After a week of chaos and uncertainty, my Sunday afternoon gave me an escape. A virtual race, consist- ing of drivers located all over the country joined together via the internet, had me on the edge of my seat and calling a guy a dirty driver.
On Sunday morning, my family gathered around the TV for an online church service. I felt a little like the Waltons gathered around the radio. Side note, why did they sit and look at the radio? I digress. Once our church service had ended, I found familiar feeling bubbling up. I was excited because it was race day.
NASCAR, FOX Sports, iRacing and drivers came together to give racing fans a virtual race from Homestead/ Miami Speedway. An event that started organizing on Twitter as a fun way to pass the time turned into a historical event. NASCAR started promoting the race and it didn't take long for officials at FOX Sports to hear the buzz and want in on the action. Let's face it, sports networks are scrambling to find any content. What did they have to lose?
Then came the announcement that the usual broadcast team of Mike Joy, Jeff Gordon and Larry McReynolds would be on the mics calling the action. I was a little nervous for them but the trio nailed it. They had a perfect blend of analysis and humor. It wasn't like the announce team was trying to fool viewers, they acknowledged it was a virtual race but they were still able to call the race with the same excitement. The relaxed atmosphere also allowed the mic men to show a little personality. Joy got a laugh from me when he said of one driver, "He's hit everything but the lottery today."
As for the race itself, it was a dandy. A total of 35 drivers made up the field. Names like Earnhardt, Johnson, Elliott, Busch and Hamlin mixed with some of the best iRacers in the country for a 100 lap dash. The computer racing ringers set the pace early but as the laps clicked by, the Cup guys started working their way to the front. It's at this point the race started feeling real to me.
My guy, Chase Elliott, moved into the top three and was looking fast. A caution brought the field to pit road where, just like in real life, Elliott lost spots. That put him mid-pack on the restart and he was taking out by Bubba Wallace who was driving way over his head, again just like in real life.
The virtual crowd roared as Dale Earnhardt Jr. took the lead late. However, with fresher tires, Denny Hamlin was able to close in quickly. The two were side-by-side on the final lap and as they came off of turn four, Hamlin chopped down on Earnhardt making contact and forcing Earnhardt to let off the gas. Hamlin took the checkered flag and the win.
I involuntarily slapped my knee and said, "Denny Hamlin is one of the dirtiest drivers out there." It was raw emotion. It was honest feeling. It was real. A video later surfaced on social media from Hamlin's home which showed him behind the wheel on the last lap and his celebration after getting the win. It too was raw, honest and real. The winner of the last two Daytona 500s pumped his fist, smiled, shouted and dropped a word that thankfully didn't make it to TV.
Now, was it perfect? No. Was it exactly like a real race? No. I mean, drivers had two "resets" to use during the race which would make damaged cars perfect again. While that sounds ridiculous, it actually added an element of strategy. Was it a success? Absolutely. I tuned in for entertainment and I was entertained. The viewership must have been pretty good because fans will be able to tune in this Sunday for the virtual race from Texas Motor Speedway with even more Cup drivers getting in on the action.
Stay safe and go Chase go.