As the October 14 release date for iRacing’s first-ever console-based video game, NASCAR 25, gets closer and closer, more information begins to surface about the product.
On Saturday, just hours before the start of the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway, iRacing officially unveiled the cover for the game, which includes three of NASCAR’s biggest stars.
Fittingly featured front and center is William Byron, whose career infamously began with using the iRacing service at a young age, which launched him into real-life racing. Byron jumped from Legend Cars to the NASCAR Cup Series in less than a decade and has become one of the series’ most successful drivers in recent years, winning 15 races.
“It just feels full circle. Growing up racing on video games primarily, obviously, everyone knows that about my story, so, yeah, just a very full circle moment for me personally and great for our partners and everybody,” Byron said in a team release. “Excited for it. Hopefully, the game is great. It feels good so far, so hopefully everyone loves it and it’ll always be something I can look back on over the years and be excited about.”
Ryan Blaney and Christopher Bell, perennial championship contenders in the NASCAR Cup Series, are also featured on the cover of the NASCAR 25 game.
Blaney, driver of the No. 12 Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Team Penske, is a fan-favorite and the 2023 champion of the NASCAR Cup Series. Throughout his decade-long career, the High Point, North Carolina-native has scored 14 wins at NASCAR’s top level, including one this season at Nashville Superspeedway.
Bell, driver of the No. 20 Toyota Camry XSE for Joe Gibbs Racing, is another young driver who has reached the highest ranks of the NASCAR Cup Series as of late, finishing top-five in series point standings for each of the last three seasons.
The Norman, Oklahoma-native is a 12-time winner in the NASCAR Cup Series, which includes an impressive streak of three consecutive events that Bell won earlier this season at EchoPark Speedway, Circuit of The Americas, and Phoenix Raceway.
Earlier this month, on August 6, iRacing officially revealed a 176-driver roster for the NASCAR 25 game, which includes drivers and teams from the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, and ARCA Menards Series.