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Pocono Raceway’s ‘jet drier’ credited with keeping I-95’s reopening on time
A rainy weekend threatened to delay the reopening of a collapsed section of Interstate 95 in Philadelphia. But officials called in reinforcements: a giant jet dryer from a nearby race track, according to BillyPenn. The dryer is expected to ensure the highway opens this weekend as promised by PA Governor Josh Shapiro.
NASCAR 'future proofs' for hybrid power with Next Gen Cup Series cars
NASCAR rolled out its 'next gen' cars on Wednesday and said it's preparing for a shift to hybrid powertrains.
‘Rocket League’ season three will feature F1 and NASCAR vehicles
Psyonix retooled an arena to add a track and the pomp of a championship Sunday.
NASCAR driver fired after using a racial slur while streaming
A NASCAR driver lost his real-life racing job after using a racial slur during a live-streamed iRacing event on Sunday.
NASCAR driver 'rage quits' esports race
With real-life race events canceled, drivers have taken their talents to esports and unsurprisingly, the usual conflicts have followed. A video game.
Social distancing is pushing esports into the mainstream
Industries around the globe have ground to a halt amid the coronavirus pandemic. Bars, restaurants, stadiums and factories have shuttered, and entire countries are on lockdown as citizens are ordered to stay home for weeks at a time in an attempt to control the disease's spread. With the streets empty, people are turning to their screens more than ever before. Viewership of streaming services like Netflix, YouTube, Twitch, Mixer and Hulu has risen weekly since shelter-in-place orders began rolling out, and people are on the hunt for new forms of entertainment, ideally with a social twist. Something with a chat room, or dozens of forum posts to read through, or an active Twitter and Instagram presence. Something with stats and high stakes. Something live. Enter: Esports. As economic activity spirals downward around the world, the esports industry has been spun into overdrive. Leagues are ditching plans for in-person tournaments and pivoting to online-only matches, where they're finding a hungry audience.
NASCAR's virtual race was the most-watched esports TV show to date
NASCAR and Fox Sports might have started airing virtual races out of pandemic-induced necessity, but it appears their efforts paid off. Fox has revealed that the inaugural eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series race on March 22nd drew 903,000 viewers on FS1, making it the highest-rated esports TV program to date. It was also the most-watched broadcast on FS1 since mass sports event cancellations on March 12th and the most-watched sports broadcast on cable that Sunday, although those last two feats weren't too difficult given the dearth of live sports.
After Math: We're not ready for the new normal
We're in uncharted waters here, folks. The new reality that we're collectively facing really began to sink in this past week as ever-greater numbers of Americans have been told to practice social isolation and stay away from public gatherings as much as possible. Here are some of the headlines from the past week that I, for one, never thought this outlet would ever write.
NASCAR is replacing canceled races with esports featuring pro drivers
Sports leagues and broadcasters are scrambling to fill the void now that many live competitions are cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and for NASCAR and Fox Sports that means venturing into relatively uncharted territory. They've announced an inaugural eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series that will replace canceled NASCAR races with "simulation-style" esports competitions. These will involve top-tier competitors, too -- you can expect Dale Earnhardt Jr., Bobby Labonte, Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin among other racers and luminaries from various NASCAR series.
NASCAR could introduce hybrid race cars by 2022
NASCAR has been talking about hybrids for a while, but it has kept quiet about a timeline. Now, the association says hybrid tech could show up in its vehicles by 2022. "We travel the world visiting other sanctioning bodies and are not ignorant to the fact that the world's going towards more hybrid technology," NASCAR's senior vice president for racing development John Probst told TechCrunch.
Fox Sports’ new virtual studio runs on Unreal Engine
It's no secret that Epic Games has enabled a number of gaming studios to create more-realistic visuals with its Unreal game engine. Since its debut in 1998, powering the first-person shooter Unreal, the technology has evolved to power hundreds of games, from Fortnite to Street Fighter V, and with that process, the virtual has become increasingly more realistic. Now in its fourth iteration, Unreal Engine is no longer exclusively being used for gaming, as other industries have taken notice of the possibilities. Unreal Engine 4 has become a key element for film and television in recent years, and Fox Sports is using it to power its new, completely virtual studio set. "Virtual sets have been around for quite some time, and we've done our fair share of using them," Zac Fields said. "But it's always been a struggle to give that sense of photo realism." Fields oversees Fox Sports' Graphic Technology and Integration department, which includes the addition of new gear during a studio build. He said the team started thinking about the idea of a virtual set about two years ago. Around 15 months ago, the network started getting staff familiar with the software and began tests. Then last winter, the broadcaster did a virtual show. Fields described this as a "full run-through" of a show on the virtual set that was built in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Anti-drone tech protected a weekend of NASCAR racing
Anti-drone technology isn't just being used at airports or sensitive political and military locations. Law enforcement just relied on DroneShield's systems, including its anti-drone gun, to protect against UAVs during a NASCAR race series at the Texas Motor Speedway between April 5th and April 8th. The tech helped police watch out for drones, disable them and (if all else failed) knock them out of the air. There weren't any known incidents, but it's notable that the technology was involved in the first place -- it was the first time American law enforcers used all three of DroneShield's products.
'Forza' NASCAR expansion puts stock cars on the world stage
In an effort to bring even more racing action to Xbox One, Forza Motorsport 6 is adding NASCAR to its lineup of on-track offerings. With an expansion pack, the title gains 24 cars from the 2016 NASCAR season which you can now use to race on the newly added Homestead-Miami Speedway. There's also a new 10-hour NASCAR World Tour Career mode that lets you put the stock cars on the track in the different series around the globe. The game also gets new multiplayer events and improved drafting and spotting functionality to help you maneuver through the field. If you're looking to take it for a spin, the add-on is available today for $20.
Daytona 500 will be broadcast in VR
Fancy seeing the Daytona 500 from the perspective of the pit crew? Now you can, thanks to a new five-year deal signed between Fox Sports and NextVR. The pair are planning to broadcast a series of major sporting events in VR, with the deal kicking off at this year's edition of the great American race. If you own a GearVR headset and a compatible phone, you'll be able to watch the race from the stands, starting line, middle of the infield and the aforementioned pit lane. In addition, the VR stream will have dedicated audio commentary and pop-up graphics telling you who's in pole position.
NASCAR's first hydrogen-powered pace car hits the track
NASCAR may be dominated by gas-guzzling racers, but its pace car this weekend is decidedly kinder to the environment. The motorsport league's Sprint Cup race in Richmond on the 26th (delayed from the 25th due to rain) has Toyota's hydrogen-powered Mirai as its pace car -- the first time a fuel cell car has had that distinction at a NASCAR event. This is largely a publicity stunt to build up hype for the Mirai's Californian launch later this year, but it shows that hydrogen cars have the performance needed to keep up with stock cars during yellow flags. The real challenge will be getting the actual competitors to go green. While there have been hydrogen-fueled race cars before, the odds are that NASCAR and its fans aren't eager to abandon roaring V8s any time soon.
120 Sports streams its live news and analysis on Apple TV
With the backing of Sports Illustrated, MLB, NHL, the PGA tour and more, 120 Sports started streaming free live sports news and analysis on the web and mobile devices last June. Now, the digital network is making the leap to set-top boxes, starting with Apple TV. The channel delivers 8 hours of live coverage every day, with the "120 Morning Run" from 8-10 AM ET during the week. Football fans can take a long lunch for "120 Football Fix" from 12-2 PM ET, and if you miss a live broadcast, there's a library of videos for on-demand viewing, too.
Nascar trucks to PS4, Xbox One, PC in 2016 under new developer
NASCAR, the very popular circle-based sport, is coming back to video games. Developer DMi Games has acquired "certain NASCAR-related assets" from previous series dev Eutechnyx, and will partner with NASCAR Team Properties to acquire "certain exclusive licensing rights as part of a multi-year agreement. DMi says it is "hard at work on several new games," including a new NASCAR racing sim for PC, PS4 and Xbox One set to launch in 2016.
Gear up to go racing with Tracktivity
If you are an auto racing fan or an enthusiast who likes to me more involved that just watching races, you should check out Tracktivity. This free universal app runs on iOS 7.1 or later and will help you be better informed and keep up to speed on the auto racing activities in your area. Tracktivity has information on thousands of race tracks in the United States, Australia, and New Zealand including major NASCAR and IndyCar facilities like the Daytona International Speedway, Bristol Motor Speedway, and Phoenix International Raceway. You will also find all the local tracks including go-karting facilities, quarter mile dirt tracks and the small tracks that run a variety of races on weekends. The app provides details on the type of track, oval, road course, karting track, etc. plus what type of surface they race on, when the track is open, the web site URL if the track has one, and the types of races they hold. You can also check to see if the track is available for rental or for other racing enthusiasts like yourself to get out and take a few laps either as part of an organized event or perhaps a local racing or driving school. Additionally you can find out if they have spectator seating, parking for cars or RVs, if garage space can be rented, what fuel is sold at the track, and even if they have a garage area to repair your car if something happens while running. If you are just interested in watching others race, you can do a search to find racing events that might be taking place anywhere near your location. The event listing provides the date and time of the event, what activities are taking place, contact information to obtain the specific details about registering to participate or admission costs plus the costs associated with participating. Tracktivity has formed partnerships with a number of the tracks, mostly smaller ones but also some of the major venues like Bristol Motor Speedway. Through the app's Race Control section, the tracks will send out notifications with information on the latest track news, invitations, offers, and promotions at the track, last minute schedule changes and even results once the event is completed. And if you are in an unfamiliar area and not sure where the track is located, users can get navigational assistance directly from the app with turn by turn directions using Apple Maps. Tracktivity developers claim the app contains information on more than two thousand tracks currently with more to come and in more countries. During my use of Tracktivity, I found a lot more tracks without partnerships than those listed as partners so getting updates from your favorite track isn't a sure thing. However, I did find a large amount of information contained in Tracktivity that I believe will be useful to racing fans and enthusiasts including listings for tracks I didn't even know existed within a few miles of where I live. So as the year progresses and racing season gets underway, you should add Tracktivity to your device and take advantage of all the information it contains.
The yellow flag is out for the motorsport.com app
If you are an auto racing enthusiast, regardless of what form of racing you follow, the motorsport.com app is one you should check out. The free universal app requires iOS 7.0 or later and is a winner is some areas but comes up short of the finish line in others. This app is a one stop location for news, photos, and videos of Formula 1, NASCAR, Indy Car, endurance racing, drag racing, dirt track events, motorcycles, and dozens of other racing series here in the United States and around the world. The app opens with the latest news from all of the various racing series. You can then slide the title bar to the left to choose specific series including all the ones named above. The web site employs its own staff and all the stories I read came from members of the staff likely using a variety of services and their own sources for the information. Some of the categories were up to date with new stories but in others I found no new stories posted for more than six weeks. Drag racing for example had a story from November 26th but the next story was dated back in July, then one in June and then the next story was posted way back in January. So it appears some racing series are covered more thoroughly than others. One area I did find appealing is the selection of photos available. You will find more than one million photos posted in the app covering races and events going back to 1921. Users can utilize a search function to narrow the vast number of photos to a more workable amount. For example I did a search for the Michigan 500 and found more than three hundred photos. Another search for Al Unser Jr. found just under a thousand photos. Users can share the photos easily through the app with friends and followers via Facebook and Twitter. You can also upload your own photos to the web site and app if you have pictures from a race, an event featuring a driver, or just about anything else to do with racing. In the video section users will find a large number of available videos from all the racing series. The videos include stories about drivers, races, technical changes, and a variety of topics. You will also see interviews and news conferences plus highlights for specific drivers or races. I even found the complete two hour plus Indy Car race from Sonoma. There is no shortage of material here. For the most part the motorport.com app mirrors the web site. I did a check though and found more news stories on the web site. To be sure you are getting the latest information the web site is the best bet but for pictures and video the app works just fine. So for now we will wave the Caution flag on the app until they get the same news updated to the app that is on the web site.
Recommended Reading: Beer genetics and Kinect physical therapy
Recommended Reading highlights the best long-form writing on technology and more in print and on the web. Some weeks, you'll also find short reviews of books that we think are worth your time. We hope you enjoy the read. Strange Brews: The Genes of Craft Beer by William Herkewitz, New York Times Pocket!function(d,i){if(!d.getElementById(i)){var j=d.createElement("script");j.id=i;j.src="https://widgets.getpocket.com/v1/j/btn.js?v=1";var w=d.getElementById(i);d.body.appendChild(j);}}(document,"pocket-btn-js"); White Labs has been providing professional and home brewers with the requisite yeast strains that they need for proper fermentation for years. Now, the suds-focused laboratory has gone a step further by creating the first genetic map for the yeasts. The company has sequenced DNA from over 240 strains from all over the globe, reading the 12 million molecules that compose each line by line. Not only will direct comparisons be an option, but also discovering exactly how the mapping translates to the final taste and the overall brewing process.
