Four Esports Events to be Televised on NBCSN in 2019
Green flag on groundbreaking eNASCAR iRacing All-Star event drops Thursday at 5PM ET during NASCAR America on NBCSN
NBC Sports, iRacing and NASCAR have come together to present the first-ever eNASCAR live-event on television, all parties announced today. The world’s best NASCAR iRacers will compete in the first live event on TV as part of Thursday’s edition of NASCAR America, airing at 5PM ET on NBCSN.
NASCAR America’s Krista Voda, Parker Kligerman, and AJ Allmendinger will host along with iRacing team owners Steve Letarte and Jeff Burton, who will join for pre-and post-race commentary from the NBC Sports Charlotte studio. Kligerman, also an iRacing team owner, will be racing from the NBC Sports simulator in Stamford, Conn. in the eNASCAR iRacing All-Star event.
“The trio of NBC Sports, iRacing and NASCAR has been terrific in wanting to work together to find new ways to bring current and new fans into the NASCAR scene,” says Jeff Behnke, Vice President of NASCAR Production at NBC Sports Group “For 5 years, the simulator has been used on NASCAR America to showcase tracks and racers around the USA and this new four race venture will be a natural extension of that teamwork.”
“This is a landmark moment for iRacing, and all racing esports,” said Tony Gardner, president, iRacing. “We’re incredibly excited to work with NASCAR and NBC Sports to bring our world-class simracers to a live national television audience for the first time on NBCSN. We expect the action to be intense, and we can’t wait for the green flag to drop this Thursday.”
“Our eNASCAR platforms bridge the gap from one race weekend to the next, delivering NASCAR-style racing to our fans through the rapidly growing esports space,” said Tim Clark, senior VP and chief digital officer, NASCAR. “This new collaboration with our partners at iRacing and NBC Sports is an example of how esports is allowing us to evolve the way we engage our fans.”
“It’s going to be really cool to take part in live iRacing action on NASCAR America,” said Kligerman. “I’ve seen firsthand just how exciting these races can get, and I can’t wait to give our viewers an inside look at what it’s like to face off against the best in the world. It’ll serve as a great preview of what it’s like to compete for the fans tuning in to watch our real-world coverage on NBCSN this weekend!”
Following this week’s event, iRacing will return to NASCAR America on NBCSN on the last Thursday of every month for a four-race series. More information on the three future iRacing events on NBCSN will be revealed in the coming weeks.
In addition to the eNASCAR iRacing All-Star events being broadcast on NBCSN, iRacing and NASCAR also have a professional esports series known as the eNASCAR PEAK Antifreeze iRacing Series, where drivers from around the world compete for over $100,000 in prize money in a year-long championship. Other notable team owners in the series include NBC Sports’ Dale Earnhardt Jr. and NASCAR stars Clint Bowyer and Austin Dillon. NBCSN provides weekly coverage of the series on NASCAR America.
Tune in to NASCAR America on NBCSN this Thursday at 5PM ET to watch iRacing NASCAR action. Be sure to follow @iRacing and @NASCARonNBC on Twitter for live updates during the race.
For more information on iRacing and for special offers, visit www.iRacing.com.
