Though Calgary doesn’t host an annual NASCAR race, we do house one of its top drivers. Sort of.

Connor Yeroschak, a second-year University of Calgary, Design in City Innovation student, is one of the top eNASCAR drivers in the world. eNASCAR is the professional simulated racing series of NASCAR After completing his rookie professional season, Yeroschak is now racing at the collegiate level, under UCalgary’s banner.

After consistently beating his friends in online races throughout high school, Yeroschak realized he had the potential to go beyond casual races.

“It definitely started as a fun hobby, something that I did with my free time during high school, and over time I noticed that it is something that I’m quite talented at and good at, so it’s something that I pursued, and I got on a serious team, and then pursued the pro side,” he said.

Through the online game iRacing, eNASCAR racers control their virtual vehicles on tracks that simulate real-life NASCAR stadiums and use wheels, pedals and gear paddles that are hooked up to gaming computers, according to UCalgary. This year’s college season is different than prior years, Yeroschak, who won rookie of the year in the 2024-25 College Series, said.

“It’s under a bit of a new format this year. It’s six races, and at the end of the six, the champion walks away with $10,000,” he said, adding that a win in any race can earn a driver $3,000 in scholarship money.

Early in the new season, Yeroschak won two of the first three races and built a strong, nearly 20-point lead.

Races tend to be scheduled once a week and take place on weekday mornings. Through a stroke of scheduling luck, Yeroschak has been available for most race days.

“Lots of my friends, it’s much harder for, but I got really lucky this semester with having no classes on Wednesday, and Wednesday is the day that all the races run on, so I’m very thankful for that,” he said.

“Especially being around the west coast, the races normally run around eight EST, so they’re quite early, but if I ever have problems, I just talk to professors, and they’re always really understanding.”

Typically, his classmates and professors are taken aback by his e-thletics, Yeroschak said, but do support his racing.

“It’s something new. It’s something that I’m sure if they’ve heard lots of students come in and say, ‘I’m part of the basketball team,’ or ‘I’m part of the football team,’ and this is probably something that they’ve never heard before, and it’s something they think is neat and a good opportunity,” he said.

eRacing moving forward

Before eSports, Yersoschak had experience in junior hockey and golf, and that’s where his competitive spirit is rooted.

“That’s always helped me, especially in racing where there’s a lot of people that sign up for these races, and only one single person can win,” he said.

As one of the first eNASCAR athletes from not only UCalgary but also Canada, Yeroschak called the opportunity to race as a Dino an honour.  He admitted he’s thought about attempting in-real-life racing, but is shelving that opportunity because of the high costs.

No matter when his career eventually comes to an end, he said the skills he’s learned will be highly translatable.

“It’s eSports, there’s always the next young guy, the next phenom that’s trying to take your spot, so even if it’s something that might not last, or something that I do throughout my collegiate life, the life skills that I’ve learned and the opportunities I’ve had and the people I’ve met and dealing with these big sponsors and big corporations and doing interviews in front of thousands and thousands of people, these skills are something that I can take on into the rest of my life,” he said.

After beginning his professional career with three straight crashes, something he called the worst start possible, Yeroschak said he’s a night-and-day different driver. Where the good drivers succeed, and the bad drivers fail, is typically in experience and time behind the wheel.

“The top guys in the college stuff, what really separates them is most of them are also doing the pro side of stuff. When you’re in the pro and you’re in college, you’re racing around good competitors all the time and you find yourself in the important situations all the time,” he said.

“Some of the college guys that struggle a bit more, they don’t find themselves in the big moments or the close racing that you see all the time at the highest level. It’s just experience, and the more you have, the more comfortable you are, the better you’re gonna do.”

Building on his year-plus of experience, Yeroschak intends to continue and deliver on his strong start.

“My only goal for the rest of the year is to hang on and win the championship. With how I’ve started the year, anything but the title would be, would be a failure.”