HARRISBURG, N.C. – A tip of the hat to everyone involved in bringing the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Series Invitational to television while much of the country was under a stay-at-home order due to the coronavirus pandemic.

In a world hungry for live sporting events, virtual NASCAR racing was the first to fill a giant void and other sports soon jumped on the bandwagon.

As a 60-year-old with limited computer skills, we’d had virtually no exposure to iRacing before the eNASCAR series debuted on FS1 — and we were impressed.

We found the racing and the strategy to be entertaining and the length of the programming, scheduled for 90 minutes, was ideal. We enjoyed learning about some of the drivers’ “rigs” that ranged from ridiculously complex and outrageous to rather spartan.

We especially loved that Timmy Hill won round two at Texas Motor Speedway using a standard office chair and a steering wheel. It was kind of like a single-car team without a sponsor going to victory lane simply because they had a hell of a wheelman in the seat.

But — as we learned — iRacing is much more than stock cars and several other virtual series, such as IndyCar and the World of Outlaws, also gained national attention during the shutdown.

As a result, virtual racing was introduced a huge new group of fans. Wonder if they will stick around after the real thing finally returns?

– While recently exploring an electronic library of old National Speed Sport News issues, we came across what we believe to be one of the most significant events in the history of short-track racing.

It took place on April 30, 1994, at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway when 13-time World of Outlaws sprint car champion Steve Kinser shocked the racing world by winning an International Race of Champions event at the massive 2.66-mile track.

Kinser was the first sprint car racer invited to compete in the prestigious IROC Series, which featured 12 elite drivers from different racing disciplines competing in identically prepared Dodge Avenger race cars.

Kinser led the final 25 laps of the 38-lap race and held off a late challenge from 1992 SCCA Trans-Am champion Jack Baldwin.

“I’m not saying I’ve learned everything I need to know about this type of racing, but I’m getting more comfortable,” Kinser said. “At Daytona, I hadn’t learned how to get up right behind someone; up there where you make them go faster and you don’t have to back off. I worked on that here in practice.”

Kinser left Talladega Superspeedway after Thursday’s practice; finished second in a World of Outlaws sprint car race in Knoxville, Iowa, Friday night; and then returned to Alabama in time for the race on Saturday. He was scheduled to race again in Knoxville Saturday night, but that event was postponed by weather.

“This is a big victory for me,” Kinser noted. “I was hoping for an invitation to the IROC, but I never got one. I sort of put it out of my mind. Then, one day last year I got a registered letter. It was an invitation.”

Baldwin had nothing for Kinser at the end and settled for second with Dale Jarrett, Tommy Kendall and Al Unser Jr. rounding out the top-five finishers. Danny Sullivan finished sixth followed by Kyle Petty, Dale Earnhardt, Rusty Wallace, Scott Sharp, Geoff Brabham and Mark Martin.

Kinser’s IROC success led to a ride in Kenny Bernstein’s No. 26 Quaker State Ford for the 1995 NASCAR Cup Series season, but that relationship lasted only seven races before Hut Stricklin replaced him.

Kinser went on to claim 20 World of Outlaws titles and competed in the 1997 Indianapolis 500 before stepping out of his No. 11 sprint car for the final time on Monday night, Aug. 22, 2016, at Lebanon Valley Speedway in West Lebanon, N.Y.

– The last few months have certainly been challenging, but we’ll get through this and things will eventually return to normal. When it’s finally safe, the racing industry will be revved up and ready to put on a show.