Monster Mile Ready For It's Virtual Race

DOVER, Del - It is the

turn in

's iRacing. The Monster Mile has been working with

the company that creates the virtual racing and with NASCAR's broadcast partners for this week's event.  The virtual race coincides with what would have been the week of the actual spring race at Dover. There has not been a live Cup race since Phoenix on March 8. To attempt to salvage some advertising dollars and provide sports fans stuck at home with something to watch, NASCAR has been running virtual races with actual drivers participating.  These races have been televised with an attention to detail. "They get every little bump, they get every dip, they get every piece of concrete throughout this facility," Dover International Speedway Director of Marketing Doug Yorke said. "They digitize it and on the iRacing surface you (the drivers) feel all that."  This week there will not be RV's rolling into the state capitol and there will not over 50,000 fans on site. It has had an economic impact. "We did have to layoff our maintenance team," President and CEO Mike Tatoian said.  "There was a handful of employees we had to furlough." It is hoped that NASCAR will be back to live racing well in advance of Dover's next race weekend (August 21-23). NASCAR has maintained it wants to have a full 36 race schedule. Dover officials say they do not know if that means holding a doubleheader Cup race weekend in August to make up the May 3 missed date or if that event will take place as a stand alone event.