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In the real world, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and friends grab weed-eaters to help preserve North Wilkesboro Speedway ‘in the virtual world’

Formula One driver Lando Norris embarrassed the field in his IndyCar iRacing debut by dominating Saturday’s race at virtual Circuit of the Americas in Texas. Norris was poised to begin his second F1 season with McLaren in March when a team member tested positive for the new coronavirus at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix and the series immediately suspended competition. …

Kyle Larson fired by his NASCAR team for using racist slur during virtual race

Kyle Larson was fired by Chip Ganassi Racing on Tuesday, two days after he used a racist slur during an iRacing event. Kyle Larson was fired Tuesday by Chip Ganassi Racing, a day after nearly every one of his sponsors dropped the star driver for using a racist slur during a livestream of a virtual race. “After much consideration, Chip …

NASCAR’s Larson suspended for racial slur in virtual race

NASCAR driver Kyle Larson gets ready to climb into his car to practice for the Daytona 500 on Feb. 14. Kyle Larson has been suspended by Chip Ganassi Racing and NASCAR after using a racist slur Sunday night during a livestream of a virtual race. “We are extremely disappointed by what Kyle said last night during an iRacing Event,” Ganassi …

McLaughlin wins virtual IndyCar event racing from Australia

Scott McLaughlin’s real IndyCar debut is on hold because of the coronavirus pandemic. McLaughlin won IndyCar’s virtual race from virtual Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama, the second race in the series’ attempt to create content during the worldwide shutdown of sports. McLaughlin, like NASCAR’s seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson, was an invited guest by IndyCar to participate in the iRacing Series …

William Byron led the most laps in NASCAR’s first two virtual races and had nothing to show for his gaming skills. Byron easily won the iRacing event Sunday at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway, where NASCAR would have been really racing before the coronavirus outbreak caused sports to shut down. “It’s fun to have some pressure on iRacing; I usually just …

Two weeks in, NASCAR and iRacing have toppled even the most optimistic expectations with their nationally televised virtual races, which have averaged more than a million viewers. Actual NASCAR Cup Series drivers themselves, using iRacing “sim rigs” from their homes to compete against real-life counterparts on a virtual track. Last week’s race, at Texas Motor Speedway, drew more than 1.3 …