eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series

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eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series
ENASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series logo.png
CategoryEsports (Racing)
CountryUnited States
Inaugural season2011
Drivers40
Teams20
Drivers' championNick Ottinger
Teams' champion
Official websiteeNASCAR 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 NASCAR.[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]

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 track 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[]

Season Driver Team
2010 Richard Towler Drill Aisle
2011 Ray Alfalla JR Motorsports
2012 Ray Alfalla JR Motorsports
2013 Tyler Hudson One Up Motorsport
2014 Michael Conti JScho Motorsports
2015 Kenny Humpe The TEAM
2016 Ray Alfalla Slip Angle Motorsports
2017 Ryan Luza Simworx Racing
2018 Ray Alfalla Slip Angle Motorsports
2019 Zack Novak Roush Fenway Racing
2020 Nick Ottinger

2021 Current teams and drivers[]

Manufacturer Team No. Race Driver
Chevrolet JR Motorsports 8 Michael Conti
88 Brad Davies
JTG Daugherty Racing 37 Derek Justis (R)
47 Brian Schoenburg
Kligerman Sport 44 Isaac Gann (R)
77 Bob Bryant
Letarte eSports 36 Chris Shearburn
83 Bobby Zalenski
McLaren Shadow 66 Blake Reynolds
67 Allen Boes
Team Dillon eSports 3 Corey Vincent
33 Taylor Hurst
William Byron eSports 25 Nick Ottinger
97 Logan Clampitt
Ford Clint Bowyer Racing 14 Blade Whitt (R)
79 Ryan Doucette (R)
Jim Beaver ESports 9 Michael Guest
15 Caine Cook
Mode Motorsports 24 Jake Nichols
75 Matt Bussa
Roush Fenway Racing 6 Nathan Lyon
17 Steven Wilson (R)
Spacestation Gaming 11 Malik Ray
55 Vicente Salas (R)
Stewart-Haas eSports 10 Graham Bowlin
41 Dylan Duval
Williams eSports 29 Zack Nichols (R)
52 Jake Matheson (R)
Wood Brothers Gaming 16 John Gorlinsky
21 Garrett Lowe
XSET 4 Ryan Michael Luza
38 Casey Kirwan
Toyota 23XI Racing 23 Mitchell deJong (R)
32 Keegan Leahy
Elliott Sadler eSports 1 Ashton Crowder
2 Garrett Manes (R)
Gibbs Gaming 18 Femi Olat (R)
51 Ray Alfalla
Richmond Raceway eSports 46 Jimmy Mullis
90 Zach Novak

Tracks[]

Track Track type Track length
Atlanta Motor Speedway Quad-oval 1.5 mi
Auto Club Speedway D–shaped oval 2 mi
Bristol Motor Speedway Short track oval .533 mi
Charlotte Motor Speedway Quad-oval 1.5 mi
Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval Road course 2.28 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
Kansas Speedway Tri-oval 1.5 mi
Las Vegas Motor Speedway Tri-oval 1.5 mi
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Oval 1.058 mi
Phoenix Raceway Dogleg Oval 1.022 mi
Richmond Raceway Short track oval .75 mi
Texas Motor Speedway Oval 1.5 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]

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.

External links[]

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