Checkered flag nears for pro drivers in virtual racing boom

The moment in the virtual sun has arrived for simulated racing and the thousands of gamers who always wanted to race like Dale Earnhardt Jr. or Jeff Gordon at NASCAR tracks from Dover to Daytona.

Sports fans discovered over the last few weeks on national TV a not-so-hidden secret in the racing community: the NASCAR champs and IndyCar drivers wanted to compete like their fans to hook up a simulator rig, grab a wheel and go head-to-virtual head with the best in the field without risking a real slam into the wall at more than 200 mph (321.87 kph).

The races have set viewing records, filling the yawning gaps in sports programming and helping make iRacing, headquartered in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, a breakout company during the coronavirus pandemic.

"I don't think anyone wants a pandemic as the reason why all of a sudden you're extremely successful," iRacing executive Steve Myers said.

"The only reason why we've been able to do this is because we've put 16 years worth of work and time into making this platform capable of doing this. It's been massively successful for us to put these races on."
"That's a lot of hard work. In some ways, it puts you in a niche, but as we've found with this COVID-19, having had that commitment to authenticity has led to outfits like NASCAR and all these drivers going to us and bringing us this attention."