IndyCar iRacing entry list Michigan International Speedway

Dale Earnhardt Jr., Marco Andretti and Ryan Hunter-Reay highlight the drivers who will be making their IndyCar iRacing Challenge debuts Saturday at Michigan International Speedway (2:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN).

There are a series-record 31 drivers in the field for the 85-lap event on the 2-mile speedway, which will mark the first oval in the six-race virtual series. The first two races were held on the road courses at Watkins Glen International (click here for results) and Barber Motorsports Park (results). Scott McLaughlin, the two-time SuperCars champion who won at Barber, leads the unofficial points standings.

Earnhardt, who has driven the past three races in the eNASCAR Pro Invitational (and finished second in the opener), will be driving the No. 3 Nationwide Chevrolet.

MORE: Click here to view the entry list

Andretti will be driving his No. 98 Honda (which Scott Speed had driven to a third at Barber) at Michigan, where he finished second in IndyCar’s last visit in 2007. Andretti Autosport teammate Ryan Hunter-Reay will be in his No. 28 Honda.

After starting the first two races, Jimmie Johnson will be taking a break from IndyCar at Michigan

Click here to view the entry list for the IndyCar iRacing Challenge at Michigan International Speedway.

The race will be televised live at 2:30 p.m. ET Saturday on NBCSN. There will be no competition caution at Michigan, where the fuel window is roughly 37 green-flag laps (just short of halfway, which could create some strategical dilemmas over whether to make one or two pit stops).

Here’s the IndyCar release on the third round of the iRacing Challenge:

INDIANAPOLIS — In a series in which the only predictable trait has been unpredictability, the IndyCar iRacing Challenge could get even wilder during Round 3 on Saturday, April 11.

That’s because the virtual racing series featuring stars of the NTT IndyCar Series and some special guests is moving to an oval – the super-fast, wide, 2-mile Michigan International Speedway – after the first two rounds took place on natural road courses at Watkins Glen International and Barber Motorsports Park.

The Chevrolet 275 will feature exciting, tight action for all 85 laps after the green flag flies at 2:30 p.m. ET Saturday (live on NBCSN). IndyCar events at the popular track in the Irish Hills of Michigan included wild racing with numerous photo finishes from 1968-2007, as the generous racing surface with multiple lines creates many passing opportunities.

Drivers in this six-round virtual series, which takes place every Saturday through May 2, use identical car setups provided by iRacing. That will place a premium on slipstreaming in packs for position and managing tire wear as fuel loads drop.

Statistics – both overall and recent – also point to a very competitive race Saturday. Three of the 10 IndyCar races featuring the most lead changes in history have occurred at MIS. And the last time IndyCar raced at the 2-mile oval, Tony Kanaan edged Marco Andretti by a scant .0595 of a second for victory Aug. 5, 2007.

2004 NTT IndyCar Series champion and 2013 Indianapolis 500 winner Kanaan and Andretti could repeat that photo finish Saturday, as Andretti is joining the series for the first time this week in the No. 98 U.S. Concrete/Curb Honda fielded by Andretti Herta with Marco Andretti & Curb-Agajanian.

Andretti is one of three prominent drivers making their INDYCAR iRacing Challenge debuts Saturday, along with 2012 NTT IndyCar Series champion and 2014 Indianapolis 500 winner Ryan Hunter-Reay and two-time Daytona 500 winner Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hunter-Reay is driving the No. 28 DHL Honda fielded by Andretti Autosport, while veteran iRacing competitor Earnhardt – now a motorsports analyst for NBC Sports – will be behind the virtual wheel of the No. 3 Nationwide JR Motorsports Chevrolet.

NTT INDYCAR SERIES drivers Max Chilton and James Davison also will join the series Saturday, with Carlin Racing’s Chilton in the No. 59 Gallagher Carlin Chevrolet and Davison in the No. 33 Honda.

Those newcomers will be among 31 drivers taking the green flag in the largest field yet for the INDYCAR iRacing Challenge.

Among the favorites for victory Saturday will be Sage Karam and Scott McLaughlin. Round 1 (Watkins Glen) winner Karam will drive the No. 24 DRR WIX Filters Chevrolet fielded by Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, and two-time Virgin Supercars Australia champion McLaughlin will try to earn a second straight win in the No. 2 Snap-On Team Penske Dallara after holding off teammate Will Power by .4241 of a second to win Saturday, April 4 at Barber Motorsports Park.

2014 NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion and 2018 Indianapolis 500 winner Power also must be considered a primary threat for victory in the Chevrolet 275. He is the only driver to finish on the podium in both INDYCAR iRacing Challenge races so far, placing third in the opener at Watkins Glen and second last Saturday at Barber in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet.

While Power is the only driver with two podium finishes in the series, the level of unpredictability goes even deeper throughout the field. Just six drivers have earned top-10 finishes in both races to date: Power (3-2), 2019 NTT INDYCAR SERIES Rookie of the Year Felix Rosenqvist (2-6), McLaughlin (4-1), 2016 series champion and 2019 Indianapolis 500 winner Simon Pagenaud (6-5), two-time and reigning NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Josef Newgarden (7-9) and 2019 Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge Rookie of the Year Santino Ferrucci (8-10).

The fuel window for this race is expected to be approximately 37 green flag laps, slightly less than half of the race distance. So, depending on the number of caution periods, drivers and their team strategists could decide on two stops for service or try to stretch fuel to finish the race on one stop, creating even more strategic elements. There will be no competition caution to bunch the field Saturday, unlike Round 2 at Barber Motorsports Park.

The starting lineup will be set through a 10-minute qualifying session prior to the event.

Saturday’s race at a virtual version of Michigan International Speedway, located in Brooklyn, Michigan, is the third of six races in the series. Future venues include a “Random Draw” track April 18, Circuit of the Americas on April 25 and a non-INDYCAR “Dream” track May 2.

The IndyCar iRacing Challenge will not crown an overall champion but will add a special element where IndyCar will make a donation to one of its partner charities.

Vicki Golden has earned a career worthy of a thousand stories and 805 Beer tells at least one of them, as “Inverted Perspective” premiered March 30 on the company’s website and YouTube channel.

Golden did more to break the glass ceiling in SuperMotocross than she ever thought possible. She knows this because riders have never felt the need to explain any of her accomplishments with the disclaimer, “for a girl”.

At this point in Golden’s career, she’s been the first woman to finish top 10 in AMA Arenacross Lites, the first woman to qualify in the Fast 40 in Monster Energy AMA Supercross and the first woman to compete in freestyle Moto X competition, earning a bronze medal by doing so.

Her love for moto came from childhood while she watched her dad and brother ride. By seven she was on her bike and making waves throughout Southern California.

Golden, 30, is still madly in love with the sport and has no plans on moving away but her career is already one to talk about. 805 Beer’s film series wanted to do exactly that.

“I’m taken aback by it all,” Golden told NBC Sports about the documentary. “It’s just crazy to see your story, it’s one thing to live your life and battle everything that comes about but it’s another to just sit there and talk about it.”

805 approached Golden about the feature by asking, “Do you even realize that what you do, and your story is special?”

Golden took the question as a blank canvas to map out the highs and lows of her career and life.

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The title “Inverted Perspective” came from a brainstorming session with Dominick Russo and it highlights Golden’s outlook on the sport of SuperMotocross and her life in general.

“My whole life, my whole career was thinking differently and looking at things that shouldn’t be done and aren’t there, while being able to make a place for myself, where no one thought there should be a place,” Golden said. “It’s inspiring someone to think in different ways. It sums up my life.”

*Vicki Golden is not “fast for a girl”; she’s just fast. – 805 Beer*

While Golden is no stranger to the spotlight, this was the first time she’s been fully involved with the storytelling and creation of a feature about herself.

“It’s not like a full new experience,” Golden said. “Obviously, you get your standard questions about your upbringing and accomplishments, but I’ve never really put into perspective things that happened in my past with my dad and putting that to light. Also, certain other things that maybe got overlooked in previous interviews or films. I wanted to touch on these and Dom wanted to create a story. It’s just cool to see it come to light, it’s a nearly impossible thing to tell somebody’s life story in 40 minutes.”

Golden’s father was left paralyzed after an ATV accident, robbing him the opportunity to ride again. This happened a few months before the father-daughter duo was set to compete in the Loretta Lynn’s Amateur Nationals when Vicki was 12. While she might have been unable to grasp the severity at the time, it’s something she carries with her. Golden continues to ride in his honor.

Years later, an accident in 2018 nearly sidelined the then 25-year-old Vicki when a freestyle accident almost resulted in the amputation of her lower leg.

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Golden 805 Beer — *Vicki Golden has ridden a variety of disciplines in SuperMotocross, which gives her a unique perspective. – 805 Beer*

“Inverted Perspective” highlights her father’s diligence in helping Vicki continue with her career and the kindness and strength he carried while fighting his own battle.

“My dad was the entire reason that I started riding in the first place,” Golden said. “So, to honor his memory and to honor what we went through and how hard he pushed to keep our dream alive and keep everything going – in that sense then, it was really special to be able to honor him and talk about him.”

The 40-minute feature was filmed entirely in black and white, a stark contrast from the oversaturated world of motocross where the brighter the suit the easier it is for fans to find their rider and follow him in the race. By filming in monochrome Russo and Golden had the chance to focus on the race and track from a different perspective.

“It was cool to be able to film it differently,” Golden said. “It created a challenge in the sense of what was going to be more visually impactful for the film.

“I couldn’t be here without the companies that back me but at the same time, it’s not like the logos or colors disappeared, it’s just different lights shed on different spots. It’s just a cool way to do it and to take color away and still be impactful. When you think of black and white, you think of old school, the OG way of doing things.”

IndyCar’s iRacing entry list for Saturday’s race at Michigan oval

Vicki Golden and 805 Beer tell a unique story from an Inverted Perspective

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