29 Jan eNASCAR Heat Pro League Returns for Second Season
Draft Qualifying To Begin Jan. 30 with an Increased Prize Pool of more than $200,000
The eNASCAR Heat Pro League® (eNHPL) announced today the return of its second season, now with a total prize pool of more than $200,000. The news follows a successful first season where the eNHPL produced over one million live views on its race broadcasts and hosted numerous live events throughout the year, such as its draft a Phoenix Raceway, a race at Charlotte Motor Speedway and the finale at NASCAR’s Arena 43 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The highly anticipated second season will once again offer the opportunity for gamers to become an affiliated esports driver for one of 14 official eNHPL teams. This year’s draft qualifying will be open to all NASCAR Heat 4® players on Sony’s PlayStation 4 and Microsoft’s Xbox One systems and will seek to find the best gamers across the United States and Canada over a span of six-weeks on a variety of different racing circuits. The draft qualifying period will open on Jan. 30 and will run until Feb. 26.
Following the draft qualifying, there will be a live-streamed invitational pre-season containing three weekly exhibition events slated to begin on March 4. The Pre-Season will showcase the top qualifiers in live head-to-head racing where teams and fans can closely monitor the progress of new competitors ahead of the official team draft in April.
Changes have also been made to the regular season, which now features three segments of four races, and offers a greater variety of tracks and series compared to Season 1. Each Regular Season segment will see one driver qualify per platform for the championship race, and an additional Wildcard race winner will complete the driver Championship line up for the live finale, which will be held in the summer.
More information on the eNASCAR Heat Pro League’s second season will be announced over the coming weeks.
Stephen Hood, President, 704Games commented: “The eNASCAR Heat Pro League has already proven to be an incredibly exciting series, engaging players, viewers and industry alike. With our partners at the RTA and NASCAR, we’ve worked hard to create a new structure that will again engage our already passionate player base and audience. We’re proud to be taking eNASCAR to ever greater heights.”
Tim Clark, Senior Vice President and Chief Digital Officer, NASCAR said, “Last season proved our eNASCAR platforms provide action-packed racing with some of the most talented gamers in esports, bridging the gap from one race to the next. In collaboration with 704Games, the RTA and the entire NASCAR industry, the eNASCAR Heat Pro League cemented itself in season one as a must-watch racing series in this rapidly evolving space.”
Full information on eNASCAR Heat is available at www.nascarheat.com/qualifers
About eNASCAR Heat Pro League
The eNASCAR Heat Pro League is a collaboration between 704Games, the Race Teams Alliance and NASCAR. The series features 14 teams from the real-world NASCAR series and continues their
competition in the digital world of the NASCAR Heat video game franchise. This esports racing series aims to be as open as possible to competitors and fans while promoting stock car racing, through gaming.
About 704Games:
704Games, NASCAR’s exclusive esports partner for simulation-style video games on console platforms, was founded in January 2015 by industry veterans. The mission was to rebuild the NASCAR video game franchise and the team we assembled has worked on the best NASCAR games in history. Our goal is to focus on the fun, engaging, and competitive racing that captures the lifestyle and excitement NASCAR brings to the track each and every week.
In 2018, international media and technology company Motorsport Network made an investment in 704Games through its video games and esports company, Motorsport Games. With the investment came a license extension from NASCAR through 2029.
About Race Team Alliance:
The Race Team Alliance was formed in the summer of 2014 to preserve, promote and grow the sport of stock car racing and to advance the long-term interests of the racing teams. The RTA membership consists of 13 organizations which field 32 cars in stock car racing premier series.
The RTA is a forum for open dialogue among the members about issues of common interest, provides a point of contact for those who wish to engage with the teams collectively and a vehicle through which the teams can speak with a single, common voice. The RTA works collaboratively for the betterment of the sport and to create value for its members and their partners.
About NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for the No. 1 form of motorsports in the United States and owner of 16 of the nation’s major motorsports entertainment facilities. NASCAR consists of three national series (NASCAR Cup Series™, NASCAR Xfinity Series™, and NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series™), three regional series, one local grassroots series, three international series and the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA). The International Motor Sports Association™ (IMSA®) governs the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship™, the premier U.S. sports car series. NASCAR also owns Motor Racing Network, Racing Electronics, Americrown Service and ONE DAYTONA. Based in Daytona Beach, Florida, with offices in eight cities across North America, NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races in more than 30 U.S. states, Canada, Mexico and Europe. For more information visit www.NASCAR.com and www.IMSA.com, and follow NASCAR on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat (‘NASCAR’).