Tuesday
Englishman Towler Looks To Defend NASCAR iRacing.com Series World Championship
Press ReleaseOfficial NASCAR Online Racing Series Opens Its Second Season
Today, February 15, online racing competition begins with the virtual race at Daytona International Speedway to launch the 18-race, 36-week season. Last season’s champion, Richard Towler of Hull, England, seeks to defend his title against 49 other top-rated drivers, including the top-20 finishers from last season and the top 30 from the 2010 NASCAR iRacing Pro Series.
NASCAR and iRacing have recently finalized changes to the 2011 rule book for the series that introduce some significant changes for the new season. These changes include increased realism of damage to race cars and more realistic pit stop interaction. NASCAR’s restructured point system for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will also be implemented in this virtual series. Finally, this year the top 12 in the final standings will receive some form of award. The champion receives $10,500, a championship ring, trophy and VIP experience at the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November.
“The inaugural season of the NASCAR iRacing.com Series was everything we envisioned it would be,” said Blake Davidson, NASCAR vice president of licensing and consumer products. “Heading into year two, we have even higher expectations for more great competition and thrilling racing drama.”
Towler, who won the championship by 18 points last season along with a cash prize and the VIP trip to Miami, Fla., looks to hold off the runner-up, Brad Davies (Wauchula, Fla.) and others including Richie Davidowitz (Holbrook, N.Y.) who took the iRacing Pro Series title in 2010.
The 2011 schedule begins at Daytona International Speedway and follows closely the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule, racing on virtual recreations of tracks such as Charlotte Motor Speedway, Darlington Raceway, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Talladega Superspeedway, Texas Motor Speedway and more.
The entire race schedule will be carried over the internet on iRacing.com. Weekly iRacing news coverage and standings will be featured on NASCAR.COM.
“The 2010 season saw a great battle down to the wire between Rich and Brad,” said Tony Gardner, iRacing.com’s president. “The 2011 season should be even more exciting. Congratulations to everyone on great performances last year and to the drivers who have qualified for this year’s series.”
While entry for the NASCAR iRacing Drivers World Championship is limited to the top 50 drivers, iRacing will also host five NASCAR amateur series open to all NASCAR fans through membership in the iRacing.com online service.
Just below the World Championship series, the 2011 NASCAR iRacing Pro Series is reserved for the 61 top-ranked oval-track iRacing drivers trying to race their way into the NiSWC.
About NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for one of North America’s premier sports. NASCAR is the No. 1 spectator sport – with more of the top 20 highest attended sporting events in the U.S. than any other sport, and is the No. 2 rated regular-season sport on television. NASCAR races are broadcast in more than 150 countries and in 20 languages. NASCAR fans are the most brand loyal in all of sports, and as a result more Fortune 500 companies participate in NASCAR than any other sport.
NASCAR consists of three national series (the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series, and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series), four regional series, and one local grassroots series, as well as two international series. Also part of NASCAR is Grand-Am Road Racing, known for its competition on road courses with multiple classes of cars. NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races at 100 tracks in more than 30 U.S. states, Canada and Mexico. Based in Daytona Beach (Fla.), NASCAR has offices in New York, Los Angeles, Charlotte (N.C.), Concord (N.C.), Conover (N.C.), Bentonville (Ark.), Mexico City, and Toronto.
About iRacing.com
The company was founded in 2004 by Dave Kaemmer and John Henry. Kaemmer was co-founder of Papyrus Design Group, developers of award-winning racing simulations including “Grand Prix Legends” and “NASCAR 2003.” Henry is principal owner of the Boston Red Sox and Liverpool Football Club, as well as co-owner of NASCAR’s Roush Fenway Racing. iRacing.com has developed numerous corporate relationships in the motorsport industry, including partnerships with NASCAR, IndyCar, GRAND-AM, International Speedway Corporation, Speedway Motorsports, Volkswagen, Ford, and GM. iRacing is open to racers and fans of all skill levels from top-level pros to complete beginners. To join in the fun, go to www.iRacing.com.
The 2011 NASCAR iRacing Series World Championship schedule:
February 15th Daytona International Speedway
March 1st Las Vegas Motor Speedway
March 15th Bristol Motor Speedway
March 29th Martinsville Raceway
April 12th Talladega Superspeedway
April 26th Richmond International Raceway
May 10th Darlington Raceway
May 24th Charlotte Motor Speedway
June 7th Pocono International Raceway
June 21st Michigan International Speedway
July 5th New Hampshire Motor Speedway
July 19th Indianapolis Motor Speedway
August 2nd Atlanta Motor Speedway
August 16th Chicagoland Speedway
August 30th Dover International Speedway
September 13th Texas Motor Speedway
September 27th Phoenix International Raceway
October 11th Homestead-Miami Speedway
The full lists of qualified drivers for the 2011 NASCAR iRacing.com Series World Championship includes:
Richard Towler Hull, UK
Brad Davies Wauchula, FL
Thomas Lewandowski Buffalo, NY
Derek Wood Lincoln, NB
Josh Berry Hendersonville, TN
John Gorlinsky Manasquan, NJ
Josh Parker Cranston, RI
Ray Alfalla Cape Coral, FL
Thomas Hazard Rochester, MN
Bryan Blackford Seminole, FL
Brian Schoenburg Moorpark, CA
Jesse Atchison Prince Frederick, MD
Theo Olson Wisconsin Rapids, WI
Patrick Fogel Hughesville, PA
John Prather Tracey, CA
Jayson Anderson Visalia, CA
Connor Mackenzie Truro, NS
Tyler D Hudson Brandon, MS
Matt Sentell Sammamish, WA
Chris Main Germantown, MD
Robert Hall Hampton, GA
Florian Godard Villeneuve Saint Georges, France
Andrew Fayash III Mary-D, PA
Jordan Hightower Fort Smith, AR
Sandeep Banerjee Mumbai, India
Justin Trombley Winter Harbor, ME
Darrin Stevens West Boylston, MA
Jordan Erickson Bismarck, ND
Daniel Pope II Smyrna, GA
Vinnie Sansone St. Louis, MO
Richie Davidowitz Holbrook, NY
Brad Wright High Point, NC
Charles Cosper Belton, TX
Byron Daley Bronx, NY
Jameson Spies Quartz Hill, CA
Jason Burstein Scottsdale, AZ
Pedro Mojica Killeen, TX
Jeremy R Allen Indianapolis, IN
Dana Wymer Fortuna, CA
Nolan Scott Chattanooga, TN
Justin Lowery Knoxville, TN
Josh Connors Elwood, IN
Jean Costa Mount Pocono, PA
Greg Spears Keller, TX
Steven Gilbert Dresden, TN
Joshua Laughton Fresno, CA
Matthew Moose East Amherst, NY
Ben Sexton Chandler, AZ
Chad Coleman Pendergrass, GA
Steve Sheehan Schenectady, NY
- NASCAR, Press Release
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