ENASCAR

Last updated
eNASCAR
ENASCAR logo.png
Game iRacing
Founded2018;6 years ago (2018)
Owner(s) NASCAR
CEO Jim France
PresidentSteve Phelps
Divisions3
TV partner(s) Twitch, YouTube, Facebook
Official website enascar.com

eNASCAR was launched in 2018, by the parent company, NASCAR, to act as the Esports arm of the auto-racing body. The organization primarily uses the iRacing game via a PC platform for organizing its competitions, but has previously used other systems, such as those created by Xbox and PlayStation, and other games. As of 2022, eNASCAR officially sanctions three leagues.

Contents

Current series

Coca-Cola iRacing Series

The series was founded in 2010, in a partnership with iRacing, with the first race taking place on February 9, 2010. [1] [2] The 2023 champion is Steven Wilson. [3] A regular season consists of 14 rounds, and one exhibition, that begins in mid-February, at Daytona International Speedway, and ends in August. A total of 40 racers, who race Cup-style cars, compete for ten spots in the playoffs. Points are gained for each race using the current Cup Series format. The ten drivers then qualify for the playoffs with all their points increased to 2,000 plus three bonus points for each win. Each winner of the following three races make the playoffs, as do the highest non-winning drivers until there are four finalists. The winner of the series is determined by which of the four finalists finishes ahead of the other three in the final round. [4]

College iRacing Series

In 2022, NASCAR and collegiate esports league NACE Starleague joined to form the eNASCAR College iRacing Series. The three-round series allows full-time college students to compete for a chance to win scholarships. [5] The series uses the iRacing platform to host the races with racers using Truck Series chassis. Each round has a two-week time-trial event that takes place a few weeks prior to the race in which the fastest 40 entries make the final race. Only one entry per school is permitted to make the race. As of 2022, the winning driver receives a $3,000 scholarship, second place a $1,000, and third $500. [6]

International Series

In June 2021, NASCAR announced a three-race international series that would be hosted on the iRacing platform. The series, which will use Xfinity Series vehicles, will allow non-American racers to compete in a NASCAR-sanctioned eSports series. [7] The inaugural year consisted of a three-course schedule, which grew to five races in 2022. Members of the NASCAR Pinty's Series (Canada), NASCAR Mexico Series, and NASCAR Whelen Euro Series (Europe) are eligible for the series, as are the members of NASCAR's 2022 Drive for Diversity class. [8]

Road To Pro Series

The Road To Pro series is separated into two divisions, Contender and Qualifying. These series are designed to create platforms for armature racers to make it to the Coca-Cola Series with racers first making their way through the Qualifying Series and being promoted to the Contender Series. [9]

Former series

eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series

While NASCAR was delayed in 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, NASCAR arranged for drivers, both past and present, a series on the iRacing platform. [10] On March 22, 2020, 903,000 people watched the first race at the Homestead–Miami Speedway virtual track, which was an eSports television rating record. This was surpassed a week later when more than 1.3 million people tuned into the virtual race at Texas Motor Speedway. [11]

The series was renewed in 2021, for ten races, and featured never-run courses such as a dirt track at Bristol Motor Speedway and a fictitious Chicago street course. [12] After five races, the series was indefinitely discontinued. [13]

eNASCAR Heat Pro League

The Heat Pro League ran for two seasons, from 2019 to 2020. The 14-event league featured 28 gamers competing virtually on NASCAR Heat via the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles. [14] The series ended when NASCAR 21: Ignition was released. [15]

Related Research Articles

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eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series Esports racing league

The eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series is the premiere esports league that is sanctioned by ENASCAR. The league began in 2010 and is one of the longest running, officially sanctioned, esports racing series. Coca-Cola was named the entitlement sponsor for 2020 after they agreed to be a Premier Partner for NASCAR. The series is run through the iRacing simulation platform.

eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series Series of iRacing events

The eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series was a series of iRacing sim racing events originally organized for NASCAR drivers to compete in after its 2020 seasons were put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Drivers from all of NASCAR's series competed in races, including Hall of Fame drivers Dale Earnhardt Jr., Bobby Labonte, and Jeff Gordon. Originally supposed to be a one-time event (the first race of the 2020 season at Homestead-Miami, it quickly became a weekly series, and later included the Saturday Night Thunder series of races for drivers in the lower series of NASCAR. In each race, the series races on virtual versions of the racetracks.

The 2020 eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series was the first season of the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series, a series of iRacing sim racing events originally organized for NASCAR drivers to compete in after its 2020 seasons were put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Drivers from all of NASCAR's series competed in races, including Hall of Fame drivers Dale Earnhardt Jr., Bobby Labonte, and Jeff Gordon. Each weekend, the series would race on virtual versions of the racetracks that the NASCAR Cup Series would have raced at that weekend had the real races not been postponed, except for the final race at North Wilkesboro, a former NASCAR track which last hosted a NASCAR race in 1996, to launch the track joining iRacing. The series began at March 22 with a race at the virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway, and concluded with a race at the virtual North Wilkesboro Speedway on May 9.

The 2020 EuroNASCAR Esports Series is the inaugural season of the EuroNASCAR Esports Series. The series was launched after the opening rounds of the 2020 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This esports racing championship uses the iRacing platform with drivers racing NASCAR Cup Series machinery.

The 2020 NASCAR Pinty's FanCave Challenge was the fourteenth season of the Pinty's Series, the national stock car racing series in Canada sanctioned by NASCAR. It began with the QwickWick 125 at Sunset Speedway on August 15 and concluded with the Pinty's 125 at Jukasa Motor Speedway on September 28.

The IndyCar iRacing Challenge was a series of esports events held as a temporary replacement of the suspended 2020 IndyCar Series due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The series was run on the platform of iRacing. The virtual races were broadcast on various IndyCar social media channels. Additionally, all races, but the first one, were broadcast live on NBCSN.

The 2021 eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series was the second and final season of the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series, a series of iRacing sim racing events originally organized for NASCAR drivers to compete in after its 2020 seasons were put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

References

  1. "NASCAR, iRacing reveal new partnership". RACER. 2021-06-29. Retrieved 2022-03-10.
  2. "An Online Racing Dream Come True". iRacing.com. 2010-02-10. Retrieved 2022-03-10.
  3. "The 14 Days of Florida" . Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  4. "eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series" (PDF). enascar.com. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  5. Nicholson, Jonno (2022-02-16). "NASCAR launches eNASCAR College iRacing Series with NACE Starleague". Esports Insider. Retrieved 2022-04-11.
  6. "eNASCAR College iRacing Series Rulebook" (PDF). enascar.com.
  7. "eNASCAR unveils new International iRacing Series". Official Site Of NASCAR. 2021-06-17. Retrieved 2022-04-11.
  8. Melillo, Justin (2021-12-16). "2022 eNASCAR International iRacing Series announced". Traxion. Retrieved 2022-04-11.
  9. "How to Race eNASCAR – Road to Pro Explained". RaceDepartment. 2024-01-28. Retrieved 2024-02-20.
  10. "NASCAR, iRacing Expand Partnership to Include eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series". TobyChristie.com. 2020-03-18. Retrieved 2022-04-11.
  11. Weaver, Matt (2020-03-31). "Texas eNASCAR iRacing event draws over a million viewers". Autoweek. Retrieved 2022-04-11.
  12. "NASCAR, iRacing announce eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series return in 2021". Official Site Of NASCAR. 2021-01-26. Retrieved 2022-04-11.
  13. Tomlinson, Joy (2021-07-02). "IRacing Pro Invitational Series To Be Discontinued For The Rest Of 2021". www.frontstretch.com. Retrieved 2022-04-11.
  14. admin (2020-04-21). "eNASCAR Heat Pro League Returns for Second Season". Motorsport Games. Retrieved 2022-04-11.
  15. admin. "NASCAR 21: Ignition". Motorsport Games. Retrieved 2022-04-11.