Posted on by PJ Walsh

The Action Network specializes in providing sports betting insights/analytics and is a content partner with NASCAR. Check out more NASCAR betting analysis here.

As I mentioned when detailing what I’ve learned through two weeks of the NASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series, despite being an avid NASCAR fan for almost 20 years, I’m very new to iRacing.

However, I enjoyed the virtual races at Homestead-Miami Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway, and with NASCAR iRacing odds now available at DraftKings Sportsbook, I decided to try my hand at betting Sunday’s Food City Showdown at Bristol Motor Speedway.

To zero in on my bets, I used data from the first two races and will hopefully get better as the sample of statistics, and my knowledge of the sport, continue to grow.

Because I’m so new to iRacing, my strategy was to initially target drivers further down the odds board since I still have so many questions, like how different will Bristol be than the first two races at Homestead and Texas?

In traditional NASCAR, there isn’t much correlation between performance at 1.5-mile tracks, like Homestead and Texas, and Bristol, a .533-mile concrete short track.

Are the differences as drastic in virtual racing?

And what about traditional NASCAR racing at Bristol compared to virtual racing? Is there any correlation at all? Kyle Busch has eight career NASCAR Cup Series wins at Bristol, including three of the last five races. But does that mean he’ll also be strong racing virtually in Thunder Valley?

With all of this in mind, here are my bets for the NASCAR iRacing Food City Showdown at Bristol.

Odds as of Sunday at 7:50 a.m. ET and via DraftKings. Get up to a $1,000 sign-up bonus at DraftKings today or see more offers and reviews for the best online sportsbooks.

NASCAR iRacing at Bristol Betting Picks

William Byron (+400)

Despite an average finish of just 20.5, Byron has led nearly 47% of all laps through the first two NASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series races.

It’s not all that comforting to be leveraging a two-race sample of data to bet a short favorite because one dominant performance can severely skew stats, especially a metric like laps led.

Also, is a half-mile short track like Bristol as different from 1.5-mile circuits — like Homestead and Texas — in virtual racing as it is in traditional NASCAR? Frankly, I don’t know that answer.

However, the bottom line from a betting standpoint is that based on the data we do have, I do think Byron’s true chances of winning today’s Food City Showdown are better than the 20% implied probability that odds of +400 imply.

Denny Hamlin (+1000)

Hamlin is a seasoned sim racer and displayed his skill by winning the season-opening event at Homestead. However, Hamlin admitted that he did not put in the preparation he needed to last week at Texas, and that showed as Denny was never a true contender en route to a 24th-place finish.

I have a feeling that we’re going to eventually learn that weekly preparation will be more important than any stat or data point we use when handicapping traditional NASCAR, especially since participants can jump on iRacing at anytime and run laps, which is vastly different than on-track racing.

At 10-1, I believe we’re getting a market discount due to last week’s result for a driver who should be listed among the top tier of favorites.

Kyle Busch (+4000)

As I mentioned above, Busch dominates Bristol in traditional racing, but that doesn’t have any influence on why I’m betting him now. Busch is new to iRacing, but is incredibly competitive and has been working hard to improve.

Earlier this week, Dale Earnhardt Jr. pointed to Busch as the most improved driver from the season-opening race at Homestead to last week’s event at Texas.

I have no doubt Busch is working harder than anyone to get better, so I’m okay taking a flier on him at 40-1 in the event that he is fast enough to hang around the top 10 and some of the favorites struggle or find trouble throughout the race.

Posted on by Staff Report

Real-world dirt darling Logan Seavey passed Chase Cabre with 13 laps remaining in the iRacing Saturday Night Thunder event at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway, then sped ahead for the victory in a first-of-its kind eNASCAR showcase.

Seavey, who qualified for the main event by finishing second place in the first heat race of the evening, was the class of the field late in Saturday’s 150-lap race comprised of real-world drivers from NASCAR’s Xfinity Series, Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series, ARCA Menards Series, Pinty’s Series and NASCAR PEAK Mexico Series.

“I kind of put myself in a good spot and my team put me in a good spot,” Seavey said. “We were able to switch strategies around, save tires and pit as much as we could. The last 50 or 60 laps, I just saved until the last 20 or 30 and knew I had enough to run down Chase there.”

RELATED: Complete eNASCAR coverage

Cabre finished second to Seavey, with Alex Labbe, who pushed the leaders late, Anthony Alfredo and Kyle Weatherman rounding out the top five.

iRacing megastar Ty Majeski took sixth, with Justin Allgaier, Blake Koch, Joey Gase and Jeb Burton rounding out the top 10. Koch, who won the first heat race to start the main event from the pole, led the first 67 laps before ceding the lead to pit under caution.

Saturday Night Thunder was the first race in a new esports racing outlet, which complements the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series featuring NASCAR Cup Series stars on Sunday. It was an appetizer of sorts for Sunday’s main event, the Food City Showdown presented by M&Ms (1 p.m. ET, FOX, FS1, FOX Sports App). Even that race, the third of the iRacing Pro Invitational Series, is getting a tweak. The lineup for the field of NASCAR Cup Series drivers will be set after two heat races rather than single-car qualifying.

RELATED: Entry list for Sunday’s race

More than 40 drivers entered Saturday’s race, but only 24 raced in the main event. Drivers qualified for the main event through three 20-lap heat races, with the top four drivers in each heat race advancing to the main event.

Fin Str Car Driver Led Status
1 4 67 Logan Seavey 13 Running
2 7 04 Chase Cabre 51 Running
3 5 90 Alex Labbe 19 Running
4 3 33 Anthony Alfredo 0 Running
5 2 54 Kyle Weatherman 0 Running
6 12 45 Ty Majeski 0 Running
7 9 7 Justin Allgaier 0 Running
8 1 57 Blake Koch 67 Running
9 19 53 Joey Gase 0 Running
10 21 8 Jeb Burton 0 Running
11 18 10 Justin Haley 0 Running
12 22 52 Stewart Friesen 0 Running
13 14 75 Landon Huffman 0 Running
14 23 93 Myatt Snider 0 Running
15 11 36 Jesse Iwuji 0 Running
16 6 55 Will Rodgers 0 Running
17 10 029 Kaz Grala 0 Running
18 17 68 Brandon L Brown 0 Running
19 24 46 Chandler Smith 0 Disqualified
20 8 99 Joshua Bilicki 0 Running
21 15 40 Ryan Truex 0 Disconnected
22 13 19 Derek Kraus 0 Disconnected
23 16 27 Ruben Garcia 0 Disconnected
24 20 20 Harrison Burton 0 Disconnected

Following the three heats, two 20-lap last chance qualifier (LCQ) races were held with all the drivers who hadn’t already advanced. The top six finishers from each LCQ advanced to the main event.

Below are the full results, and the drivers who advanced to the A-Main through the qualifying process.

ADVANCING FROM HEAT RACE 1
1. Blake Koch
2. Logan Seavey
3. Chase Cabre
4. Kaz Grala

ADVANCING FROM HEAT RACE 2
1. Kyle Weatherman
2. Alex Labbe
3. Josh Bilicki
4. Jesse Iwuji

ADVANCING FROM HEAT RACE 3
1. Anthony Alfredo
2. Will Rodgers
3. Justin Allgaier
4. Ty Majeski

ADVANCING FROM LAST CHANCE QUALIFIER 1
1. Derek Kraus
2. Ryan Truex
3. Brandon Brown
4. Joey Gase
5. Jeb Burton
6. Myatt Snider

ADVANCING FROM LAST CHANCE QUALIFIER 2
1. Landon Huffman
2. Ruben Garcia Jr.
3. Justin Haley
4. Harrison Burton
5. Stewart Friesen
6. Chandler Smith

Posted on by Staff Report

While there is no racing on the track this weekend, there is plenty to watch, thanks to TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold, the streaming product representing NASCAR‘s most significant undertaking in the direct-to-consumer space.

NBC Sports has made TrackPass, along with nine other services, free in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, through May 1.

NASCAR Whelen Modified fans can watch the entire 2019 season, starting with the opener at South Carolina’s Myrtle Beach Speedway and running through the finale at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park.

RELATED: TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold offering free access to racing fans

ARCA Menards Series fans can watch the entire 2019 East and West seasons, starting with the East opener at Florida’s New Smyrna Speedway and running through the West finale at Phoenix Raceway.

Race fans can also watch the first four races of the 2020 season: The ARCA Menards Series races at Daytona International Raceway and Phoenix, the East opener at New Smyrna and the West opener from The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

In addition, Trackpass hosts nearly 50 long-form documentaries on NASCAR‘s biggest stars, venues, and stories.

RELATED: FAQs on product |  See free access to all nine channels

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR offerings at the William Hill sportsbooks expanded on Friday night to include eNASCAR — specifically Sunday’s iRacing Pro Series Invitational race at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway.

Sunday’s Food City Showdown presented by M&Ms (1 p.m. ET, FOX, FS1, FOX Sports App) is the third iRacing event on the docket as the real-world cars remain idle due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But with plenty of tight racing, wrecks and thrilling finishes, the iRacing events have set a new record for all-time viewership of an esport for two consecutive weeks. Last week’s race at virtual Texas Motor Speedway pulled in 1.3 million viewers.

Below are the full odds from William Hill.

RELATED: Play NASCAR Finish Line!

Timmy Hill: 4-1
Dale Earnhardt Jr.: 13-2
Garrett Smithley: 7-1
William Byron: 7-1
Denny Hamlin: 12-1
Alex Bowman: 12-1
Ryan Preece: 12-1
Parker Kligerman: 15-1
Erik Jones: 25-1
Landon Cassill: 25-1
Christopher Bell: 25-1
Chase Elliott: 28-1
Kyle Larson: 30-1
Matt DiBenedetto: 30-1
Joey Logano: 30-1
John Hunter Nemechek: 30-1
Michael McDowell: 35-1
Ryan Blaney: 35-1
Ross Chastain: 40-1
Bubba Wallace: 40-1
Clint Bowyer: 40-1
Kyle Busch: 40-1
Tyler Reddick: 40-1
Ty Dillon: 50-1
Jimmie Johnson: 50-1
Kurt Busch: 60-1
Bobby Labonte: 60-1
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.: 60-1
Chris Buescher: 75-1
Austin Dillon: 75-1

Posted on by Staff Report

Virtual Bristol Motor Speedway will host two races this week as the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series gets a bit of a new look.

What won’t be different is the participation of NASCAR Cup Series stars, both past and present. What will be different is the race format on Sunday — plus a new Saturday night show that uses ARCA Menards Series cars and includes drivers from the NASCAR Xfinity Series, NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series, ARCA, the NASCAR PEAK Mexico Series and the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series.

The lineup for Sunday’s main event, the Food City Showdown presented by M&Ms (1 p.m. ET, FOX, FS1, FOX Sports App), will be set after two heat races. Everyone in the heat races will transfer to the main event.

RELATED: See Sunday’s paint schemes

Additional information:

• A two-lap qualifying effort will determine the lineup for the heat races.
• Drivers who qualify in an odd position (1st, 3rd, 5th, etc.) will be placed in Heat 1.
• Drivers who qualifying in an even position (2nd, 4th, 6th, etc.) will be placed in Heat 2.

There will be two heat races, 50 laps each, with no elimination. Every driver will advance to the main 150-lap event. The heat races set the grid for the main event and the winner of the first heat race will start on the pole. Cautions will be enabled during the heat races and drivers will receive two “resets” for their heat races. Unused “resets” do not carry over to the main race.

• Finishing order from Heat 1 will determine odd positions for the Main Event (1st, 3rd, 5th, etc.). The Busch Pole will be awarded to the winner of Heat 1.
• Finishing order from Heat #2 will determine even grid positions for the Main Event (2nd, 4th, 6th, etc.)
• No drivers will be eliminated in these races; all 32 competitors will advance.

The main event race itself will consist of 150 laps with double-file restarts and lapped cars will go to the rear. There will be three attempts at a green-white-checkered finish, if necessary.

Drivers will be allowed two resets this week at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway. If a car is damaged, drivers must drive back to their pit stall and come to a complete stop. This will automatically apply the fast repair and give the driver a new car.

Below is the entry list, subject to change.

FOOD CITY SHOWDOWN PRESENTED BY M&Ms 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
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
31 Tyler Reddick Richard Childress Racing
34 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports
37 Ryan Preece JTG Daugherty Racing
38 John Hunter Nemechek Front Row Motorsports
42 Kyle Larson Chip Ganassi Racing
43 Bubba Wallace Richard Petty Motorsports
47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. JTG Daugherty Racing
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
Posted on by Cara Cooper

Nick Lyons has been the picture of consistency over the more than a decade he’s been racing at All American Speedway.

Lyons has driven the same limited modified at the third-mile NASCAR-sanctioned track in Roseville, California, all with the same sponsor for the last 14 years.

“A long time,” Lyons said. “It doesn’t seem that long. It goes by so quick.”

And the last three years he’s been a consistent winner, winning the track championship in the limited mods division in 2017 and 2019. The track didn’t have a points race in 2018, meaning Lyons will go into 2020 looking for a 3-peat.

Nick Lyons 1

The Roseville veteran locked up his second championship on the final night of the season in 2019, after his biggest competition got into a late wreck that allowed Lyons to finish ahead of him and ultimately take the title. Lyons went into championship night with just a four-point lead in the points.

“It was still a good season,” Lyons said. “We wanted to kind of battle it out versus having a big wreck at the end of the season and take out a bunch of cars but sometimes it happens, as we know.”

Lyons felt so good about where his car finished last fall that he said he hasn’t done anything to it this offseason.

“The car was pretty good the whole entire season. We didn’t have any damage on the car so we’re pretty much ready to rock and roll other than a simple couple of shop nights getting the car set up and putting some new tires on it,” he said. “I’m pretty confident with the setup that we have on it right now, we should be able to go out there and win. That’s the goal.”

Running an open-motor that put him at a disadvantage of being overweight by about 200 pounds, he said he’s always been confident in his car he called “old faithful.”

“It’s not the latest and greatest car that’s out there that I’m competing against, but the car’s been very loyal to us,” he said. “We made some adjustments from the prior year as far as the suspension and stuff just trying to squeeze some more out of it so we can keep up with some of the little bit faster cars.”

Another old faithful for Lyons over the course of his racing career has been his sponsor, Tim Berry of Berco Redwood, a lumber company in Northern California. Berry sponsors several other race cars in the area, and has been by Lyons’s side since he was about six or seven years old.

“He’s been with me from Day 1. He’s also a big racing supporter in the community,” Lyons said. “He’s very involved. Without him it would pretty much almost be impossible. He’s about as loyal as they come.”

Everything in combination helped lead Lyons to a 2019 season that he said was probably the most sentimental to him in his career.

And it all has him ready for the 2020 season, whenever that may begin. All American was scheduled to open the season on April 11, but racing has come to a halt due to coronavirus concerns.

Lyons said this year could possibly be the final season he runs for a points championship. He has a 6-year-old son who is starting to race quarter-midgets, which takes up a lot of his time.

“Got the kid hooked now. We’re in trouble,” he said with a laugh. “It’s pretty cool watching the little kids out there racing their hearts out.

“He’s really into it. He comes and helps out with us on the big nights. He likes to see all the other drivers and listen to the radio. He has a pretty good aspect of full-sized race cars at only six years old, which is pretty cool.”

Lyons also recently opened a second shop for his smog emissions testing business. Between all of that, it’s hard to find the time to focus on his own racing.

But whenever the 2020 season finally begins to roll around, Lyons and his old faithful car will be ready to chase another championship.

“We’re ready to go,” he said. “We’re going to make a couple little changes here and there but as far as the car goes we’re pretty happy with the way it’s handling and been handling.

“I’m pretty excited about that honestly. I know there’s a lot of other competitors coming out this year. Some guys I used to race with five, 10 years ago that have kind of just hanging out and laying low. I know that they’re coming out this year so it’s definitely going to be a challenge to win some races let alone a championship.”

Nick Lyons 2

Posted on by Staff Report

Jeff Gordon and Rusty Wallace, two NASCAR Hall of Famers, didn’t see eye to eye for a long while.

The two drivers were among the greatest of their generation, and that led to inevitable on-track clashes. Two in particular that stand out occurred five years apart, but both at Bristol Motor Speedway — in 1997 and 2002, Gordon used his bumper to knock Wallace up the track during the final laps and pull ahead for the victory.

It contributed to an icy relationship between the two competitors and champions.

Following those Bristol races re-airing in full on our YouTube channel this week, both Gordon and Wallace sat down with NASCAR host Alex Weaver to discuss those Bristol finishes, their rivalry then … and their relationship today.

Watch the entire interview and discussion below.

Posted on by Alex Weaver

Bristol Motor Speedway served as the site for a few intense battles between Jeff Gordon and Rusty Wallace, two drivers who had finished first and second at the Tennessee track three times before. The 2002 Bristol Night Race hosted another one of those iconic moments in the rivalry between the NASCAR Hall of Famers.

Contested over 500 laps on the .533-mile short track, that Saturday night’s race had Gordon, who had not won in 31 straight races, take the first step toward ending his drought by winning the pole. Wallace was on the hunt for a victory, carrying a 49-race winless streak.

RELATED: Full race results | Watch more Classic Race Replays | 1-2 Gordon-Wallace finishes

The final laps were shaping up to be déjà vu from five years earlier. Wallace led with just three laps left; Gordon was close behind in second. As they approached lap traffic, Gordon saw a chance to make his move. The No. 24 pilot knew the perfect amount of contact needed to bump the leading Wallace out of the way and get his first victory of the season. One of the best drivers on short tracks would be dethroned yet again by the Californian in a familiar move almost identical to the Bristol spring race of 1997.

Gordon went on to finish his career with five wins at Bristol, while Wallace closed with nine.

Check out the bump-and run-finish between Jeff Gordon and Rusty Wallace in this Classic Race Replay of the 2002 Sharpie 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Posted on by Terrin Waack

As part of its free access to racing fans due to the COVID-19 pandemic, TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold is featuring nearly 50 long-form documentaries for viewing pleasure. Throughout the week, NASCAR.com will preview one documentary each day that looks back on some of the sport’s biggest stars, venues and stories from the past.

RELATED: Get free access to all nine channels

After briefing NASCAR Decades: The 90s, The 80s  and The 70s, along with The List: Dale Earnhardt Sr., it’s time to take a long look back at the man who made today’s stock-car racing possible: Bill France Sr. Known as “Big Bill” due to his 6-foot-5 stature, France founded NASCAR in 1948. He also built Daytona International Superspeedway and Talladega Superspeedway before passing away in 1992. This edition of TrackPass’ NASCAR Hall of Fame Biography series documents France’s legacy.

Other available content includes full-event replays of all races since TrackPass launched in December 2019. Condensed replays of every American Flat Track, IMSA WeatherTech, K&N and Modified race from the 2019 season will also be made available shortly.

Free access to TrackPass runs through May 1. Fans can learn more about the streaming service here.

RELATED: FAQs on product

Posted on by Chase Wilhelm

While we wait for the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season to resume, we can find comfort in knowing there will be plenty of trophies for drivers to chase once we get back to the race track.

But is there one trophy that stands out above all the rest?

NASCAR.com’s Jonathan Merryman and Chase Wilhelm debate which piece of hardware awarded to race winners throughout the year might look best in every driver’s trophy case.

RELATED: The best trophies in NASCAR, ranked

MERRYMAN: The best trophy in NASCAR has got to be the famous Grandfather Clock from Martinsville Speedway. It’s only fitting NASCAR’s oldest track, a track that has stood the test of time, awards its winner a classic timepiece.

There is no denying the prestige of winning the Daytona 500, the Southern 500 or the Brickyard 400, but there is something about a trophy that every hour on the hour is a reminder of success at the toughest bullring in the NASCAR Cup Series. The clock was first awarded in 1964 to Fred Lorenzen. Back then, the Ridgeway clocks were built right down the road from the track, further engraining the history of the venue into the hardware the drivers took home.

There are a few added bonuses to the unique trophy as well. First off, it’s useful. Secondly, you can put it just about anywhere in your house and don’t have to worry about your wife second-guessing its placement.

WILHELM: Of course the Rustburg, Virginia, native is going to rally around the home-state trophy. Yeah, it’s a cool piece of hardware to strap atop your SUV like the Clampetts (shoutout to Clint Bowyer) and take home after a victorious day in Southern Virginia, but I think Harley J. Earl would probably clean your clock if you thought it was better than the one earned in Daytona Beach, Florida, each February.

The renowned Harley J. Earl trophy awarded to the Daytona 500 champion each year is not only arguably the most iconic in motorsports and sleek in design, its namesake is rich in both NASCAR and automobile history.

Earl served as a car designer for General Motors before becoming NASCAR’s second commissioner. NASCAR founder Bill France Sr. named the Daytona 500 trophy after Earl out of respect for his hard work and dedication to stock-car racing and the automotive industry. The car that sits atop the trophy is Earl’s Firebird I concept car design, and the base is shaped like the 2.5-mile superspeedway.

While drivers receive a replica of the Harley J. Earl trophy, the actual trophy stands over 4-feet tall. Each year, a driver gets his or her name etched onto it and can forever be called a Daytona 500 champion. I’d definitely want that trophy the most among those in my display if I wheeled a NASCAR Cup Series car every Sunday.

DEBATE: Which driver is the biggest early surprise outside the top 10?