More than 900,000 people watched NASCAR drivers race in a video game on Fox Sports
FOX Sports announced Tuesday it will broadcast the remainder of the eNASCAR Pro Invitational iRacing Series until the official NASCAR season reconvenes.
NASCAR ran its first race of the virtual exhibition series Sunday in place of its race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, which was postponed to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin won at the virtual Miami track, followed by veteran NASCAR Cup driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. and current Cup Series driver Timmy Hill.
The broadcast drew 903,000 viewers on FS1, according to Nielsen. That number is lower than the nearly 4.6 million viewers who tuned into NASCAR’s last official race at Phoenix Raceway, but it was still the most-watched sports telecast on cable television that day and the most-watched telecast on FS1 since professional sports leagues began postponing events on March 12.
The next race of the virtual series is scheduled for 1 p.m. Sunday, March 29 at the virtual Texas Motor Speedway. It will be broadcast on the FOX broadcast network, FS1 and the Fox Sports App. Races will also be available in Canada through FOX Sports Racing.
This story was originally published March 24, 2020 at 6:48 PM.
