Back in the day if NASCAR wanted to see how a racing event would pan out, they had to build an entire race track around it to figure it out. In the modern era, with the advancement of technology, things have become cheaper and simpler. Talking about how a racing simulator basically saved NASCAR millions of dollars leading up to the weekend in Chicago, former NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr recently shared his thoughts.
Advertisement
One of the most important voices in the sport over the last two decades, Junior explained how the decision to run the race on a simulator had been a crucial decision for the sport before building its real-life counterpart.
Dale Earnhardt Jr explains how NASCAR saved a bunch of money for Chicago
Speaking on the Dan Patrick show, Junior said, “The way this began to be honest with you was through the iRacing software which is a PC video game, simulation, whatever you want to call it. But it’s the most realistic racing game on the market today and they were able with that product. NASCAR was able to say, ‘Hey, use the Chicago streets and build a street course. And then put your customers on there to drive it and race it, to get a feedback.'”
He continued, “And so that’s kind of how this all started. Years ago before you had a PC simulation or any kind of a video game, you basically had to build the race track and hope it worked right? Now with all the technology we have Dan, to be able to build a race track and simulation and have drivers real-world drivers. And great simulator drivers driving the track and fix all the nuances and all the problems that are going to occur.”
“It saves NASCAR, saves track promoters, builders, millions and millions of dollars and it probably saved just an incredible amount of money… So that’s how it got started. They actually ran a simulated race on the streets of Chicago, on this track, in a simulated world. They put it live on TV. It was called the Pro Invitational. I actually was part of that. And it was all about real-world drivers. This has been in the works for about three years.”
What is iRacing and how did it help with the Chicago Street Race?
iRacing is a sim-racing video game that features laser-scanned highly accurate race tracks along with race cars with realistic physics simulation. The video game has a vast array of race tracks under its banner along with several classes of race cars. From Dirt to NASCAR Cup Series cars, and open-wheel to endurance prototype cars, iRacing has it all.
The game is the closest thing to the real-life racing environment, obviously minus the acting G-forces on the drivers. Players are required to use a professional steering wheel setup in order to race in it. iRacing has been monumental when it comes to helping out NASCAR with race tracks. Earlier, the software had been used to laser scan the dilapidated North Wilkesboro Speedway, before it had been renovated and raced on this season.
As per the Athletic, iRacing played a pivotal role in building NASCAR’s debut street course race in Chicago set for this weekend. Back in 2020, NASCAR commissioned iRacing to scan downtown Chicago roads for a virtual racetrack. Once completed, NASCAR saw the potential for their first street course race. This sparked NASCAR’s journey to create a physical track there, following a deal with the city. In essence, iRacing’s virtual project laid the groundwork for NASCAR’s real-life Chicago street race.
