Virtual racing a part of life, not just a game for Junior (cont'd)

Earnhardt has been simulation racing for at least 15 years and is described by the experts as being one of the most hardcore racers online today.

"When I first started online racing it was 1994," Earnhardt said. "I was still a kid and doing kid things so playing video games came natural. It was really the first true video game that came to NASCAR that I started playing on the computer and it just went from there."

The competition, including professional racers as well as novice racers, has grown over the years, but not enough for Earnhardt.

"There is no one that can give me a run for my money," he said.

One might assume Earnhardt has Hendrick Motorsports-caliber online racing equipment to give him an advantage over the competition, some of whom are the same men he competes against every Sunday.

"My equipment is nothing that the average Joe couldn't pick up or buy," Earnhardt said. "I'm just sitting at a desk with a computer racing online. It's funny because we all take pictures of our setups and me and my other buddies I race with send them to each other and they're expecting me to send them this picture of a lavish, almost full-scale race car with a roll cage and a monitor in it. It's just a normal desk, nothing special about it."

The driver simply grabs a drink, turns on his 42-inch plasma television, and settles in for hours of racing.

The only real addition to his setup outside of the traditional steering wheel mount and pedal: "I have a mini-fridge right next to the desk so I don't have to get up and go get a drink," Earnhardt laughed. "It is a pretty lazy activity to be honest with you and it's one of my favorite hobbies."

And like in real-world racing, online racers talk plenty of trash. The iRacing software allows the racers to communicate back and forth during the race.

"There's a lot of smack talk going on, a lot of guys helping each other, clearing each other. There always somebody talking during the race," Earnhardt said. "I can't really get overboard because I'm on the competition committee [for iRacing] so I can't be too dirty or they get on my butt a little bit. I have to act professional when I'm in there, but I don't mind."

The level of professionalism is another aspect, in addition to the realistic graphics, that Earnhardt enjoys on iRacing. Not just anyone can hop on and floor it.

"It takes a lot of practice to get good at it," he said. "A lot of people find it overly challenging. The cars, you have to set them up like real race cars, so you have to know a lot about a real race car's setup and the variables you can change and how they work to make them go fast in iRacing. That whole experience is overwhelming to a lot of people but it just takes practice just like anything else. The more you do it the better you'll get."

Beginners can cut there teeth at places like Degree V12 Challenge where Earnhardt and his Nationwide Series driver Brad Keselowski guide online racers to prizes as part of a sponsor promotion for NASCAR fans.

His Degree sponsor recognizes the online marketplace is expanding and attracting a diverse group of followers, including women and young people. It's no longer just for the folks who couldn't afford to go real-life racing.

Now, for the cost of your phone bill, the average NASCAR fan can wheel a stock car at 150 mph around the tri-oval at Pocono or the high banks of Daytona just like the heroes they watch on television.

For Earnhardt, the main attraction is being able to get online any time of the day and have fun racing with other people that enjoy it as much as he does. Not many distractions can pull the racer away from his computer once the racing begins.

"Sleep depravation sometimes can pull me away," Earnhardt laughed. "Hunger may pull me away depending on how hungry I am. Obviously dehydration could pull me away, but that is what the mini-fridge is for. Those are about the only things."

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer.