Coronavirus is hitting sports hard, but through the many event postponements, whispers of rescheduled dates and fan prayers, the virtual world is kicking into overdrive to fill the gap in live entertainment. iRacing is at the epicenter.
The sim racing game, which launched its first eSports series _ the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series _ in partnership with NASCAR in 2009, was well-positioned to fill the gaps in sports entertainment. Drivers across all levels of NASCAR have access to simulator rigs and the iRacing infrastructure was already in place to quickly launch a virtual series featuring the sport's stars.
Since NASCAR announced it was postponing its season March 13, iRacing has launched at least nine new series and is broadcasting live events in partnership with Fox and NBC. Events for each new series, which include motorsports partners such as NASCAR, IndyCar, SCCA, FR Americas, Supercars and World of Outlaws, are now broadcast on major cable networks almost every day of the week.
"Three and a half weeks ago I was an executive producer of a software company and now here I am," iRacing EVP and executive producer Steve Myers said. "I'm an executive producer of a software company and a broadcasting company."
Myers took a break from his calls with network heads and autosport leaders, which he said keeps him working for 12 hours a day, to speak with The Charlotte Observer about potentially over-saturating our screens with races, limiting lineups and the future of iRacing post-pandemic.
The interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
