2026 INDYCAR Thrustmaster iRacing Pro Series | Race Preview | Race 3 at Indianapolis

The third round of the INDYCAR Thrustmaster iRacing Pro Series takes 33 of the best in the world to “The Racing Capital of the World”, the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Thursday night. Boasting 2.5-miles of rectangular racing, the speedway in Speedway is most-known for being the site of the NTT IndyCar Series’ most revered event, the Indianapolis 500. These drivers won’t race for 500 miles on Thursday night, but they will compete for a third of the distance—66 laps—as Team Hype w/ Powerslide’s Robert Maleczka III aims to stay a perfect two-for-two in race victories at Indy.

Coverage at Indianapolis begins at 8:00 p.m. ET, and will be live on IndyCar’s YouTube channel, as well as across all of iRacing’s social media channels.

TRACK FACTS – INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

The first motorsports competition at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway took place in 1909 in the form of motorcycle races and automobile races soon followed. When the track’s original surface of crushed stone and tar proved problematic, the owners paved the track with more than 3 million bricks, giving rise to the nickname: “The Brickyard.” It wasn’t until Memorial Day of 1911, however, that the first 500 mile race was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and won by Ray Harroun in his Marmon Wasp. What was destined to be known as the Indianapolis 500 quickly became one of the nation’s leading sports events in the 1920s and ’30s.

A nationwide ban on motorsports during World War II, however nearly spelled the end for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which lay in virtual ruin when a consortium headed by Indiana businessman Tony Hulman purchased the facility in 1945. Hulman and his partners invested heavily in the facility and expanded the spectator capacity to the point where IMS became the world’s largest sporting arena (in terms of permanent seats) and the Indy 500 the world’s largest single-day sports event with crowds regularly topping 350,000. The march of progress also included the gradual replacement of paving over the bricks, and by 1961 the resurfacing had been completed – all but the famous “yard of bricks” at the start/finish line as a tribute to the tradition of “The Brickyard.”

The 1990s saw major changes to the speedway. In 1994, IMS president Tony George (grandson of Tony Hulman) consummated an agreement with NASCAR to stage a stock car race – the Brickyard 400 – at the Speedway. Then in 2000, George brought Formula One racing back to the USA after a nine-year absence, staging the U.S. Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. To do so, however, required a massive renovation of the facility, including the construction of a road course that combined a portion of the oval with a twisting infield section. Although the F1 race would only last through 2007, the road course has since played host to MotoGP and sports car races as well as a stand-alone IndyCar race in early May.  Together with the Indianapolis 500 and Brickyard 400, this remarkable variety of events underscores the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s moniker as “The Racing Capital of the World.”

One of the many lead changes between Jason Brophy and eventual race winner Robert Maleczka III at the first race in series history at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2024.

LAST RACE: MUNOZ BREAKS THROUGH IN PORTLAND

One week ago, the series took on Portland International Raceway for the first time in series history, and after 45 laps, there was a new winner among the ranks in the form of Jaden Munoz, an established championship-winning driver in other disciplines, including the IMSA Esports Global Championship. Munoz’s rookie campaign in 2024 wasn’t what anyone had expected, and in the opening round of this year, his car was noticeably bare, void of his previous team. Now working with WSR Esports, Munoz put it third on the board in qualifying—his best effort to date—and held third until the leaders ahead of him tangled, allowing for Munoz to take control and take the maiden victory.

DRIVERS STANDINGS ENTERING INDIANAPOLIS

1. No. 96 Luke McKeown | Team Redline Honda, 68 points
2. No. 53 Michael Romanidis | Drago Racing Chevy, -3
3. No. 24 Jaden Munoz | WSR Esports Honda, -10
4. No. 5 Nicolas Mateo [R] | Drago Racing Chevy, -15
5. No. 68 Sota Muto | Williams F1 Team Gaming Honda, -16
   No. 12 Gustavo Ariel | Team Redline Honda, -16

LAST SEASON

The first INDYCAR Thrustmaster iRacing Pro Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway took place right in the center of the 2024 season, the fifth race, and the second trip to the facility. The season opened at Indy, but it took place on the road course, that race won by Edoardo Leo. The oval offered a different slice of excitement, with many of the oval specialists, namely from the current and former Team Hype brigade, leading early and often. They would be challenged by the likes of Coanda Esports towards the end, with both Elliott Vayron and Michael Romanidis up front, but it would be multi-time iRacing Indy 500 special event winner Robert Maleczka III holding on for the inaugural esports series win.

NEXT RACE: MUGELLO MAKES ITS DEBUT

Next week, the INDYCAR Thrustmaster iRacing Pro Series returns to the road for the fourth race of the season. This race will be another first, and an international one to boot, as the series heads to virtual Italy to take on the Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello on January 29th. Mugello is one of the newer tracks on the iRacing service, but it has been featured in other World Championship Series including the Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Supercup and the FIA F4 Esports Global Championship presented by MOZA.

All of the action starts at 8:00 p.m. ET, and will be live on INDYCAR’s YouTube channel, as well as across all of iRacing’s social media channels.

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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