The eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series is back in action Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway.
The race will, of course, take place on iRacing, which if you’re not familiar, is a PC-based sim racing service that authentically recreates the cars, tracks and physics of auto racing. The Pro Invitational Series is a competition between professional NASCAR drivers using computer racing wheels to pilot virtual race cars from their homes.
This weekend’s event at Talladega figures to be as chaotic (if not more) than previous Pro Invitational events. The 2.5-mile oval produces three-wide, bumper-to-bumper action at nearly 200 mph. That style of racing makes “real life” Talladega a wild card with the occasional long-shot winner. The volatility will ratchet up on the virtual track with many of the drivers lacking a sim racing background.
Earlier this week, iRacing held an exhibition race at Talladega with NASCAR drivers making up over half of the field. The winner? Bryan Cook, the chief digital officer for Joe Gibbs Racing. Houston Texans quarterback AJ McCarron finished eighth.
That’s the long way of saying that this might be the right time to fade usual favorite William Byron (+350) and instead take a flier on a long shot. As dominant as Byron has been thus far (he has won each of the past two Pro Invitational races), he has only six victories in 99 iRacing superspeedway starts.
Here are the drivers most likely to triumph Sunday despite the anticipated mayhem.
Note: Odds from Caesars Sportsbook as of Friday, unless otherwise noted.