Scott McLaughlin has been confirmed to race in the second season of the INDYCAR iRacing Challenge, which kicks off next week.
The virtual series came out of real-life drivers who were stuck at home due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
While it was not the only racing series to start its own sim-racing championship, the IndyCar series was one of the most globally watched, given it featured almost an entire grid of real-world stars.
The series was run for fun and entertainment, though several drivers went as far as to call in race engineers to act as spotters for oval events.
IndyCar rookie Scott McLaughlin entered last year’s series and would have come out as the inaugural champion had points been counted. The Kiwi even won the first virtual ‘Indy 500’ race after a wild final lap.
McLaughlin will be part of a mini three-round series that will take place over the weeks building up to the start of the 2021 season.
Circuits used will be non-IndyCar tracks Circuit Gilles Villeneuve (March 18) and Homestead-Miami Speedway (March 25). The series will conclude with a fan-voted circuit on April 1.
“The first season of the INDYCAR iRacing Challenge definitely filled a competitive void that our drivers were missing last spring,” said IndyCar Vice President of Marketing SJ Luedtke.
“It captured many entertaining moments and helped set the stage for the return to competition on the track in real life. Season 2 will undoubtedly double down on those fun, colorful moments highlighting the personalities of our athletes and get our fans ready for the green flag on our 2021 season in Birmingham, Alabama.”
Alongside McLaughlin, several other drivers have already put their hand up to contest the championship. These include Josef Newgarden, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Simon Pagenaud, Will Power and Romain Grosjean.
Scott Dixon did take part in all but one round of the E-Series last year but is yet to confirm whether he will be racing this season. A full list of drivers will be announced ahead of the start of the event.
Every race will be streamed live on the official IndyCar website and their YouTube and Facebook channels.