Category: NASCAR Cup PR

eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series
Next Race: O’Reilly Auto Parts 125
The Place: Virtual Texas Motor Speedway
The Date: Sunday, March 29
The Time: 1 p.m. ET
TV: FOX (where available and subject to change), FS1 and FOX Sports App
Distance: 125 Laps

eNASCAR Pro Invitational Qualifier
The Place: Virtual Texas Motor Speedway
The Date: Sunday, March 29
The Time: 10:55 a.m. ET
Online: enascar.com/live
Distance: 30 Laps, No Cautions

More fun to come in Sunday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts 125

While NASCAR’s on-track activity has been postponed through the weekend of May 3rd to align with CDC guidance, drivers and fans are turning to the virtual world to see some of the best racing competition around.

Last Sunday, NASCAR, iRacing and FOX Sports teamed up to deliver the first-ever eNASCAR iRacing Pro invitational Series event, the Dixie Vodka 150, at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway. This week, FOX Sports announced their commitment to cover the remainder of the season, beginning Sunday, March 29, at 1 p.m. ET from virtual Texas Motor Speedway with the O’Reilly Auto Parts 125.

Entitled FOX NASCAR iRacing, the races will be simulcast on the FOX broadcast network where available, FS1 and the FOX Sports app. Races will also be available in Canada through FOX Sports Racing.

Last weekend’s inaugural event, won by three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin, drew 903,000 viewers on FS1, according to Nielsen Media Research. Fox Sports iRacing was the most-watched telecast on FS1 since the pandemic-induced sports shutdown began on March 12 and Sunday’s most-watched sports telecast on cable television, as well as ranks as the highest-rated esports TV program in history.

Additionally, according to rankings by Twitter interactions, the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series on FS1 was the #1 most-social TV program overall on Sunday. NASCAR-owned content related to the event also produced more than one million engagements throughout the weekend.

Again this Sunday the event will feature FOX NASCAR broadcasters Jeff Gordon, Mike Joy and Larry McReynolds calling the action. They will be complimented by Stewart-Haas Racing driver Clint Bowyer, scheduled to return as the in-car analyst while competing from a simulator in the FOX NASCAR Charlotte studio.

Fans can watch the eNASCAR Pro Invitational Qualifier race online

This week the qualifier race to fill the final four spots in the 35-car field will be streamed for fans to watch.

The eNASCAR Pro Invitational Qualifier will take place at 10:55 a.m. ET at eNASCAR.com/live.

34 qualifiers from the NASCAR Xfinity Series, NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series and regional series are scheduled to battle to join the 31 drivers locked in to Sunday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts 125 at 1 p.m. ET on FOX (where available, subject to change), FS1 and the FOX Sports App.

The race will consist of 30 laps at Texas Motor Speedway and there will be no cautions.

Note – should there be any late additions or drops to the list of guaranteed entries, that will impact the number of qualifiers advancing from the eNASCAR Pro Invitational Qualifier.

Sunday’s run of show and race format

Below is a breakdown of Sunday’s run of show for the eNASCAR Pro Invitational Qualifier and the O’Reilly Auto Parts 125:

eNASCAR Pro Invitational Qualifying Race

10:30 a.m. – Practice begins

10:55 a.m. – Qualifying begins, 5 minutes – 2 laps

11:02 a.m. – Race begins – 30 laps, no cautions

O’Reilly Auto Parts 125

12:00 p.m. – Practice begins

12:50 p.m. – Qualifying begins, 3 minutes – 2 laps

12:54pm – Warmup begins (set to 45 minutes, will advance on FOX command)

1:00pm – Broadcast Begins

1:13pm – Green flag – 125 laps

Sunday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts 125 will consist of 125 laps with double-file restarts and lapped cars will go to the rear. There will be three attempts at a green-white-checkered finish, if necessary.

Drivers will be allowed one fast repair this week at virtual Texas Motor Speedway. If a car is damaged, drivers must drive back to their pit stall and come to a complete stop. This will automatically apply the fast repair and give the driver a new car.

Fantasy eNASCAR available for fans

Fantasy offerings for Sunday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts 125 1 p.m. ET on FOX – where available and subject to change, FS1 and the FOX Sports app) are growing.

This weekend DraftKings, in collaboration with NASCAR, has put together a $10K winner-take-all Sportsbook Pools contest. Free to enter, the contest requires participants to submit their picks for questions like, “Who will have the highest finish this week?” and “Will the winning car number be odd or even?” The participant with the most correct answers wins, pursuant to NASCAR official rules and scoring.

Last weekend’s kick-off race garnered over 13K unique entries, adding to the over 300K people participating in overall free-to-play pools entries since mid-March.

Over the airwaves overseas

Sunday’s eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series race from virtual Texas Motor Speedway will be available to our international affiliates in 165 countries and territories, reaching over 300 million households.

Including the United States, the show will be available to over 400 million households worldwide.

Below is a lineup of broadcasters:

Texas Motor Speedway – eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series
Arena Sport	Czech Republic, Slovakia
Astro	Malaysia
Automoto La Chaine	France, Belgium, Turkey
Discovery	India
ESPN Latam	Argentina, Colombia, Chile
FOX Sports Australia	Australia
FOX Sports Mexico	Mexico
MatchTV	Russia
MAX Sport	Bulgaria
Motowizja	Poland
Premier Sports	UK
Sport TV Portugal	Portugal
Sport1/Motorvision	Austria, Switzerland, German
Sportitalia	Italy
SportKlub Balkans	Croatia
SportsKlub Poland	Poland
SuperSport Africa	Sub-Saharan and West Africa
Telcel	Mexico
TSN	Canada
TV3 Spain	Spain
Viasat Sweden	Sweden
Viasat Denmark	Denmark
Viasat Finland	Finland
Viasat Norway	Norway
Ziggo Sport	Netherlands

Giving back

The regular season may be on hold but NASCAR’s regular and passionate commitment to giving remains strong as the world deals with the COVID-19 coronavirus.

The NASCAR Foundation has partnered with the sport’s race facilities to help those immediately impacted by the virus in local communities. It hosted a Feed the Children campaign last week in the Homestead-Miami area where the sport was scheduled to compete on track and instead debuted the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series. The plan is to go forward with similar charitable organizations in other markets.

At the Homestead-Miami Event on March 22, for example, the NASCAR Foundation and other industry partners raised almost $40,000 for “response efforts” including a donation to the area’s Feed the Children organization. The group will use the funds to distribute supplies – including food, cleaning supplies and other daily essentials – to local schools in the community. Dixie Vodka, iRacing, FOX Sports and Coca-Cola Racing joined drivers Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick by either pledging or donating supplies/money during the Homestead-Miami iRacing event.

This week, the NASCAR Foundation, will work with Speedway Children’s Charities – the official charity of Speedway Motorsports, which owns Texas Motor Speedway – site of this week’s iRacing event. The organizations will partner up with the American Red Cross to help “lifesaving missions” in North Texas because of COVID-19. Specially, this effort will make sure the American Red Cross is prepared for patients and their critical needs for people “affected by disasters big and small.”

Similar partnerships with the industry and local charities are expected. Donations are currently being accepted in support of these efforts at: NASCARfoundation.org/response.

Statistical Notes

A wide range of drivers with various experience both at Texas Motor Speedway and in iRacing will be contending in this Sunday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts 125 in the second race of the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series (1 p.m. ET on FOX – where available and subject to change, FS1 and the FOX Sports app).

Below is a list of anticipated participants (listed alphabetically), their statistics, and career highlights, for the second race of the series. Please note, the participant list is subject to change.

Note on iRacing stats below:

The stats are cumulative lifetime stats for each driver in public oval events in stock car disciplines (ranging from top-level Cup cars to Legends) on iRacing. It doesn’t include stats from private leagues. Statistics for drivers who have starts in the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series include those races run.

There are currently 31 guaranteed entries for today’s race. The 35-car field will be filled by drivers from a multitude of other series, including the NASCAR Xfinity Series, NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series and regional series, who will compete in a qualifying race in the morning. Thirty-four drivers will vie for the final four spots.

Drivers with guaranteed spots are as follows (list is subject to change and will be updated in the News & Notes on NASCARMedia.com if necessary):

#1 Kurt Busch

#3 Austin Dillon

#6 Ross Chastain

#8 Dale Earnhardt Jr

#9 Chase Elliott

#11 Denny Hamlin

#12 Ryan Blaney

#13 Ty Dillon

#14 Clint Bowyer

#16 Greg Biffle

#17 Chris Buescher

#18 Kyle Busch

#19 Bobby Labonte

#20 Erik Jones

#21 Matt Dibenedetto

#24 William Byron

#31 Tyler Reddick

#34 Michael McDowell

#37 Ryan Preece

#38 John Hunter Nemechek

#42 Kyle Larson

#43 Bubba Wallace

#47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr

#48 Jimmie Johnson

#51 Garrett Smithley

#66 Timmy Hill

#77 Parker Kligerman

#88 Alex Bowman

#89 Landon Cassill

#95 Christopher Bell

#96 Daniel Suarez

The drivers who need to qualify are as follows (list is subject to change and will be updated in the News & Notes on NASCARMedia.com if necessary):

#7 Justin Allgaier

#15 Brennan Poole

#16 Justin Haley

#22 Austin Cindric

#23 Sam Mayer

#26 Tyler Ankrum

#27 Ruben Garcia

#29 Kaz Grala

#29a Trevor Bayne

#33 Anthony Alfredo

#35 Todd Gilliland

#36 Jesse Iwuji

#40 Ryan Truex

#45 Ty Majeski

#46 Chandler Smith

#50 Jeffrey Earnhardt

#52 Stewart Friesen

#53 Joey Gase

#54 Kyle Weatherman

#63 Scott Stenzel

#68 Brandon Brown

#74 Sheldon Creed

#78 Ryan Ellis

#80 Joe Graf Jr.

#81 Christian Eckes

#90 Alex Labbe

#93 Myatt Snider

#98 Chase Briscoe

#99 Harrison Burton

#02 Spencer Boyd

#08 Jeb Burton

#TBD Derek Kraus

#TBD Drew Dollar

#TBD JJ Yeley

Guaranteed spots in the O’Reilly Auto Parts 125 (drivers listed in alphabetical order):

Christopher Bell – iRacing #95

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 96 Leavine Family Racing Toyota

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: N/A

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 5 starts, 1 win, 3 top fives, 4 top 10

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 5 starts, 1 win, 2 top fives, 3 top 10s

Highlights:

Bell won his most recent outing at Texas Motor Speedway, last fall in the Xfinity Series. He also has a Gander Trucks win there (spring, 2017
Bell made his NASCAR national series track debut at Texas in the Gander Trucks in 2015
In 2019, Bell won a NASCAR Xfinity Series career-high eight races after setting the rookie single season Xfinity Series wins record with seven victories in 2018
In 2017, he won the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series championship and captured five race wins along the way

Overall iRacing Stats

1027 starts, 237 wins, 556 top fives and 132 poles
Finished 27th last week at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway

Greg Biffle – iRacing #16

Current Series/Occupation: Former NASCAR Cup Series driver, part-time NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series – No. 54 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 26 starts, 2 wins (2005, ’12), 8 top fives, 13 top fives

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 10 starts, 0 wins, three top fives, five top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 6 starts, 2 wins (2000, ’19), 4 top fives, 4 top 10s

Highlights:

Has made starts at Texas in all three NASCAR national series with four wins (two in Cup and two in Gander Trucks)
Has a total of 56 NASCAR national series wins.
2005 NASCAR Cup Series championship runner-up
2002 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion.
2000 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series champion.

iRacing Stats

N/A

Ryan Blaney – iRacing #12

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 12 Team Penske Ford

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 10 starts, 0 wins, 2 top fives, 4 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 6 starts, 1 win, 5 top fives, 6 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 3 starts, 0 wins, 2 top fives, 2 top 10s

Highlights:

· Has won a race and earned a Cup Series Playoff berth in each season from 2017-19 and has three total wins in the Cup Series.

Finished runner-up in 2014 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series standings, won most popular driver in the series
· Won 2013 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award

Overall iRacing Stats

· N/A

Alex Bowman – iRacing #88

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 9 starts, 0 wins, 1 top five, 1 top 10

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 2 start, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

Bowman’s best Cup Series finish at Texas came last fall, a fifth-place effort
Bowman started on the pole in both of his Xfinity Series races, which took place in 2013
Bowman made his NASCAR national series track debut at Miami in the Xfinity Series in 2013
Bowman captured his second career NASCAR Cup Series win earlier this season at Auto Club Speedway. His first came last year at Chicagoland Speedway
Bowman filled in the No. 88 for 10 races in 2016 while Dale Earnhardt Jr. was sidelined with concussion symptoms. He took over the ride fulltime in 2018 following Earnhardt’s retirement
He was the 2011 NASCAR Menards Series East and the 2012 ARCA Menards Series rookie of the year

Overall iRacing Stats

1 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives and 0 poles
Finished sixth last week at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway

Clint Bowyer – iRacing #14

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 28 starts, 0 wins, 4 top fives, 12 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 11 start, 0 wins, 3 top fives, 6 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 1 start, 1 win, 1 top five, 1 top 10

Highlights:

His best NASCAR Cup Series finishes at Texas were runner-up results in the spring race last year and also in 2011
Bowyer won his only Gander Trucks start at Texas from the pole in the fall of 2006
Bowyer made his NASCAR national series track debut at Miami in the Xfinity Series in 2004
In 2019, Bowyer qualified for the Playoffs on points and finished ninth in the series standing
Bowyer was the runner-up for the 2012 NASCAR Cup Series championship
He won the 2008 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship
Multiple winner in all three NASCAR national series. (10 NASCAR Cup Series, eight NASCAR Xfinity Series, 14 Gander Trucks wins)

Overall iRacing Stats

1 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives and 0 poles
Finished 16th last week at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway

Chris Buescher – iRacing #17

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 9 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 5 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 1 top 10

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

His best finish at Miami was a ninth-place effort in 2015 in the Xfinity Series
Buescher made his NASCAR national series track debut at Miami in the Xfinity Series in 2013
Buescher joined Roush-Fenway Racing for the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season
In 2016, he won first NASCAR Cup Series race (Pocono-2) in his rookie season; first driver since Joey Logano (2009) to accomplish the feat
One of three drivers in NASCAR Cup Series history to make the Playoffs in their rookie season, joining Chase Elliott and Denny Hamlin
Won the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship in 2015
Was the 2012 ARCA Menards Series champion

Overall iRacing Stats

1 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives and 0 poles
Finished 28th last week at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway

Kurt Busch – iRacing #1

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 34 starts, 1 win, 3 top fives, 21 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 3 starts, 1 win, 1 top five, 2 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 2 starts, 0 win, 1 top five, 2 top 10s

Highlights:

Made his national series track debut in 2000 in the Gander Trucks
Got his first Cup Series win at the track in the fall of 2009. His Xfinity Series win came in his first series start there in the spring of 2006
· 2004 NASCAR Cup Series champion; winner of the inaugural NASCAR Playoffs

· Has driven for many of NASCAR’s most iconic teams such as Roush-Fenway Racing, Team Penske, Furniture Row Racing, Stewart-Haas

· Racing, and now Chip Ganassi Racing

· Multiple winner in all three NASCAR national series

· 2000 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Rookie of the Year and championship runner-up

Overall iRacing Stats

· 1 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives and 0 poles

· Finished 35th last week at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway

Kyle Busch – iRacing #18

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 28 starts, 3 wins, 12 top fives, 15 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 21 starts, 9 wins, 16 top fives, 17 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 13 starts, 4 wins, 9 top fives, 9 top 10s

Highlights:

· Busch’s three NASCAR Cup Series wins at Texas all came in the spring race – 2013, 2016, 2018

· Busch made his NASCAR national series track debut at Miami in the Gander Trucks in 2001

· Reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion, also won championship in 2015. One of two (Jimmie Johnson) active drivers with multiple Cup championships

· Has made the Championship 4 in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs the last five consecutive seasons

· Won the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship in 2009

· In 2010, set all-time single-season record with 24 victories across NASCAR’s three national series

· Currently has most all-time NASCAR national series wins with 208 (56 Cup, 96 Xfinity, 57 Gander Trucks)

· Record seven-time NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series owner champion (2010, ’13, ’14, ’15, ’16, ’17 and ‘19) and one driver championship (2015)

Overall iRacing Stats

· 1 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives and 0 poles

· Finished 29th last week at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway

William Byron – iRacing #24

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 4 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 2 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 2 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 2 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 2 starts, 1 win, 1 top five, 2 top 10s

Highlights:

· His best Cup Series finish at Texas was sixth last spring

· Byron made his NASCAR national series track debut at Texas in the Gander Trucks in 2016, winning in his first start in the spring race

· Earned first career Playoff berth in 2019, finishing a career-high 11th in final standings

· Won the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award; becoming just the second driver all-time to win Rookie of the Year honors in all three NASCAR national series; joining Erik Jones

· Won the 2017 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship and the Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award

· Won the 2016 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series owner championship for Kyle Busch Motorsports and the Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award, setting a series rookie record with seven victories

· Won the 2015 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East championship and the Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award

Overall iRacing Stats

· 1,467 starts, 292 wins, 698 top fives and 249 poles

· Finished 34th last week at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway

Landon Cassill – iRacing #89

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Xfinity Series – No. 89 Shepherd Racing Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 19 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 8 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

· His best finish at Miami was 18th in 2010 in the Xfinity Series.

· Cassill made his NASCAR national series track debut at Miami in the NASCAR Cup Series in the spring of 2010.

· In 2014, he scored a NASCAR Cup Series career-best fourth-place finish at Talladega-2

· In 2010, he made his NASCAR Cup Series debut at Michigan

· In 2008, he won the NASCAR Xfinity Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year award

Overall iRacing Stats

· 43 starts, 4 wins, 25 top fives and 2 poles

· Finished 12th last week at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway

Ross Chastain – iRacing #6

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Xfinity Series – No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 4 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 10 starts, 0 wins, 1 top five, 1 top 10

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 7 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 2 top 10s

Highlights:

· His best finish at Miami was a runner-up effort last fall in the Xfinity Series

· Chastain made his NASCAR national series track debut at Miami in the Gander Trucks in 2011

· This year, he has filled in for Ryan Newman in the No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford in the NASCAR Cup Series for three races

· In 2019, he completed 19 races in the Xfinity Series and posted a win at Daytona with Kaulig Racing

· In 2018, he made the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs and won his first career race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway racing for Chip Ganassi Racing

· In 2011, he made his NASCAR national series debut in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series debut at Lucas Oil Raceway

Overall iRacing Stats

· 538 starts, 67 wins, 196 top fives and 64 poles

· Finished 14th last week at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway

Matt DiBenedetto – iRacing #21

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motors Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 9 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 4 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

· Earned his best finish at Miami in the Cup Series in the fall race last year (14th)

· Made his national series track debut in the spring of 2014 in the Xfinity Series, finishing 39th

· Notched his first career top-five finish in 2019 at Sonoma Raceway

· Signed with Wood Brothers Racing for the 2020 season after racing for Leavine Family Racing in 2019

· His two career-best finishes were runner-up in Bristol Motor Speedway in 2019 and Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2020

· His best finish in the Xfinity Series was in 2010 at Iowa Speedway, where he finished ninth

Overall iRacing Stats

· 311 starts, 77 wins, 2014 top fives, 29 poles

· Finished 11th last week at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway

Austin Dillon – iRacing #3

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Xfinity Series – No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 14 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 1 top 10

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 11 starts, 0 wins, 6 top fives, 11 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 5 starts, 0 wins, 2 top fives, 3 top 10

Highlights:

· Made his national series track debut in Miami in the Gander Trucks in spring of 2010 and started from the pole

· In 2011, he finished runner-up at Miami in the Gander Trucks. He also had a pair of third-place finishes in the Xfinity Series in the spring of 2013 and the fall of 2015

· Got his first Cup Series win in 2017 at Charlotte Motor Speedway

· Won the 2018 Daytona 500

· Won the 2013 NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship

· Won the Xfinity Series Rookie-of-the-Year Award n 2012

· Is the 2011 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Champion as well as the Most Popular Driver

· Won rookie of the year honors in Gander Trucks in 2010

Overall iRacing Stats

· 1 start, 0 wins, 0 top fives and 0 poles

· Finished 27th last week at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway

Ty Dillon – iRacing #13

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 13 Germain Racing Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 7 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 10 starts, 0 wins, 1 top five, 3 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 5 starts, 1 win, 4 top fives, 5 top 10s

Highlights:

Made his national series track debut in 2011 for the Gander Trucks and finished third
Got his first and only victory at Texas in the Gander Trucks in 2013
In 2019, got his best Cup Series finish at the spring Daytona race in fourth place
Made his Cup Series debut in 2014 at Atlanta Motor Speedway
Won Most Popular Driver Award for Gander Trucks in 2013
In 2012, Dillon won Rookie-of-the-Year honors for the Gander Trucks

Overall iRacing Stats

1 start, 0 wins, 0 top fives and 0 poles
Finished 19th last week at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway

Dale Earnhardt Jr. – iRacing #8

Current Series/Occupation: Retired NASCAR Cup Series Driver, NBC Sports Analyst

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 30 starts, 1 win, 7 top fives, 18 top 10s, 2 poles

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 9 starts, 1 win, 5 top fives, 7 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

Made his national series track debut in 1998 in the Xfinity Series and won the race, marking his first national series win
Got his first career Cup Series win at Texas in 2000
Made his debut as an NBC broadcaster in 2018
Retired from full-time racing at the end of 2017
His first NASCAR national series win was in 1998 at Texas Motor Speedway for the Gander Trucks
In 2000, he got his first Cup Series win, also at Texas Motor Speedway in his first full season in the series
Won the Cup Series Most Popular Driver Award for 15 straight years (2003-2017)
Won the 1998 and 1999 NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship
In 1999, won the Xfinity Series Rookie-of-the-Year Award
Team owner of Xfinity Series team JR Motorsports, collecting 47 wins since 2005

Overall iRacing Stats

90 starts, 11 wins, 44 top fives, 18 poles
Finished runner-up last weekend at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway

Chase Elliott – iRacing #9

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 8 starts, 0 wins, 2 top fives, 5 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 5 starts, 1 win, 3 top fives, 5 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

Made his national series track debut in 2014 in the Xfinity Series and went on to win the race
In 2016, he got his best finish at the track in the Cup Series, finishing fourth
Got his first Cup Series win at Watkins Glen International in 2018, then went on to win two more times that season (Dover-2, Kanas-2)
Won three races in 2019 including the Charlotte Road Course
Won the Cup Series Most Popular Driver Award for the last two years (2018, 2019)
Won the Cup Series Rookie-of-the-Year Award in 2016
Won Gander Trucks Most Popular Driver Award in 2015
2014 NASCAR Xfinity Series Champion and won rookie of the year and most popular driver in the same year

Overall iRacing Stats

256 starts, 36 wins, 107 top fives, 31 poles
Finished 24th last weekend at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway

Denny Hamlin – iRacing #11

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 28 starts, 3 wins, 7 top fives, 13 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 12 starts, 0 wins, 6 top fives, 9 top 10s, 1 pole

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 1 start, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s

Highlights:

Won the inaugural eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series race last weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway
Made his national series track debut in 2004 in the Gander Trucks and finished 18th
Got his first Cup Series win at Texas in 2010 and then went on to sweep the weekend with another win at the second race at Texas in the same year
Won Cup Series Rookie-of-the-Year Award in 2006
Has 38 Cup Series wins to his name and the first came in 2006 at Pocono Raceway
He has 162 top fives, 261 top 10s and 33 poles in the Cup Series
2019 was a career-best season for him, winning six races and making it to the Championship 4
Won the Daytona 500 three times (2016, 2019, 2020)
Is already in the Playoffs this season with his season-opening win at Daytona

Overall iRacing Stats

164 starts, 31 wins, 75 top fives, 31 poles
Won last weekend’s race at Homestead-Miami Speedway with a last-lap pass on Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Timmy Hill – iRacing #66

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 66 Motorsports Business Management Toyota

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 6 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 12 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 4 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s

Highlights:

Made his national series track debut in 2011 in the Xfinity Series 28th
Made his first start in the Cup Series at the track in 2013, finishing 36th
Is currently racing in all three NASCAR national series
Finished third in the 2020 Xfinity Series season-opener at Daytona, his career-best finish
Made his Cup Series debut in 2012 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Owner of Hill Motorsports, fielding the No. 56 Chevrolet in the Gander Trucks

Overall iRacing Stats

1,676 starts, 673 wins, 1,204 top fives, 456 poles
Finished third last weekend at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway

Jimmie Johnson – iRacing #48

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 33 starts, 7 wins, 16 top fives, 22 top 10s, 2 poles

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 2 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 1 top 10

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

Johnson’s first Cup Series win at Texas was in 2012 starting from the pole
He won three back-to-back races at Texas (2014-2015)
Made his Cup Series debut at the track in 2002 and finished sixth
Johnson made his NASCAR national series track debut at Texas in the Xfinity Series in 2000
First driver in series history to win five consecutive NASCAR Cup Series championships (2006-10)
Johnson ranks tied for sixth on the all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins list, with 83
Has the series record with 15 NASCAR Cup Series Playoff berths
2009 Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year

Overall iRacing Stats

1 start, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 poles
Finished 31st last weekend at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway

Erik Jones – iRacing #20

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 7 starts, 0 wins, 3 top fives, 5 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 6 starts, 3 wins, 6 top fives, 6 top 10s, 2 poles

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 3 starts, 1 win, 1 top five, 1 top 10, 1 pole

Highlights:

Jones made his NASCAR national series track debut at Texas in 2014, finishing 11th for Kyle Busch Motorsports
Made his Cup Series debut at Texas in 2015 and finished 12th
Won his first race at Texas in the Gander Trucks and the Xfinity Series in 2015
Won both Xfinity Series race at Texas in 2017
Won his first NASCAR Cup Series race at Daytona International Speedway in July of 2018
2017 NASCAR Cup Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year – becoming the first driver to earn the award in all three of NASCAR’s national series
2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year
2015 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Champion and Sunoco Rookie of the Year – the youngest champion in series history

Overall iRacing Stats

1 start, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 poles
Finished 10th last weekend at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway

Parker Kligerman – iRacing #77

Current Series/Occupation: NBC Sports TV Analyst and part-time NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series driver

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 5 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: N/A

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 6 starts, 0 wins, 2 top fives, 4 top 10s

Highlights:

Made his national series debut at Texas in the Gander Trucks in 2010 and finished ninth
Made his Xfinity Series debut at the track in 2013 and finished 18th
Has made 28 Cup Series starts since 2012
Kligerman has a pair of wins in the Gander Trucks, both at Talladega (2012, 2017)

Overall iRacing Stats

415 starts, 57 wins, 189 top fives and 11 poles
Finished 13th last weekend at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway

Bobby Labonte – iRacing #19

Current Series/Occupation: 2020 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 26 starts, 0 wins, 3 top fives, 5 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 7 starts, 0 wins, 1 top five, 2 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

Made his Cup Series and Xfinity Series debut at Texas in 1997
Got a best finish of fourth in the Xfinity Series at Texas in 2008
Labonte was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2020. He joins his brother, Terry, with the prestigious honor
He won the 2000 NASCAR Cup Series championship
Labonte has 21 NASCAR Cup Series wins, 10 Xfinity Series and one Gander Trucks win
He is one of 27 drivers to have a win in all three of NASCAR’s national series

Overall iRacing Stats

76 starts, 7 wins, 31 top fives, 5 poles
Finished 18th last weekend at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway

Kyle Larson – iRacing #42

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 13 starts, 0 wins, 3 top fives, 4 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 8 starts, 1 win (2016), 3 top fives, 4 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

Won at Texas Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2016.
He has made the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs four consecutive seasons (2016-2019).
Larson won a career-best four NASCAR Cup Series races in 2017.
2014 NASCAR Cup Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year
2013 NASCAR Xfinity Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year
2012 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East champion and Rookie of the Year

Overall iRacing Stats

304 starts, 57 wins, 143 top fives and 27 poles
Finished 33rd last week at virtual Homestead Miami Speedway.

Michael McDowell – iRacing #34

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 20 starts, best finish of 14th (2018)

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 6 starts, best finish of 17th (2009)

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

Posted a track-best finish of 14th in the NASCAR Cup Series at Texas in 2018.
McDowell is entering his 13th season in the NASCAR Cup Series.
Finished a career-best 26th in the 2017 and 2018 NASCAR Cup Series standings.
Earned his lone NASCAR Xfinity Series win in 2016 at Road America.

Overall iRacing Stats

101 starts, 25 wins, 45 top fives and 25 poles
Finished 23rd last week at virtual Homestead Miami Speedway.

John Hunter Nemechek – iRacing #38

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 1 start (2019) – started 29th and finished 21st

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 3 starts, 0 wins, 2 top fives, 3 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 5 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 1 top 10

Highlights:

Has made at least one start in all three NASCAR national series at Texas.
2020 is Nemechek’s first fulltime season in the NASCAR Cup Series.
Earned his first NASCAR Xfinity Series win in 2018 at Kansas while driving for Chip Ganassi Racing.
Won his first NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series race at Chicagoland Speedway in 2015, driving for NEMCO Motorsports and has tallied six wins in the series.

Overall iRacing Stats

289 starts, 29 wins, 97 top fives and 37 poles
Finished 30th last week at virtual Homestead Miami Speedway.

Ryan Preece – iRacing #37

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 37 JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 3 starts, best finish of 22nd in 2019

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 4 starts, 0 wins, 1 top five, 1 top 10

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

Posted a track-best finish of fifth in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Texas in 2018.
Finished runner-up in 2019 Sunoco Rookie of the Year battle in the NASCAR Cup Series.
Won first career NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Iowa in 2017.
In 2013, he was the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion, youngest champion in series history.

Overall iRacing Stats

252 starts, 42 wins, 102 top fives and 14 poles
Finished 33rd last week at virtual Homestead Miami Speedway.

Tyler Reddick – iRacing #31

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: N/A

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 5 starts, 1 pole, 2 top fives, 2 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

Finished runner-up twice in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Texas in 2018, 2019.
Back-to-Back NASCAR Xfinity Series champion (2018-2019), and first driver to do it with two different organizations (JR Motorsports 2018, Richard Childress Racing 2019).
2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year; just third driver in series history to win the title in his rookie season joining Chase Elliott (2014) and William Byron (2017).
In 2017, captured his first NASCAR Xfinity Series victory, at Kentucky, while running a partial schedule.
In 2015, he competed full-time in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series, winning his first race and finishing runner-up in the championship standings.

Overall iRacing Stats

N/A

Garrett Smithley – iRacing #51

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 51 Petty Ware Racing Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 2 starts, best finish of 32nd (2019)

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 8 starts, best finish of 17th (2017)

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 1 start (2019), started 25th and finished 15th

Highlights:

Posted a Texas track-best finish of 15th in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series in 2019.
Has made starts at Texas in all three NASCAR national series.
Finished a career-best 18th in the 2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series standings.
Has a NASCAR national series career-best finish of fifth at Daytona in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

Overall iRacing Stats

1,226 starts, 146 wins, 536 top fives and 131 poles
Finished fifth last week at virtual Homestead Miami Speedway.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – iRacing #47

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 14 starts, best finish of 11th in 2018

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 7 starts, 1 win (2012), 2 top fives, 4 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

Won the 2012 NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Texas Motor Speedway.
Captured first two NASCAR Cup Series wins in 2017 (Talladega-1, Daytona-2),
2013 NASCAR Cup Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year.
Two-time NASCAR Xfinity Series champion (2011, 2012).
2010 NASCAR Xfinity Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year.

Overall iRacing Stats

65 starts, 6 wins, 26 top fives and 1 pole
Finished 21st last week at virtual Homestead Miami Speedway.

Daniel Suarez – iRacing #96

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 96 Gaunt Brothers Racing Toyota

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 6 starts, 2 top fives, 2 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 5 starts, 1 top five, 2 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 3 starts, 3 top fives, 3 top 10s

Highlights:

Has posted top-five finishes at Texas in all three of NASCAR’s national series.
Competed in the NASCAR Cup Series for Stewart-Haas Racing in 2018-2019; finished a career-best 17th in Cup points in ‘19.
Made NASCAR Cup Series debut for Joe Gibbs Racing in 2017, finished the season 20th in points
2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series Champion – the first Latin American, as well as the first NASCAR Drive for Diversity graduate, to win a NASCAR national series title.
In 2016, he became the first Mexican driver to win in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, claiming three victories at Michigan, Dover and the championship finale at Homestead-Miami.
2015 NASCAR Xfinity Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year – the first Mexican driver to win the award.
In 2013, he finished third in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East final championship standings, the highest finish for an international driver in series history
2010 NASCAR Mexico Series Rookie of the Year.

Overall iRacing Stats

N/A

Bubba Wallace – iRacing #43

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 4 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 1 top 10

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 5 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 2 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 5 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 3 top 10s

Highlights:

Has posted top-10 finishes at Texas in all three of NASCAR’s national series.
In 2018, Wallace finished in the second place in the Daytona 500 – the highest finish by a NASCAR Cup Series rookie to date. It was also the best finish by an African-American driver in the Great American Race.
Made NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs in 2016, finishing 11th in the driver standings.
Won his first NASCAR national series race in the Gander Trucks at Martinsville in 2013 and became the first African-American to win a NASCAR national touring series event since 1963.

Overall iRacing Stats

106 starts, 29 wins, 43 top fives and 32 poles
Finished seventh last week at virtual Homestead Miami Speedway.

The drivers below are entered into the qualifier race on Sunday morning (listed in alphabetical order):

Anthony Alfredo – iRacing #33

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Xfinity Series – No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: N/A

NASCAR Xfinity Series: N/A

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 2 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s

Highlights:

Made his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut earlier this year at Auto Club Speedway, finishing sixth
Alfredo ran 13 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series races in 2019, posting two top-10 finishes at 1.5-mile tracks (Charlotte, Chicago)

Overall iRacing Stats

101 starts, 7 wins, 36 top fives and 7 poles
Finished 32nd last weekend at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway after starting 17th

Justin Allgaier – iRacing #7

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Xfinity Series – No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 4 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 19 starts, 0 wins, 1 top five, 9 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 1 start, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s

Highlights:

In 2019, Allgaier made his fourth consecutive appearance in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs, and third Championship 4 in the four years of the format
In 2018, won the NASCAR Xfinity Series regular season championship

Overall iRacing Stats

32 starts, 1 win, 9 top fives and 3 poles
Finished 20th at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway starting from 26th

Tyler Ankrum – iRacing #26

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series – No. 26 GMS Racing Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: N/A

NASCAR Xfinity Series: N/A

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 2 starts, 0 wins, 1 top five, 2 top 10s

Highlights:

2019 was his first fulltime season in the Gander Trucks with GMS Racing
He got his first career win in 2019 at Kentucky Speedway
Won Rookie-of-the-Year Award in Gander Trucks last season

Overall iRacing Stats

187 starts, 47 wins, 71 top fives and 54 poles

Trevor Bayne – iRacing #29a

Current Series/Occupation: Former NASCAR Cup Series driver

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 17 starts – best finish of 12th in spring of 2018

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 9 starts – won the fall race in 2011

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

Last raced in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2018
Won the 2011 Daytona 500 the day after his 20th birthday
Made his NASCAR national series debut in the Xfinity Series in Bristol in 2009

Overall iRacing Stats

N/A

Spencer Boyd – iRacing #02

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series – No. 20 Young’s Motorsports Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: N/A

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 3 starts – best finish of 25th (twice) in 2018

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 2 starts – best finish of 11th in 2019

Highlights:

Made his national series debut in 2016 at Martinsville Speedway
Got his first career win at Talladega Superspeedway last season
Has made starts in all three national series

Overall iRacing Stats

58 starts, 8 wins, 19 top fives and 3 poles

Chase Briscoe – iRacing #98

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Xfinity Series – No. 98 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: N/A

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 3 starts, 0 wins, 1 top five, 1 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 2 starts, 0 wins, 2 top fives, 2 top 10s

Highlights:

He won his third NASCAR Xfinity Series race earlier this season, taking the checkered at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
In 2019, Briscoe tallied one win (Iowa) while qualifying for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs
In 2016, he won the ARCA Menards Series championship in his first full season in the series

Overall iRacing Stats

1918 starts, 299 wins, 813 top fives and 203 poles
Finished fourth at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway last weekend starting from the sixth position

Brandon Brown – iRacing #68

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Xfinity Series – No. 68 Brandonbilt Motorsports Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: N/A

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 3 starts – best finish of 17th in 2019

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

Career-best finish of sixth place at the 2019 spring Daytona race

Overall iRacing Stats

N/A

Harrison Burton – iRacing #99

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Xfinity Series – No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: N/A
NASCAR Xfinity Series: 1 start, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 1 top 10

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 3 starts, 0 wins, 1 top five, 2 top 10s

Highlights:

· His best finish at Miami was a 10th-place effort in 2019 in the Xfinity Series.

· Burton made his NASCAR national series track debut at Miami in the Xfinity Series in 2018.

· Won his first career NASCAR national series race earlier this year, winning in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Auto Club Speedway. This marks his first full-time season in the Xfinity Series.

· In 2019, Burton made his Xfinity Series debut competing in nine races for Joe Gibbs Racing.

Overall iRacing Stats

· 14 starts, 5 wins, 8 top fives and 4 poles

Jeb Burton

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Xfinity Series – No. 8 JR Motorsports Chevrolet, NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series – Niece Motorsports

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 1 start – finished 32nd in 2015

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 4 starts, 0 wins, 1 top five, 2 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 5 starts, 1 win, 2 top fives, 2 top 10s, 1 pole

Highlights:

Currently competes in select races for JR Motorsports in the Xfinity Series and in the Gander Trucks for Niece Motorsports
His first and only career win was in the Gander Trucks at Texas in 2013
Has competed in all three national series and has a combined 151 starts
First national series start was in 2012 in the Gander Trucks, finishing 13th
Best Cup Series finish was in 2015 at Martinsville Speedway

Overall iRacing Stats

N/A

Austin Cindric – iRacing #22

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Xfinity Series – No. 22 Team Penske Ford

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: N/A

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 4 starts, 0 wins, 2 top fives, 3 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 2 starts, 0 wins, 1 top five, 1 top 10

Highlights:

· Got his first NASCAR national series win in 2019 at Watkins Glen International and then went on to win at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course the next week

· His first and only win in the Gander Trucks was in 2017 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park

· 2019 marked his first full season with Team Penske in the Xfinity Series

Overall iRacing Stats

· 11 starts, 0 wins, 1 top five, 0 poles

· Finished 22nd last weekend at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway after starting 15th

Sheldon Creed – iRacing #74

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series – No. 2 GMS Racing Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: N/A

NASCAR Xfinity Series: N/A

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 3 starts, 0 wins, 1 top five, 1 top 10

Highlights:

· Last season was Creed’s first full time in the Gander Trucks, he got career-best finishes of second at Eldora and Michigan in 2019

Overall iRacing Stats

22 starts, 5 win, 9 top fives and 3 poles

Drew Dollar – iRacing #TBD

Current Series/Occupation: ARCA Menards Series – No. 15 Venturini Motorsports Toyota

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: N/A

NASCAR Xfinity Series: N/A

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

· Dollar competes fulltime in the ARCA Menards Series. He already has one top five and one top 10 in two starts this season

· He made his first start in 2019 at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway and finished sixth

Overall iRacing Stats

· N/A

Jeffrey Earnhardt – iRacing #50

Current Series/Occupation: Scheduled to race part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for JD Motorsports, has not raced in 2020

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 4 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 4 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 1 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

· In 2015, he made his NASCAR Cup Series debut

· In 2011, Earnhardt scored first career NASCAR national series top 10 in the Gander Trucks.

· Finished fifth in the now-ARCA Menards Series East standings, voted Most Popular Driver

Overall iRacing Stats

· 88 starts, 19 wins, 40 top fives and 12 poles

Christian Eckes – iRacing #81

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series – No. 18 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: N/A

NASCAR Xfinity Series: N/A

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

2020 is his first fulltime season in the Gander Trucks with Kyle Busch Motorsports
Ran eight races in the series in 2019 and got three top fives, four top 10s and three pole awards

Overall iRacing Stats

229 starts, 43 win, 116 top fives and 33 poles

Ryan Ellis – iRacing #78

Current Series/Occupation: Former driver in all three series, current Public Relations Representative for Go Fas Racing

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 1 start in 2016 – Finished 38th

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 4 starts – best finish of 30th in 2016

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 4 starts – best finish of 20th in 2015

Highlights:

Made his first national series start at Road America in the Xfinity Series in 2012
Made his first Cup Series start at Texas in 2016

Overall iRacing Stats

19 starts, 7 win, 9 top fives and 3 poles

Stewart Friesen – iRacing #52

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series – No. 52 Halmar-Friesen Racing Toyota

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: N/A

NASCAR Xfinity Series: N/A

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 6 starts, 0 wins, 2 top fives, 3 top 10s, 1 pole

Highlights:

Grabbed his first career win at Eldora Speedway in 2019 and made his way into the Playoffs and Championship 4
His second win came at Phoenix Raceway during the Playoffs
Finished fourth in the standings in 2019, a career best

Overall iRacing Stats

97 starts, 9 wins, 34 top fives, 10 poles

Ruben Garcia – iRacing #27

Current Series/Occupation: Most recently – NASCAR Peak Mexico Series, has not raced in 2020

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: N/A

NASCAR Xfinity Series: N/A

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

Garcia is a three-time (2015, 2018, 2019) NASCAR Peak Mexico Series champion and is a graduate of the NASCAR Next and Drive for Diversity programs

Overall iRacing Stats

179 starts, 18 win, 59 top fives and 26 poles

Joey Gase – iRacing #53

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 53 Rick Ware Racing Ford

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 4 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 15 starts – best finish of 20th in 2018

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

Competes in the Cup Series fulltime for Rick Ware Racing and part-time in the Xfinity Series for various teams
Has made starts in all three national series
Got a career-best finish of fifth at Talladega Superspeedway in the Xfinity Series in 2015

Overall iRacing Stats

2139 starts, 181 win, 1012 top fives and 69 poles

Todd Gilliland – iRacing #35

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series – No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: N/A

NASCAR Xfinity Series: N/A

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 4 starts, 0 wins, 1 top five, 2 top 10s

Highlights:

Got his first Gander Trucks win at Martinsville Speedway last season for Kyle Busch Motorsports
Runs fulltime for Front Row Motorsports in the Gander Trucks

Overall iRacing Stats

128 starts, 10 win, 36 top fives and 13 poles

Joe Graf, Jr. – iRacing #80

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Xfinity Series – No. 08 SS Green Light Racing Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: N/A

NASCAR Xfinity Series: N/A

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

Made his Xfinity Series debut in 2019 at Iowa Speedway for Richard Childress Racing
This season marks his first fulltime in all three national series

Overall iRacing Stats

N/A

Kaz Grala – iRacing #29

Current Series/Occupation: Scheduled to race part-time in the NASCAR Xfintiy Series for Richard Childress Racing, has not raced in 2020

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: N/A

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 2 starts – best finish of 18th in 2019

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 2 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 2 top 10s

Highlights:

Running select races in 2020 with Richard Childress Racing
Best Xfinity Series finish is fourth at the 2018 Daytona season-opener
Got his first national series win in the Gander Trucks in 2017 at Daytona

Overall iRacing Stats

78 starts, 9 win, 24 top fives and 6 poles

Justin Haley – iRacing #16

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Xfinity Series – No. 11 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: N/A

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 2 start, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 1 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 4 starts, 1 win, 3 top fives, 4 top 10s

Highlights:

Made Xfinity Series track debut in 2019, finishing seventh
Won at Texas Motor Speedway in 2018 in the Gander Trucks
Has made four Cup Series starts and won the 2019 summer Daytona race
2019 marked his first full season in the Xfinity Series with Kaulig Racing
His best finish in the Xfinity Series was runner-up at Daytona-2 in 2019

Overall iRacing Stats

371 starts, 32 wins, 140 top fives, 20 poles

Jesse Iwuji – iRacing #36

Current Series/Occupation: United States Naval Officer, Part-Time NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Driver

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: N/A

NASCAR Xfinity Series: N/A

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 1 start in 2019 – started 30th and finished 17th

Highlights:

Has made seven career starts in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series
He is a part-time driver as well as a United States Naval Officer
Made his first start in the Gander Trucks at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park in 2018

Overall iRacing Stats

693 starts, 16 wins, 188 top fives, 9 poles

Derek Kraus – iRacing #TBD

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series – No. 19 McAnally-Hilgemann Racing Toyota

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: N/A

NASCAR Xfinity Series: N/A

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

2020 is Kraus’ first fulltime season in the Gander Trucks
He finished fourth at the season-opening Daytona race, marking his career-best finish
2019 NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Champion

Overall iRacing Stats

2023 starts, 249 win, 979 top fives and 329 poles

Alex Labbe – iRacing #90

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Xfinity Series – No. 90 DGM Racing Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: N/A

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 3 starts – best finish of 28th in 2017

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

Got a career-best finish (sixth) at the Charlotte Road Course last season
Made his Texas debut in the Xfinity Series in 2017
Raced in the NASCAR Pinty’s Series for eight years
This is his fifth year in the Xfinity Series and his second fulltime season

Overall iRacing Stats

376 starts, 61 win, 210 top fives and 97 poles

Ty Majeski – iRacing #45

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series – No. 45 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: N/A

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 1 start in 2018 – started 38th and finished 13th

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

Made his NASCAR national series track debut in the Xfinity Series in 2018 and finished 13th

Overall iRacing Stats

1,200 starts, 914 wins, 1,035 top fives and 1,014 poles
Raced his way into the race by leading all laps and winning the qualifying race, qualified third and finished ninth last week at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway

Sam Mayer – iRacing #23

Current Series/Occupation: ARCA Menards Series East – No. 21 GMS Racing Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: N/A

NASCAR Xfinity Series: N/A

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

Made three starts in the Gander Trucks last season for GMS Racing and had a best finish of 19th at Phoenix Raceway

Overall iRacing Stats

151 starts, 26 wins, 58 top fives and 10 poles

Brennan Poole – iRacing #15

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 15 Premium Motorsports Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: N/A

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 5 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 2 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 3 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 2 top 10s

Highlights:

Made his first start at Texas in the Xfinity Series in 2015 and finished 13th
2020 marked his first full season in the Cup Series, making his debut at the Daytona 500
He finished runner-up at Charlotte Motor Speedway last season in the Gander Trucks, a career-best finish

Overall iRacing Stats

N/A

Chandler Smith – iRacing #46

Current Series/Occupation: Driver in the ARCA Menards Series

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: N/A

NASCAR Xfinity Series: N/A

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

Had made only four national series starts in the Gander Trucks for Kyle Busch Motorsports last season
Got his first pole award in his first career start at Iowa Speedway
Finished runner-up at Bristol Motor Speedway in 2019

Overall iRacing Stats

634 starts, 111 win, 366 top fives and 103 poles

Myatt Snider – iRacing #93

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Xfinity Series – No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: N/A

NASCAR Xfinity Series: N/A

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 4 starts – best finish of 12th in 2017

Highlights:

In 2019, Snider raced full-time in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series, and earned a best finish of second two times, along with one pole award
Won 2018 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Sunoco Rookie-of-the-Year honors and finished the season ninth in the championship points driving for ThorSport Racing
In 2016, he made his NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series debut at Phoenix Raceway

Overall iRacing Stats

228 starts, 17 wins, 66 top fives and 9 poles

Scott Stenzel – iRacing #63

Current Series/Occupation: Part-time NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series driver, has not raced in 2020

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: N/A

NASCAR Xfinity Series: N/A

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 2 starts – best finish of 16th in 2019

Highlights:

Got a career-best finish of 15th at Daytona in the Gander Trucks in 2018

Overall iRacing Stats

749 starts, 33 win, 193 top fives and 19 poles

Ryan Truex – iRacing #40

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series – No. 40 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: N/A

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 4 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 3 starts, 0 wins, 1 top fives, 2 top 10s

Highlights:

Made his track debut in 2016 in the Gander Trucks and finished 21st
Finished runner-up in the Xfinity Series twice (2012 Dover, 2019 Phoenix)

Overall iRacing Stats

150 starts, 35 wins, 80 top fives, 31 poles
Finished 17th last weekend at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway after starting 23rd

Kyle Weatherman – iRacing #54

Current Series/Occupation: Part-time NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series Driver

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 1 start, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: N/A

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 6 starts, 0 wins, 2 top fives, 3 top 10s, 1 pole

Highlights:

Has made at least one start in every national series, got his career-best finish of 22nd at Kansas Speedway last season in the Xfinity Series

Overall iRacing Stats

187 starts, 19 wins, 71 top fives and 22 poles

J.J. Yeley – iRacing #TBD

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 52 Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 17 starts – best finish of 17th in 2007

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 22 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 1 top 10

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 3 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s

Highlights:

Currently competes in the Cup Series and Xfinity Series
Has a combined 661 national series starts to his name
Made his national series debut in the Xfinity Series at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2004
In 2007, got his best Cup Series finish at Charlotte Motor Speedway in second

Overall iRacing Stats

N/A

eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series – Advance
Track: Virtual Texas Motor Speedway (1.5-mile)
Teams: No. 6 Fifth Third Bank/Nutrien Ag Ford, No. 16 Castrol Ford, No. 17 Fastenal Ford
Drivers: Ross Chastain (No. 6), Greg Biffle (No. 16), Chris Buescher (No. 17)
Twitter: @RoushFenway, @Roush6Team, @Roush16Team, @17RoushTeam
Hashtag: #ProInvitationalSeries

eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series – Sunday, March 29 at 1 p.m. ET on FOX Broadcast Network, FS1, FOX Sports App

ADVANCE NOTES
Event Details
· Last Sunday, NASCAR, iRacing and FOX Sports teamed up to deliver the first-ever eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series event, with a 100-lap race from the virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway.
· After drawing 903,000 viewers on FS1 last week, FOX has committed to coverage of the remainder of the season, beginning Sunday at 1 p.m. live from virtual Texas Motor Speedway.
· Chris Buescher will once again pilot the No. 17 eMustang, while Ross Chastain will again be behind the virtual wheel of the No. 6. In a surprising return to his roots, Greg Biffle will join the eField and pilot the No. 16 car.

Buescher at Texas Motor Speedway
· Buescher returns to his virtual home track at TMS this weekend, where he has nine career Cup Series starts.
· He holds an average finish of 22.1 with a best Cup finish of 15th back in 2018.
· In Xfinity Series action, Buescher has five starts at Texas with one top-10, a ninth-place run in the No. 60 in 2015.

Chastain at Texas Motor Speedway
· Chastain has four career NCS starts at TMS with a best finish of 18th (spring – 2018).
· In Xfinity action, Chastain has 10 races under his belt at the 1.5-mile track, including a runner-up finish in the fall of last season.

Biffle at Texas Motor Speedway
· Biffle returns to the virtual seat at Roush Fenway Racing, where he made 760 combined starts for Jack Roush across NASCAR’s three major touring series. Texas is the home of four of Biffle’s career NASCAR wins, including two in the Cup Series and two in trucks.
· Biffle made 26 Cup starts at TMS from 2003-16, earning a pair of wins (2005, 2012) along with 13 top-10s. He earned the same number of wins in the Truck Series, most recently jumping in the seat for Kyle Busch’s No. 51 truck where he won last season. His other Truck win came in 2000 in the No. 50 truck for Jack Roush.

NASCAR/iRacing History
NASCAR and iRacing have an unprecedented history in the esports space, currently in the 11th season of the longest-running officially sanctioned esports racing series, the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series. It features 40 of the best sim racers in the world competing for more than $300,000, one of the richest payouts in esports racing competition.

Roush Fenway’s 2020 lineup includes Nathan Lyon, driver of the No. 6 and a native of St. Louis Missouri, and Kollin Keister, driver of the No. 17, who hails from Frostburg, Maryland.

Denny Hamlin
#11 “Thank you FedEx team members” Toyota
Joe Gibbs Racing

Virtual Race Info:
Race: O’Reilly Auto Parts 125
Date/Time: Sunday, March 29/1 p.m. ET
Race Distance: 125 laps/187.5 miles
Track Shape: Oval
Track Length: 1.5 miles
Banking: 24 degrees

Express Notes:

eNASCAR Homestead Recap: Denny Hamlin took the FedEx Express Toyota to a virtual Victory Lane for the first time Sunday, winning the inaugural eNASCAR Pro Invitational event at a simulated Homestead-Miami Speedway. A barefoot Hamlin, who logged hours of practice time for the work-from-home event, started the race ninth from the seat of his simulator. He led 14 laps during the middle of the race and used a fresh set of virtual tires to surge back to the front in the closing laps. As sports-hungry fans watched the exhibition event unfold live on FS1, Hamlin passed Dale Earnhardt Jr. coming off Turn 4 of the 1.5-mile virtual oval to take the checkered flag.

eNASCAR Texas Preview: After a successful first week on the iRacing platform, the eNASCAR Pro Invitational Series will take a virtual trip to Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday for 125 laps around the high-speed, 1.5-mile oval. Hamlin took the FedEx Toyota to Victory Lane at the real Ft. Worth track one year ago and is logging plenty of practice hours in hopes of making a virtual trip to Victory Lane for a second consecutive week.

FedEx “Thank You” Paint Scheme: For Sunday’s eNASCAR event at virtual Texas, the #11 car will pay tribute to the 475,000 FedEx team members who are working to deliver shipments around the world safely and securely during the COVID-19 pandemic. A special “Thank You” FedEx paint scheme will recognize all the FedEx team members who are working hard to deliver critical medical supplies and equipment to the healthcare community as well as basic goods to people at home.

Hamlin Conversation – Virtual Texas:

FedEx has been very involved in COVID-19 relief efforts. You must feel free very proud to run this special paint scheme.

“Absolutely. They’ve got nearly half a million team members around the world who deserve a big ‘thank you’ right now. They’ve been working hard every day to make sure critical shipments are being delivered during a difficult time. It felt good to go out and get a win for them last weekend, and I hope we can do it again this Sunday in this special virtual FedEx Toyota.”

Do you think the participation and the competition level will go up after the first week of iRacing in this invitational series?

“You know, I don’t think you’re going to get everyone every week. That’s going to be a challenge. But you’re also going to have new guys coming in. There’s probably a lot of Cup guys that didn’t participate that saw this and were like, ‘I need to get back in this.’ Jimmie Johnson, I’m sure, is going to put more time in, Joey Logano, those guys. If you put the time in, you can get some of the benefits of running up front and you start to really like it.”

CONCORD, N.C. (March 27, 2020) – Greg Biffle will make his return to Roush Fenway’s No. 16 this weekend, when he takes the wheel of the Castrol© Ford Mustang in Sunday’s eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series event set at Texas Motor Speedway. Biffle piloted Jack Roush Fords for 19 seasons, carving out a career worthy of the Hall of Fame while winning a pair of championships in the Truck and Xfinity Series and coming just short of becoming the only driver in history to win the championship in all three of NASCAR’s major touring series.

“How exciting is it to get back behind the wheel of the No. 16,” said Biffle. “I watched the iRace last week on TV and I was really impressed with the overall quality of the broadcast and the racing. It was just a lot of fun and I’m really looking forward to being a part of the show this weekend.

“We are running a really cool Castrol scheme on the car,” added Biffle. “I think it’s going to show up really well. My plan is to log a ton of practice time leading up to the race, so hopefully we can have a strong showing and you’ll see a lot of the Castrol green and red on the broadcast.”

Biffle drove to victory lane 56 times during his NASCAR career (19 Cup, 20 NXS, 17 Trucks) and has led almost 12,000 laps. He brought home Jack Roush’s first championship via the Truck Series in 2000, and captured Roush Fenway’s second championship two years later in the Xfinity Series. He went on to become a perennial championship contender in the Cup Series, finishing second in 2005 and qualifying for the playoffs xx times.

While this will be his iRacing event debut, Biffle is certainly no stranger to Texas Motor Speedway (TMS) where he won twice in the Cup Series, leading 733 laps and scoring eight career top 10s. Overall Biffle started 42 races at TMS, winning four times and leading 10,893 laps in NASCAR action.

Castrol serves as Roush Fenway Racing’s official oil partner. The team’s car run Castrol Oil exclusively in all of its Ford machines. In addition, the high-performance lubricant brand serves as a primary partner on the team’s No. 6 NASCAR Series entry in select events.

About Castrol: Castrol, a global leader in lubricant technology, serves customers and consumers in over 140 countries in the automotive, marine, industrial and energy production sectors. Our branded products are recognized globally for innovation and high performance through our commitment to premium quality products, highly responsive services and cutting-edge technology. To find out more about Castrol products and programs, please visit www.castrol.com/us

CONCORD, N.C, (March 26, 2020) – In what came down to a last-second decision in the final matchup, the Final Four is set in #RoushMadness as No. 1 seeds Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards advanced, while the No. 7 seed Ryan Newman pulled the ultimate upset over No. 1 Mark Martin.

The two final four matchups – Biffle vs. Edwards and Kenseth vs. Newman – get underway Thursday night with voting set to end Friday at noon ET. From there, the Championship will take place Friday night to determine the fans’ choice in the greatest driver in Roush Fenway Racing history.

Newman Pulls Ultimate Upset Over Martin
With over 6600 votes cast, and a deciding margin of just 146 votes, Newman took down No. 1 overall seed Martin on Thursday, 51-49, to advance through to the Final Four. At one point, Martin trimmed the difference to just a point, but Newman again rallied the troops on Twitter to decide it.

Edwards Too Much for McMurray in Elite Eight
Edwards managed to tally the second-largest blowout of the tournament in terms of total votes (1245), defeating Jamie McMurray 84-16.

Biffle Bests Ragan
Biffle, who holds the fourth-most amount of votes throughout #RoushMadness thus far with 2899, handled No. 2 David Ragan with ease, 82-18.

Kenseth Topples Burton to Move On
The Mayor’s run in #RoushMadness came to an end in the Elite Eight after falling to Kenseth, 71-29.

It’s a True Fastenal Final Four
Fastenal, celebrating its 10-Year Anniversary with Roush Fenway in 2020, has the perfect scenario in the Fastenal Final Four, as all four remaining drivers ran a Fastenal branded-car at some point in their careers.

Fastenal joined the RFR stable in 2010 coming on board as an Xfinity Series partner for Carl Edwards’ No. 60 entry. They followed Edwards to the NASCAR Cup Series in 2012, sponsoring him in the No. 99 entry until his departure at the end of 2014. From there, they partnered with Ricky Stenhouse Jr., beginning in 2015, and now serve as the primary for Chris Buescher’s No. 17 machine.

At one point in the company’s history, they served as the primary partner on all three of Jack Roush’s NCS entries, at the 2012 Charlotte spring race, where Biffle, Kenseth and Edwards each carried Fastenal colors. That trend followed again in 2013 and 2014 when Stenhouse joined Biffle and Edwards in Fastenal blue for the spring Charlotte events.

For Newman, Fastenal was aboard his No. 5 machine for JR Motorsports in the 2009 Xfinity Series season, including races at Dover, Chicago, Michigan and Bristol.

Vote Leaders Thus Far
With just four drivers left, Newman leads the way in total sum of votes in #RoushMadess, amassing 6903. Martin is next-closest with 5428, with Edwards (3864), Biffle (2899) and McMurray (2610) rounding out the top five.

UP NEXT
The Final Four kicks off Thursday night with Biffle vs. Edwards and Kenseth vs. Newman. In terms of Cup wins, that’s 19 vs. 28 and 39 vs. 18. In terms of car numbers, matchups feature the No. 16 vs. No. 99, and No. 17 vs. No. 6.

Richard Childress Racing at Texas Motor Speedway … While Richard Childress Racing has a storied history at Texas Motor Speedway that includes a NASCAR Cup Series win with Jeff Burton (1997), five NASCAR Xfinity Series wins and two NASCAR Truck Series wins, this weekend marks the organization’s first time racing competitively on the virtual Texas Motor Speedway track.

The Format … NASCAR, iRacing and FOX Sports are teaming up to deliver the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series, a selection of simulation-style esports races that include a cross-section of competitors from the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series, NASCAR Truck Series and a group of NASCAR dignitaries. The series heads to the virtual Texas Motor Speedway for a fixed set-up race this Sunday, March 29. Several Richard Childress Racing-affiliated drivers are scheduled to compete.

The Lineup … All current NASCAR Cup Series drivers are locked into the 35-car field, including Austin Dillon (No. 3 Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Off Road/E-Z-GO Chevrolet) and Tyler Reddick (No. 31 Cat Oil and Gas Chevrolet). RCR’s roster of NASCAR Xfinity Series drivers, including Anthony Alfredo (No. 33 Death Wish Coffee Chevrolet), Myatt Snider (No. 93 TaxSlayer Chevrolet) and Kaz Grala (No. 29 HotScream Chevrolet) will attempt to qualify into the race via a heat race on Sunday morning.

The Setup … Dillon, Reddick and Alfredo will be competing in Sunday’s eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series race in a rig provided by Sim Seats. Since 2009, Sim Seats has been designing and fabricating high quality made in USA driving simulators including motion systems, complete turnkey iRacing packages, and custom fabrication.

Did You Know … When he was a driver in NASCAR’s top division, Richard Childress earned a pair of top-10 finishes in the Lone Star State at the now defunct Texas World Speedway in College Station.

Interactive RCR … For up-to-date news and exclusive content, visit RCR’s corporate Twitter page – @RCRracing – along with the RCR NASCAR Cup Series team Twitter page – @RCRCup and the RCR NASCAR Xfinity Series team Twitter page – @RCRNXS. Information about the 16-time championship winning organization can be found on Facebook at facebook.com/RichardChildressRacing and on Instagram at Instagram.com/rcrracing. Visit RCRracing.com.

Catch the Action … The eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series at the virtual Texas Motor Speedway will be televised live Sunday, March 29 beginning at 1 p.m. ET on the FOX broadcast network (where available), FS1 and the FOX Sports app. Races will be available in Canada through FOX Sports Racing.
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This Week’s Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Off Road/E-Z-GO Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE at the virtual Texas Motor Speedway … Dillon is an accomplished driver at Texas Motor Speedway with 30 starts spread out across NASCAR’s Cup, Xfinity and Truck Series, but will be making his first competitive start on the virtual track this weekend. Dillon competed in the inaugural eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series event last weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway but was slowed by connection issues at the start of the race.

TRACKER Off Road … Dillon’s No. 3 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE prominently features TRACKER ATVs, a game-changing new line of all-terrain vehicles and side-by-sides offering breakthrough performance, service and value in the off-road industry. TRACKER OFF ROAD was born out of a powerhouse partnership formed between Bass Pro Shops and TRACKER founder Johnny Morris and Textron Specialized Vehicles, bringing together the undisputed world leader in boating with a global leader in innovation and technology.

Bass Pro Shops … Bass Pro Shops is North America’s premier outdoor and conservation company. Founded in 1972 when avid young angler Johnny Morris began selling tackle out of his father’s liquor store in Springfield, Missouri, today the company provides customers with unmatched offerings spanning premier destination retail, outdoor equipment manufacturing, world-class resort destinations and more. In 2017 Bass Pro Shops acquired Cabela’s to create a “best-of-the-best” experience with superior products, dynamic locations and outstanding customer service. Bass Pro Shops also operates White River Marine Group, offering an unsurpassed collection of industry-leading boat brands, and Big Cedar Lodge, America’s Premier Wilderness Resort. Under the visionary conservation leadership of Johnny Morris, Bass Pro Shops is a national leader in protecting habitat and introducing families to the outdoors and has been named by Forbes as “one of America’s Best Employers.” Bass Pro Shops has a long relationship with NASCAR, dating back to 1998. For more information, visit www.basspro.com.

E-Z-GO …E-Z-GO is an iconic, world-renowned brand in golf cars and personal transportation vehicles. Products sold under the E-Z-GO brand include RXV® and TXT® fleet golf cars, Freedom® RXV and Freedom TXT personal golf cars, E-Z-GO Express™ personal utility vehicles, and the 2Five® street-legal low-speed vehicle. Known for innovation in electric-vehicle technology, E-Z-GO’s newest offerings include the ELiTE series of lithium-ion powered golf cars and PTVs, and the company’s exclusive 72-volt AC electric powertrain found in its latest Express series vehicles. Founded in 1954 in Augusta, Ga., E-Z-GO became part of Textron Inc. in 1960, and today operates as part of the company’s Textron Specialized Vehicles division.

A Commitment to eSports … Dillon is a long-time iRacing team owner. For the past two years, he has fielded two cars in the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series, which is a $300,000 eSport World Championship series officially sanctioned by NASCAR featuring the world’s most elite oval simracers. Dillon’s two drivers, Blake Reynolds (No. 30) and Michael Guest (No. 33) compete on simulated versions of the actual real-world NASCAR tracks and Gen6 cars available on iRacing. The rounds run every other Tuesday night and is broadcast live on Twitch, Facebook and YouTube.

The Crew … From Team Dillon Management’s offices on the campus of Richard Childress Racing in Welcome, North Carolina, Dillon will be competing in a rig provided by Sim Seats. Dillon will have a talented support system on Sunday, including his eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series driver, Blake Reynolds (@breynolds_66). Reynolds was a Champ 4 contender in 2019.

AUSTIN DILLON QUOTE:
Did you learn anything at the virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway last week that you can apply to Texas Motor Speedway this weekend?
“I learned a lot at the virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway last weekend. We were able to get up to the top-10 for a little while but it was a messy race for us. I’ve been practicing a lot for Sunday’s race at Texas Motor Speedway and the setup seems better this week. I’m also looking forward to a bit of drafting this week. I hope these eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series races tide us over until we get to the real racetrack, because this is fun but I’m looking forward to get back to real racing!”

This Week’s Cat Oil and Gas Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE at the virtual Texas Motor Speedway … Reddick is scheduled to make his first competitive eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Start this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway. Reddick has competed in 11 races at Texas Motor Speedway in NASCAR’s Xfinity and Truck Series, including two pole awards and six top-5 finishes.

Cat Oil and Gas … Caterpillar Oil & Gas, with headquarters in Houston, Texas, consolidates all the sales and service activities for Caterpillar Inc.’s oil and gas power solutions. Since the 1930s, Caterpillar has manufactured engines for the oilfield and today provides premier power solutions with outputs from 31 to 16,000 kW. The sales and service network includes more than 2,100 dealer locations world-wide dedicated to support customers in the drilling, production, well service and gas compression segments. More information is available at: cat.com/oilandgas

The Setup … From his home in North Carolina, Reddick will be competing in Sunday’s eNASCAR iRacing Pro invitational Series race in a rig provided by Sim Seats.

TYLER REDDICK QUOTE:
A lot of drivers have said that the virtual Texas Motor Speedway is very similar to the real Texas Motor Speedway, which could play well for you since you’ve been pretty successful at the real track. What will it take to transfer that knowledge and success into Sunday’s eNASCAR iRacing Pro invitational Series race?
“The virtual track races identical to what Texas Motor Speedway was before the traction compound was introduced, and creates those crazy runs into Turn 1 with the current Cup package. Figuring out how to manage the front tires and keep someone from getting inside going into Turn 1 will be key for this virtual race.”

This Week’s Death Wish Coffee Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE at the virtual Texas Motor Speedway … Alfredo is an accomplished competitor within the eNASCAR ranks but is not locked into Sunday’s eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series field and will have to qualify into the race on Sunday afternoon via a heat race session on Sunday morning. Alfredo competed in last week’s event at the virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway, where he raced within the top-10 before a last-lap incident slowed his progression at the 1.5-mile track.

Death Wish Coffee … In 2012, Death Wish Coffee Co. started in a small coffee shop in Saratoga Springs, NY. Founder Mike Brown saw a need for coffee that was both strong and delicious to serve his groggy morning customers. After creating the perfect blend of beans and combining it with his unique roasting technique, the ‘World’s Strongest Coffee’ was born. Today, thousands of people trust Death Wish Coffee to wake them up and keep them going every day.

The Crew … From his home in North Carolina, Alfredo will be competing in Sunday’s eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series race in a rig provided by Sim Seats. Alfredo has a talented support system on Sunday, including last year’s eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series champion Zack Novak and his teammate Jimmy Mullis, who will serve as crew chief and spotter, respectively.

ANTHONY ALFREDO QUOTE:
How similar is the virtual Texas Motor Speedway to the real Texas Motor Speedway?
“Texas Motor Speedway is my new favorite track on iRacing. It is one of my favorites in real life, too. To me, it feels even closer to real life than most of the other tracks do, so I really enjoy it. I actually just won a NASCAR Xfinity Series race there in iRacing today! I’ve been racing at Texas Motor Speedway all week in various series because it is so much fun and a great preparation for the weekend.”

This Week’s TaxSlayer Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE at the virtual Texas Motor Speedway … Snider has four starts at the 1.5-mile track in the NASCAR Truck series but he will have to qualify into the virtual race on Sunday afternoon as he is not locked into the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series field. Snider and others not locked into the field will compete in a heat race session on Sunday morning to determine the final field for the afternoon event.

About TaxSlayer … TaxSlayer makes online tax filing accessible for millions of Americans, with an easy-to-use platform and unlimited support at a fraction of the cost of the competition. Trusted for over 50 years, the Augusta-based tech company successfully completed more than 10 million state and federal e-filed tax returns in 2019 and processed $12 billion in refunds. TaxSlayer achieved a 4.6/5 TrustScore on consumer review site Trustpilot, with 85% of its customers rating the tax filing platform Great or Excellent. For more information, visit www.TaxSlayer.com.

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MYATT SNIDER QUOTE:
What will it take to make the race at virtual Texas Motor Speedway with the race stacked with NASCAR Cup Series regulars and some iRacing pros? How does the virtual Texas Motor Speedway stack up to the real Texas Motor Speedway?
“It’s just so cool to be representing RCR and Tax Slayer in an awesome event like this. I’m really proud of NASCAR and the racing community as a whole for rallying behind this method of racing when we all can’t physically race. Also, the fact that the previous race drew almost a million viewers just goes to show how viable this is. It’s going to be tough racing against Cup guys and people who have a lot of iRacing experience, but I think with enough practice I’ll be able to compete. I can’t wait to take my Tax Slayer machine to virtual Texas.”

This Week’s HotScream Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE at the virtual Texas Motor Speedway …
Grala is not locked into Sunday’s eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series field and will have to qualify into the race on Sunday afternoon via a heat race session on Sunday morning. Grala has collected two top-10 finishes in four starts at Texas Motor Speedway in NASCAR’s Xfinity and Truck Series.

HotScream … HotScream takes two concepts, dessert and spicy food, and combines them to form a product that can only be described as ‘HotScream The Spicy Ice Cream’. By taking ice cream with its cool creaminess and incorporating a spicy swirl, HotScream has created a new taste sensation, one that almost defies one’s own senses. At first, you taste the pureness of the vanilla, followed quickly by the sweetness of one of seven flavor swirls. As you continue to enjoy HotScream, things change: You feel a warming sensation that starts in the back of your mouth, creating a rush that only can come from spicy foods. The warming continues to linger but doesn’t engulf your mouth with fire. Taking another bite, you again taste the cool, creamy vanilla and the respective flavor profile while the heat dissipates, only to come back time and time again. HotScream is currently available at ACME Markets, Big Y, select ShopRites, Stop & Shop and 400 Walmart locations from Maine to Texas. For more information, visit HotScream.com.

KAZ GRALA QUOTE:
Sunday will be very challenging with some of the best drivers in NASCAR vying for a spot in the starting field at the virtual Texas Motor Speedway. What’s your strategy to make it into the main event and how does the virtual track compare to the real track?
“I’m really excited to drive the legendary, albeit virtual, No. 29 Chevrolet in this weekend’s race. As an Xfinity Series driver, I will have to race my way into the main event through the consolation race, which will be stacked with some of the best drivers on iRacing. With extremely limited experience on iRacing myself, it won’t be easy to transfer, but I’m going to give it my all and see how things shake out. I know from practice that the virtual track races very similarly to the real Texas Motor Speedway, but of course there are speed tricks on iRacing that I am still working on perfecting.”

Matt DiBenedetto and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang will return to competition on network TV this weekend as the sport’s iRacing wing steps up to deliver live content to a sports world starved for entertainment due to the coronavirus.

Sunday’s eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series race at virtual Texas Motor Speedway is the second event held this season featuring mostly Cup drivers but the first to be carried on FOX. Last week’s race at the virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway was broadcast on FOX Sports 1, which also is airing this week’s race.

The Invitational races might seem on the surface like a hastily assembled affair, but they are made possible by iRacing’s infrastructure already in place.

Drivers participate via computers in their own homes, with their consoles varying from $40,000 rigs to some costing just a few hundred dollars.

The Wood Brothers, with backing from the dockless electric scooter rental company Spin, a Ford Motor Co. property, already were involved in on-line racing and fielded four drivers last year.

Two competed in the 18-race NASCAR Peak iRacing League, and two more in the 16-race season for the NASCAR Heat Pro League.

Jon Wood, senior vice president and co-owner of the Wood Brothers team, said the foundation already laid by iRacing is the reason NASCAR fans can watch Cup drivers in action even though the traditional cars are idled indefinitely.

“iRacing took a chance before anyone else in being a NASCAR eSports league,” Wood said, giving much of the credit to iRacing Executive Vice President and Executive Producer Steve Myers, and to Otto Szebeni, who is iRacing’s director of sales and marketing. “We met them at Homestead in 2018 and they mentioned the idea of having an esports league.

“We really knew nothing about what they were planning, but the notion of an iRacing league, made up of some Cup teams seemed like a really good idea.

“We joined in and were actually the first team to commit, not knowing if it would be a total flop or a booming success.”

After some initial difficulties explaining the concept of online racing to the old-school members of his family’s race team, Wood said his team now fully supports a venture that has become a leader in a sports world scrambling for ways to deliver content.

And, as with their traditional Cup team, the Woods have strong support from Ford in their iRacing venture.

Wood credited Brett Wheatley, who once oversaw the Motorcraft sponsorship and now oversees the company’s mobility and autonomous vehicle businesses including Spin, with recognizing the potential of esports like iRacing.

“Brett wanted to be a part of our esports venture, seeing it for what it could be at some point down the road,” Wood said. I think he accurately called that shot.”

Now, with few sports broadcasting options other than re-runs, the vision of folks like Wheatley and the iRacing execs is paying off.

“The shutting down of all of America has kickstarted the e-sports revolution, but iRacing was already there and totally killing it long before this virus took hold,” Wood said. “If not for last year’s Peak Series and this year’s Coca-Cola iRacing Series, I can almost guarantee we wouldn’t be talking about iRacing in the way we are now.”

“The infrastructure and relationships were already there because of team involvement.”
Wood said it took no more than a single text message relating to last Sunday’s Homestead race. From letting the team know the race would happen to making sure Matt and his Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang would be involved was a single back and forth text. No contracts, no delays.

“That level of trust and knowing whatever they do, we know it will be done right. That wouldn’t exist had it not been for the already existing relationships we have, and I think many other teams probably have very similar experiences,” Wood said.

The O’Reilly Auto Parts 125 race at virtual Texas Motor Speedway takes place on Sunday, March 29, at 1 p.m. Eastern Time and is available on FOX, FS1, and the FOX Sports app.

About Motorcraft:

Motorcraft offers a complete line of replacement parts that are recommended by Ford Motor Company. From routine maintenance to underhood repairs, Motorcraft parts offer value with high quality and the right fit at competitive prices. Motorcraft parts are available nationwide at Ford and Lincoln Dealers, independent distributors and automotive parts retailers, and are backed by the Service Parts Limited Warranty of Ford Motor Company. For more information, visit www.motorcraft.com.

About Omnicraft:

Omnicraft is part of the Ford lineup of parts brands: Ford Parts, Motorcraft and Omnicraft. Omnicraft is the exclusive non-Ford/Lincoln parts brand of premium aftermarket parts. With over a century of parts heritage to build upon, Omnicraft provides excellent quality and fit and is a preferred choice of professional automotive technicians. To find out more about Omnicraft, visitwww.omnicraftautoparts.com or contact your local Ford or Lincoln Dealership.

About Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center

Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center offers extraordinary service for routine vehicle maintenance including tire repair and replacement with a Low Tire Price Guarantee and a full menu of automotive services including oil and filter, brakes, alignments, batteries, and shocks and struts on all vehicle makes and models. Service is performed by certified technicians at more than 1,000 locations worldwide while you wait, and no appointment is necessary. For more information about Quick Lane, please visit www.quicklane.com.

About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is a global company based in Dearborn, Michigan. The company designs, manufactures, markets and services a full line of Ford cars, trucks, SUVs, electrified vehicles and Lincoln luxury vehicles, provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company and is pursuing leadership positions in electrification, autonomous vehicles and mobility solutions. Ford employs approximately 200,000 people worldwide. For more information regarding Ford, its products and Ford Motor Credit Company, please visit www.corporate.ford.com.

Wood Brothers Racing

Wood Brothers Racing was formed in 1950 in Stuart, Va., by Hall of Famer Glen Wood. Wood Brothers Racing is the oldest active team and one of the winningest teams in NASCAR history. Since its founding, the team won 99 races (including at least one race in every decade for the last seven decades) and 120 poles in NASCAR’s top-tier series. Fielding only Ford products for its entire history, the Wood Brothers own the longest association of any motorsports team with a single manufacturer. Glen’s brother, Leonard, is known for inventing the modern pit stop. The team currently runs the Ford Mustang driven by Matt DiBenedetto in the famous No. 21 racer.

MCDOWELL ON VIRTUAL TEXAS:

“I was really glad to hear the news this week that NASCAR, iRacing and FOX Sports have agreed to partner up once again to broadcast the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series race on FS1. Texas Motor Speedway has always been a track that I enjoy racing at in real life, so I am excited to see what it will be like from a virtual perspective.

“Now that drivers have had some time to get comfortable with making the switch from racing in person to racing in a virtual realm, I can imagine that we will see a lot of hard racing this weekend that is hopefully entertaining for the fans tuning in. My Love’s Travel Stops Ford Mustang is ready to go and I’m excited to be back racing for the second consecutive Sunday.

“I would also like to thank all of the guys at the shop for working so hard this week to build me a custom simulator to race on. With the overwhelming responses from drivers that are eager to be part of the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series, most of the simulators in and around the Charlotte, N.C. area have been either rented out or purchased, leaving me with limited options to be able to compete in the series. Thankfully, my guys were able to put one together for me, so hopefully I can make them proud this weekend.”

NEMECHEK ON VIRTUAL TEXAS:

“I’m excited that the idea of hosting virtual races while we are not competing on track has taken off. It was a lot of fun being to participate in the inaugural event last weekend. We’re fortunate to have this kind of alternative in our sport to engage with our fans and partners in this difficult time and I’m glad that NASCAR, iRacing and FOX Sports have been able to collaborate and turn this idea into reality.

“Honestly, it doesn’t matter that we’re not physically racing in person; as a driver, you just want to get out there and turn laps. We’re still a very competitive group by nature and we all want to put on a great show for everyone watching.

“I want to thank our friends and partners at ROMCO for coming on board our No. 38 Ford Mustang this weekend at (virtual) Texas. They’ve been with our family for a long time and I’m happy that we still have the opportunity to run their hometown track with the ROMCO colors on board.”

CLINT BOWYER TELECONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT

Clint Bowyer, driver of the No. 14 Rush Truck Centers Ford Mustang, was part of a special NASCAR teleconference to talk about this weekend’s eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series event from the virtual Texas Motor Speedway.

CLINT BOWYER, No. 14 Rush Truck Centers Ford Mustang – CAN YOU TALK ABOUT HOW FUN iRACING HAS BEEN? “Yeah, what a wonderful opportunity for the sport, for racing in general. iRacing has been around a long time and it’s just something that keeps evolving and they’ve perfected. Man, the timing couldn’t have been anymore right for a perfect storm situation. Here we all are, just longing for some sports action, some competitive action that we can broadcast and show a fan and, boom, here it is in our lap. It was a great race last week at Homestead. I mean, you want to talk about a perfect storm, Dale Jr. taking the lead and Denny Hamlin passing him literally in the last corner of the race was just incredibly awesome. I can’t wait to get it going on again this time on the big brother station. We’re gonna put it on network on Fox. I can’t wait for that and can’t wait for the viewership and everything else. The opportunities that Fox has created for all of it, they took a chance. They didn’t exactly probably know everything about iRacing and jumped in the deep end and it worked and it’s gonna be even bigger and better this Sunday at 1 o’clock. I cannot wait.”

CAN YOU TALK ABOUT DENNY HAMLIN’S ROLE IN THIS AND PULLING GUYS TOGETHER? “Certainly, he’s one of the contributing factors. I would say the force behind it all, and he doesn’t want any recognition, but it would be Dale Jr. He’s been the voice behind this the whole time. He’s the one that literally each and every night jumps on and runs around and asks people, ‘Hey, do you want to follow me and get the hang of it?’ So many different things. After a race he’s calling and asking if anybody needs any help or what they can do. I would definitely say that Dale Jr. was probably, if anybody deserves credit, it would probably be him. Obviously, Denny winning the race last week was huge. It would probably have been even more huge if Dale Jr. could have won, but nonetheless what a race it was. I literally wrecked my car watching the screen because in the broadcast studio I had obviously my sim rig there, but on the wall I had a big screen to where I could watch the broadcast as well and I was kind of down and out as was a lot of guys trying to figure this thing out for the first time and I caught myself just not even paying attention and watching the end to see who was gonna win. It’s like, who would have ever thought that this would have become a reality and then on our televisions, and then even more so who would have ever thought that it would have created a situation that had us all jumping up and down on the edge of our seats. It’s an incredible opportunity for all of us to try to bridge the gap right here while we all wait to get back on the race track. I couldn’t be happier. I was extremely happy for our industry, happy for everybody involved, all parties involved, whether it was iRacing, NASCAR, Fox that provides us all this entertainment. Everybody is in this together. Everybody is struggling through these times. Our partners, each and every partner, every sponsor within the industry of NASCAR, everybody had an opportunity to be seen on Sunday because of this situation and being aired on Fox. It’s gonna be even bigger this weekend. We all learned. That was the guinea pig, right? We took a chance and everybody buckled down and did the best they could, and it had a little bit of everything. It was super-competitive. It was still light-hearted and fun. I think it was the perfect atmosphere for the situation and I think Fox seeing the viewership and getting more involved and excited about it, putting it on the old big brother station, going to network is going to be even bigger for everybody – again, all parties involved – whether it’s the industry of NASCAR, a driver and his brand, and all of his partners that back him. This is all an opportunity to create some exposure for all of us until we get back on the race track in front of our fans.”

ARE YOU PRACTICING A LOT? “As much as I can. I haven’t been able to jump on as much this week as I did last week, but I got on – man, this is the weirdest thing about this quarantine, what day is it? (laughing). I think it’s Thursday, so I was on there Tuesday night. I jumped on after I put the kids to bed and that’s the thing everybody is different, everybody has different lives that they lead. For me, I owe it to my family to try to keep the kids entertained, keep my wife sane. She’s got three kids, I only have two – try to keep them entertained until they go to bed and then I went over and jumped on and I’ll be damned if I didn’t go to the top of the board and was pretty happy about my speed. I had a heck of a race with Parker Kligerman, again a guy that you look for. There are certain guys when you get on in any given week, whether it’s the day or the evening, that you look for because you know that they’ve got experience and track time and seat time in the sim and on iRacing, and those guys showed up last week. A Parker Kligerman, that Garrett Smithley kid, I was following him and trying to learn as much as I could from him. Timmy Hill, I mean these are all guys that have a ton of experience. William Byron, Alex Bowman, Denny Hamlin, Dale Jr., when they get on the race track, trust me, you need to get out there with them and learn as much as you can, follow them and everything else. But that’s what’s cool because we’re all in this together. We all need it to go. We all know that we need it to be a great thing for everybody involved and that’s why we’re all trying to help each other out to make it as good as possible.”

DO YOU THINK THE COMPETITION LEVEL WILL BE RAISED THIS WEEK COMPARED TO LAST? “They’re certainly all across the board. Everybody always asks over the years, ‘What do you do to stay in shape to be a race car driver?’ And I’ve always said this, I grew up racing motorcross and I think the best thing you can possibly do for any given sport is to do it. There’s nothing that replaces seat time when you’re racing cars against your peers and the competition that we see at the Cup level. It was the same way when I raced dirt modifieds in the Midwest. The more you did it, the better you were. Trust me, these iRacing guys it’s no different. It reminds me of a rookie coming into the Cup Series. You’re up against guys who have been doing it for years, decades, and you’re expected to jump right into the deep end and compete with them and run door-to-door with them and beat them. The pressure is on for all of us to gain that almighty seat time as much as we can. In the meantime, during these evenings and during the day, whenever you can jump on it, we’re all doing it. The neatest thing about iRacing is you can get on there and kind of see how many laps or how many hours people have logged and it’s pretty staggering to see the dedication that some of my peers have been putting into this because it’s such a big deal.”

DO YOU THINK THIS IS A WAY FOR PEOPLE TO GET THAT SAME RACING FEEL BY WATCHING OR COMPETING IN THIS KIND OF SPORT? “Absolutely. There’s no question. It was almost like this was in preparation over the last decade for this very moment. iRacing has been around a long time. We’ve mentioned it. Everybody knows that Denny, Dale Jr., all these guys have been doing this for a long time. That time is now. iRacing has perfected the thing. The production is good. The camera angles are good. They have their own series. You have to understand that. Their series races each and every week just like ours does. They have hell of a races. I mean, it’s awesome to watch some of these races. You think we’re good? We’re terrible. You ought to watch some of these iRacing guys that do this each and every week. They’re literally professionals and we all have them now, whether it be our organization – Stewart-Haas, Gibbs, Hendrick – we all have our drivers who represent us. Heck, my dirt team, Bowyer Dirt, has two drivers that drive for us and compete in this series. This series was perfected for this very moment, so it’s just the perfect storm and it comes at a great time where everybody is quarantined, there’s not much to do. Heck, if you can’t get a simulator yourself, you can certainly watch one heck of a race. Last weekend, you couldn’t ask for a better race. I’m telling you right now, it’s a struggle to put that good of an ending and a finish on a race in real life. That’s how realistic this thing is.”

HOW SIMILAR DO YOU FEEL SIM RACING IS TO THE REAL CAR, AND HOW MUCH DOES IT HELP DURING THIS TIME LIVING ON A FARM AS YOU DO? “First of all, it is extremely realistic. The difference between all of this is with iRacing you’re using the same mechanics, the same forces, the same movements as you use in real life to make your car go fast and that is your hand-eye coordination, your feet. You drive these things so much with the pedals, with the gas, the brake, the steering input. All of those inputs in your mind are the exact same thing and the same tools we use to put your car to the front of the field on any given Sunday. That being said, the only sense that you don’ t have in a simulator is the feel from the seat of your pants. We kind of call it the butt dyno. You balance a race car kind of like if you put a plate on the end of an ink pen. That’s how you balance a race car. That thing wants to go on all four different axis’, whether it’s the right-front, left-front, right-rear, left-rear, you can feel all those things and that’s how you balance a car is through the seat of your pants. In iRacing, you don’t have that. All you have is your visuals, so once you have the hang of that and your mind finally catches on it’s kind of like riding a bike. It’s a struggle for a little while, but once you catch on to that and realize what’s going on with the movements of your car and the movements of the track and things like that – when to pick up the gas, your timing – once you get all that set it’s exactly like what we do in real life. That being said, the second part of your question, quarantine, man, we’re all in this together. Obviously, I’m fortunate enough to have a farm, but there’s no amount of acreage, no size of a house that makes it pleasant for anybody. We’re all in this together. We have to keep in mind we’re protecting the people that have paved the way and made it possible for us to even be here – our very existence, our freedoms, everything. That’s who we’re trying to protect, one another, looking out for one another. Quarantine, if I have to do that for a month, it’s worth it and I’m signed up and we’re in this together just like everybody else. The neat thing about all of this is there is something that came along called iRacing and we’re all able to give me something else to do. Everybody knows, man, I think I’ve got massive amounts of ADD. I’ve never been diagnosed with it, but I’d say I’ve got plenty of it. If anybody knows me, they probably understand that and agree, so iRacing for me is the perfect getaway under this quarantine and certainly for a fan on Sunday it’s gonna be even better.”

WHAT’S IT LIKE TO BE ABLE TO TALK TO YOUR COMPETITORS IN iRACING AND WHAT WOULD IT BE LIKE IF YOU COULD DO THAT IN YOUR REAL CAR? “If we could talk to each other like we do on iRacing, it depends on what happens (laughing). If you crashed, it would be pretty epic. I would say that Radioactive on Tuesdays when it comes out I would say that would be even bigger and a better show, but that’s something that’s unique to iRacing and a lot of fun. Because of the seriousness of it. I mean, is it serious? Absolutely. Do I want to win? You darn right. I want to beat these guys something terrible bad – huge bragging rights and not to mention this thing, look at the viewership. I want to win this thing not only for myself, but everybody involved, iRacing and everything else. I mean, Denny Hamlin, he had an interview on SportsCenter for crying out loud. Everybody wants a piece of this thing, so I want to win for my partners and myself, everybody involved. I’m super-excited about Sunday and the biggest thing about me doing the broadcast is I can’t hear what those guys are saying in there. The only thing I can hear is Jeff and Mike Joy and the producer, Mark, in my ear. I’m listening to the broadcast and trying to chime in and add as much as I can from the seat of the car from my perspective. I can see on the board that like Dale Jr. chimed in, Bubba Wallace when he wrecked, Chase Elliott. I could see that he chimed in and said something because when you hit push-to-talk it puts your domain up there, but I didn’t know what they said or anything else. That was one thing that I was hoping that I could see and it just isn’t that way, but, man, this thing is bigger than any one person. It’s an opportunity for our industry and that’s why I didn’t care about any of the small things, just trying to make the most of it for everybody involved, any driver, any partner, any manufacturer. I mean, we’re all in this thing together and we’re trying to make some entertainment and some value for our fans, so that’s what it’s all about.”

WILL THERE BE LESS PATIENCE FOR SOME OF THE FUN STUFF LIKE WHAT BOWMAN DID WITH HIS DOG? WILL IT BE MORE SERIOUS? “First of all, Alex Bowman and that, that was clearly not the situation. His dog wasn’t driving that car. It was funny. It was great. A guy like Alex Bowman has iRaced a long time and he knew there was a window there that he could do that. That’s something that, again, as we were learning that we didn’t know that. We didn’t know any different than a fan. The cautions, if there’s one glitch right now that we have is the inability to just say green next time by. It’s part of the format. It’s in I guess the software or whatever, that’s iRacing. They can take one away, in other words if we’re still in a commercial break, they can go one more lap, but they can’t take one away. The can add a lap, but they can’t take one away. That’s something they’re working on, but, right now, it is what it is, so that’s an opportunity to have some fun. It gives an opportunity for Jeff and Mike in the booth to answer some Twitter questions. This thing, again, is it serious? Hell yes, it’s serious. Did you see the viewership? One million viewers. I want to win this thing big-time for myself, for my partners, for everybody. You want to be the man in front of a million viewers. You start putting it on the big brother station over there on network, airing on Fox, this is gonna be even bigger this weekend. Everybody is practicing big-time. If you question that, all you’ve got to do is get on iRacing each and every evening, during the day, it doesn’t matter what time of day it is, you get on there, log on, and there will be people on Texas racing and practicing for this weekend. So it would be an understatement to think that it’s not serious, but that being said, I think it needs to be entertaining. We’re all quarantined. Everybody is looking for some entertainment. Certainly the racing aspect was alive with Dale Jr. and Denny coming down to the wire, a last corner pass. That’s a tall order to ask in real life. That was one hell of a race. In fact, I wrecked my car at the end of the race because I was watching the TV on the wall of the finish to see who was gonna win the thing. I was kind of limping around in 16th place and wasn’t gonna win anyway. I was watching the race because I could hear Gordon and Mike Joy in the booth going through the roof. I was like, ‘What the hell is going on?’ So I look over and watching this thing and run right into the wall. That being said, it needs to have some fun, some light-heartedness too. I think there’s room for everybody. I think it’s a wonderful thing. I hope that you enjoyed it and I think the fans did. Obviously, the ratings showed that, but, again, just a perfect storm to bridge this gap until we get back on the race track. I think it’s a great thing for everybody.”

WERE YOU SURPRISED BY THE REACTION OF HOW BIG THIS HAS BLOWN UP? “No, absolutely not. You look and it’s the perfect storm. It’s as if iRacing had been started and built 15 years ago for this very moment, for this very situation. The iRacing itself, I’ve watched these races and the series races. We all have professional drivers that drive for us. I have drivers that run in the series with my Bowyer Dirt brand, and Denny does, all my peers, the manufacturers do, the organizations do. Stewart-Haas has a team. Everybody has teams that compete week in and week out in their series. Production-wise, I’ve known that it was good and it keeps getting better. The camera angles, everything, it’s pretty damn realistic and pretty damn good, so it didn’t surprise me one bit. I think this weekend will be even bigger.”

HOW SENSITIVE IS THE SOFTWARE IN TERMS OF MAKING CHANGES TO THE CAR AND HOW DO YOU COMPENSATE FOR NOT HAVING THE PHYSICAL FEEL FOR THE ELEMENTS? “Let’s start with that. You do hear all of that in the simulator. The only one you don’t have is the seat of your pants, the feel. That’s the one that you have to teach your mind to learn. Everything is visual and it’s no different than the simulators, the big simulators, the high dollar simulators that all of the manufacturers have, that everybody goes and works on our setups for any given weekend. That’s where this thing has evolved. Everybody – F1, NASCAR – everybody evolves and betters their program in the simulation at any manufacturer, whether it’s Ford, Chevy, Toyota, they all have them. I’ve been with all of them and I’ve been in every single one of them working on my setups for any given race track any given weekend. That being said, you have to teach yourself the sense of visual because you can’t feel that car sliding out from underneath of you with the old butt dyno as they say. Once you get that learned and you teach yourself it’s just like riding a bike it becomes natural and then it’s all your same tools. You’re holding the steering wheel, you’re pushing the gas and trying to stay off the brake, but your mind is telling you you need the brake. Within the race, the only thing that I do like about it is it kind of reminds you of the old IROC series in the sense of all the setups are the same. It’s a common setup, which knowing what I know of iRacing, is a good thing. If everybody was all across the board and this is why, you have professional iRacing guys that are helping all of us, whether it’s me, Denny, Dale Jr., anybody, experience levels are all over the place. If you opened up the setups it wouldn’t be a good race. This has got us all bunched up in great racing. The other good thing about iRacing is it doesn’t know air. That’s the one thing that’s not realistic, but is even better than what we have. Our cars, you have that aero tight, you have clean air, all of that stuff is so much more important in real life. This, the only thing you have, which, again in my opinion is even better than what we have, is the tire fall off. You can make those tires mad and what that means is you lean on that thing and pull on that wheel and make that car tight, drive a push into it, it keeps building temperature in the right-front, it keeps getting tighter and tighter and tighter, you didn’t do a good job managing your tires. Managing your tires is what it’s all about. It’s what it was all about at Homestead, and then everything I’ve practiced at Texas it’s what it’s all about there. You’ve got to keep your car neutral throughout a run and if you do that, you’ll drive up through them no matter where you’re at, so in some areas I think it’s even better than what we have and in some areas, obviously, it’s a little bit different. It is what it is. It’s the best we have, which is a hell of a lot better than any other sport right now.”

WOULD YOU LIKE TO DO THIS ON A ROAD COURSE? “Actually, it was the first thing that I said. So everybody gets on and you’re not only racing like what we have at Texas with my peers, I like racing other things. That’s what I love about iRacing, and the thing that’s a challenge right now for me. For the most part, all of my peers and stuff didn’t come from a dirt background, so when they get on iRacing they race what they know – Cup racing and asphalt. I came from a dirt background. When I got on iRacing or get on iRacing I do not want to race what I do week in and week out on any given Sunday. I want to get on there and have the ability because of iRacing to race a sprint car, to race a late model on dirt, a modified, a street stock for crying out loud – how I started in this sport, and F1 car, and Indy car, trucks, a Rally car – every different kind of race car, a USAC midget, on all of these different race tracks and feel what those are like and, for the most part, it’s extremely realistic and gives you a taste of what it is like. I mean, we’ve seen so many guys, I witnessed it first hand, there was this 16-year-old kid that won the late model championship last year in iRacing. I have a two-seat late model and part of our iRacing program that sponsors my car is whoever the champion is comes to Charlotte, we go over to the Dirt Track, I put him in, run him a couple of laps, and they get to run the real thing. This kid wasn’t even old enough to drive, never drove anything before, didn’t jump in with the old dad and get in a parking lot and drive, never drove, never drove a stick, never drove anything. He got in this race car because of iRacing, because of his background, and I mean within three laps was ripping laps within tenths of what I could do. It was super-impressive and really opened my eyes to the realistic values of iRacing.”

HOW MUCH EXPERIENCE DO YOU HAVE IN VIDEO GAMES IN GENERAL? “I don’t. I’m not a gamer. To be honest with you, I’ve always made fun of gamers. I mean, I could tell you going over to my brother’s house and here he was sitting in the basement, he’s got a headset on, he’s talking to some maniac who knows where. I think he was playing that Fortnite game or whatever the hell that is, and I’m like, ‘What in the hell is wrong with you?’ And I’ll be darned here I am the other night at 2:30 in the morning in one hell of a street stock race with a bunch of my buddies, got a headset on, we’re on the mic, we’re talking. I had a blast and I’m telling you I drove my rear off. It was unbelievable how challenging it was to get that car around the race track and, more than that, keep it going around the race track for a long time.”

WHAT MAKES A GOOD iRACING DRIVER? “Seat time, no different than what makes a good race car driver. You cannot beat experience and it’s no different on iRacing.”

IS THERE ONE SKILL YOU DIDN’T KNOW YOU NEEDED? “No. Again, we all watched the seven-time champion in Jimmie Johnson struggle last week, but I will say this, in all fairness, what he tried to accomplish last week was pretty much impossible. I mean, he came in and within an hour or two signed up and tried to run, so much that we were having trouble getting him on the thing just to compete, let alone try to figure out how to race. Trust me, from what I’ve seen already of his practice time and his effort his week, I think he will be way better.”

DO YOU THINK THIS iRACING WILL APPEAL TO THE YOUNGER DEMOGRAPHIC NASCAR IS TRYING TO PULL IN? “I think. Here’s the thing, it’s sad in today’s day and age of how many people try to pick apart everything. You’re sitting here watching our government and all the officials try to figure out how to help us all. I pray for everybody. Those guys, they’re standing there and they’ve got a pretty terrible hand of cards and they’re trying to figure out how to play it as good as possible for all of us. This being no different. We’re all in this together. We’re all quarantined. It’s almost as if the iRacing thing had been built and designed in the past for this very moment. I think it’s a perfect bridge to gap this situation we’re all in. It’s entertainment. Is it real? No, it’s not. It’s virtual, but it’s what we have and I’m telling you right now it provided entertainment that literally had you jumping up and down and on the edge of your seat at the end of that race. I had so many people call and tell me, A, first and foremost, I can’t tell you how many people are on Twitter saying, ‘Man, it took me a lap or two to figure out that that wasn’t real.’ That’s how realistic the production is, how realistic it is in the cars driving them. These things are arguable sometimes harder to drive than our cars. It is extremely challenging to run these cars as fast as we were, as close as we were all across throughout that 100-lap race. Can it be better? Of course. Is it good enough? You damn right. I think it is and I think the viewership showcased that.”

DO YOU SEE NASCAR ADDING A FOURTH NATIONAL SERIES WITH THIS? “They already have that. iRacing has a series that races every week and it’s extremely competitive, it’s extremely entertaining. You think our deal was entertaining, you ought to see these guys that do this for a living. We all have teams that race. I have my Bowyer Dirt brand has drivers that drive for us. Stewart-Haas has drivers. Denny has drivers. Dale Jr. has drivers. William Byron and Alex Bowman, I saw that Garrett Smithley kid and Timmy Hill, one of those two had like 600 iRacing wins. This has been going on a long time. This is no just show up and try to make the best of it. It’s evolved over time and it keeps getting better and better and it’s gotten so good that it creates an opportunity for our industry to put on a good show for our fans to bridge this gap.”

COULD YOU PUT IT ON TV ALL THE TIME? “It’s been online. Every race, every week is that way. You need to watch some of those series and follow them. It’s extremely entertaining and very, very competitive.”

HOW COMPETITIVE ARE YOU GUYS AGAINST EACH OTHER? “It’s just racing, man. It’s the mentality. Everybody says a football player, he doesn’t want to lose either, but racers are just different. Racers have always somehow someway been at the race track. When all odds are against them racers figure it out. I can tell you, there’s not a racer in existence that ever meets a budget. It’s always over budget. It’s whatever it takes to be competitive to be at the race track and to win races at whatever cost, and they always seem to figure it out. It’s always been that way.”

WHAT ELSE HAVE YOU BEEN DOING DURING THIS DOWN TIME? “Just trying to keep the kids sane, trying to keep my wife sane, trying to help her. We’re all in this together. Everybody is doing the same thing. There’s no magic button to push. There’s no secret ingredient. We’re quarantined. It does suck. It sucks for everybody, but we’re doing this for a reason, we’re trying to protect one another and trying to keep everybody alive and healthy, and doing what our president and the government asks us to do. This is the right step. It is extremely damaging to everybody anywhere you look, you feel bad for restaurant owners, business owners, everything, but we’re gonna get through this. We’re all longing for something to do and, boom, here comes this iRacing thing right in our lap. It has been there for a long time and it’s almost as if it was built and formed for this very moment. I cannot wait to get back on the track this Sunday and continue to sell our sport and it’s a different way, it’s a different model, but it’s still racing, it’s still extremely competitive, it’s still exposure beyond belief, it still shows the strength of our fan base. You can’t lose sight of that. We had one million viewers on FS1 last week with something that had never even been tried before. Yes, obviously, everybody is at home, it’s a perfect storm, nothing else to do, but it was so big that Fox took the chance again and put it on the big boy station, on network. It’s gonna be on Fox this weekend and it’s gonna be bigger and better than its ever been. We’ve learned a lot. I literally watched Jeff Gordon, Mike Joy and Larry McReynolds sit in a production meeting with iRacing, with Fox officials in a matter of an hour, maybe two hours, and write every note, ask every question they knew to ask, learned as much as they possibly could to try to make this a production. I think they did a hell of a job. I’m not kidding. They learned about what you saw last Sunday within an hour or two and nailed it, and I think they’ll be even better this week having a race under their belts.”