Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s managed iRacing announces collaboration with $3T technology giant to ‘leverage the realism’ through AI

Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s iRacing platform recently unveiled an exciting update for its users. iRacing, a leading subscription-based online racing simulation game, has been popular among motorsport enthusiasts since its launch in 2008. The game is renowned for its realistic racing experience and detailed replication of real-world tracks and vehicles.

On Monday, November 25, IT giant Microsoft, which is worth $3 Trillion (as per Forbes) announced its partnership with iRacing to provide a foundation to power advanced functionality in the iRacing sim, including further improvements to AI-based components like drivers, crew chiefs, track conditions, etc. Talking about the collaboration, iRacing President Tony Gardner said(via the official press release on iRacing.com)

“We couldn’t be more excited to work with Microsoft on new AI-based learning models which hopefully will lead to iRacers having even a better experience, not to mention improving their racecraft and performance,” said iRacing president Tony Gardner. “Our goal is to leverage the realism and quality of our existing product, build upon our market-leading existing single player opponent AI, and learn from the collaboration with Microsoft Research to create new and improved features that will benefit all iRacers.”

Two-time Xfinity Series champion Earnhardt Jr. has been an integral part of iRacing, both as a competitor and an advocate for sim racing. He was the inaugural winner of iRacing's premier eNASCAR division in 2010 and has continued to race and influence the platform. His engagement has helped popularize sim racing and connect it with traditional motorsports enthusiasts.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. also made his first highly anticipated return to the iconic #8 Budweiser Chevrolet in the LMSC event of the zMAX CARS Tour, a series he co-owns with former Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick. Although Dale Jr. hit a speedbump in qualifying, the former Xfinity champion powered through with a few words of encouragement from a fellow driver.

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. recalls his heartwarming experience in South Carolina 400

Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s experience at the 2024 South Carolina 400 at Florence Motor Speedway started on a challenging note. He qualified 53rd out of 56 drivers, which left him feeling disheartened and questioning whether to continue in the race. However, fellow racer Gary Greenwood Jr. offered words of encouragement which motivated him to push forward.

Dale Jr. shared the conversation he had with Greenwood in an interview with Matt Weaver.

"I'm sitting there. I made that qualifying run. I was mad as hell... He(Gary Greenwood) come up to me, and he's like, Hey man, I want to tell you something, man. You need to keep your head up[...]Don't worry about that qualifying lap; he's like, You know the things you're doing are good, and you're helping people, and you're helping me.” Dale Earnhardt Jr. said

Despite his best efforts, Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished the race at Florence Motor Speedway in P28 after retiring from the race on lap 219, on account of a fuel pump issue.