NASCAR: Bubba Wallace prepares for Eldora’s “Mudsummer Classic” (VIDEO)

By Jul 21, 2014, 8:05 PM EDT
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The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will be returning to the dirt of Eldora Speedway this Wednesday night for the “Mudsummer Classic.” For these asphalt cowboys, racing on dirt presents a different set of challenges – and thus requires a different way to prepare.

Earlier this month, Darrell “Bubba” Wallace and his Kyle Busch Motorsports team headed to the Southwest Virginia town of Rural Retreat for a test at Wythe Raceway, a 1/2-mile, high-banked clay oval.

According to Wallace himself, he ran 141 laps in the test. Today, a six-minute clip of the session – shot from the driver’s point of view inside his No. 54 KBM Toyota Tundra – was posted online; you can check it out at the top.

“Last year, Eldora and [the road-course race in] Canada were two of my favorite races because they were so different than what we normally do,” Wallace said this week.

“We tested a few weeks ago in Virginia and we ran a lot of laps trying things out and just trying to get comfortable being on dirt.

“We were happy with the test and I’m excited, my team is pumped and I know we have a Toyota Tundra that will be able to compete for another Top-10 finish.”

In last year’s inaugural “Mudsummer Classic,” Wallace climbed from 17th on the grid to finish seventh.

IndyCar disappointed by delay of video game but aiming to launch at start of 2024

By Mar 27, 2023, 3:00 PM EDT
IndyCar video game 2024
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An IndyCar executive said there is “absolutely” disappointment that its long-awaited video game recently was delayed beyond its target date, but the series remains optimistic about the new title.

“Well, I don’t know how quick it will be, but the whole situation is important to us,” Penske Entertainment president and CEO Mark Miles said during a news conference Monday morning to announce IndyCar’s NTT title sponsorship. “Motorsport Games has spent a lot of money, a lot of effort to create an IndyCar title. What we’ve seen of that effort, which is not completely obvious, is very reassuring.

“I think it’s going to be outstanding. That’s our shared objective, that when it is released, it’s just widely accepted. A great credit both to IndyCar racing, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, something that our fans love.”

In June 2021, IndyCar announced a new partnership with Motorsport Games to create and distribute an IndyCar video game for the PC and Xbox and PlayStation consoles in 2023.

But during an earnings call last week, Motorsport Games said the IndyCar game had been delayed to 2024 to ensure high quality.

Somewhat compounding the delay is that IndyCar’s license for iRacing expired after the end of the 2022 season because of its exclusive agreement with Motorsport Games.

That’s resulted in significant changes for IndyCar on iRacing, which had provided a high-profile way for the series to stay visible during its 2020 shutdown from the pandemic. (Players still can race an unbranded car but don’t race on current IndyCar tracks, nor can they stream).

That’s helped ratchet up the attention on having a video game outlet for IndyCar.

“I wish we had an IndyCar title 10 years ago,” said Miles, who has been working with the organization since 2013. “We’ve been close, but we’ve had these I think speed bumps.”

IndyCar is hopeful the Motorsports Game edition will be ready at the start of 2024. Miles hinted that beta versions could be unveiled to reporters ahead of the time “to begin to show the progress in a narrow way to make sure we’ve got it right, to test the progress so that we’re ready when they’re ready.”

It’s been nearly 18 years since the release of the most recent IndyCar video game for console or PC.

“(We) better get it right,” Miles said. “It’s something we’re very close to and continue to think about what it is to make sure we get it over the line in due course.”