Scott Speed has a storied career in professional racing, with an established career across Formula 1, Formula E, NASCAR, and Global Rallycross. This week, he can add "suspended from a video game" to his repertoire.
Speed told racing publication The Drive he has been suspended from iRacing, a high-end racing sim in which races can have real-world money on the line. The suspension came in the wake of a controversy that emerged after it was found Speed had a habit of intentionally crashing into his opponents (a move against iRacing's code of conduct). You can see a clip of Speed attempting to ram pro sim racer and streamer Jake Hewlett off the road multiple times below (keep an eye on the rearview mirror).
Similar incidents had occurred in the months leading up to Speed's suspension. For his part, Speed told The Drive that he accepts the suspension, but does issue a bit of blowback for the complaint being issue against him. "I personally wouldn't feel like a man protesting a guy who I just accidentally wrecked out of the lead for returning the favor," he said. "But that's me, and I understand that thinking is not treating iRacing with the appropriate amount of respect and is wrong. For that I sincerely apologize."
Speed has since sold his racing sim setup on Facebook for $7,500.
[Source: The Drive]
Our Take
Good to see iRacing (eventually) not making an exception for a celebrity in this case.