BOSTON – Professional esports organization XSET announced its entry into the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series on Friday, with a two-car team on deck for the upcoming season.
XSET will field the No. 4 Ford Mustang for 2017 series champion Ryan Luza and the No. 38 Ford Mustang for fourth-year driver Casey Kirwan.
In addition, NASCAR Cup Series rookie Anthony Alfredo has joined XSET’s roster of talent as a content creator.
“XSET is revved to be entering this unbelievably fast-growing community,” said XSET COO and co-founder Marco Mereu. “XSET’s unique presence both in sim racing and NASCAR highlights our desire to connect cultures and build greatness. With the skills that Ryan, Casey, and Anthony possess, the sky’s the limit.
“From epic content to exciting driving and winning, XSET’s iRacing roster is poised to take over the sim driving world.”
Luza has been one of the top drivers in the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series since his debut in 2017. As a rookie, Luza had five wins in his first season, including winning the championship, and has since added 10 more victories over the past three years.
Last year, Luza garnered the most wins (three, tied) among all series competitors, setting him up for what could be huge success next year.
Luza made the Championship 4 and was in contention for the title in the final laps of the season finale at Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway before a late crash relegated him to a fourth-place finish in the final point standings.
“I’m extremely excited to join XSET and represent them as they dive into the Coca-Cola iRacing Series and racing esports as a whole,” said Luza. “The esports industry has been booming and I’m thankful for the opportunity to join XSET’s rapidly growing organization. I am hopeful this will be another successful year and I am excited to #RepTheSET at the front of the pack – week in and week out!”
Kirwan has built up one of the largest followings in the iRacing community. With more than 500 victories in his iRacing career and two wins in the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing series, Kirwan is one of the winningest sim-racing drivers over the past several years.
After a disappointing 19th-place finish in points last season, Kirwan moves over to XSET from Denny Hamlin Racing and is hopeful of a rebound this year.
“I am super excited to join XSET for the 2021 eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series season,” noted Kirwan. “The organization has already shown in their short time of existence what they are capable of. They have brought together the world’s best talent across the esports world, and to be a part of that is really special. I’m looking forward to growing with them this year and representing the brand and all of their great partners.”
Avid gamer Alfredo began his racing career as a sim driver and showed such ability that he began driving in real life. He has driven for Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s JR Motorsports late model team and will compete in the NASCAR Cup Series this year for Front Row Motorsports.
“I’m proud to join XSET and be part of innovating the esports industry with them,” said Alfredo. “My roots are in gaming, which makes this opportunity special to me personally. I’m excited to grow my brand and presence in esports with XSET, and utilize my racing platform to connect esports and motorsports fan bases. iRacing has played a pivotal role in my real-life racing career, so this opportunity is very cool.
“I’m looking forward to the future and growing with XSET.”
XSET Gaming will officially debut in the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series on Feb. 1 during the annual Clash preseason exhibition event for the 40-driver eNASCAR field.