NASCAR and iRacing have been intertwined for more than a decade now, with future Hall of Famer William Byron and rising star Rajah Caruth being the biggest examples of that connection. But if the words of NASCAR’s Senior Director of Sim Racing, Ray Smith, are anything to go by, the impact of sim racing in the scene is much bigger than we can see on the screen. In an interview with Insider Gaming, Smith talked about how nowadays, aspiring racers are much more likely to start their journeys in the simulations, as although those looking to join motorsports would have Indy or Charlotte as their main options before, ”nowadays, you want to be in motorsports, go to the sim, go to iRacing.” He then continued by mentioning other career paths the platform has propelled, ranging from former Champions now taking engineering positions to content creators, journalists, and more. Of course, we also have a clear example of the dream road in the aforementioned Rajah Caruth, whose story has become a beacon within the community. When talking about it, Smith said: “I think that story, we’re working on telling that story more and more and more because we want that young Raja Pruth kid to see that roadmap.” You can currently play NASCAR 25 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, as well as try out iRacing on PC. The 2026 eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series season has also started, allowing you to see the first steps of what can very much be a future champion. This marks the competition’s 17th anniversary. You can check out its official schedule on iRacing Sport’s official site, as well as catch the races on both the eNASCAR official site and via iRacing’s official Twitch, YouTube, and Facebook. Make sure to also take a look