The next installment of the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series is set for Sunday, and the virtual venue holds true to the original 2020 NASCAR Cup Series schedule.
The select field of current and former Cup Series regulars will compete at virtual Richmond Raceway in a 30-car field, returning to competition after a break for the Easter holiday. The Toyota Owners 150 presented by Toyota at the .75-mile track will be the fourth iRacing event in the series, created to fill the void of a real-world motorsports stoppage because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
RELATED: Qualifying race added prior to Sunday's main event
FOX Sports will return as the broadcasting partner for the Toyota Owners 150 presented by Toyota (1 p.m. ET, FOX, FS1, FOX Sports App). Veteran Mike Joy remains on the call with analysts Jeff Gordon and Larry McReynolds, joined by in-race contributor Clint Bowyer. The fixed-setup race is scheduled for 150 laps with competitors not allowed any car resets for repairs.
The 30-car field is a change for the league and represents fewer entries than previous races. Here's how the number was determined: 26 NASCAR Cup Series drivers were manually selected for this short-track event. Then, on Thursday, a
qualifying race was announced with 13 entries.
The top two finishers in that qualifying race Sunday will advance to the feature later in the afternoon, and FOX will additionally pick two more drivers as provisional entries into the main event.
RELATED: More on qualifying race
Additionally, Saturday Night Thunder will return on Saturday -- and continue moving forward -- after its first race at Bristol Motor Speedway two weeks ago. The Thunder event complements the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series, and NASCAR Cup Series drivers not competing in Sunday's show are eligible for this race, a change from the Bristol weekend.
At Richmond, the Saturday Night Thunder field will use NASCAR Xfinity Series cars and the race will air on NASCAR's YouTube channel and
eNASCAR.com/live.
There's a Saturday Night Thunder practice at 7 p.m. ET, and the stream will go live at 8 p.m. ET. Single-car qualifying begins at 8:05 p.m. ET, which sets the lineup for the four 10-lap heat races -- with 15 cars possible for each heat.
Six cars advance from each heat race advance to the big show, putting in 24 cars. The final two spots in the 26-car field will come from the top two finishers of a 15-lap consolation race, which is scheduled for after the heat races and comprised of drivers who have not yet qualified.
The 125-lap feature race will follow, with one reset allowed and three green-white-checkered attempts. The projected entry list is below.
After a scheduled tripleheader at Atlanta Motor Speedway was postponed March 13, officials with NASCAR, FOX Sports and iRacing joined forces with drivers and teams to quickly create a stand-in series of esports events. Denny Hamlin won the series' first race March 22 at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway, and wins came on subsequent Sundays by Timmy Hill (Texas Motor Speedway) and William Byron (Bristol). The series was idle Easter weekend.
RELATED: Merch for iRacing Pro Invitational Series
Below is the entry list, subject to change.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Bobby Labonte and Landon Cassill raced their way in Sunday morning as the two last-chance qualifiers. Daniel Suarez and Dale Earnhardt Jr. were selected as the two FOX provisional drivers after finishing third and fourth in the qualifying race, respectively.
TOYOTA OWNERS 150 PRESENTED BY TOYOTA ENTRY LIST
* Subject to change
| No. |
Driver |
Affiliation |
| 1 |
Kurt Busch |
Chip Ganassi Racing |
| 2 |
Brad Keselowski |
Team Penske |
| 3 |
Austin Dillon |
Richard Childress Racing |
| 4 |
Kevin Harvick |
Stewart-Haas Racing |
| 6 |
Ross Chastain |
Roush Fenway Racing |
| 8 |
Dale Earnhardt Jr. |
Invitational |
| 9 |
Chase Elliott |
Hendrick Motorsports |
| 11 |
Denny Hamlin |
Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 12 |
Ryan Blaney |
Team Penske |
| 13 |
Ty Dillon |
Germain Racing |
| 14 |
Clint Bowyer |
Stewart-Haas Racing |
| 17 |
Chris Buescher |
Roush Fenway Racing |
| 18 |
Kyle Busch |
Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 19 |
Bobby Labonte |
Invitational |
| 20 |
Erik Jones |
Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 21 |
Matt DiBenedetto |
Wood Brothers Racing |
| 22 |
Joey Logano |
Team Penske |
| 24 |
William Byron |
Hendrick Motorsports |
| 024 |
Jeff Gordon |
Invitational |
| 31 |
Tyler Reddick |
Richard Childress Racing |
| 37 |
Ryan Preece |
JTG Daugherty Racing |
| 38 |
John Hunter Nemechek |
Front Row Motorsports |
| 43 |
Bubba Wallace |
Richard Petty Motorsports |
| 48 |
Jimmie Johnson |
Hendrick Motorsports |
| 51 |
Garrett Smithley |
Invitational |
| 66 |
Timmy Hill |
Invitational |
| 77 |
Parker Kligerman |
Invitational |
| 88 |
Alex Bowman |
Hendrick Motorsports |
| 89 |
Landon Cassill |
Invitational |
| 95 |
Christopher Bell |
Leavine Family Racing |
| 96 |
Daniel Suarez |
Gaunt Brothers Racing |
SATURDAY NIGHT THUNDER ENTRY LIST
* Subject to change
| NAME |
CAR # |
| Alex Labbe |
90 |
| Angela Ruch |
00 |
| Anthony Alfredo |
33 |
| Austin Cindric |
22 |
| Bayley Currey |
5 |
| Blake Koch |
57 |
| Brennan Poole |
15 |
| Chad Finchum |
13 |
| Chase Briscoe |
98 |
| Chase Cabre |
4 |
| Christian Eckes |
81 |
| Cole Custer |
41 |
| Derek Kraus |
19 |
| Drew Dollar |
015 |
| Elliott Sadler |
99 |
| Harrison Burton |
20 |
| Jeb Burton |
8 |
| Jesse Iwuji |
36 |
| JJ Yeley |
85 |
| Joey Gase |
53 |
| Josh Berry |
88 |
| Josh Bilicki |
099 |
| Justin Allgaier |
7 |
| Justin Haley |
10 |
| Kyle Weatherman |
54 |
| Landon Cassill |
89 |
| Landon Huffman |
75 |
| Logan Seavey |
67 |
| Matt Mills |
5 |
| Michael Annett |
1 |
| Michael McDowell |
34 |
| Myatt Snider |
93 |
| Noah Gragson |
9 |
| Ruben Garcia |
27 |
| Ryan Ellis |
78 |
| Ryan Truex |
40 |
| Scott Stenzel |
63 |
| Spencer Boyd |
2 |
| Stephen Leicht |
25 |
| Stewart Friesen |
52 |
| Todd Gilliland |
35 |
| Ty Majeski |
45 |
| Will Rodgers |
55 |