START TIMES FOR PODIUM eSPORTS SPEEDWEEKS EVENTS SET
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Podium eSports has announced the start times for all Speedweeks events. All midweek events will begin between 8:30 and 9 p.m. ET, while the Daytona 500 moves forward to 1:30 p.m. ET. Both time trials and Qualifying Day for the Daytona 500 will maintain their start times from last year.
The Speedweeks-opening dirt sprint car race at Volusia Speedway Park will begin at 9 p.m. ET on Monday, January 27. It will run with the standard heat racing format. Tuesday night’s Super Late Model race from New Smyrna Speedway, the only Speedweeks event to use open setups, will also begin at 9 p.m. ET.
Both midweek races at Daytona International Speedway will begin at 8:30 p.m. ET. The National Series race, which will feature the NASCAR K&N Pro Chevrolet Impala at Daytona International Speedway – 2007, will begin at 8:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, January 29. The NASCAR XFINITY Series race at Daytona International Speedway – 2016 will also start at 8:30 p.m. ET the following night.
Time Trials for the Podium eSports Daytona 500 will run from 9-11 p.m. ET on Friday, January 31 before 10+ consecutive hours of racing begins with Qualifying Day at 1 p.m. ET on February 1. The Podium eSports Daytona 500 presented by Sim Motorsports will start at 1:30 ET on Sunday, February 2.
The Podium eSports Daytona 500 returns in 2020 as iRacing’s largest fixed-setup tournament-style Daytona 500 event. Time Trials will be held on the evening of January 31, with the two fastest cars locking themselves into the front row for the feature race.
The 2020 Podium eSports Daytona 500 presented by Sim Motorsports will be held on February 2, 2020. The green flag will fly at 1:30 p.m. ET, and will use the Beta UI’s daytime transition capabilities. It will be run in-sim at the same time as it will be run in real life. The inaugural Podium eSports Daytona 500 paid over $7,500 in prize money.
Every event of Podium eSports Speedweeks will be broadcast on the Podium eSports Twitch channel, which can be found at twitch.tv/podiumesports/.
The Podium eSports Daytona 500 costs $30 to enter. For more information on the event, including the event rulebook and registration forms, visit www.podiumesports.com/daytona-500.
Podium eSports Speedweeks Calendar
| Date | Time | Car | Track | Laps | Entry | Purse |
| January 27 | 9 p.m. ET | Dirt Sprint Car – 360 | Volusia Speedway Park | 30 (heat format) | Free | N/A |
| January 28 | 9 p.m. ET | Super Late Model | New Smyrna Speedway | 125 | $5 | $100 paying to top five |
| January 29 | 8:30 p.m. ET | NASCAR K&N Chevrolet Impala | Daytona International Speedway – 2007 | 80 | $10 | Charity race |
| January 30 | 8:30 p.m. ET | NASCAR XFINITY Series | Daytona International Speedway | 100 | $10 | $200 paying to top 10 |
| January 31 | 9-11 p.m. ET | Daytona 500 Time Trial Night | Daytona International Speedway | 2 | $30 (for entire weekend) | N/A |
| February 1 | 1 p.m. ET | Daytona 500 Qualifying Day | Daytona International Speedway | 20/30/60 | $30 (for entire weekend) | N/A |
| February 2 | 1:30 p.m. ET | The Second Annual Podium eSports Daytona 500 | Daytona International Speedway | 200 | $30 (for entire weekend) | TBD |
2020 Podium eSports Daytona 500 Schedule
| Date | Time | Session | Number of Laps | In-Sim Time |
| January 31 | 9-11 p.m. ET | Qualifying | 2 | Night |
| February 1 | 1:00 p.m. ET | Heat 1 | 20 | Afternoon |
| February 1 | 1:45 p.m. ET | Heat 2 | 20 | Afternoon |
| February 1 | 2:30 p.m. ET | Heat 3 | 20 | Afternoon |
| February 1 | 3:15 p.m. ET | Heat 4 | 20 | Afternoon |
| February 1 | 4:00 p.m. ET | Heat 5 | 20 | Afternoon |
| February 1 | 4:45 p.m. ET | Heat 6 | 20 | Afternoon |
| February 1 | 5:30 p.m. ET | Heat 7 | 20 | Afternoon |
| February 1 | 6:15 p.m. ET | Heat 8 | 20 | Afternoon |
| February 1 | 7:00 p.m. ET | LCQ 1 | 30 | Late Afternoon |
| February 1 | 8:00 p.m. ET | LCQ 1 | 30 | Late Afternoon |
| February 1 | 9:00 p.m. ET | Duel 1 | 60 | Night |
| February 1 | 10:30 p.m. ET | Duel 2 | 60 | Night |
| February 2 | 1:30 p.m. ET | Race | 200 | February 2, 1:30 p.m. |
About Podium eSports
Podium eSports, home of the best broadcasts in sim racing, launched in January 2019. Podium eSports uses the iRacing motorsports simulation to deliver the most entertaining competition on the service. In its first year, Podium eSports earned over 40,000 views from 300+ hours of content. Podium eSports has also partnered with the Porsche Club of America and the CARS Tour to develop the CARS eSport Tour and the Porsche Club of America Sim Racing Series. Podium eSports races are broadcast live on the Podium eSports Network, which can be found at twitch.tv/podiumesports. For more information, visit www.podiumesports.com.
Media Contact
James Pike
Chief Communications Officer
(336) 413-9004
james.pike@podiumesports.com