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eNASCAR Bristol Motor Speedway Odds, Picks, Predictions, and How to Watch iRacing

David Golokhov

by David Golokhov in eSports

Updated Apr 6, 2020 · 9:29 AM PDT

Image of an eNASCAR iracing crash.
eNASCAR heads to the virtual Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend. Which driver is the best bet? Photo by Piqsels (public domain).
  • The eNASCAR iRacing Pro Series Invitational heads to virtual Bristol Motor Speedway for Sunday’s race at 1:00 PM ET
  • The race will be broadcast on FOX Sports 1
  • Timmy Hill and Garrett Smithley are the only two drivers to finish in the top five of the first two races

NASCAR iRacing has taken off in its first two weeks. Last Sunday, the Texas Motor Speedway event drew 1.3 million viewers, setting a record for eSports.

This week’s virtual race is at Bristol Motor Speedway (1:00 PM ET, April 5). FOX Sports 1 will have the broadcast, which means you can watch along as you place bets. Speaking of betting, which driver is the best bet for this week’s race?

iRacing Pro Series Invitational: Bristol Motor Speedway Odds

Player Odds
Timmy Hill +400
Will Byron +400
Garrett Smithley +600
Dale Earnhardt Jr. +800
Ryan Preece +800
Alex Bowman +900
Denny Hamlin +1200
Parker Kligerman +1400
John Hunter Nemechek +1600
Landon Cassill +1600
Matt DiBenedetto +2000
Michael McDowell +2000
Erik Jones +2200
Bubba Wallace Jr. +2500
Clint Bowyer +2500
Chase Elliott +2800
Kyle Larson +2800
Bobby Labonte +3300
Kurt Busch +3300
Kyle Busch +4000
Ross Chastain +4000
Ty Dillon +4000
Austin Cindric +5000
Chris Buescher +5000
Christopher Bell +5000
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. +5000
Austin Dillon +6600
Jimmie Johnson +6600

Odds as of Mar. 31.

Hill Wins Race At Texas

Last Sunday’s race at Texas was quite entertaining with a NASCAR driver and an esports expert going down to the wire. William Byron was actually in the lead on the last lap but Timmy Hill came through in the end. He made a move late in the race to swipe the win from Byron, who had led the most laps in the race.

Where To Watch?

FOX Sports 1 has picked up the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational series for the rest of the season and will have the broadcast for Sunday’s race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Without much in the way of professional sports these days (due to the coronavirus pandemic), the major networks have been looking to fill the airwaves.

Originally, FOX Sports 1 only committed to the first race of the season. The response was fantastic as the race brought in 903,000 viewers. Of course, that still pales in comparison to a real-life NASCAR race, which normally averages 3.74 million.

However, the ratings shot up for the Texas race (1.339 million viewers) and it’s clear that fans and bettors have taken to iRacing.

What’s The Best Bet?

These races are tricky to handicap. On the surface, you’d like to think that the esports pros have an edge over the actual NASCAR professionals. However, that hasn’t fully been the case. Byron probably should have won this past week and it was actually Denny Hamlin who won the first race (Homestead).

The race I’m looking at is the favorite, Timmy Hill. We’re just two races in but he won on Sunday and was third in the first race. You can look at some other guys like Garrett Smithley, who was fifth and third in the first two races, or Alex Bowman, who was fifth and sixth. However, I think Hill is the play.

Taking a look at Hill’s history, he has now won 674 times in 1677 iraces. He’s spending tons of time preparing for these tracks, averaging about four hours of preparation. The NASCAR pros have impressed me but I would go with either Hill or Smithley, who is the only other driver to finish in the top five in the first two races.

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