The eNASCAR season opener is fast approaching, so for those interested in following the eNASCAR iRacing Series, here is everything you need to know about the virtual stock car racing season ahead!
Image credit: iRacing.com
NASCAR may be relatively niche outside of North America due to the stigma surrounding predominantly oval racing, but across the Atlantic it is simply second to none in motorsport. Therefore, it is no surprise that they have a very successful sim racing series on iRacing.
The new season begins in only a few weeks, so if you are interested in following the series, we have compiled all the details like teams, drivers and the schedule along with how to follow eNASCAR in 2024!
Firstly, reigning champion Steven Wilson has jumped ship to M80, an American gaming organisation that have expanded into eNASCAR this year. He will be paired up alongside fellow eNASCAR champion Ryan Luza.
The three other contenders from the finale last year Tucker Minter, Garrett Lowe and former champion Nick Ottinger are also gearing up for another shot at the title. Minter and Ottinger will be teammates at the sim racing team of 2023 NASCAR Cup Series 3rd place finisher William Byron.
Meanwhile, Garrett Lowe will head up the first assault on eNASCAR from prominent sim racing outfit BS+COMPETITION. He will be joined by Jordy Lopez.
Now for a name some of you may know, Casey Kirwan. The 2022 eNASCAR champion and reigning Porsche Esports All-Stars champion up until this year raced for XSET, even taking victory in the IMSA Esports Global Championship finale. He has now jumped ship to real life NASCAR outfit Spire Motorsports.
Along with William Byron and Spire, there are other orgs with links to real life NASCAR. Team Dillon Esports is the outfit of NASCAR Cup racers Austin and Ty Dillon, 2014 Cup Series Champion Kevin Harvick has his own sim racing outfit too. Joe Gibbs Racing even has a presence in eNASCAR, as does Michael Jordan’s 23XI squad and Brad Keselowski’s RFK Racing.
2013 Indy 500 winner Tony Kanaan has a team present in the series, as does 16-times X Games gold medalist Travis Pastrana with Nitro Circus Sim Racing Team. There is even an F1 team’s esports division in eNASCAR, Williams Esports. They have kept on Donovan Strauss who won the final race last season, and signed Parker White who will also be representing them in the Porsche Esports Supercup.
As for still active past eNASCAR champions; Keegan Leahy remains with 23XI, 4-time champion Ray Alfalla returns after a year on the sidelines with eRacr and Zak Novak is heading up the challenge of new team OXYGEN Esports.
Making it into the playoffs requires the driver to either be in the top 10 in the standings, or by having at least one win and being in the top 20 providing one of the drivers in the top 10 has not won a race. With the exception of the points leader, but it is perhaps unlikely that the driver on top of the standings has not won a race.
For the three playoff races before the finale, the top 10 drivers start with 2000 points plus the additional points for winning stages and races, with the most points a driver can start the playoffs with being 2085. Finally, the onsite finale at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, North Carolina has the top four drivers after the playoffs all given the same amount of points and whoever finishes ahead out of the four contenders is the champion.
Multiple events this season employ different formats. Some consist of a heat system and others are made up of sprint races. Additionally, some of the events will have the drivers running fixed setups. There are new races for this season on the Iowa oval and Brands Hatch, the latter of which succeeds Monza as the designated round on a track from outside the US.
Aside from Brands Hatch and the Chicago street circuit, the rest of the series will take place on ovals. The schedule for the season is as follows:
If watching that puts you in the mood to follow the series, you can follow all races via iRacing‘s YouTube and NASCAR’s Twitch channels. Broadcasts tend to begin around 2am CET, but if you do not plan to follow it live, all races will be available to watch as playback via YouTube.
Those who fall in the top 20 can then race the bottom 20 in the main series via the Contender Series. Typically taking place in the last couple of months of the year. If you want to start planning your road to pro, check out our piece on how to potentially qualify for eNASCAR.
Plus if you are just starting out oval racing, our resident oval warrior Elz Indriani has put together a guide that may be able to help you get up to speed!
Do you plan on following or attempting to qualify for the eNASCAR iRacing Series? Tell us on Twitter at @OverTake_gg or in the comments down below!
Image credit: iRacing.com
NASCAR may be relatively niche outside of North America due to the stigma surrounding predominantly oval racing, but across the Atlantic it is simply second to none in motorsport. Therefore, it is no surprise that they have a very successful sim racing series on iRacing.
The new season begins in only a few weeks, so if you are interested in following the series, we have compiled all the details like teams, drivers and the schedule along with how to follow eNASCAR in 2024!
eNASCAR 2024: Drivers & Teams
In eNASCAR, all drivers take part in a draft like a lot of other American sports. All drivers have now been selected and 20 teams of two drivers each will take on the 18 rounds across the season.Firstly, reigning champion Steven Wilson has jumped ship to M80, an American gaming organisation that have expanded into eNASCAR this year. He will be paired up alongside fellow eNASCAR champion Ryan Luza.
The three other contenders from the finale last year Tucker Minter, Garrett Lowe and former champion Nick Ottinger are also gearing up for another shot at the title. Minter and Ottinger will be teammates at the sim racing team of 2023 NASCAR Cup Series 3rd place finisher William Byron.
Meanwhile, Garrett Lowe will head up the first assault on eNASCAR from prominent sim racing outfit BS+COMPETITION. He will be joined by Jordy Lopez.
Now for a name some of you may know, Casey Kirwan. The 2022 eNASCAR champion and reigning Porsche Esports All-Stars champion up until this year raced for XSET, even taking victory in the IMSA Esports Global Championship finale. He has now jumped ship to real life NASCAR outfit Spire Motorsports.
Along with William Byron and Spire, there are other orgs with links to real life NASCAR. Team Dillon Esports is the outfit of NASCAR Cup racers Austin and Ty Dillon, 2014 Cup Series Champion Kevin Harvick has his own sim racing outfit too. Joe Gibbs Racing even has a presence in eNASCAR, as does Michael Jordan’s 23XI squad and Brad Keselowski’s RFK Racing.
2013 Indy 500 winner Tony Kanaan has a team present in the series, as does 16-times X Games gold medalist Travis Pastrana with Nitro Circus Sim Racing Team. There is even an F1 team’s esports division in eNASCAR, Williams Esports. They have kept on Donovan Strauss who won the final race last season, and signed Parker White who will also be representing them in the Porsche Esports Supercup.
As for still active past eNASCAR champions; Keegan Leahy remains with 23XI, 4-time champion Ray Alfalla returns after a year on the sidelines with eRacr and Zak Novak is heading up the challenge of new team OXYGEN Esports.
Format: Stages & Playoffs
To keep things interesting, like the real life NASCAR the sim racing series adopts the same structure with stages and playoffs. The first 14 races are divided into three stages, where each driver who scores the most points in each stage earns a bonus $3,000 prize and points in the playoffs.Making it into the playoffs requires the driver to either be in the top 10 in the standings, or by having at least one win and being in the top 20 providing one of the drivers in the top 10 has not won a race. With the exception of the points leader, but it is perhaps unlikely that the driver on top of the standings has not won a race.
For the three playoff races before the finale, the top 10 drivers start with 2000 points plus the additional points for winning stages and races, with the most points a driver can start the playoffs with being 2085. Finally, the onsite finale at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, North Carolina has the top four drivers after the playoffs all given the same amount of points and whoever finishes ahead out of the four contenders is the champion.
Multiple events this season employ different formats. Some consist of a heat system and others are made up of sprint races. Additionally, some of the events will have the drivers running fixed setups. There are new races for this season on the Iowa oval and Brands Hatch, the latter of which succeeds Monza as the designated round on a track from outside the US.
Aside from Brands Hatch and the Chicago street circuit, the rest of the series will take place on ovals. The schedule for the season is as follows:
Stage 1:
- Rd 1: Daytona International Speedway – 13 February (Fixed Setup)
- Rd 2: Las Vegas Motor Speedway – 27 February
- Rd 3: Atlanta Motor Speedway – 12 March (Fixed Setup)
- Rd 4: Richmond Raceway – 26 March (Heats)
Stage 2:
- Rd 5: Brands Hatch Circuit – 9 April (Sprints)
- Rd 6: Dover Motor Speedway – 23 April
- Rd 7: Talladega Superspeedway – 30 April (Fixed Setup)
- Rd 8: Charlotte Motor Speedway – 14 May
- Rd 9: Darlington Raceway – 28 May
Stage 3:
- Rd 10: Iowa Speedway – 11 June (Heats)
- Rd 11: Nashville Superspeedway – 25 June
- Rd 12: Chicago Street Course – 2 July (Fixed Setup / Sprints)
- Rd 13: Indianapolis Motor Speedway – 16 July
- Rd 14: Pocono Raceway – 30 July
Playoffs:
- Rd 15: Michigan International Speedway – 13 August
- Rd 16: Texas Motor Speedway – 27 August
- Rd 17: Phoenix Raceway – 10 September
Championship Finale
- Rd 18: Homestead Miami Speedway – 1 October (Live Audience Event)
If watching that puts you in the mood to follow the series, you can follow all races via iRacing‘s YouTube and NASCAR’s Twitch channels. Broadcasts tend to begin around 2am CET, but if you do not plan to follow it live, all races will be available to watch as playback via YouTube.
How to Race eNASCAR
Contrary to the consensus of most sim racing esports championships, eNASCAR is open to anybody. The eNASCAR Road to Pro Qualifying Series runs in tandem with the main series, with drivers qualifying directly through iRacing.Those who fall in the top 20 can then race the bottom 20 in the main series via the Contender Series. Typically taking place in the last couple of months of the year. If you want to start planning your road to pro, check out our piece on how to potentially qualify for eNASCAR.
Plus if you are just starting out oval racing, our resident oval warrior Elz Indriani has put together a guide that may be able to help you get up to speed!
Do you plan on following or attempting to qualify for the eNASCAR iRacing Series? Tell us on Twitter at @OverTake_gg or in the comments down below!
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