NASCAR driver Ross Chastain surged from 10th to 5th at the final turn of yesterday’s 500-lap race to secure a spot in the end-of-season Cup races and NASCAR history. And he did it with moves he learned in video games.
“I played a lot of NASCAR 2005 on my GameCube,” @RossChastain explained of his video game moves. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/4jkF6BzAgkOctober 30, 2022
Chastain utilized a classic “wall-riding” maneuver. Accelerate into the racetrack barrier at full speed and pass five competitors. The reckless move not only put Chastain’s team, Truckhouse Racing, in the finals of his NASCAR championship for the first time, Fastest lap in Martinsville Speedway history (opens in new tab)where the race occurred.
Growing up, Chastain said in a post-race interview, “I played a lot of NASCAR 2005 on my GameCube.” But that didn’t deter him: “I just made a choice. Let the race gods decide his fate.
It obviously worked out well, as Chastain’s place among the four racers in this Sunday’s championship attests, but everyone was agitated by Racer’s game-inspired antics. Last year’s champion Kyle Larson told reporters (opens in new tab) The move “didn’t look good at all for our sport. […] I think it’s pretty embarrassing.” Larson himself tried, of course. A similar but unsuccessful move (opens in new tab) Maybe I’m jealous of Chastain’s technique at last year’s race.
It’s a dramatic example of video games crossing over into the real world, but it’s not the only overlap between the world of NASCAR and ours.More NASCAR drivers sharpen their skills with iRacing (opens in new tab)a rules-focused racing sim that we love so much (opens in new tab)Personally, I hope Chastain will unleash another game-inspired trick in Sunday’s final. I can.
