“Looks to the inside, contact! TIMMY HILL… gets his 674th iRacing win!” That was the voice of Nascar on Fox play-by-play commentator Mike Joy who was commentating an eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitation race with his partner, Jeff Gordon last Sunday. This was the second week that Nascar has participated in this. All of the contestants in these races are all current and former pro Nascar drivers. Some of the notable names include Chase Elliot, Jimmy Johnson, and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
The telecast set an esports record, drawing 1.3 million viewers. This broke the record that was set the previous week which drew over 910,000 viewers. And, to compare this Fox televised event to other shows that were aired on TV this last week, the eNASCAR iRacing event was the second most viewed show, only behind WWE Friday Night Smackdown. Each driver was driving in the comfort of their own home, drivers having a fully functioned steering wheel to use, rather than a controller. Some drivers went well and beyond, having chairs that moved around as they turned their wheel, similar to being in an arcade booth. Like I mentioned earlier, the race was being conducted through iRacing, which is a fully dedicated virtual simulator of a Nascar race. It feels so much like an actual race that the wind, tire ware, traction on the tracks, and plenty more all factor into the race! The racetracks are also updated each year to the exact dimensions that they would be in real life.
What does this mean for esports? As COVID-19 continues to put a halt to our beloved sports, could we see more professional sports leagues participating in something similar to this? The answer to that is yes. NBA 2K will be conducting a “Players-Only” 1on1 tournament that will air starting Friday on ESPN. This will take place over 10 days with 16 current NBA players competing against one another. Some notable players who will be competing are Kevin Durant, Donovan Mitchell, and Trae Young.
As we continue to fight this pandemic, watching sports, more specifically esports, can give our minds a break from the Coronavirus. Personally, I am a sports enthusiast who also has a passion for video games. I think this is truly something special that could potentially reshape how we view esports and watch sports on TV in the future.
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