“A gut punch,” Dale Earnhardt Jr. slams IndyCar‘s decision to pull out of iRacing

Dale Earnhardt Jr.

The licensing agreement between iRacing and IndyCar runs out at the end of 2022. From next year the majority of IndyCar content won’t be available on the sim racing platform. The open-wheel racing association has already announced a new partnership with Motorsports Racing to develop an alternative. Motorsports Racing is known for its iconic games, such as rFactor 2 and NASCAR Heat.

The organization is reportedly following the Formula 1 model with its new venture. They are planning to develop a more affordable version of the game. The current iRacing sim cockpit’s usually cost thousands of dollars. But it might not be the right decision, as the Indy Series is one of the most established ones, and if they fail to deliver the updated version of the game, the backlash will be big.

The plan also might negatively affect the viewership number of the series. The video game craze attracted a large group of fans to the series. The first 3 races of the season attracted the highest number of fans they had in 19 years, and most of the broadcasters were of the age below 30. So the latest move from IndyCar has big consequences. NASCAR legend Dale Eranhardt Jr. called out the organization for the same reason.

He wrote on Twitter, “I don’t understand this decision by IndyCar to not continue a decade-long partnership with iRacing. This is such a gut punch for that community. After all, both brands accomplished together, including during the past few challenging years,”.

I don’t understand this decision by @IndyCar to not continue a decade long partnership with @iRacing. This is such a gut punch for that community. After all both brands accomplished together, including during the past few challenging years…??‍♂️ https://t.co/fXl7D2K2gy
— Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) December 21, 2022

The decision will significantly change the IndyCar series available to play in the sim. The 2023 version will exclude the official IndyCar logo, the tracks where the race is in the physical world, and the car designs. There are no plans to stop IndyCar racing completely, but the changes are significant and might take a few things away.

Also read: NASCAR releases 2023 Daytona 500 Speedweek schedule with a major change

Fans on Twitter don’t entirely agree with Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s opinion

Dale Jr. received a mixed reaction from his followers after he expressed his opinion. Some consider the new plan more feasible if they venture into gaming using consoles. Others agreed with the NASCAR Hall of Famer and suggested they made a bad call.

It certainly seems like a money grab and a money grab only. NOT a wise move if it disrupts marketing, promotion or any forward motion with a new fan base. ?‍♀️ #IndyCar #Penske
— Crash Gladys (@CrashGladys) December 22, 2022

https://twitter.com/therobbieharvey/status/1605765764853616640

Consideration that it could be out of their hands. We don't know the relationship between IC/Penske Entertainment and Motorsport Games right now. Especially if there's anything litigious going on, it would not make sense to sign other licence deals right now until resolved.
— Chris Daly (@TheChrisD) December 21, 2022

Dale and @iRacing are you able to share the number of users and breakdown of how many are in the Indycar fields? Currently there's 10x the users logged into iRacing vs rf2 and i'd like to see a breakdown of it.
— Ian Munroe?️‍?✨?️?️? (@ianmunroe) December 21, 2022

I wonder if there is a date MSG has to deliver a product to the market by or else they loose their exclusivity deal? Lets hope this happens because it sounds like Indy signed a bad deal to me. As much as I want Indy to have a successful solo game I doubt it will be with MSG.
— Max Calder (@maxcalder) December 22, 2022

As a long time indycar fan I have to say that they make it very difficult to follow them from time to time. TV coverage is on again of again every few years. This fits into that picture again. Usually these deciscions seem to be made for relatively small gains ?
— Ernst Venbroek (@ErnstV77) December 21, 2022

With all due respect I feel like the marketing department flawed on this one. A lot of off track revenue seemed like was being brought in from oval asphalt, and dirt. Not as much fun marketing behind Indy car. Just my opinion
— Josh Parker (@JoshParker81) December 21, 2022

As far as what I was doing with the Indy Fixed and Indy Open broadcast, other than supporting the community, I was giving positive free publicity to IndyCar. Few are a bigger cheerleader then me when it comes to IndyCar heritage and racing.
— Gary Godsoe (@garygodsoe) December 21, 2022

Also read: Tony Stewart claims Dale Earnhardt wouldn’t have been able to “rattle” Jimmie Johnson in the HMS driver’s dominant years

Also read: Richard Petty set to ride in the 2023 Rose Parade

Tags: Dale Earnhardt Jr.

#About the Author

Justin P Joy

(5144 Articles Published)

Justin P Joy is a Motorsports writer and editor at FirstSportz. He has been a motorsport journalist since 2020 and has published over 4500 articles. Justin has extensively covered two NASCAR, Formula One, and Moto GP seasons for FirstSportz. He has invested more than a decade of his life on Motorsports, first as a fan and later as a dedicated writer. Justin’s in-depth knowledge of Motorsports and his experience as a fan make his writing resonate with most racing fans worldwide. Justin's love for racing started when he discovered Moto GP at the age of 8. That love later guided him into the world of Formula 1. He fell in love with NASCAR after watching Tom Cruise’s “Days of Thunder” and has been an avid follower of the premier stock car racing series since. He has also been investing his time to exploring WEC, WRC, Formula E, Extreme E, and IndyCar in a bid to deeply understand the culture and history of Motorsports to present a unique perspective to the fans.

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“A gut punch,” Dale Earnhardt Jr. slams IndyCar‘s decision to pull out of iRacing

Fans on Twitter don’t entirely agree with Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s opinion

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