Cranston Native Josh Parker In The Hunt for $30K eNASCAR Payday

Cranston RI

19 August, 2020

10:33 AM

Description

CRANSTON, RI – There was a time when Josh Parker wouldn't think of telling a soul about his status as a professional gamer. His passion for NASCAR growing up in Cranston already made the now 29-year-old a bit of an outlier given his roots as a native Rhode Islander and to add the fact that he was part of a band of video gamers who made money competing at their hobby seemed a bit risky to let out of the bag. But 11 years after the 2009 Cranston East graduate went pro, Parker is now in the mix for his biggest video gaming payday. On Wednesday night, Parker is one of eight drivers in the running for the $30,000 top prize in the eNASCAR Heat Pro League championship finale. In his first season under contract with Joe Gibbs Racing and being sponsored by Interstate Batteries, Baker intends to use all of the experience he has garnered since 2006 when he first joined the eNASCAR ranks to make a serious push for the finish line while competing against 27 other drivers. "I didn't expect this 10-15 years ago that I would ever be racing for $30,000," Parker told Patch in a telephone interview Wednesday morning. "No way." And yet, here he is. Josh Parker is a 2009 Cranson East graduate and has been a professional gamer since 2009. (Josh Parker photo) After moving to East Greenwich from Cranston in January, Parker – who works full-time as a sales manager for Pepsi – hasn't stopped working throughout the coronavirus pandemic, being considered an essential worker. But a year after registering a victory at the virtual Kansas Motor Speedway while driving for Chip Ganassi Racing, Parker has won twice this season at and finished as the top driver in the season's third four-race points segment to put him among the eight drivers competing for the top prize Wednesday night. And after racing for a few thousand dollars a handful of times during his iRacing career, Parker feels confident in his chances in Wednesday's 8 p.m. championship finale, which can be seen on NASCARHeat.com, Facebook, Motorsport TV, Twitch and eNASCAR.com. "I don't feel like there's a cloud hanging over me," Parker said. "I have a plan, I know how to follow the plan and as long as I execute…I'll be there. "But I woke up this morning, and I'm not nervous. I'm excited and ready to go." Practice is going good #Championship8#eNASCARHeat || @NASCARHeat pic.twitter.com/Fk8IGiVGuJ— Josh Parker (@JoshParker81) August 16, 2020 Throughout all of the twists and turns that have come over the years, Parker's competitiveness has led to a healthy turn in his life. After going through high school weighing nearly 350 pounds and dealing with depression, Parker walked away from iRacing for four years to focus on his health. He lost more than 150 pounds and worked to gain his personal training certification and quickly became a bit of gym rat as he mentally and physically worked his way back into shape. Now, five years after returning to behind the wheel, Parker – who has actually competed in actual in-person auto racing for a couple of years in Connecticut– is among eNASCAR's top performers. Competing on the circuit during the pandemic has provided Parker a welcomed distraction at a time when he couldn't go to the gym, bars weren't open and other entertainment options were limited. "It's been a good excuse to tell the girlfriend, 'Hey, I've got to practice,'" he said. Like with anything else, eNASCAR drivers devote countless hours during the week practicing on simulators before racing each Wednesday. Parker – who first started driving for Dale Earnhardt, Jr. - competes in the PlayStation division while others do so on Xbox. After moving into his East Greenwich condominium in January, Parker has dedicated office space decorated in his sponsor's team colors. He competes using an expensive steering wheel and gas pedal component that is much lower scale than the full simulator rigs that NASCAR drivers spend tens of thousands of dollars on to both practice and compete virtually, but that still provides all the feels of actual racing. Now, years after he didn't tell many people about his side job as a professional gamer, Parker wonders why he allowed the stigma of his hobby to get in the way. While his best friend growing up was once his only fellow NASCAR fan, Parker has surrounded himself with racing enthusiasts. That crew also includes his girlfriend, Ashley Addessi, who, despite not fully embracing the look of his racing office, is now on board with what could come out of Parker's racing passion. "When this started, she would always refer to this as driving my desk and would say, 'Are you really going to go drive your desk rather than spend time with me?'," Parker said. "Then, she realized I could make money doing this and now she's like, 'Get the hell behind that desk.'" That's just where he will find himself Wednesday night with his eyes on the biggest prize of his career.