eNASCAR was launched in 2018, by the parent company,
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and h ...
, to act as the
Esports arm of the auto-racing body. The organization primarily uses the ''
iRacing
''iRacing'' is a subscription-based online racing simulation video game developed and published by iRacing.com Motorsport Simulations in 2008. All in-game sessions are hosted on the publisher's servers. The game simulates real world cars, tr ...
'' game via a
PC platform for organizing its competitions, but has previously used other systems, such as those created by
Xbox
Xbox is a video gaming brand created and owned by Microsoft. The brand consists of five video game consoles, as well as applications (games), streaming services, an online service by the name of Xbox network, and the development arm by th ...
and
PlayStation
is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a di ...
, and other games. As of 2022, eNASCAR officially sanctions three leagues.
Current series
eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series
The series was founded in 2010, in a partnership with ''iRacing'', with the first race taking place on February 9, 2010. The 2021 champion is Keegan Leahy of
23XI Racing
23XI Racing (pronounced twenty-three eleven) is an American professional auto racing organization that competes in the NASCAR Cup Series. It is owned and operated by Hall of Fame basketball player Michael Jordan, with current Joe Gibbs Racing dri ...
.
The regular season consists of 14 rounds, and one exhibition, that begins in mid-February, at
Daytona International Speedway
Daytona International Speedway is a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. Since opening in 1959, it has been the home of the Daytona 500, the most prestigious race in NASCAR as well as its season opening event. In addition to NASC ...
, and ends in August. A total of 40 racers, who race
Cup
A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, c ...
-style cars, compete for ten spots in the playoffs. Points are gained for each race using the current
Cup Series format. The ten drivers then qualify for the playoffs with all their points increased to 2,000 plus three bonus points for each win. Each winner of the following three races make the playoffs, as do the highest non-winning drivers until there are four finalists. The winner of the series is determined by which of the four finalists finishes ahead of the other three in the final round.
eNASCAR College iRacing Series
In 2022, NASCAR and collegiate esports league NACE Starleague joined to form the eNASCAR College iRacing Series. The three-round series allows full-time college students to compete for a chance to win scholarships. The series uses the iRacing platform to host the races with racers using
Truck Series chassis. Each round has a two-week time-trial event that takes place a few weeks prior to the race in which the fastest 40 entries make the final race. Only one entry per school is permitted to make the race. As of 2022, the winning driver receives a $3,000 scholarship, second place a $1,000, and third $500.
DBOX eNASCAR International Series
In June 2021, NASCAR announced a three-race international series that would be hosted on the ''iRacing'' platform. The series, which will use
Xfinity Series
The NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) is a stock car racing series organized by NASCAR. It is promoted as NASCAR's second-tier circuit to the organization's top level Cup Series. NXS events are frequently held as a support race on the day prior to ...
vehicles, will allow non-American racers to compete in a NASCAR-sanctioned eSports series. The inaugural year consisted of a three-course schedule, which grew to five races in 2022. Members of the
NASCAR Pinty's Series
The NASCAR Pinty's Series (french: Série NASCAR Pinty's), commonly abbreviated as NPS, is a national NASCAR racing series in Canada, and is a continuation of the old CASCAR Super Series which was founded in 1981.
History
In September 2006 NASCA ...
(Canada),
NASCAR Mexico Series, and
NASCAR Whelen Euro Series
The NASCAR Whelen Euro Series (formerly known as Racecar Euro Series and Euro-Racecar NASCAR Touring Series) is an official NASCAR stock-car racing series based in Europe. It is one of NASCAR's three international-sanctioned series, alongside the ...
(Europe) are eligible for the series, as are the members of NASCAR's 2022
Drive for Diversity
The Drive for Diversity (D4D) program is a development system instituted by the American auto racing league NASCAR. The program's purpose is to attract minority and female individuals to the sport, primarily as drivers, but also including ownersh ...
class.
Former series
eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series
While NASCAR was delayed in 2020, due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...
, NASCAR arranged for drivers, both past and present, a series on the ''iRacing'' platform. On March 22, 2020, 903,000 people watched the first race at the
Homestead–Miami Speedway
Homestead–Miami Speedway is a motor racing track located in Homestead, Florida. The track, which has several configurations, has promoted several series of racing, including NASCAR, the IndyCar Series, the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship ser ...
virtual track, which was an eSports television rating record. This was surpassed a week later when more than 1.3 million people tuned into the virtual race at
Texas Motor Speedway
Texas Motor Speedway is a speedway located in the northernmost portion of the U.S. city of Fort Worth, Texas – the portion located in Denton County, Texas. The reconfigured track measures with banked 20° in turns 1 and 2 and banked 2 ...
.
The series was renewed in 2021, for ten races, and featured never-run courses such as a dirt track at
Bristol Motor Speedway
Bristol Motor Speedway, formerly known as Bristol International Raceway and Bristol Raceway, is a NASCAR short track venue located in Bristol, Tennessee. Constructed in 1960, it held its first NASCAR race on July 30, 1961. Bristol is among the m ...
and a fictitious Chicago
street course
A street circuit is a motorsport racing circuit composed of temporarily closed-off public roads of a city, town or village, used in motor races. Airport runways and taxiways are also sometimes part of street circuits. Facilities such as the p ...
. After five races, the series was indefinitely discontinued.
eNASCAR Heat Pro League
The Heat Pro League ran for two seasons, from 2019 to 2020. The 14-event league featured 28 gamers competing virtually on ''
NASCAR Heat'' via the
PlayStation 4
The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013 in ...
and
Xbox One
The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third base console in the Xbox series of video game consoles. It was first released in North America, parts of ...
consoles. The series ended when ''
NASCAR 21: Ignition'' was released.
References
External links
Official websiteiRacing website
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