Kurt Busch, Hailie Deegan Headline Unique Competition

Monster Energy

Getty Kurt Busch (left) & Hailie Deegan (right) will take part in a special Monster Energy event.

The Monster Energy drivers from NASCAR are about to battle each other during a unique event. They will join Dingo for a live stream featuring simulation races and interviews.

Monster Energy announced the news on October 4. The company confirmed that Kurt Busch, Hailie Deegan, Ty Gibbs, and Riley Herbst will help kick off the second show of the second season of “Live & Unleashed With The Dingo” as they showcase their driving skills.

These will take part in a “round robin” style competition in iRacing to determine the best “virtual” driver. Two will go head-to-head on the simulator while the other two will sit on the couch for a discussion with Dingo.

“We’re excited to see how the world’s best NASCAR drivers can do in a driving simulation competition and hear their hot takes on the current state of racing,” said Monster Energy’s CMO Dan McHugh. “We’ve always been intrigued to see if the skills of being a professional driver can carry over to gaming, so we’re putting the virtual rubber to the road to see how it unfolds.”


Some Other Special Guests Will Take Part

Kurt Busch

GettyKurt Busch will compete in a simulator.

Busch, Deegan, Gibbs, and Herbst will be the drivers in control of the simulators, but they will not be the only special guests for the event. Monster Energy girl Pam Rebora will take part in the competition while facing off against some standout NASCAR drivers.

Similarly, two-time Daytona 500 champion Michael Waltrip will be part of the special event as he showcases his large personality and takes part in some spirited discussions about sim racing, NASCAR, and other topics.

While Monster Energy has revealed the guests that will take part in the unique competition, the company still has more information to provide. There were no details in the press release about the vehicles that the competitors will use or the tracks where they will head.

The special event will take place on Monster Energy’s Twitch channel, and it will begin at 9 a.m. PT on Thursday, October 6. One of the four NASCAR drivers will end the event with bragging rights and the Live & Unleashed Trophy.


The Event Takes Place Ahead of a Pivotal Race

Riley Herbst

GettyRiley Herbst needs points to remain in the playoffs.

The Monster Energy/NASCAR crossover event will take place ahead of the home weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Two of the national series will be in action at the Roval for pivotal playoff races.

Herbst and Gibbs, in particular, both have moves to make during the Round of 12 cutoff race on Saturday, October 8 (3 p.m. ET, USA Network). Neither of them has secured a spot in the Round of Eight, and they will have to stack some points.

Gibbs is currently in a better position. He is 49 points above the cutline, and he sits just behind Noah Gragson and AJ Allmendinger in the standings. Moving on to the Round of Eight is almost guaranteed, but he will still pursue stage wins and his sixth Xfinity Series win of the year.

Herbst, for comparison, is just below the cutline after the first two races of the Round of 12. He is 10 points back of Ryan Sieg, and he will have to leapfrog two drivers to move on to the next round of the playoffs.

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