Hamlin Throws Banana Peel to Seal Homestead Win
The coronavirus pandemic has upheaved the world professional sports. Three weeks ago, the NBA was the first professional sports league to cancel the remainder of its regular season after a player tested positive for the virus. The rest of the sports universe quickly followed suit with the NCAA, NHL, MLB, and XFL all canceling their upcoming events. One league refused to let the global pandemic ruin their season. On short notice, NASCAR pulled together a roster of drivers to hold the Homestead race as planned…well maybe not entirely as planned. For the first time in NASCAR history, a race was conducted virtually. Utilizing Oculus Rift virtual reality headsets and a copy of Mario Kart 8 on the Nintendo Switch, the drivers were able to compete against one another in what will surely be the most unusual race of the year.
The fantastic roster of drivers included: Denny Hamlin (winner), Donkey Kong, Bowser, Dale Earnhartd Jr., Tony Stewart, Waluigi, and Yoshi. Mario failed to qualify after a Chain Chomp related crash on the last lap of the qualifier cost the plumber a top-5 finish.
NASCAR legend, Dale Earnhardt Jr., shared his thoughts on the exhilarating virtual experience:
“Yeah, it was certainly an experience. I had never raced in a mushroom cart before. Definitely some weird pickup on that thing that Toadsworth forgot to mention… My crew and I were really hoping to random the Yoshi Circuit map because I played that one time at my kid’s birthday party, but we got Wario’s Gold Mine instead. Definitely a tricky course and not at all beginner friendly. Lots of mineshafts and oddly placed anti-gravity zones. I also ran into some poor luck with power-ups. I have never gotten so many Bloopers in my entire life. All in all, it was still a good time. I had some great fun out there battling with DK for position. That monkey’s got some moves. Congrats to Hamlin on his big win.”
Earnhardt Jr. finished third overall behind Hamlin and Donkey Kong. Waluigi rounded out the top four with a disappointing fourth place finish. After a chaotic first lap, the quartet led for the remainder of the race. Waluigi and Hamlin duked it out for the top two places, while Donkey and Earnhardt Jr. battled for third and fourth place. Hamlin sealed his Homestead win on the last lap with an expertly tossed banana peel that sent Waluigi tumbling off the edge of the track. The banana peel skid cost the purple malefactor not only a chance at first place, but also his second place consolation prize. DK and Earnhardt Jr. were able to cross the finish line before Lakitu could place Waluigi back on the track. Tony Stewart finished in last place after he spent the first half of the race driving in the wrong direction. Homestead champion, Denny Hamlin, credited his success to his time spent at Dave & Buster’s.
The reception of the virtual race from the NASCAR community was overwhelmingly positive. Nintendo allowed fans to attend the race remotely through their Switch consoles. NASCAR fans were able to connect to the race and sit in the stands as their own personal Mii avatar. Fans could participate in a variety of activities while in the stands. Miis could consume alcoholic beverages (purchasable from the Nintendo store), fight other Miis in a mini game style brawl, and post offensive comments in the global race chat. Nintendo spokesman Hirojimo Wasabi claimed he had “never seen so many tattooed, foul-mouthed Miis gathered in one location.” Several Miis led by one under the name of “MisterHitler” were permanently banned from the platform after spamming the chat with dinosaur slurs directed at Yoshi.
Executives from Nintendo and NASCAR are said to be negotiating the terms of a long-term partnership.
