CONCORD, N.C. – Beginning next year, the first-ever NASCAR esports league will hit consoles – the eNASCAR Heat Pro League.
And Hendrick Motorsports will participate in the venture with its own entries.
Thursday afternoon, NASCAR, the teams and 704Games announced a collaboration to create the league.
“We look forward to taking this first step with our teams to introduce NASCAR-style racing to the massive esports audience on consoles,” said Craig Neeb, NASCAR executive vice president, innovation and development. “Our partners at 704Games have delivered an incredible product and we are enthusiastic about engaging gamers to create new fans and grow our sport.”
Each race team will field two drivers – one competing on Xbox One and the other on PlayStation 4. The drivers will be selected in the inaugural eNASCAR Heat Pro League Draft that will take place in February 2019.
Starting today, “NASCAR Heat 3” players can begin to qualify for the draft. For the next five weeks, gamers can look to prove that they’re one of the best online racers in the country before qualifying is locked on Jan. 15.
To sign up for qualifying, visit NASCARHeat.com.
The first season of the eNASCAR Heat Pro League will get underway during the 2019 NASCAR All-Star Race weekend, kicking off a 16-race schedule to crown a champion. All of the races will be streamed worldwide.
“NASCAR Heat 3,” which features the four Hendrick Motorsports drivers on its cover, was released in September. The newest entry in the best-selling racing series has a number of new features, including a deeper career mode, additional racetracks, expanded online multiplayer including online tournaments, and a brand-new fantasy dirt-racing experience.