The “Monster Mile” at Dover International Speedway lived up to its name, even virtually. By the halfway point of the 150-lap event, five cautions were called. Then a few minutes later, seven-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson wrecked, making it six caution flags thrown. By the end of the two-hour race, there were nine cautions.
That came as no surprise to those familiar with the track.
“This is the most realistic race we’ve had,” FOX Sports analyst Jeff Gordon said. “ … I was expecting caution flags and big wrecks.”
William Byron managed to stay ahead of the pack throughout the race and miss those major wrecks. In the final six laps, Byron passed below then-leader Timmy Hill to run in front and win his third Pro Invitational iRacing event at virtual Dover.
“Once we got to Timmy, I knew we had better stuff,” Byron said. “And just had to work him over for a couple corners.”
Christopher Bell finished in second place and Hill finished in third after taking two tires during the final caution. Byron beat him out with four new tires in the final laps.
“I just wish I had a couple laps where William was held up on four tires,” said Hill, who led 42 laps. “I knew as soon as he got clear to those guys I was a sitting duck on two tires.”
Byron led 79 laps and notched his 295th iRacing win on Sunday. He also won the third and fourth races of the Pro Invitational series at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway and virtual Richmond Raceway, respectively.
“It was fun,” Byron said. “I enjoyed it. I’ve enjoyed this iRacing series that we’ve had going, but definitely ready to get back into my normal car.”
“This has taught me a lot the last few weeks,” Byron continued. “Racing anything is going to give you confidence if you’re winning. It’s been really fun for me.”
Real NASCAR racing will return at Darlington Raceway in two weeks. Before then, another major virtual event will take place. On Sunday, Gordon and the FOX Sports crew announced that the final round of the eNASCAR Pro Invitational Series will take place on Saturday at virtual North Wilkesboro Speedway at 3 p.m.
The 0.625-mile track last hosted a NASCAR Cup Series race in 1996, which Gordon won. Gordon, who raced last week at virtual Talladega, said on Sunday he was interested in returning to the simulator rig next Saturday for the North Wilkesboro event. Details for the iRacing finale are forthcoming, as is the full lineup.
Drivers will also soon be making the trip to Darlington Raceway in Darlington, S.C. for the first non-virtual race since the coronavirus pandemic forced the NASCAR season to a two-month halt. iRacing has provided a fun outlet and a better-than-nothing means of practice for the sport’s top drivers, but the return to real racing will still be an adjustment, especially since practice laps and qualifying will not be allowed at Darlington.
“It’s gonna be difficult,” Byron said about the transition. “I think that the biggest thing is just trying to prepare yourself well physically because obviously you’re not gonna get that chance to really go through practice and kinda warm up your muscles I guess you could say to get ready in the car.”
The Hendrick Motorsports driver has advocated for iRacing since he entered the Cup Series in 2018 after starting his driving career through sim racing. The use of the iRacing video game for training could prove to be an advantage for the 22-year-old as Cup drivers make the transition back to the real track.
“I’ve used iRacing to train me on the mental side,” Byron said. “Which I think has really helped me and I’m looking forward to carrying that confidence and that momentum over to the Cup car.”
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