NASCAR on FOX is expanding its live broadcasts of eNASCAR Pro Invitational iRacing Series events to include broadcasts of all races on FOX, FOX Sports 1 and the FOX Sports app, beginning with Sunday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts 125 at virtual Texas Motor Speedway.
“This rapid-fire collaboration between FOX Sports, NASCAR and iRacing obviously has resonated with race fans, gamers and television viewers across the country in a very positive way,” FOX Sports Executive Producer, Executive Vice President and Head of Production & Operations Brad Zager, said. “We have learned so much in a relatively short period of time, and we are excited to expand coverage of this brand-new NASCAR esports series to an even wider audience.”
The virtual NASCAR racing series was created through a partnership between NASCAR and iRacing to fill a void amid the COVID-19, or coronavirus, pandemic. The series ran its first race at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway on March 22. The live broadcast of that race on FOX Sports 1 attracted over 900,000 viewers.
“We’re overwhelmed by the positive feedback and encouragement sent by industry stakeholders, drivers, partners, media and most importantly, our fans. We all can’t wait to get back to racing and our partners at iRacing and FOX have worked with us to do just that – race,” NASCAR Senior Vice President and Chief Digital Officer Tim Clark said. “We are committed to running these eNASCAR iRacing events in place of the NASCAR Cup Series for as long as necessary. Providing a platform for our fans to watch and engage with their favorite drivers is our number one priority.”
NASCAR on FOX broadcasters Jeff Gordon, Larry McReynolds and Mike Joy will continue to provide play-by-play on the TV broadcasts.
“The response on social media to last Sunday’s race has been incredible,” Gordon said. “We were able to broadcast a virtual race that was exciting and entertaining. It brought a little bit of ‘normalcy’ back to the weekend, and I can’t wait to call the action Sunday at Texas.”
Competitor Clint Bowyer will continue as an “in-car” analyst.
The series is open to NASCAR national-level competitors. The race field for the virtual Homestead race was predominantly made up of NASCAR Cup Series drivers [29 of a total 35]. Cup Series drivers who enter are guaranteed race starting positions, as long as 35 or fewer of them enter. The 35-car race fields are, then, completed by NASCAR Xfinity and Gander RV & Outdoors Truck series drivers, who race their way in through qualifying races.
The series will continue until NASCAR returns to read-world racing.
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