NASCAR Expands in Esports Forming Youth Racing Series

NASCAR is expanding its presence in esports, forming a youth esports racing series that it hopes will help train the next generation of passionate race car drivers.

The company bills the series as the “first esports competition created to attract and identify young talent.”

The series is open to youth 13-16 across the globe and will be hosted on the racing simulation platform iRacing. The platform will provide the young competitors with an “unparalleled simulation experience on iRacing’s ultra-realistic software” where they can practice to become the next generation of race-car drivers, NASCAR says.

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In June, the inaugural 12-week season kicks off with youth playing on virtual renderings of iconic short tracks like Langley Speedway, The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park.

The regular season includes the first eight events and will be open to all participants. The 50 racers accumulating the most points over the regular season will qualify to compete in the four-week playoffs. The top 30 in points after the playoffs will advance to a final championship event at the iconic Martinsville Speedway. The season will include a mix of single and heat race formats.

“As we expand our presence in esports, NASCAR is uniquely positioned as the only sport that can develop skills transferable to real world competition,” Blake Davidson, NASCAR vice president of consumer innovation said during the announcement. “We’re excited to see the young, diverse and global talent pool this series attracts, especially as we cultivate our next generation of drivers.”

Don’t miss the The Esports Business Summit Sept. 10-12 in Las Vegas. The summit brings together all sectors of the Esports ecosystem for two days of networking, education and inspiration. 

NASCAR already plays in the esports space. The NASCAR PEAK Antifreeze iRacing Series is its eSport World Championship series now in its ninth season. The series features elite oval sim-racers that compete on simulated versions of the actual real-world NASCAR tracks and Gen6 cars available on iRacing.