The real world and virtual worlds collide in popular online racing game.
“There’s an advantage of having an interconnected community like iRacing's,” said Laird. “Getting connected with Landon Cassill is a prime example. I would've never thought that a few friends and I helping him out with the Landon Cassill Qualifying Challenge on iRacing a couple years ago would lead to me designing cars for him.”
What’s more, drivers and designers are just the tip of the proverbial iceberg when it comes to iRacing serving as the intersection of sim-racing and professional motorsports. Budding technical and marketing support personnel, journalists and even sponsors are blurring the distinctions between the real world and the virtual worlds of motorsports. Witness the fact that two-time NASCAR iRacing.com Series World Champion Ray Alfalla is the proud owner of two official NASCAR championship rings. Or that the virtual Gen6 ChevySS of Nick Ottinger, already a three time winner in the 2013 NiSWC, sports very real sponsorship from multiple sources.
“iRacing is like a microcosm for motorsports as a whole,” said Driggers. “You’ve got guys who are engineers, marketing people, painters . . . and then you’ve got the drivers. Look at NiSWC and see how real world sponsors are starting to jump in, for example Nick Ottinger with Rheem and the NASCAR Hall of Fame. It’s not just the painting community; you’re seeing fabricators with the button boxes and cockpits. You’re seeing the creation of a miniature version of the motorsports community. It’s a dynamic community and environment.”
