NASCAR drivers had so much fun tweeting during virtual iRacing event

Alex Bowman tried to get his dog to take over while he took a bathroom break.

With sports currently on hold because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, NASCAR is doing the next-best thing.

Thanks to the iRacing video game — which Clint Bowyer praised as “truly realistic beyond belief” — NASCAR held a virtual exhibition race Sunday in the newly formed eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series at Homestead-Miami Speedway, where the NASCAR Cup Series was scheduled to race in real life this weekend. It’s a unique advantage NASCAR has over other sports during this global pandemic with precise data making the tracks and cars as realistic as possible, while racers have steering wheels and pedals to have total control over their cars.

It was a 100-lap event broadcast on FS1 with big-name drivers like Bowyer Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, Joey Logano, Chase Elliott and William Byron — who got his start in iRacing before working his way up to the Cup Series — on the track. NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon and FOX Sports’ Mike Joy were even calling the race.

But unlike real life, it didn’t look like anyone took this too seriously, like seven-time champ Johnson who’s new to iRacing and joked about his technical difficulties and not really knowing how any of this works.

And some drivers were tweeting during the race for a hilarious twist on this simulation event.

It’s not real, so why not have a little fun with it? Here’s a look at some of the best in-race tweets from NASCAR’s top drivers competing in the Pro Invitational Series event and others in the racing world.

Chase Elliott and Ryan Blaney are good friends, so while Blaney wasn’t competing in the race, he offered his services as Elliott’s crew chief, a “lifelong dream.”

From criticizing his real-life Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson to his dog lending a hand to eating an Uncrustable, Bowman won this race on social media.

He also accused his teammate Byron of cheating…

Even IndyCar Series drivers Josef Newgarden and JR Hildebrand chimed in with their thoughts on the virtual event.

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