Sierra and NASCAR Start Their Engines

Sierra Sports and NASCAR launched the 1998 NASCAR Racing Online Series (NROS) Cup Competition site on Thursday. The competition is officially sanctioned by NASCAR, and racers put the pedal to the metal with NASCAR Racing 2 and the Total Entertainment Network (TEN) gaming service.

The two-month race schedule begins on Nov. 23, 1998, and finishes during the 1999 Daytona 500 in Daytona Beach, Fla. If you think you can drive like the pros, you'll drive away with over $30,000 in cash and prizes in one of the three divisions.

"By sanctioning live, online NASCAR competitions, the NROS is providing the ultimate fan experience. This Internet-based NASCAR series with official rules of competition, membership licenses, pit stops, car set-ups, and driver rankings could potentially become one of the most important steps we have taken towards the future of our sport," said NASCAR senior vice president Brian France.

To play, you'll need a full version of NASCAR Racing 2, an active TEN premium account, and an application for membership at the NROS site.

"The NASCAR Racing Online Series realistically simulates NASCAR competition on the computer," explains NASCAR Winston Cup driver and online racing aficionado Bobby Labonte. "Whether tweaking the car setups or perfecting the track line, online drivers have to go through the same physical and mental preparation that real-world drivers go through before a race."

You can register in one of three divisions: pro, intermediate, and novice. Prizes will be awarded to the top 45 drivers in each division (eight pros, 20 intermediate, and 20 novice finalists) who qualify for the championship round after seven qualification races.

Pro finalists will win hotel, airfare, race tickets, and special pit passes to the 1999 Daytona 500 in Daytona Beach, Fla., where they'll compete against one another and get to see their real-life counterparts race on the tarmac.