NASCAR and iRacing announced on Tuesday that the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series is returning in 2021. This move will help fill empty TV slots that were previously scheduled to air practice and qualifying for real-life races. It also just gives fans more new racing content.
2021’s series is 10 races long, and events will complement the real-life races. It’ll feature a mix of tracks, including some of the new circuits on NASCAR’s schedule. FS1 will air the first five races, and NBCSN will air the series’s final five races.
Like 2020, 2021’s Pro Invitational Series will feature some of NASCAR’s best on the simulator. William Byron, Timmy Hill, Denny Hamlin, and Alex Bowman all won events last season during the COVID-19 shutdown, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see those four drivers participate.
The first race of the season is scheduled for Wednesday, March 24th, at Bristol Motor Speedway with the dirt configuration. FS1 will also air races at Talladega, Darlington, and COTA. The venue for the final FS1 race hasn’t been decided.
“FOX Sports embraced the eNASCAR iRacing Invitational Series in the spring as a way to keep race fans entertained, but we quickly realized it was a product and collaboration that we would continue to explore,†FOX Sports Executive Producer, EVP/Head of Operations and Production Brad Zager said in a press release. “The product is best-in-class, it delivers NASCAR to an even broader audience and, let’s face it, it’s a heckuva lot of fun.â€
Although iRacing returning to TV in 2021 is exciting, real-life racing is just around the corner. Speedweek at Daytona is just two weeks away, with the Busch Clash kicking things off on the DIS road course on February 9th on FS1.