IndyCar iRacing Challenge at COTA: Start time, TV, more

The IndyCar iRacing Challenge will return to a road course Saturday as the fifth of six rounds is held at virtual Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas.

The 33-driver field will include newcomers Lando Norris (Formula One) and Chaz Mostert (Australian Supercars), who will be waking up in the predawn hours to race Down Under. Former Indy Lights champion Spencer Pigot also will be making his debut.

The most recent road course event at Barber Motorsports Park was won by Scott McLaughlin, who also will be racing from Australia well before the sun rises. Simon Pagenaud has won the past two races on ovals (Michigan and Twin Ring Motegi), making it three consecutive victories for Team Penske.

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Sage Karam, who won the iRacing Challenge opener at Watkins Glen International, has been strong on road courses in the series, leading 67 of 90 laps.

Here is the information on today’s virtual race:

START: The command to start engines will be given by Texas-born music artist Jack Ingram at 2:43 p.m. ET, followed by the green flag at 2:45 p.m.

TV: Coverage of the race will begin on NBCSN at 2:30 p.m. ET and also via the NBCSN stream on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports App. The IndyCar on NBC booth of Leigh Diffey, Townsend Bell and Paul Tracy will have the call of the race with reporter Marty Snider.

The race also can be viewed through drivers’ individual Twitch channels.

NATIONAL ANTHEM: Performed by singer-songwriter Cory Morrow and his wife, Sherry Morrow, singing the national anthem and at 2:39 p.m. ET.

TRACK: Circuit of The Americas, a 20-turn, 3.41-mile natural road course in Austin, Texas. Turn width: Varies from 39 to 52 feet. Course direction: Counterclockwise.

COMPETITION CAUTION: Lap 12. Three laps of yellow followed by a single-file restart.

DISTANCE: The AutoNation INDYCAR Challenge is 32 laps/109.1 miles/175.6 km (approximately 70 minutes).

PUSH TO PASS: 10 activations for a 10-second duration

SETUPS: Fixed; no changes allowed for drivers.

PIT STOPS: Two. Fuel window approximately 40 laps.

FAST REPAIRS: Two (drivers have been allowed two fast repairs, the equivalent of hitting a reset button, at the past two races on road courses; on ovals, drivers have been limited to one fast repair).

REAL WORLD AT COTA: There has been one IndyCar race at COTA. On March 24, 2019, Colton Herta became the youngest winner in series history at 18.

IndyCar rookie Oliver Askew swept both Indy Lights races last March at COTA.

UNOFFICIAL POINTS STANDINGS: There is no championship at play, but if points were being kept, Simon Pagenaud (who has won the past two races) would be leading. Click here for the points standings after Twin Ring Motegi.

PAST FOUR ROUNDS: Click here for the full boxscore from Twin Ring Motegi. Click here for the full boxscore from Michigan. Click here for the full boxscore from Barber. Click here for the full box score from Watkins Glen.

NEXT: The AutoNation INDYCAR Challenge at Circuit of The Americas is the fifth of six events to be held each Saturday through May 2. Next week’s finale will take place at a non-IndyCar “Dream” track that will be announced soon.

ENTRY LIST: Click here to view the entry list for the fifth round of the IndyCar iRacing Challenge.

SPOTTER’S GUIDE:Click here to view the paint schemes being used in today’s race at Circuit of The Americas.

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.”

Today’s IndyCar iRacing Challenge at COTA: Start time, TV info, more

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

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