing and Broadcasting
Details:
 

• Race:  Food City Showdown (Round 3)

• Series:  eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series

• Time/Date:  1 p.m. EDT on Sunday, April 5

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

• Format:  Two 50-lap heat races followed by a 150-lap main event

• Note:  Finish of each heat race determines starting order of main event.

 

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

• Twitch.tv/StewartHaaseSports (Stream begins at 12:30 p.m. EDT)

 

DYK?:
 

• Last Sunday’s eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series race at the virtual Texas Motor Speedway was the most-watched esports event on TV in United States history. Simulcast on FOX and FS1, 1.34 million viewers tuned in, breaking the previous record set by the first eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series race March 22 at the virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway by 47 percent. That broadcast earned 903,000 viewers on FS1 alone, which bested the previous record of 770,000 viewers when Mortal Kombat aired on The CW in 2016.

 

Overview:
 

• The eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series is an exhibition esports series featuring a collection of past and present racecar drivers from the NASCAR Cup Series.

 

• 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.

 

Clint Bowyer, Driver of the No. 14 Smithfield Ford Mustang:
 

“It’s as if iRacing had been started and built 15 years ago for this very moment, for this very situation. I’ve watched these races and, production-wise, I’ve known that it was good and it keeps getting better. The camera angles, everything, it’s pretty damn realistic and pretty damn good, and I think this weekend at Bristol will be even bigger.

 

“There are certain guys that when you get on the sim in any given week, whether it’s the day or the evening, that you look for because you know that they’ve got experience and track time and seat time in the sim and on iRacing. Parker Kligerman, Garrett Smithley, Timmy Hill, William Byron, Alex Bowman, Denny Hamlin, Dale Earnhardt Jr. – these are all guys that have a ton of experience. When they get on the racetrack, trust me, you need to get out there with them and learn as much as you can, follow them and everything else. You’ll see my Smithfield Ford Mustang behind them so I can figure out how to eventually get in front of them.”

 

 

• Bowyer started 15th and finished 11th in last week’s eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series race at Texas.

 

• Bowyer considers himself a hobby iRacer. Sunday’s race at Bristol will be just his third official iRacing start in a virtual NASCAR Cup Series race.

 

• Bowyer’s eponymous iRacing team competes in the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series with drivers Brandon Kettelle and Brian Schoenberg, and Bowyer’s dirt late model team has been sponsored by iRacing for several years.

 

• In actual NASCAR Cup Series racing at Bristol, Bowyer has seven top-five and 15 top-10 finishes in 28 career starts.

 

• Bowyer’s best Bristol finish is second, earned in April 2017.

 

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.

Views: 492
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