Simulation racing is a step above your average video game. It's so ultra-realistic, you just might bump into your favorite real-life professional racer with some downtime in your next online lobby. But what happens if it turns out he drives like a giant jerk, and officials keep letting it slide? [Updated with comment from Scott Speed below.] Scott Speed has definitely made a name for himself over his decade-plus racing career, starting in 2005 as the first American to compete full-time in Formula 1 since Michael Andretti departed in 1993. Since then, he's driven in NASCAR, IndyCar, and Formula E; most recently, he's found success in Red Bull Global RallyCross, scoring his third consecutive championship in 2017. But more recently, he's become known to fans of the popular simulator iRacing for something much more dubious: Intentionally crashing into fellow drivers to take them out of the race. Speed confirmed to The Drive that he's since been suspended from the service over his actions.

The controversy flared up this week after Speed ended up in a grid against professional sim racer Jake Hewlett in a spec Porsche 911 race on the Nurburgring Grand Prix circuit. Hewlett also happens to be a streaming partner with Twitch, and he was broadcasting the race to his thousands of followers when he and Speed got tangled up on the second lap while battling for the lead. The pair made contact while running side-by-side out of the Dunlop Kehre, a tight 180-degree hairpin turn, and Speed ended up spinning off into the grass. A perfectly unremarkable incident, though what happened next was anything but: Instead of brushing off the collision, Speed spent much of the rest of the race trying to ram Hewlett's car whenever he got the chance. Video evidence from the stream shows him repeatedly and purposefully veering into Hewlett, in one case cutting a corner at high speeds in an attempt to smash him off the track.