At this point, we have no sports, indefinitely. So we have to find other ways to entertain ourselves and eSports is one of those options. 2020 was set to a be a huge year for eSports long before the coronavirus outbreak, and now with social distancing becoming the norm and shelter-in-place orders becoming more commonplace, virtual sports will take off. Whatever your favorite igaming website is, they are likely to see a huge boost in page views, as esports are going to be next big thing now.
NASCAR, which is cancelled through May 3, is now launching iRacing, an eNASCAR Pro Invitational Series, an exhibition esports series featuring many of the sports most talented and popular drivers.
“Until we have cars back on track, the entire NASCAR community has aligned to provide our passionate fans with a unique, fun and competitive experience on race day,” said Ben Kennedy, NASCAR VP for racing development.
“Our long-time partners at iRacing offer an incredible product and we are excited to see how many of our best drivers will stack up in the virtual domain of competitive racing.”
There will be representation from all three of the major levels of NASCAR- Cup, Xfinity and truck.
Taking part in the series are several of the sport’s biggest stars, including: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Clint Bowyer, Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell. Payouts in iRacing can reach more than $300,000.
The iRacing elite series features NASCAR and professional esports teams, including those established by NASCAR Cup Series drivers William Byron, Denny Hamlin and Austin Dillon.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly appears on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
You can follow Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com on Twitter here and his cat on Instagram at this link.