INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – Open-Wheels Motorsports Sanctioning is proud to announce the third running of the Open-Wheels 500 Mile Race, to be held Sunday, November 21, 2021.
The two-week event, which has grown into a fall tradition on the popular iRacing platform, brings together racers from around the world to compete in the most authentic, dramatic, and immersive “500” experience in sim racing.
“It is an exciting day for us as we formally announce the third edition of this great race,” said Tanner Watkins, president of the Open-Wheels 500. “The iRacing community has become accustomed to racing at Indianapolis in November, and with that, the Open-Wheels 500 will return this fall with the same attention to detail that has made it the World’s Greatest Sim Race.”
Opening Day of practice will be held on Sunday, November 7, followed by practice days on November 9, 11, and 12. Pole Day qualifications will be Saturday, November 13 and Bump Day qualifications will be Sunday, November 14. Race week will feature a practice day on Wednesday, November 17 preceding “Day Before the 500” festivities on Saturday, November 20 – including final practice, the Veterans 100 and the Pit Stop Competition.
The Day Before the 500 will have an additional event added for competitors to enjoy the full experience of racing in Indianapolis in May. That announcement, and a few others, will be revealed through the summer.
Partnering for the third year as the Open-Wheels 500’s lead broadcast partner, RaceSpot TV will feature expanded coverage of the 2021 race.
“The Open-Wheels 500 is one of our favorite events all year long,” said Arjuna Kankipati, Broadcast Director of RaceSpot TV. “The iRacing IndyCar community is treated to a two-week long celebration of the Indianapolis 500, featuring many traditions that really make it feel like you are at the virtual Brickyard.
“Talking to drivers about the nerves that they experience with limited qualifying attempts… the tension of watching them roll out onto track knowing they can’t afford to slip up in the dying stages of qualifying – it is something not replicated anywhere else in sim racing. RaceSpot is delighted to be back once again for the third running of the race after expanded coverage in 2020. The month of November can’t arrive soon enough!”
In the event’s first two years, the Open-Wheels 500 has featured a diverse field of drivers – many considering it the most talented grid in iRacing “500” history. With the best drivers in the United States lining up alongside sim racing stars from England, Italy, Sweden and more internationally, the Open-Wheels 500 is truly a global racing pillar.
The race’s maiden pair of winners include 2019 champion Michele Costantini from Italy, and last November’s victor in Hugo Olsson from Sweden. After a successful second-year showing, Olsson is eager to defend his title in the World’s Greatest Sim Race.
“This has to be the best organized event I’ve ever participated in on iRacing,” says Olsson, who drives for Powerslide Motorsports. “The competition… the way it mirrors the real event and the nerve-wracking qualifying makes this an event I’ve already marked in my calendar. I look forward to the next one and will try my best to become the first two-time winner of the Open-Wheels 500.”
For interested participants, entries will be accepted between September 1 and October 15. Entries from all drivers are welcomed, and the entry form will be accessible on September 1 via Open-Wheels.com, the iRacing forums, the Open-Wheels 500 Discord, and Open-Wheels social media.
Individuals interested in supporting the event via sponsorship should contact Tanner Watkins at Tanner@Open-Wheels.com for further information.
