Let me first tell you a little about iRacing. The eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series is a series of sim racing events officially organized by NASCAR. The drivers compete on virtual versions of the racetracks the NASCAR Cup Series would have raced on each weekend had the real races not been postponed. Fox NASCAR, which normally broadcasts the real races, presents the iRacing events live on TV complete with commentary from Mike Joy, Jeff Gordon, and Larry McReynolds.
In some ways, it's pretty cool. Drivers who are not normally contenders for wins can go toe-to-toe with the drivers of the series' big budget teams. Shots of the drivers in their homes at their simulators are interspersed throughout the action. More than 900,000 people tuned in for the first eNASCAR race at Homestead-Miami Speedway and more than one million watched the following week's race at Texas. The races that have run so far have averaged 1.1 million viewers per race and have become the most watched e-sporting events in history.
Things appeared to be going well until a pair of public incidents involving two of NASCAR's rising stars cast a shadow on this otherwise welcome distraction from the hardships brought on by the coronavirus.
Bubba Wallace Rage Quits
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| Bubba Wallace at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in 2018. |
The first incident occurred on April 5 when Richard Petty Motorsports driver, Bubba Wallace, got into an accident with Clint Bowyer on lap 11 of a 150 lap race at Bristol. Wallace had already used up his two quick repair resets and was sitting on pit road when he decided to quit the race. For any other video game, this wouldn't be that big a deal. However, this was a nationally televised event with each driver controlling cars emblazoned with their real life sponsor's livery. Wallace was also streaming a live feed of himself at his simulator on his personal Twitch stream. Wallace's virtual car carried pain relief brand Blue Emu, which had been a sponsor on the Richard Petty Motorsports number 43 since 2005. The brand was not pleased with Wallace's "rage quit," and terminated their sponsorship agreement immediately.
Wallace's historic career in the NASCAR Cup Series has certainly not been as successful as he hoped. Now in his third full year, the African-American driver has only recorded three top ten finishes and finished 28th in points in both 2018 and 2019. Wallace revealed in a June 2019 interview that he deals with depression. I know from experience how difficult that must be and the pressure he must put on himself to perform well at each and every race. Per Wallace's contract, he is safe at RPM through the end of 2020. However, he needs to show greater maturity if he hopes to continue to participate at the highest level of stock car racing.
Kyle Larson Says N-Word
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| Kyle Larson testing at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in 2017. |
Things got worse the following weekend. Kyle Larson was caught uttering a racial slur during a iRacing event on Sunday, April 12. The race in question was not officially part of the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series, but it was broadcast on several social media streams including Larson's publicly accessible Twitch stream and an official NASCAR website. NASCAR wasted no time in indefinitely suspending Larson from the series and ordered him to take sensitivity training. iRacing also suspended Larson from taking part in future events. Larson issued an apology video on Monday, but the damage was done. All three of his primary sponsors cut ties with him and Larson was officially released from Chip Ganassi Racing on Tuesday morning.
The timing of the incident is particularly unfortunate for Larson as his contract with Ganassi was up for renegotiation at the end of 2020. Industry insiders widely considered him an attractive free agent for several top teams looking to adjust their 2021 lineup. While it is not impossible for Larson to return to NASCAR, it may be difficult to find a team or a sponsor willing to sign with him in light of this controversy.
Remembering that this isn't a game
I for one cannot wait for the regular NASCAR season to resume. Video games are supposed to be just that: games. It's unfortunate that we live in a world where fantasy can't take place outside of reality anymore. I know this as well as anyone. As a job seeker, I cannot let anything give anyone a reason to turn me down for an employment opportunity. I carefully consider everything I post online and what it could possibly say about me. Nothing is too insignificant. Wallace only made one action. Larson only said one word. Both men will feel the result of these split second occurrences for the rest of their lives.
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