Daytona Beach, Fla. (Queen City News) -- There will be more than 1,000 miles of races leading up to the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. There is a race happening outside the racetrack in which fans are participating which gives them a feel of what it's like to be a NASCAR driver.
The Coca-Cola iRacing eNASCAR Arcade is located just outside the main grandstand. Of course, you'll find your typical handheld controller on the game site, but fans can be virtual NASCAR drivers, too.
4 iRacing rigs have been installed, giving fans an experience of what it's like to drive a racecar in Daytona. Fans have the opportunity to race Virtual Trucks on Friday, Xfinity Cars on Saturday and Cup Cars on Sunday.
“For fans, we think it’s a good way for them to experience the race before they get into the race. Now they know what drivers are experiencing before they come out a turn or four,” says Easkar's Ray. Smith said.
"They have a better understanding and hopefully what happens here before the race than what happens in the race for them," Smith explained.
Setting up an arcade is a race in itself. Once the semi-truck arrives, 15 people work for 5-6 hours putting things together. It's something they'll do several times this season as the arcade is about to stop at race 17.
The same people who set up the arcade also work in the control room all weekend. The control room is where the crew can watch fans race and stream the race on a large screen above the arcade stage.
Real NASCAR drivers stop often. In Daytona, William Byrne hosted a Q&A session on Saturday. Byrne is a well-known NASCAR driver who also runs weekly races on the iRacing platform.
iRacing is the official simulation used by NASCAR.
“Our drivers use it as a tutorial tool. Our fans use it as a way of gaming and it is kind of changing how you get your start in the world of racing,” Smith said in eNASCAR has created a college chain that is available to 500 schools nationwide. The fastest drivers are eligible for $50,000 in scholarships.