We have all witnessed dreams become reality. Screen time turns into seat time. Hours of practice turn into winning some of NASCAR’s most sought-after hardware. A new era of racers is here, and it is not always one born and bred on the beaten asphalt of an ageless, small-town speedway. No, nowadays the drivers who carved their teeth with hard fought wins against countless young racers across the country have a new opponent…An opponent birthed by the rapid advancements in today’s technology…The Sim Racer.

The first name that comes to mind when you think of sim racing in NASCAR is, naturally, William Byron. He has proven that with the right skills and opportunities, a hobby can turn into not only a way of life but a way to etch your name into the record books of an entire sport’s history. With 12 wins already in his adolescent career, he managed to take an untapped skill set in front of a computer screen, apply that to Legends cars a short time later, and catch the attention of one of NASCAR’s biggest names, Rick Hendrick. Now, if we remember, this is not the first time Mr. H’s keen eye for talent has turned an unknown driver into a household name. Once upon a time, a young wheel man named Jeff Gordon found a way to turn his passion into reality on those Southwest Indiana nights in a very similar, yet largely more rigorous, way to Byron. Both found a way to hone their skills and find the right eyes at the right time. If you ask me, I think the similarities between the two are far greater than we really think or know. Although, if you were to ask Gordon himself, he might have preferred a fancy sim rig to a dusty, hot USAC quarter-midget built sometime in the mid-1970s.

Beyond the drivers that are trying to make it to the professional level, sim racing has opened the door for an entire genre of entertainment across the internet. Streamers like “Dale Tanhardt,” “BigDuke Sim Racing”, and others who are gaining popularity and taking over platforms such as Kick, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok. Beyond showing their unique personalities, they bring with them the knowledge and quick-wit banter that keeps their fans engaged and continuously learning more about racing in all forms. These windows into the world of NASCAR, F1, Indy Car, and other racing series are undoubtedly what will bring the next wave of crazed fans and potentially future drivers who we see hoisting a championship trophy.

We will continue to see more and more racers get the opportunity to turn these dreams into reality, and personally, I could not be more excited about it! The cost of running one weekend’s worth of races in real life can cost a racer and their team thousands of dollars to be even slightly competitive. Does a driver still need to prove themselves on a real race track against real drivers in a real competition? ABSOLUTELY! Does that mean a kid shouldn’t be able to dream of racing against his idols one day? No, it does not!

All-in-all, I believe that the ability of someone with a lack of funding or support to make a name for themselves racing online is a great thing for racing at all levels. The success we see with the iRacing is something we all dreamt of as kids. The thought that a “nobody” can become a “somebody” with the right encouragement, time, and luck is something that can only help the sport in general. Whether it’s filling a seat in the grandstands or filling the seat in the cockpit of an HMS Chevrolet, it can only be a good thing. Some may say these sim racing protégés don’t belong in the top levels of competition because they took an “easy way” to get there. I say to those people: You can’t hate the player. You can only hate the game.