BROOKLYN, Mich. – Dale Earnhardt Jr., who was announced as a NASCAR Hall of Fame nominee on Tuesday, will add another notch to his racing resume this weekend.
He’ll make his NTT IndyCar Series debut – virtually.
Earnhardt confirmed on Twitter that he has been issued an invite for Saturday’s IndyCar iRacing Challenge event at the virtual Michigan Int’l Speedway, the first oval event of the six-race series and the third round overall.
It will be televised at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN and follows races at simulated versions of Watkins Glen Int’l and Barber Motorsports Park.
Earnhardt noted on Mike Tirico’s Lunch Talk Live that he’ll carry the No. 3 on his virtual Indy car during Saturday’s event. His customary numbers – the Nos. 8 and 88 – are run in the IndyCar Series by full-timers Marcus Ericsson and Colton Herta, respectively.
Earnhardt will be the second NASCAR star to compete in the IndyCar iRacing Challenge, as his former Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson has competed in the first two road-course events at Watkins Glen and Barber.
The perennial NMPA Most Popular Driver, who won the award in 15 consecutive years from 2003 to 2017 before retiring from fulltime NASCAR action, has raced on Sundays recently during the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series, starting all three virtual events.
He finished second to Denny Hamlin in the opening race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
The eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series is off on Sunday for the Easter holiday.