ENASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series

Last updated
eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series
ENASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series logo.png
Category Esports (Racing)
Country United States
Inaugural season2010
Drivers40
Teams20
Drivers' championParker White
Teams' champion Williams Esports
Official website eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series

The eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series (formerly PEAK Antifreeze iRacing Series and NASCAR iRacing World Championship) is the premiere esports league that is sanctioned by ENASCAR. [1] 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. [2] The series is run through the iRacing simulation platform. [3]

Contents

History

With the growing popularity of professional e-sports in the 2000s, and growing viewership of the broadcasts, NASCAR decided to venture into the sport. [4] This mover pre-dated other popular series such as Forza Racing Championship, Formula One Esports Series and IMSA GT Championship. [5]

On February 9, 2010, the first-ever NASCAR-sanctioned esports series began when Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the inaugural race at a simulated version of Daytona International Speedway. [6] The series became one of the eSport World Championships that is recognized by iRacing and one three recognized eSport series sanctioned by NASCAR.

In 2014, the series gained its first entitlement sponsor when PEAK Antifreeze gained the naming rights. At that time the money pool was increased to $100,000. PEAK would remain the primary sponsor until 2020, when Coca-Cola took over and the money pool was tripled to $300,000. [7]

Champions

SeasonDriverTeam
2010Richard TowlerDrill Aisle
2011Ray Alfalla JR Motorsports
2012Ray Alfalla JR Motorsports
2013Tyler HudsonOne Up Motorsport
2014Michael ContiDrill Aisle
2015Kenny HumpeThe TEAM
2016Ray AlfallaSlip Angle Motorsports
2017Ryan LuzaSimworx Racing
2018Ray AlfallaSlip Angle Motorsports
2019Zack Novak Roush Fenway Racing
2020Nick Ottinger William Byron eSports
2021Keegan Leahy 23XI Racing
2022Casey Kirwan XSET
2023Steven Wilson Stewart–Haas Racing
2024Parker White Williams Esports

Tracks

Current

TrackTrack typeTrack length
Atlanta Motor Speedway Quad-oval 1.5 mi
Brands Hatch Road course 2.433 mi.
Bristol Motor Speedway Dirt short track oval .533 mi
Charlotte Motor Speedway Quad-oval 1.5 mi
Chicago Street Course Street circuit 2.2 mi.
Darlington Raceway Oval 1.366 mi
Daytona International Speedway Superspeedway 2.5 mi
Dover International Speedway Oval 1 mi
Homestead–Miami Speedway Oval 1.5 mi
Indianapolis Motor Speedway Rectangular oval 2.5 mi
Iowa Speedway Oval .875 mi.
Las Vegas Motor Speedway Tri-oval 1.5 mi
Michigan International Speedway D–shaped oval 2.0 mi.
Nashville Superspeedway Tri-oval 1.333 mi.
Phoenix Raceway Dogleg Oval 1.022 mi
Pocono Raceway Superspeedway 2.5 mi.
Richmond Raceway Short track oval .75 mi
Talladega Superspeedway Superspeedway 2.66 mi
Texas Motor Speedway Oval 1.5 mi

Former

TrackTrack typeTrack length
Auto Club Speedway D–shaped oval 2 mi
Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval Road course 2.28 mi
Kansas Speedway Tri-oval 1.5 mi
LA Coliseum (exhibition) Oval .25 mi
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Oval 1.058 mi
Watkins Glen International Road course 2.55 mi
World Wide Technology Raceway Oval 1.25 mi

Format

Regular season

The regular season consists of 16 rounds that begins in mid-February and ends in early October. A total of 40 racers compete for 8 spots in the playoffs. Points are gained for each race, earning one point per position (one point for 40th, two for 39th, etc.). Three bonus points are awarded for winning a race and one bonus point is awarded for leading a lap and leading the most laps. Only the best 12 out of 16 results count towards the driver's championship. The drivers with the most points qualify for the playoffs. Drivers receive $500 for a win, $300 for a second-place finish and $200 for a third-place finish for all races but the Daytona 500, which are increased.[ citation needed ]

Playoffs

Points are reset beginning week 17 for the playoff qualifying drivers who are all set at 2,000 points. After three races, the drivers in the top four of the standings qualify for the Championship race and their points are set to 3,000. The driver with the highest number of points at the end of the series is named the champion.[ citation needed ] In 2020, the Champion will be awarded $100,000, second will receive $20,000, $15,000 for third, and $10,000 for fourth.[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in the world and is one of the largest spectator sports leagues in America. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and his son, Jim France, has been the CEO since August 2018. The company is headquartered in Daytona Beach, Florida. Each year, NASCAR sanctions over 1,500 races at over 100 tracks in 48 US states, as well as in Canada, Mexico, Brazil and Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Andretti</span> American race car driver (1963–2020)

John Andrew Andretti was an American professional race car driver. He won individual races in CART, IMSA GTP, Rolex Sports Car Series, and NASCAR during his career. A member of the Andretti racing family, he was the son of Aldo Andretti, older brother of racer Adam Andretti, nephew of Mario Andretti, and the cousin to CART drivers Michael and Jeff Andretti. He is also the first cousin once-removed of Marco Andretti.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnny Sauter</span> American racing driver (born 1978)

Jonathan Joseph Sauter is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes part-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving the No. 45 Chevrolet Silverado for Niece Motorsports, and the No. 16 Toyota Tundra for Hattori Racing Enterprises. He has also driven in the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series in the past. Sauter is the son of former NASCAR driver Jim Sauter, the brother of NASCAR drivers Tim Sauter and Jay Sauter, and the uncle of Travis Sauter. He is the 2016 Truck Series champion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony Raines</span> American racing driver

Floyd Anthony Raines is a retired American professional stock car racing driver. He is a former National Touring Series champion in the American Speed Association and 1999 Rookie of the Year in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. He is currently the spotter for the No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Ryan Preece.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Reutimann</span> American racing driver

Emil David Reutimann is an American professional stock car racing crew chief and former driver. A native of Zephyrhills, Florida, he has competed in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series, and Camping World Truck Series. In 2004, he won NASCAR Rookie of the Year honors in the Craftsman Truck Series. He is the son of Buzzie Reutimann.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Premium Motorsports</span> American stock car racing team

Premium Motorsports was an American professional stock car racing team that competed in the NASCAR Cup Series. The team last fielded the No. 15 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 LE full-time for Brennan Poole, and the No. 27 Camaro part-time for Reed Sorenson.

Historic and prestigious races in NASCAR are often called Crown Jewels. Most commonly these races are the Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600, and Southern 500. NASCAR also recognizes the Brickyard 400 as a Crown Jewel. During the Winston Million program, the Winston 500 at Talladega was included, but most modern sources do not include it as a Crown Jewel race. Some media members and drivers argue that the Bristol Night Race is a Crown Jewel event as well.

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) makes and enforces numerous rules and regulations that transcend all racing series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2007 Pepsi 400</span> Motor car race

The 2007 Pepsi 400 was the 18th race of the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season and held on July 7, 2007, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phil Parsons Racing</span> Former NASCAR team

Phil Parsons Racing, formerly named MSRP Motorsports, Prism Motorsports, and later HP Racing, was a NASCAR team that competed in the Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series. It was owned by former NASCAR driver Phil Parsons, and most recently fielded the No. 98 Ford for Josh Wise.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series</span> 62nd season of NASCAR stock-car racing

The 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series was the 62nd season of professional stock car racing in the United States, the 39th modern-era cup series, and the first Cup season of the 2010s, the 21st century's second decade. Beginning at Daytona International Speedway, the season included 36 races and two exhibition races. The season concluded with the 2010 Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. During the 2009 offseason, NASCAR announced a few calendar changes, including the standardized start time. Rick Hendrick won the Owners' Championship, while Jimmie Johnson won the Drivers' Championship with a second-place finish at the final race of the season. Chevrolet won the Manufacturers' Championship with 261 points. Johnson extended his record of consecutive championships with the 5th title in a row. 2010 is the first season without drivers Jeremy Mayfield since 1992 and Sterling Marlin since 1975.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Unocal 76 Challenge</span>

The Unocal 76 Challenge was an award program for the NASCAR Winston Cup Series from 1989-1999 sponsored by the Unocal Corporation. Unocal posted a $7,600 cash prize if the pole position winner for each NASCAR Winston Cup event went on to win the race. If the prize was not claimed, it was rolled over to the next race until the pot was claimed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 Coca-Cola 600</span> Motor car race

The 2012 Coca-Cola 600, the 53rd annual race, was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held on May 27, 2012, at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. Contested over 400 laps, it was the twelfth race of the 2012 season. Kasey Kahne of Hendrick Motorsports took his first win of the season, while Denny Hamlin finished second and Kyle Busch finished third.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Buescher</span> American racing driver (born 1992)

Christopher William Buescher is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 17 Ford Mustang Dark Horse for RFK Racing. He is the 2012 ARCA Racing Series and 2015 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion and the cousin of 2012 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion James Buescher.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chase Briscoe</span> American racing driver (born 1994)

Chase David Wayne Briscoe is an American professional stock car racing driver and team owner. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 14 Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Stewart–Haas Racing. He also owns a World of Outlaws sprint car racing team, Chase Briscoe Racing. He won the 2016 ARCA Racing Series championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series</span> 37th NASCAR Xfinity racing season

The 2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series was the 37th season of the NASCAR Xfinity Series, a stock car racing series sanctioned by NASCAR in the United States. William Byron won the 2017 championship with JR Motorsports, but moved up to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Tyler Reddick, who replaced Byron in the No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro SS, won the drivers' championship. Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste won the owners' championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NASCAR Cup Series</span> Top tier auto racing division within NASCAR

The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), the most prestigious stock car racing series in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 NASCAR Cup Series</span> 73rd season of NASCAR Cup Series racing

The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series was the 73rd season for NASCAR professional stock car racing in the United States and the 50th season for the modern era Cup Series. The season started at Daytona International Speedway with the Busch Clash, where it was the first year that the non-points event was run on the track's road course layout instead of the oval. That race was followed by the Bluegreen Vacations Duel qualifying races, and the 63rd running of the Daytona 500, the first points race of the season. The regular season also ended at Daytona with the 2021 Coke Zero Sugar 400 on August 28, where Kyle Larson won the Regular Season Championship. Following the 2021 Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway on October 31, Chevrolet claimed its 40th Manufacturer's Championship and its first since 2015. The NASCAR playoffs ended with the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway on November 7 with Larson earning his first Cup Series championship after a 10-win season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mitchell DeJong</span> American car racer

Mitchell DeJong is an American professional racing driver, stunt driver and Esports athlete competing in multiple disciplines, including rallycross, ice racing, road course, off-road, dirt, and oval track racing. He also travels the world as an Esports champion and competitor of invite-only events held by top manufacturers such as BMW and Porsche. deJong is known for his dominant road course racing style in the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing series, the Porsche Esports Supercup, and iRacing F1 Championship. deJong holds world records and championship titles in multiple disciplines, including X-Games. He was invited by Porsche to participate in their young driver academy and in 2020 he became a Porsche Factory Works Driver.

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.

References

  1. "eNASCAR | About eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series". eNASCAR. Retrieved 2020-03-09.
  2. Nicholson, Jonno (2020-02-05). "Coca-Cola named entitlement sponsor of eNASCAR iRacing Series". Esports Insider. Retrieved 2020-03-09.
  3. "eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series". iRacing.com. Retrieved 2020-03-09.
  4. Tassi, Paul. "2012: The Year of eSports". Forbes. Retrieved 2020-03-11.
  5. Beckford, Andrew (December 11, 2018). "The Rise of eSports Racing". Super Street Network. Retrieved March 11, 2020.
  6. "An Online Racing Dream Come True". iRacing.com. 2010-02-10. Retrieved 2020-03-09.
  7. Staff, SPEED SPORT (2020-02-05). "Coca-Cola Backing eNASCAR iRacing Series". SPEED SPORT. Retrieved 2020-03-09.