MOORESVILLE, N.C. – NASCAR drivers and teams are finding new and creative ways to interact with their fans including racing against them online.
In a year where it’s been really difficult for NASCAR drivers to have a meaningful connection with fans, teams are being really creative.
That’s why Tyler Reddick, the driver of the #8 car in the NASCAR Cup Series for Richard Childress Racing, ended up racing with some of his fans in an event on iRacing.
Reddick is a big fan of iRacing. That’s comes naturally as a young race car driver.
“What's cool about iRacing is you don't have to have the nicest setup to go the fastest. Every setup's a little bit different. It just all comes down to the things that just apply to being a good race car driver in general, adapting to your conditions and making the most of it and maximizing it,” Reddick told FOX8.
He’s also a big fan of his fans and knows it’s important to interact with them whenever possible. So with the encouragement of his sponsor, Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen, his team put out the word for fans to join him on iRacing after the conclusion of the official NASCAR iRacing event this week.
“I was already on it, we're already doing a race, so it's like, why not? Let's do another stream. Let's invite some participants and put a race on, on our own,” Reddick said.
Thirty fans joined Reddick, including FOX8 Photojournalist Chris Weaver, for 25 laps at the virtual venue, iRacing Superspeedway, a 3-mile, high banked track that only exists online.
“Some people might get burned up over a block or a move at the end of the race, but it's really fun, wide racetrack," Reddick said, “And it's just so ridiculous to drive that, I figured it'd probably be a really great show to stream.”
The race was action packed, exciting and entertaining for those involved.
A different Tyler won the race as Reddick crashed trying to take the lead. Our FOX8 car was, well, not in contention after that crash.
For the fans and the sponsors, it was still a win in this time of limited access to the guys who entertain them on the racetrack.
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