CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Abruzzi Racewear USA, the worldwide leader in custom sim racing gloves and shoes, will be the presenting sponsor for the duels on Podium eSports Daytona 500 Qualifying Day. The event will be known as the “Abruzzi Racewear Duel at Daytona”.
The winners of both duel races will also win a pair of sim racing gloves courtesy of Abruzzi. The gloves are valued at $120 combined. Each pair of gloves will be custom designed by each winner with the Podium eSports and Abruzzi Racewear USA logos.
“We have been involved with Podium eSports in their first year, and have been impressed by the broadcasts and competition that they have organized,” said Abruzzi Racewear USA CEO Judd Danielson. “Abruzzi Racewear is your wear, your way, and are thrilled to be able to outfit the winners of the two duel races with gloves that will be their wear, their way.”
The Abruzzi Racewear Duels at Daytona will be the final two races of Qualifying Day for the second annual Podium eSports Daytona 500. Over the course of the afternoon and evening on February 1, drivers will compete through eight heat races and two last chance qualifiers to advance into the duels. The Abruzzi Racewear Duels at Daytona will be two 40-car, 60-lap races, and the top 20 from each race will advance into Sunday’s Podium eSports Daytona 500 presented by Sim Motorsports. In 2019, over 170 drivers competed on Qualifying Day for 43 starting spots.
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 | Car | Track | Laps | Entry | Purse |
| January 27 | Dirt Sprint Car – 360 | Volusia Speedway Park | 30 (heat format) | Free | N/A |
| January 28 | Super Late Model | New Smyrna Speedway | 125 | $5 | $100 paying to top five |
| January 29 | NASCAR K&N Chevrolet Impala | Daytona International Speedway – 2007 | 80 | $10 | Charity race |
| January 30 | NASCAR XFINITY Series | Daytona International Speedway | 100 | $10 | $200 paying to top 10 |
| January 31 | Daytona 500 Time Trial Night | Daytona International Speedway | 2 | $30 (for entire weekend) | N/A |
| February 1 | Daytona 500 Qualifying Day | Daytona International Speedway | 20/30/60 | $30 (for entire weekend) | N/A |
| February 2 | 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 | 9:00 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
