- With the
NASCAR season suspended, professional drivers took to the virtual racing simulator iRacing to stay sharp. - NASCAR driver
Kurt Busch said he spent $7,000 on his rig, noting that some people could go up to $25,000 to make the rig as realistic as possible. - Though Busch had trouble with some of the turning and technology, he said the "camaraderie" between drivers on iRacing during NASCAR's suspension for coronavirus was great.
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With NASCAR set to return on Sunday in Darlington, the sport's top drivers have been staying sharp through the virtual racing simulator iRacing.
The simulator allows for simple or advanced setups, with a number of features to make the experience more realistic.
While speaking to Insider, NASCAR driver Kurt Busch said he spent about $7,000 on his rig.
"All in, it was about $7,000," Busch said. "And I felt like it was an investment into myself and into my future. And to also, you know, stay with the guys and to stay relevant out there on the circuit."
Busch said drivers could spend more or less on their rigs.
"I think you could get above 25 grand, but also you could do it below 2,500. It just depends on what was available. Also what your budgets are and then as far as what you would want to do with it ... I felt like I shot down the middle of the road. I didn't go with all of the actuators and the movements of the seats or as far as the movement of the whole rig. Mine has forced feedback in the steering and the pedals, which is similar to the race car."
Busch showed glimpses of his rig, which he decorated like his real car, on Instagram.
Busch said iRacing was helpful during the suspension for the coronavirus pandemic, though he had to rely on some of his younger opponents to get help with the technology.
"There's the intellectual stimulation and the banter and the trash-talking. It's been fun and also somewhat of a role reversal where the younger guys, I've had to call them for advice on how to get my SIM set up and to ask about some little things that they would normally ask me about at the regular race track. And so there's been that respect value that I've enjoyed over the last two months."
However, Busch said he still struggled with some aspects of the simulation.
"The feedback with the four tires hitting the racetrack and me sliding through the corners," Busch said of what he didn't like about iRacing. "You don't get that feeling, you don't get the G forces and I couldn't quite get a feel for the tires on what I would've hoped to have found, to help it relate to a real day racing."
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Busch will return to the race track for a compacted schedule, with little build-up, and said he is hoping to rely on his experience to give him an advantage over the competition. In the meantime, he said he's enjoyed the "fraternity" in NASCAR during the layoff.
"It's fun to be in the fraternity of drivers or to be with them as we have gone through this all and to go to the race tracks virtually and then have that camaraderie with the guys. It's been great."
Read the original article on Insider