MILLER: iRacing's Virtual Pro Race Of Champions II

MILLER: iRacing’s Virtual Pro Race Of Champions II

Wednesday night’s iRacing Pro Race of Champions will pit NASCAR stars against Indy 500 veterans and sports car aces.

Robin Miller | Posted December 12, 2012

Pro drivers from every discipline will compete against each other Wednesday night on iRacing.com, starting with NASCAR Camping World Trucks. (Photo: iRacing.com)

It’s kinda like the old International Race of Champions, albeit on a much different stage. But Wednesday night’s iRacing Pro Race of Champions will pit NASCAR star Carl Edwards against Indy 500 veterans Tomas Scheckter and Bruno Junqueira and sports car aces Joey Hand, Alex Gurney and Jordan Taylor.

All in the comfort of their homes.

iRacing.com, the online driving simulator launched back in 2008, has nearly 40,000 members worldwide but only a select 36 have been invited to compete in Wednesday’s second title duel.

It features a 20-lap race at Iowa Speedway in Chevy Silverado trucks to be followed by a 10-lap feature at Watkins Glen in Mazda MX-5 Cup cars.

“We’ll use the NASCAR point system and the driver accumulating the most points will win $2,500 to the charity of his choice,” said David Phillips, the longtime motorsports writer who handles promotion and marketing for iRacing.com.

“Brandon Davis, who drives stock cars on the west coast, won last year’s inaugural championship and it was plenty spirited.”

While driver error doesn’t result in any bodily harm or crash damage, Phillips claims the professionals that make iRacing part of their routine like Edwards and Gurney are sold on the concept.

“It keeps them sharp in the off-season and all the mental aspects and concentration are the same,” he said.

The brainchild of John Henry, who owns the Boston Red Sox and is partners with Jack Roush in NASCAR, and online racing guru Dave Kaemmer, iRacing is available to anyone with a computer and steering wheel/pedal set, all the way up to a full-blown racing simulator.

And anybody wanting to watch the action can log on to www.iRacing.com, click the multi-media icon and go to “live broadcast.”

Phillips isn’t predicting a winner, but he does guarantee an enjoyable evening for drivers and viewers alike.

“There’s no championship points, no repair bills, no team owners yelling on the radios,” he said. “The only thing on the line is the drivers’ egos. Win, lose or crash, everybody has a good time.”

Robin Miller brings 40 years of experience to his role as SPEED.com's senior open-wheel reporter, and serves as a frequent contributor to SPEED Center and Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain.