2026 eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Qualifying Series | Race Preview | Round 10 at Michigan
April 21st, 2026 by Justin Melillo
Only two eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Qualifying Series races remain in the 2026 season. Michigan International Speedway will host the penultimate round of the points battle, where the fight is on for the top-30 spots to enter Free Agency next month. Nearly half of the top-30 are mathematically safe if everything stays as it has been throughout the season. The fight will be on around the cut line, where there are many familiar names among the up-and-comers fighting for their spot in the pool.
In the new eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series season as a whole, the total schedule expands to a 24-races The first 11 races will be as a part of the newly reconfigured eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Qualifying Series from February to April. The remaining 13 races will be in the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Championship Series, which starts in May, that part of the schedule previously being the entirety of the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series.
22 iRacing members are already locked into the Free Agency round before the Championship Series begins in May. 30 more drivers will be added to that Free Agency pool by finishing within the top-30 in the final standings by the Qualifying Series section’s end. Any iRacing member with a Class A license can take on the Qualifying Series, and splits and the Strength of Field (SoF) will be determined by each entered member’s iRating. Points will be awarded throughout each split based on the SoF.
Quami Scott coasts to eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Qualifying Series winner’s circle at Chicagoland
While the focus will be on the top split, splits below that may also get screen time tonight and through the season. Coverage for the virtual Irish Hills begins at 8 p.m. ET at eNASCAR.com/live and across iRacing social media channels. Tune in 15 minutes earlier to catch the Countdown to Green at 7:45 p.m. ET.
LAST RACE: 2026 ROUND 9 AT CHICAGOLAND SPEEDWAY
With the start of the Gen 7 era in the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Qualifying Series, the battle for the top-30 hit crunch time as the splits took on Chicagoland Speedway last Tuesday night. While Sebastian Marin was still fast, he wound up out of contention due to a pit penalty late. His teammate, Matthew Morton, looked to be in control, but the 2014 eNASCAR Champ Michael Conti, making a one-off start, wound up passing for what was originally considered the net lead during the pit cycle.
What many didn’t account for was the possibility of a fuel save. At least 10 drivers did, however, and for a good chunk, that brigade was led by Justin Campbell. With a handful of laps to go, however, his fuel was looking a little light, allowing for Quami Scott to take control of the race and claim his first win of the season. The win moves Quami up to 45th in the points with just two more chances to break back into the top-30. Conti was passed by Michael Cosey Jr by the end for the pit cycle win down in 11th, but the top-10 all made it to the checkered flag without pitting on the final stretch.
LAST TIME AT MICHIGAN IN 2025
Michigan almost lent itself to be a completely different outcome for the 2025 Championship 4 Finale before a late caution flipped the script. Low on fuel, the Spire Motorsports duo of Steven Wilson and Femi Olatunbosun were forced to pit and give up all of their track position, heading towards 30th place or worse finishes for the pair. Up front, Tucker Minter was in control, but his tires suddenly gave up as he handed the lead to Casey Kirwan just as a caution flew.
The resulting caution allowed Wilson and Olatunbosun to cycle to the front as the rest of the field came down for service. In eNASCAR Overtime, Minter wound up spinning around and finishing outside the top-30 instead, as Wilson went on to take the victory and ticket to the Championship 4 Finale, where he would claim his second title. Minter, the dominant driver on the day, didn’t make it to the Championship 4 finale last year, and his Michigan result is a big reason as to why.
NEW SERIES FORMAT
A Qualifying Series is not a new concept, but the way these 11 races will play out are vastly different in the sense that there will be multiple different vehicles throughout.
The NASCAR Craftsman Trucks kicked off the Qualifying Series season, but only for the first four races at Daytona, Las Vegas, Rockingham, and Phoenix. From races 5 to 8, these hopefuls graduated to the next step on the NASCAR ladder, the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series cars, racing at Homestead-Miami, Fontana, Darlington, and Bristol. Now in the final three races, the Qualifiers move onto the last step, the top level machine, the NASCAR Cup Series Gen 7 for the races at Chicagoland, Michigan, and Texas.
While there is no official roster, as anyone can truly participate minus those already locked into Free Agency, names such as Ray Alfalla, Michael Cosey Jr, Graham Bowlin, and many more relegated drivers from previous eNASCAR seasons will be looking to make their way back to the top level. eNASCAR College iRacing Series competitors are also taking on the challenge, and some of the official teams, including eRacr, Vegas Inferno, and the Kansas City Pioneers, are fielding hopeful drivers during the opening half of the whole year.
TOP 40 STANDINGS ENTERING ROUND 10 AT MICHIGAN INT’L SPEEDWAY
With the fields whittling down, the majority of the drivers in the top-30 have now made it into the top-two splits. There are some Third Split strongholds, as well as a few on the crispy edge over in Fourth Split. Drops are now being counted, so the math will change based on how these next two races go as opposed to every driver’s worst points result through the races so far.
Of course, anyone who has missed a race, such as Timothy Holmes who missed last week, or Eddie Kerner who missed a race a few weeks back, their drop week is already accounted for.
TRACK FACTS: MICHIGAN INT’L SPEEDWAY
Breaking ground in September of 1967, and opening just over a year later, Michigan International Speedway currently exists on the NASCAR schedule as one of the fastest ovals in the United States. The 2-mile, D-shaped venue hosts both NASCAR Cup and O’Reilly Auto Parts Series events every season, as well as the ARCA Menards Series, and has welcomed many other top-level series over the past half-century.
NEXT RACE: IT COMES TO AN END AT TEXAS
After Michigan, the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Qualifying Series will head to Texas Motor Speedway to close out the Qualifying Series on April 28th. Last year in the Championship Series, 2019 Series Champion Zack Novak broke a winless streak dating back to his 2019 title, punching his ticket to the 2026 Championship 4 Finale for a shot at his second title.
Coverage for the racing at Michigan begins at 8 p.m. ET at eNASCAR.com/live and across iRacing social media channels. Tune in 15 minutes earlier to catch the Countdown to Green at 7:45 p.m. ET.
For more information on the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series, visit eNASCAR.com or iRacing.com/eNASCAR.
For more information on iRacing and for special offers, visit iRacing.com.
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