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eNASCAR iRacing Pro Series adds more track time for drivers this weekend at Bristol

The new virtual series has proved popular, so now racers will spend even more time driving this Sunday

Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 FedEx Freight Toyota, celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on August 17, 2019 in Bristol, Tennessee. Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images

The eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series has been a success its first two weeks, with quality racing being enjoyed by fans and getting decent ratings on Fox. So it makes sense that NASCAR would like to spend even more time on TV filling the holes left by not having 3-4 hour races, and this week, a format change for the series will add to the action.

For this weekend’s racing, the Food City Showdown from Bristol will feature two heat races to set the field for the main event. No word yet on how long the heats will be, but all racers from both heats will transfer into the main event.

Also just like at Bristol, a new Saturday Night Thunder event will be broadcast live on eNASCAR.com. It will feature racers from the NASCAR Xfinity and Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series, the NASCAR PEAK Mexico Series, and the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series and ARCA.

The Thunder format will be familiar to short track racing fans everywhere, with multiple heats leading up to a final main event to crown a champion. Though none of the participants on Saturday night will make it to Sunday this week, that might be a nice change for future series participants.

The expansion shows the virtual events are proving popular with racing fans everywhere, and the series could continue to grow even when drivers are back in their original cars after the safer-at-home orders are over.