eNASCAR iRacing Pro Series: What Time & Channel Is the Virtual Race?

Getty William Byron, driver of the #24 Axalta Chevrolet, leads a pack of cars during the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series Dixie Vodka 150.

If you’re cooped up at home, today could be a good time to check out NASCAR’s virtual race. The eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitation Series continues this afternoon. Here are all the details about how to watch it on TV, including what time it starts and how long it lasts. Later in this story, you’ll see a qualifier that you can watch on in an embedded YouTube video before the big race begins.

The Race Begins at 1 PM Eastern

DATE: The eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitation Series airs today on Sunday, March 29, 2020.

The description for today’s event reads: “The top virtual drivers in NASCAR compete in simulated racing on Texas Motor Speedway.” 

TIME: The virtual race begins at 1 p.m. Eastern and is expected to last for 90 minutes until 2:30 p.m. Eastern. In other time zones, this means the event begins at 12 p.m. Central on Sunday, at 10 a.m. in the Pacific time zone, and at 11 a.m. in the Mountain time zone.

Just before the event begins, a 30-minute NASCAR Race Hub special will air starting at 12:30 p.m. Eastern.

CHANNEL: The event will air on FS1 (Fox Sports 1.) To find out what channel FS1 is on for you, click here to go to TV Guide’s listings. Then change the “Provider” (right under TV Listings) to your local provider. You’ll be able to scroll down to see what channel FS1 (Fox Sports 1) is on for you. A search for “NASCAR” on that page will quickly take you to finding the exact channel FS1 is on in your region.

Or, in the alternative, you can just go to FS1’s Channel Finder here. Then enter your ZIP code and change your provider to find out exactly what channel it’s on with your cable provider.

The race will also be airing on Fox’s local broadcasting channel in many regions.

LIVE STREAM: A number of live stream options are available for FS1, including FuboTV’s main bundle, AT&T TV NOW’s six channel bundles, Sling TV’s Sling Blue Package, or Hulu with Live TV. The race can also be viewed on the Fox Sports app.

About Today’s Race

GettyDale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #8 FilterTime Chevrolet, leads a pack of cars during the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series Dixie Vodka 150.

The Virtual Texas Motor Speedway is hosting the O’Reilly Auto Parts 125 today. This is the second race in the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series. Last week’s race was a big hit, with 903,000 people tuning in to watch the race, Engadget reported.

This race features drivers from the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series and the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Serie, NASCAR shares. Last week’s race took place the Virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway. This week it’s the Virtual Texas Motor Speedway and it’s 125 laps.

Before it airs, you can catch the eNASCAR Pro Invitational Qualifier at 10:55 a.m. Eastern. This one can be watched on YouTube live and we have that live stream embedded below. You’ll still have to watch on TV on FS1 or use one of the other live stream options to watch the main event that starts at 1 p.m. Eastern. But while you’re waiting for the race to start, check out the qualifier race below.

Mike Bugarewicz, crew chief for Aric Almirola, said the virtual race is revolutionary, NASCAR shared. “The iRacing event that took place at Homestead last weekend was quite revolutionary, not only for our sport but for all sports in general. It gave us something to do and something to watch on Sunday, and it gave the drivers some seat time. While it’s not perfect to what the real world is, it still forces them to make a call from a crew chief’s perspective. Not every call is so easy.”

Rodney Childers, crew chief for Kevin Harvick, said the racetracks are accurate. “The racetracks are really accurate, with the bumps and the features and all of that stuff. From a visual side of things, it’s probably very beneficial for the drivers.”

If you want to “participate” in the race via Twitter, join the conversation with the hashtag #ProInvitationalSeries. While the race was happening last week, #ProInvitationalSeries was the number one trend on Twitter.