Simon Pagenaud holds off Scott Dixon for virtual IndyCar win

A frantic final 10 laps decided the iRacing event.Essentially, Penske drivers Will Power and Scott McLaughlin were racing each other for the lead -- and probably the win -- when they came upon the lapped car of Oliver Askew, causing Power to touch McLaughlin's car.McLaughlin, the Australian V8 SuperCars champion and winner of the virtual race three weeks ago at Barber Motorsports Park, was sent spinning into the wall and out of contention.McLaughlin was livid and actively trying to calm himself on his simulator in Brisbane, where he awoke at 2 a.m. to prep for the series."It's a video game, it's a video game,'' McLaughlin repeated. "I work hard all week to be competitive and I think I'm getting there.''Pagenaud also won last week at virtual Michigan International Speedway, and along with McLaughlin's victory, the Penske drivers have won three of the four IndyCar iRaces.The Frenchman said he spends about five hours a day practicing on his simulator."I put a lot of hours to be at the level of people like Will, for example. Bubba Wallace lost a sponsor for "rage quitting'' the game, and there was an uproar this week when lesser-known drivers were cut from NASCAR's field Sunday in an effort to have a cleaner race on national TV.IndyCar raced at virtual Twin Ring Motegi, a track the series last visited in 2011 but was selected in a fan vote as the circuit for the fourth round of the iRacing Series started when sports were shut down because of the coronavirus pandemic.Kyle Busch, who has made no secret of his desire to race in the Indianapolis 500, made his IndyCar debut virtually via a league invitation extended to the two-time and reigning NASCAR champion.