Getty Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes
Sunday afternoon, the NASCAR Cup Series season continued at Kansas Speedway. The Fox Sports broadcast celebrated the trip by welcoming a superstar quarterback. Patrick Mahomes joined Clint Bowyer and Kyle Busch for a “friendly” race on the virtual iRacing platform.
The competition took place at the Chiefs’ practice facility. Bowyer and Mahomes headed down to the 50-yard line where two iRacing rigs sat ready for the race. Bowyer then revealed that Mahomes would be going head-to-head with Busch, who raced from a different location. Though Bowyer later joined in on the fun.
Our boy Bowyer has cool friends.
@ClintBowyer coaches @Chiefs QB @PatrickMahomes through an iRace against @KyleBusch with a little help from spotter @ericstonestreet.
Of course, Bowyer and the Fox Sports crew wanted Mahomes to have the full NASCAR experience during the race, so they provided a spotter for him. “Modern Family” star Eric Stonestreet stood on top of a raised platform with his official headset and attempted to provide some important information to the former NFL MVP.
Mahomes learned firsthand that it’s difficult to outrace Busch
While the Chiefs quarterback may be one of the most talented players in the NFL, he quickly learned that Busch is a difficult foe. His spotter told him to get close to the two-time Cup champion’s rear fender in order to wreck him, but the plan backfired. Mahomes is the one that went for a spin.
Once the superstar QB had his spotter in place, Bowyer decided to take part in the race. He hopped on his own iRacing rig and got behind the wheel of the virtual No. 14 Ford Mustang. He attempted to find success on a platform where he has traditionally struggled, but the race did not play out particularly well. Bowyer went into the wall after Busch purposely wrecked him.
The race came to an end with Busch heading to a virtual Victory Lane while Bowyer and Mahomes tried to determine how they could have performed better. The Chiefs starter will have plenty more opportunities to improve his skills considering that the Fox Sports crew gave him the personalized iRacing rig.
Another beloved member of the Chiefs joined the NASCAR pre-race show
While Mahomes spent time with Bowyer, Busch, and Stonestreet prior to Sunday’s race, his head coach took part in other pre-race festivities. Andy Reid headed down to pit road in his signature Hawaiian shirt featuring a Chiefs logo and spoke to Bowyer, Jeff Gordon, and Chris Myers.
Patrick Mahomes would dominate Nascar too – Andy Reid
It was during this interview that Reid revealed Mahomes could find success in professional stock car racing if he had enough practice. Big Red explained that Mahomes has the athletic ability, the quick reflexes, and the vision to compete behind the wheel of a race car.
Reid also took the opportunity to celebrate Chiefs Kingdom and the raucous crowds at Arrowhead Stadium. He told Myers and the Fox Sports crew that he was sure the NASCAR race would be loud with all of the high-powered cars. However, Reid said that the race would be “maybe not as loud as Arrowhead.”
While Reid believes that Mahomes could dominate on the NASCAR track, he would likely prefer if the former first-round draft pick stays with the Chiefs and continues to lead the team to Super Bowl appearances. Bowyer, a diehard Kansas City fan with a custom Chiefs suit, likely feels the same way considering that he once celebrated the Super Bowl LIV victory by making Gordon — a 49ers fan — wear a custom jersey from the winning team.
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