2026 eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Qualifying Series | Race Preview | Round 9 at Chicagoland
April 14th, 2026 by Justin Melillo
The eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Qualifying Series begins its third and final chapter at Chicagoland Speedway on Tuesday night. Three races remain, and from here on out in the entirety of the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series as a whole, the NASCAR Cup Car is the vehicle that will be on display, concluding the Qualifying Series season and being utilized for the whole Championship Series season.
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.
While the focus will be on the top split, splits below that may also get screen time tonight and through the season. Coverage for Chicagoland 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 8 AT BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY
In the final NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race of the Qualifying Series season, the entropy was turned up to the max across the top-two splits for different reasons. In Split 2’s case, it was marred by multiple yellows and a giant crash towards the end of the night, that race ultimately won by Ryan Doucette. Sebastian Marin led the Top Split early, but a caution and immediate pit road opening caught the points leader off guard, forcing him to pit a second time by.
This gave the lead to the “Hybrid Racer” for BS+COMPETITION, Garrett Lowe, who led over Rockingham winner Garrett Manes as the field caught up to traffic in the closing laps.
However, with just a handful of laps to go, a caution forced the field to make an impossible decision. There were enough cars on the lead lap to stay out with a buffer. However, in the case of many staying out, two-tires might be optimal in a short sprint over four just for the track position purposes. In total, five drivers stayed out. Manes opted for two, and Lowe went with four.
The ensuing restart led to another caution, setting up for eNASCAR Overtime. Manes managed to work his way back up to third, now sat behind Cody Byus and Blake Reynolds. Lowe was trapped in the traffic and couldn’t gain anything. On the final restart, Manes made it stick around the outside to claim his second win of the season. Marin recovered to finish in second.
LAST TIME AT CHICAGOLAND IN 2019
While it’s been seen from time-to-time on a previous eNASCAR Road-to-Pro schedule, it’s been nearly seven years since the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series competed at Chicagoland Speedway.
Back in June of 2019, the first year in the series with official teams, it was the G2 Esports ride driven by Keegan Leahy that everyone had their eyes on. In that 10th race of the season, Leahy just scored his first win of the season two races prior, at Charlotte. Both Ryan Luza and Zack Novak had multiple wins already at that point, and Leahy was looking to add his name to that list.
Bobby Zalenski took the pole position, fresh off of a win the race prior at Sonoma, but wasn’t able to lead any laps. Luza and Matt Bussa led early, but on Lap 32, Leahy managed to get to the lead for the first time in the 134 lap event. Some pit strategy took place throughout, the drivers opting to either overcut or undercut one another. What wound up working was the overcut, as Leahy stayed out longer, but had the fresher tires at the end, leading him to victory lane.
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 9 AT CHICAGOLAND SPEEDWAY
As we get closer to the final race, the cut line becomes more of the focus. Drivers like Marin, Manes, and Quentin Warman are basically going to be in the top-30 as long as they keep showing up. Starting after this race, the points will be reflected including a drop week.
TRACK FACTS: CHICAGOLAND SPEEDWAY
Built at a cost of $130 million, Chicagoland Speedway is a world class motor sports complex in Joliet, Illinois, featuring a 1.5-mile oval together with a state-of-the-art drag strip at the adjacent Route 66 Raceway. For the last few years, it’s been dormant, but in 2026, the track returns to the schedule in both the real-world and virtual settings.
Although it’s tempting to lump the cookie cutter-esque track with the bevy of so-called “intermediate” ovals that rose across the country in the 1990s and early years of the 21st century, Chicagoland’s layout is unique.
It’s an oval that never truly straightens out thanks to a couple of kinks on the frontstretch and a backstretch that is one long, continuous curve. As a result, Chicagoland poses unique challenges, not just to those who drive it but to the engineers and mechanics who must fine-tune their cars to the track’s singular character.
Since opening for business in 2001, Chicagoland established a rich lore including two of the closest finishes in IndyCar history with Sam Hornish, Jr. beating Al Unser, Jr. by 0.0024 seconds in 2002 and Helio Castroneves pipping Scott Dixon by 0.033 seconds in the 2008 season finale.
Chicagoland has proven equally competitive for race cars sporting fenders, witness that fact that many a winner of the annual NASCAR Cup Series race started outside the top-10 with Kevin Harvick and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. just two to make the turn into Victory Lane after starting deep in the pack.
NEXT RACE: TWO TO GO IN THE IRISH HILL OF MICHIGAN
After Chicagoland, the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Qualifying Series will head to Michigan International Speedway on April 21st. Last year, Michigan kicked off the Playoff portion of the Championship Series season, that race won by the eventual champion, Steven Wilson.
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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