New collegiate eNASCAR iRacing Series qualifying open now
The eNASCAR College iRacing Series is a new initiative by NASCAR and the NACE Starleague (a joint effort between the National Association of Collegiate Esports and CSL Esports) to bring competitive eNASCAR racing to the collegiate level.
Starting today, college students in the United States and Canada can register for the time trials open now for Daytona Int’l Speedway. The drivers with the Top 40 times will be taken to compete in the main event on February 24th, 2022, a 60-lap event at 8:00 p.m. ET. The competition will utilize the iRacing.com Motorsport Simulations platform.
“Gaming and Esports are an important component of NASCAR, allowing us to reach new fans who are often engaging with the sport for the first time,” said Nick Rend, Managing Director of Gaming and Esports of NASCAR. “Our various eNASCAR initiatives have seen exponential growth. We felt this was the right time to extend our reach to a younger audience and launch the eNASCAR College iRacing Series to show students the opportunities that sim racing and our sport hold for them.”
After Daytona, there will be qualifying and races at the virtual Charlotte Motor Speedway and Watkins Glen International to wrap up the Spring schedule. There will also be a Fall schedule to be announced at a later date. Competitors will have the chance to compete for their share of $50,000 in scholarships from the eNASCAR Scholarship Fund.
The events will utilize iRacing’s NASCAR Camping World Class C Trucks and will be presented by Coca-Cola, Logitech, Playseat and Southern Computer Warehouse. Competitors will sport liveries with their schools portrayed upon then.
“Integrating sim racing as part of the league not only provides greater opportunity for students with varied gaming interests, but furthers our long-term mission of linking education, in this case engineering-focused knowledge, with Esports competition,” said Rob Johnson, CEO of CSL Esports.
Full rules and regulations can be found on the eNASCAR website, and signups and trials will last from now through February 21st.
2022 eNASCAR College iRacing Series Schedule
| Race | Track | Qualifying | Main Event |
| 1 | Daytona Int’l Speedway | Feb 7 – Feb 21 | Feb 24 (60 laps) |
| 2 | Charlotte Motor Speedway | Mar 7 – Mar 21 | Mar 24 (80 laps) |
| 3 | Watkins Glen Int’l | Apr 10 – Apr 24 | Apr 27 (30 laps) |
| 4 | TBA (Fall Schedule) | TBA | TBA |
| 5 | TBA (Fall Schedule) | TBA | TBA |
| 6 | TBA (Fall Schedule) | TBA | TBA |
| 7 | TBA (Fall Schedule) | TBA | TBA |
