NASCAR is set to return to Rockingham Speedway this weekend — but before the Xfinity and Craftsman Truck series make their way to track, the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series took to the Rock virtually.
On April 9, Gen-7 NASCAR Cup Series cars were driven on the racing simulator in their fifth round of the season.
The 200-lap event opened with a multi-car crash just past the start line — Vincente Salas couldn’t get up to speed and collected about a dozen cars in the pile up.
Outside of a single-car spin — the only major incident — the event showcased the drivers’ ability to navigate the track with the surface eating their tires up in traditional Rockingham fashion.
It was Tucker Minter who took the checkered flag in the end, securing the victory over Zack Novak by more than 3 seconds. Minter led 100 laps.
Minter, out of Warrenton, Virginia, drives the No. 97 Chevrolet for William Byron eSports.
Nate Stewart’s throwback paint scheme of Curtis Turner.
Credit: Nate Stewart X account
Coming off Throwback Weekend at Darlington Raceway, some of the teams had their own throwback cars, including Nate Stewart’s No. 5, a remake paint scheme of Curtis Turner’s No. 41. Turner won the first ever NASCAR Cup Series race at the Rock on Oct. 31, 1965.
During the race, Truck series driver Rajah Caruth appeared as a guest on the broadcast.
When asked about the track’s repave, Caruth compared Rockingham’s to that of Darlington in the exit of turn 2.
“It’s got the same kind of pearly, sandy sparkle to it,” said Caruth, “so that tells me it’ll fall off a good amount, so I’m pretty excited to see that.”
When asked how the virtual track compares to the real thing, Caruth noted that the virtual track does not feature the late 2022 repave on iRacing.
Craftsman Truck Series driver Rajah Caruth walks through the infield at Rockingham Speedway on Jan. 28 during a test.
William R. Toler - Richmond Observer
“It’s the old version of the Rock and it’s been on the service for as long as I can remember,” said Caruth. “Before we went to the test, I really didn’t touch it, to be honest with you because I knew the repave was gonna be different and that proved to be true for me.”
While this was the first points race in eNASCAR history, the virtual Rockingham Speedway has been featured in past eNASCAR events. In August of 2019, NBC Sports televised the race on NBCSN’s NASCAR America, where sim racers Novak and Michael Conti battled for the win in a photo finish.
Eight months later, at the start of the COVID pandemic, NBC Sports held the NBC eSports Short Track iRacing Challenge that featured Rockingham, Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis, Myrtle Beach Speedway and Martinsville Speedway.
Cup regulars Kyle Busch, William Byron, Austin Dillon, Parker Kligerman, Tyler Reddick and Bubba Wallace made up the field in two timed races, with the top two finishers advancing to the championship race.
Byron dominated the first race, leading all 35 laps. After the field was inverted for the second race, Bryon drove through to lead the final lap.
