When the 2020 NASCAR season came to a halt, several drivers partnered and began competing in special events on the virtual iRacing platform. The races started on a smaller scale but soon headed to FS1 as the Pro Invitational Series. Now they will return for 2021 with Dale Earnhardt Jr. taking part.
According to Adam Stern of the Sports Business Journal, Earnhardt will take part in all five of the upcoming eNASCAR Pro Invitational Series races that will air on FS1 . He is set to make his debut during Wednesday night’s virtual trip to the Bristol Motor Speedway dirt event while driving the No. 88 Chevrolet and will continue to compete against top drivers. Earnhardt has long been a supporter of the iRacing platform and was instrumental in getting North Wilkesboro Speedway scanned. He also joined the company as an executive director in late 2020.
Videos by PopCulture.com
.@DaleJr will participate in all five of the Pro Invitational Series @iRacing events that will be aired on FS1 this year, starting with virtual Bristol dirt next Wednesday.
➖ @Unilever brands will be the sponsor alongside the @Walmart+ membership program, starting with @Degree. pic.twitter.com/LcDM897mHX
— Adam Stern (@A_S12) March 18, 2021
The first five races of the 10-race schedule will take part at Bristol Motor Speedway on dirt, Talladega Superspeedway, Darlington Raceway, Circuit of the Americas, and a yet-to-be-identified track. The final five races will air on NBC Sports. Earnhardt previously took part in the events on the iRacing platform, achieving a season-best runner-up finish at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
The Pro Invitational Series provided racing fans with entertainment during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. There were actual Cup Series drivers taking part in the races, including Bubba Wallace and Matt DiBenedetto, and FS1 had its top commentary on hand to discuss the virtual action. Viewers of the virtual races could still listen to Mike Joy and Jeff Gordon provide commentary.
NASCAR even began implementing pre-race festivities in the form of invocations, national anthem performances, and grand marshals telling the drivers to start their engines. Such names as Tim Allen, Rob Gronkowski, Mojo Rawley, and Troy Aikman served in the role.
The first Pro Invitational Series race will take place on Wednesday with the Bristol Dirt Track. The race will air on FS1 at 8 p.m. ET. The Talladega race will take place on Wednesday, April 21, and will also air on FS1. The schedule will continue with the Darlington race (Wednesday, May 5), COTA (Wednesday, May 19), and the unknown track (Wednesday, June 2).
