2026 INDYCAR Thrustmaster iRacing Pro Series Roster, Schedule unveiled

A new season of virtual INDYCAR racing is set to kick off the new year with the return of the INDYCAR Thrustmaster iRacing Pro Series on January 8th, 2026.

The second edition of the top-level virtual INDYCAR competition will include 33 top-level competitors and eight venues, once again including a round to be voted on by the community. Once again, a $50,000 purse is on the table, and the champion will take home a $20,000 cash prize.

Diogo Pinto, the defending series champion, returns to defend his crown, sporting the No. 1 car for this season. 20 drivers from the original season are back to face off against 13 newcomers. The series begins on January 8th on the Streets of Long Beach, and all races will contest on Thursday nights at 8:00 p.m. ET, live on all of iRacing’s social channels and the NTT INDYCAR SERIES YouTube channel and website.

33 DRIVERS, ONE CHAMPION

Just like the original season in 2024, this 2026 season will feature a 33-car field across all eight races. The top-12 drivers from the 2024 season were able to retain their license and spot in the 2026 competition. Those drivers include the defending champion, Diogo Pinto, his closest competitor, Philip Kraus, and a number of other winners on the season, including Edoardo Leo, Robert Maleczka III, Luke McKeown, and Michele Costantini.

Nearly 180 drivers took part in the INDY NXT Thrustmaster Qualifying Series, but only the top-21 eligible drivers would get a ticket to the competition. Jaden Munoz, who finished 21st in the final standings in 2024, scored the most points in the INDY NXT Thrustmaster Qualifying Series season. Rounding out the season-long podium were Peter Berryman, a former iRacing World Champion in the Dallara IR-01, and Dan Amor, the runner-up in the FIA F4 Global Esports Championship last season.

From the top-21 finishers, 13 will compete in the series for the first time. The rookie class includes eNASCAR talents in Alexander Russell and Quami Scott, long-time iRacing eSports competitors Josh Thompson and Alessandro Bico, and the highest-ranked rookie from the Qualifying Series in points, another well-known entity in Alxander Spetz. The other eight drivers, such as Munoz, Berryman, and Amor, all competed in the inaugural season and were able to re-qualify in through the Qualifying process once again.

2026 INDYCAR Thrustmaster iRacing Pro Series Roster

* = Retained license from 2024 season
[R] = Rookie contender

EIGHT HISTORIC VENUES

This season will include eight historic venues around the world, kicking things off on the Streets of Long Beach and ending it all about 300 miles northwest in the same state of California over at the famed WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Those are two of the returning venues from the inaugural season, joining the Indianapolis oval and Nashville Superspeedway. There will be a fifth returning track—either Barber Motorsports Park or Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course—and that will be up to the community to vote for in this year’s social media track vote for Round 7.

Three new tracks will join the schedule this year to make up the eight-race season. Portland International Raceway will be the second round of the season, while Round 4 will see the series head overseas to the Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello in Round 4. Portland, located in the Pacific Northwest, has been an INDYCAR schedule staple for decades. As for Mugello, it has never hosted an INDYCAR event, but has hosted MotoGP and Sports car events, as well as a Formula 1 Grand Prix back in 2020.

A third oval on the season, and the second in progression, will be a trip to Phoenix Raceway in Round 5. Phoenix returns to the real-world schedule in 2026, the first time since the 2018 season. Phoenix replaces three ovals from the previous season, as The Milwaukee Mile, World Wide Technology Raceway, and Iowa Speedway will not return in 2026. The only road race off the schedule is the Indy Grand Prix, and whichever track loses the Fan Vote. The track mix for the eight race schedule will be one street course, three ovals, and four road courses.

2026 INDYCAR Thrustmaster iRacing Pro Series Schedule

Every Pro Series race will be broadcast live at 8:00 p.m. ET on Thursday nights via iRacing social channels and the NTT INDYCAR SERIES YouTube channel and website.

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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