2026 INDYCAR Thrustmaster iRacing Pro Series | Race Preview | Race 1 at Long Beach

The INDYCAR Thrustmaster iRacing Pro Series makes its return in 2026 with eight races scheduled in January and February for this second-ever season of competition. Started back in the 2024 season, the INDYCAR Thrustmaster iRacing Pro Series saw 33 top-ranked competitors take on a mix of five ovals, four road courses, and a street course in California. That same Street Course opens up the 2026 season, on the Streets of Long Beach, with a new crop of 33 top-ranked INDYCAR competitors.

Last season, Diogo Pinto held off Philip Kraus to claim the inaugural title. Both drivers return in 2026, along with 18 other returning drivers from that first season. 13 rookie drivers are set to take on this season, including many familiar names across the many different official eSport competitions around iRacing. The first battle kicks off at Long Beach at 8:00 p.m. ET, and will be live across all of iRacing’s social media channels.

2026 INDYCAR Thrustmaster iRacing Pro Series Roster, Schedule unveiled

TRACK FACTS

Born against long odds in 1976, the Long Beach Grand Prix is North America’s premier street race. The debut event featured Formula 5000 cars in a race won by Brian Redman. The following year, Clay Regazzoni captured the inaugural U.S. Grand Prix (West), and in 1977, Mario Andretti passed Jody Scheckter in the closing laps to become the first American to win a Formula 1 race on home ground.

Andretti’s popular victory put the race on firm financial footing and set in motion the rebirth of Long Beach, which morphed from a down-on-its-heels port city to a thriving modern city and tourist destination. The resulting building boom necessitated ongoing changes to the track layout, finally settling on the current 1.968-mile, 11-turn circuit encircling the Long Beach Convention Center and the Long Beach Aquarium.

The Long Beach GP changed gears in 1984, bringing home-grown IndyCars to town as the featured attraction. The event hardly missed a beat, as the names of Unser, Zanardi, Montoya, Franchitti, Power, Conway and Dixon joined the likes of Regazzoni, Andretti, Villeneuve, Piquet and Lauda on the illustrious list of Long Beach winners. What’s more, the event grew to include IMSA and SCCA racing as well.

LAST SEASON

Originally placed as the second race in the inaugural season, Long Beach followed a race on the Indianapolis Road Course back in 2024. At Indy, it was Team Redline’s Edoardo Leo who claimed the opening round victory, but a week later, Team Redline’s Cooper Webster was victorious, and in a similarly dominant fashion. However, it would be neither of those two Team Redline competitors, but instead, Team Redline’s Diogo Pinto who would claim the inaugural title back in 2024 with one of the most consistent World Championship seasons of all time.

Pinto only won a single race—at Laguna Seca in Round 8—but he had an average finish of fifth over the entire season with eight top-10 finishes in 10 races, and that was enough to hold off oval specialist Philip Kraus for the overall title by 16 points at season’s end.

NEXT RACE

Making its debut in Week 2 will be the series’ first event at Portland International Raceway on January 15th. This venue was not yet on the iRacing service when the first season occurred, but Portland joined the track roster back in the 2025 Season 2 update. Opened in 1961, Portland International Raceway has become the Pacific Northwest’s premier racing venue. The track has boasted many of America’s top racing series, including the current iteration of the NTT IndyCar Series, with 2026’s race scheduled for August.

For more information on the INDYCAR Thrustmaster iRacing Pro Series, visit www.iracing.com/indycar-esports/.
For more information on iRacing and for special offers, visit www.iracing.com.

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