The world’s top online racers will take the green flag when the seventh NASCAR PEAK Antifreeze Series Powered by iRacing.com gets underway Feb. 28 at 9 p.m. ET. Driving race simulators from the comfort of their homes, a full field of elite iRacers will wheel their virtual Chevrolet SS, Ford Fusions and Toyota Camrys around a laser-scanned model of the Daytona International Speedway in the first of 16 events in NASCAR’s official eSport series. At stake is $25,000 in cash and prizes together with a NASCAR champions ring and trophy to be awarded during the NASCAR Ford Championship Weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November.
Following the Daytona race, competitors will race at digitized versions of many of the tracks on the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series on alternate Tuesdays, with flag-to-flag coverage broadcast on iRacing Live. The series champion will be determined by a playoff system based on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, with the top four finalists battling in the NASCAR PEAK Antifreeze Series finale on the virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway this fall.
By any measure, defending champion Ray Alfalla figures to be the man to beat. A USPS mail carrier from Cape Coral, Florida, Alfalla edged New Hampshire-based PJ Stergios for the NASCAR PEAK Antifreeze Series championship last season, and captured his third title in six years. While he has never finished lower than second in the season standings, Alfalla faces new challenges this season ranging from the new Chase format to new aerodynamic rules similar to those Jimmie Johnson, Joey Logano, Kyle Busch and friends will be dealing with in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.
“One of the keys this year is adapting to the reduction in downforce for 2017, just like in the real world,” Alfalla said. “We’ll also have a playoff for the first time, so the dynamic of each race will change, and the final race at Homestead will be nuts. Last year it was me and PJ neck-and-neck for the championship; this year there will be twice as many of us going for the title. I’m pretty excited about it!”
In addition to veterans like Stergios and former champions Kenny Humpe and Michael Conti, Alfalla will have to deal with a promising crop of newcomers that includes Darik Bourdeau, of Montreal, Canada. While anything short of another title for the series veterans will rank as something of a disappointment, Bourdeau has a different outlook.
“My goal is to get some solid runs and finish races in the top 10 and five,” he said. “If you can stay out of trouble and pull out some solid finishes you will more than likely make The Chase. Then, it’s ‘win and you’re in’ the finale, when anything can happen.”
Last year’s schedule produced nine winners in 16 races, while more two dozen sim racers scored at least one top-five finish. It’s the kind of “anything can happen” competition that prompted PEAK Antifreeze to renew its title sponsorship of the NASCAR PEAK Antifreeze Series through the 2019 season.
“The NASCAR PEAK Antifreeze Series consistently produces some of the most exciting racing action you’ll find, whether you’re talking real or virtual racing,” said PEAK CMO Bryan Emrich. “The great racing and the overall professionalism of the series are a perfect fit for PEAK. That’s why we’re excited to be associated with this series.”
The 2017 NASCAR PEAK Antifreeze Series gets underway Tuesday, Feb. 28. Catch all the excitement on iRacingLive starting at 9 p.m. ET.