iRacing Pro Invitational Series Homestead-Miami Odds and Picks

• With NASCAR races on hold until at least May, the circuit has launched the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series
• The iRacing series kicks off this weekend with several NASCAR drivers competing on a virtual Miami-Homestead Speedway
• Get all the odds and insight into NASCAR’s leap into eSports in the story below

NASCAR tracks will remain silent as the United States continues to cope with the widening COVID-19 outbreak. The stock-car racing circuit has postponed all races until at least early May, including the Dixie Vodka 400, which was originally scheduled to take place this weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Florida.

However, NASCAR is getting creative in its efforts to fill the void, partnering with online racing simulation leaders iRacing to launch the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series.

iRacing Pro Invitational Series – Odds to Win Homestead-Miami

Odds taken on March 20, 2020.

The series will feature drivers from the NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series, and the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series, taking part in a multi-week racing series, starting on Sunday with a 110-lap race on a virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Rowdy. One of the greatest to ever climb behind the wheel.@KyleBusch celebrates with his family and his team in Homestead. pic.twitter.com/ON1SPrcHTc

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) November 17, 2019

Kyle Busch took home the checkered flag in last year’s NASCAR Cup finale at Homestead, never looking back after taking the lead with 43 laps remaining. But despite sporting an impressive track record in Miami, where he has posted wins in two of the past five years, Busch lags just behind the favorites in the eNASCAR iRacing odds. He’s currently a +550 bet to earn the win in the virtual circuit’s inaugural race.

iRacing Gaining Prominence Among eSports

iRacing has climbed to prominence in recent years with its sim-racing platform. In addition to hosting and officiating online racing on virtual tracks all over the world, the iRacing platform is also being used as a training simulator by aspiring and established NASCAR drivers alike.

.@NASCAR tonight is announcing a new @iRacing invitational series with star drivers, an idea born from coronavirus situation.

➖ @FoxSports in talks to air first race Sunday but no confirmation yet.

➖ Participants include @KyleBusch, @DaleJr., @DennyHamlin, @KyleLarsonRacin. pic.twitter.com/EHEzjbTQPm

— Adam Stern (@A_S12) March 18, 2020

Among the drivers expected to join Busch behind the wheel when the green flag drops on the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series this weekend are Dale Earnhardt Jr., Denny Hamlin, Clint Bowyer, Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell.

Earnhardt, Hamlin Lead the Way

Earnhardt and Hamlin enter the weekend sporting the best odds to win the iRacing Pro Invitational Series race at Miami-Homestead, with both NASCAR veterans pegged at +500. Hamlin opened the 2020 NASCAR Cup schedule on a high, picking up his second straight Daytona 500 victory, but has turned in mixed results since.

The 39-year-old limped to a 17th-place finish in the Pennzoil 400 in Las Vegas, and entered the current NASCAR schedule on a disappointing note, coming in 20th at the FanShield 500 in Phoenix two weeks ago.

Here's the end of the Daytona 500 – Denny Hamlin wins his third but the real story is Ryan Newman, who ended up on his roof after a scary crash at the finish. pic.twitter.com/m4dSy1Jrvx

— Zach Harig (@FOX17Zach) February 18, 2020

Success has also eluded Hamlin in recent appearances at Miami-Homestead, where he has finished no higher than seventh in six appearances since driving to victory in the 2013 Ford EcoBoost 400. However, it is tough to count Hamlin out after posting wins in seven races since the start of the 2019 campaign.

Earnhardt has not competed on the NASCAR Cup circuit since the end of the 2017 season, and has been behind the wheel for just two Xfinity Series races since entering semi-retirement

Earnhardt has not competed on the NASCAR Cup circuit since the end of the 2017 season, and has been behind the wheel for just two Xfinity Series races since entering semi-retirement. The two-time Daytona 500 winner has also struggled in his final three appearances at Miami-Homestead, capped by a 25th-place finish in 2017.

With so much rust to shake, Earnhardt’s presence atop the odds comes as somewhat of a surprise. However, there is little value in a -900 wager on the 45-year-old not winning in his iRacing debut.

Larson, Bell, Bowyer Trail the Favorites

Elsewhere in the Miami-Homestead iRacing Pro Invitational Series odds, Kyle Larson sits alone as a +525 bet, ahead of both Christopher Bell and Clint Bowyer, who join Kyle Busch at +550.

The current @NASCAR cup series playoff standings pic.twitter.com/z9IGb8uV9w

— Brian (@BrianGreenstr16) March 17, 2020

Larson sits seventh in the NASCAR Cup standings after finishing fourth in Las Vegas two weeks ago, but has earned just one Cup Series win since mid-2017, and has taken a major step back in his past two appearances at Homestead. The 27-year-old finished in the top five on three occasions between 2015 and 2017, but turned in a dismal 40th-place run in last year’s race.

Bell has struggled in his Cup Series debut, failing to crack the top 20 over his first four races, but finished fifth in Xfinity Series action at Homestead last year. Bowyer is coming off a solid fifth-place run in Phoenix, and has finished in the top ten in four of his past six overall outings, including his sixth-place performance at Homestead last year, making him an intriguing dark horse to pick up the win this weekend.

Pick: Kyle Busch – YES (+550)