Updates from the Armchair: iRacing helps drivers prep for real-life road courses
Steve Luvender
When NASCAR races at a road course -- something typically foreign to young drivers who grew up racing local oval tracks -- it’s iRacing’s time to shine. Christopher Bell, Parker Kligerman, and Garrett Smithley were among those pro NASCAR drivers who prepared for their respective races at Watkins Glen this past weekend by turning virtual laps on the iRacing sim. All three drivers finished their races cleanly -- including, for Xfinity Series drivers, a portion of the race run in wet track conditions.Even though Chase Briscoe didn’t race at The Glen this weekend, that didn’t stop him from hitting the track. After The Glen, Alex Bowman spent his time on iRacing a little differently.iRacing, always working to improve the realism in its software, released a video explaining the process behind the development of the sim’s new damage model.NASCAR PEAK ANTIFREEZE iRACING SERIES UPDATEThe stars of iRacing stock cars head to Pocono Raceway on Tuesday for Race 12.Jimmy Mullis, coming off his first career victory two weeks ago at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, looks to follow up with another win -- but there’s been a change atop our Power Rankings.Some drivers are just looking for a solid finish.iRACING PAINT SCHEMES OF THE WEEKBrantley Roden re-created Kyle Busch’s new M&M’s Crunchy Mint Toyota Camry for iRacing. There’s no guarantee it’ll make you drive through the field for a third-place finish at Watkins Glen like Busch did, but it looks good on the track.LeafFilter sponsored Ryan Truex’s No. 11 Kaulig Racing car in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Watkins Glen Saturday, and painter Justin M. Williams brought it to life on iRacing.VIDEO OF THE WEEKTake a look at this side-by-side, bumping-and-banging photo finish in iRacing’s Camping World Truck Series-style trucks at Michigan, which featured a 0.003-second margin of victory.