NASCAR’s Virtual Races Being Televised

Fox Sports announced that they’ll be broadcasting the virtual season of NASCAR. These virtual racing venues will compile various rising stars and legends throughout the NASCAR Community, which will be maintained through the iRacing Sim Platform. Those wanting to support these virtual races can watch the broadcasts at 1PM Eastern Central Time on Sundays. It’ll also be provided through the Fox Sports Applications for subscribers. This is the same time slot provided to the standard NASCAR Seasons, which were forced into postponement after the American Government implemented social distancing measures.

FOX Sports didn’t provide details regarding how many NASCAR races will be held throughout this virtual season. That’s because NASCAR executives haven’t determined when the regular season will be returned. It’ll be dependent on when social distancing measures are deregulated throughout the United States. It should be noted that these NASCAR Drivers don’t receive championship points or payment for competing in these virtual races. It’s purely for entertainment, with numerous motorsports using Sim Racing in the last fourteen days.

The 1st Virtual Races

NASCAR received the concept to hold virtual races through video games by copying Formula One, their most significant competitor for new fans. Formula One Organizers created the virtual GP series during Mid-March and allowed for notable drivers to compete against each other. It saw competitors like Nico Hulkenberg or Lando Norris drive against professional golfers and television broadcasters. Though the race was a disaster in comparison to a real-life Grand Prix, it was still entertaining and prompted NASCAR to implement similar strategies. It should be noted that IndyCar has also followed an identical Virtual GP strategy to Formula One.

It’s not known if NASCAR will allow for individuals outside the community to compete in these virtual races. Formula One isn’t expected to follow the same strategy with their secondary virtual Grand Prix, which will exclusively host professional sim racers or drivers from the F1 Community. This followed after the destructive nature of the initial Grand Prix. It’s suspected that NASCAR won’t allow for similar issues to occur with their 1st race on March 29th. Those without Fox Sports can watch broadcasts on YouTube or listen-in on iHeart Radio.