By D. Thompson
Bowie State University is one of the latest recipients of an iRacing simulator, and one of five HBCUs to partner with NASCAR in an effort to boost esports on campuses across the country.
Bowie State received the simulator, which aims to replicate the experience of racing around on a range of NASCAR tracks, in late-November, and sports management professor Dr. Alex Anderson is excited to get students in the driver’s seat this semester.
“We wanted to be able to get into the NASCAR world,” said Dr. Anderson. “We are trying to build a partnership and provide some opportunities for our students that may have not have known much about NASCAR. This is a way to broaden their horizons and open their minds to something other than just basketball, football and baseball.”
For NASCAR, donating the simulator is an investment in their future. NASCAR’s gaming and esports director Ray Smith predicts that a good portion of future starting drivers will have gotten their first racing experience from an iRacing simulator. But the platform could also spark an interest in NASCAR that turns into an opportunity to join the leading automotive sports league in a number of different capacities. The simulator will be that pipeline.
“Now, our potential talent pool is so much bigger,” said Smith. “Now we can find drivers that are in cities that don’t have racetracks. It also can encourage future engineers, promoters, broadcasters and graphic designers.”
Anderson is excited about the new windows that could be opened for students as they look for a permanent home for the iRacing simulator.
“I’m hoping through experiences like this, we’ll be able to expose our students,” said Dr. Anderson. “Our students can say, ‘Wow, this is another career path.’ I want to create as many avenues for our students to go out and work in sports as they can.”
