2026 INDYCAR Thrustmaster iRacing Pro Series | Race Preview | Championship Finale at Laguna Seca

The eighth and final round of the INDYCAR Thrustmaster iRacing Pro Series will take the 33 top-ranked virtual INDYCAR iRacers to one of the mainstays on the NTT INDYCAR Series schedule, and the site of the real-world series’ season finale as well in 2026—WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

One race, six drivers, but only one can be the champion. Indianapolis winner Michele Costantini (Team VRS) leads the way entering the final race, but Luke McKeown, with the most wins on the season at two, is right behind with the best chance to steal it away. Four more drivers within 49 points of Costantini could also take the title, depending on how the 40-lap finale plays out.

Coverage at Laguna Seca 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: WEATHERTECH RACEWAY LAGUNA SECA

WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca is one of the most classic North American road-racing circuits out there. A serpentine ribbon of pavement, winding through the hills of Northern California’s Monterey Peninsula, Laguna Seca is the site of one of the most unique and famous corners in motorsport–The Corkscrew. Approached from a long, fast, uphill run, The Corkscrew is a blind, plunging left-hander that is more akin to a ski slope than a piece of race track.

Originally built by the Army Corps of Engineers on a corner of what was then Fort Ord, Laguna Seca opened in 1957, and in its half-century of operation has been host to every significant North American road-racing series, from the legendary Can-Am to the Trans-Am, IMSA Camel GT and CART Indy cars. Today, a part of the Monterey County park system, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca hosts a number of top-level championship racing series, but most importantly hosts the finale to the NTT INDYCAR Series season in 2026.

LAST RACE: LUKE MCKEOWN CLOSES BACK IN ON TITLE WITH SECOND WIN OF SEASON AT MID-OHIO

Could this be Michele Costantini’s year? Not if Team Redline has anything to say about it! Entering the penultimate round of the 2026 season at the fan-voted Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Costantini held a 37-point lead over the former championship leader this season, Luke McKeown. From the second starting spot, McKeown was able to get by his teammate Gustavo Ariel and ultimately claim his second victory of the year.

Defending series champion, Diogo Pinto, brought it home in second, while another three Team Redline drivers—Florian Lebigre, Ariel, and Cooper Webster—swept the entire top-five. Costantini managed to finish in seventh, but that brought his point lead over McKeown down to 10 with one race to go.

CHAMPIONSHIP OUTLOOK: COSTANTINI LEADS BY 10, SIX DRIVERS REMAIN IN CONTENTION

Six drivers enter WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca with a chance at claiming the 2026 INDYCAR Thrustmaster iRacing Pro Series championship.

Michele Costantini, who won at Indianapolis and managed a 1.67-average finish at the three ovals, leads the way by 10 points. Luke McKeown, who has two race wins, at the season opener at Long Beach and the most recent race at Mid-Ohio, sits in second, but still in control of his own destiny. Should McKeown win and score at least one more bonus point than Costantini, whether that be in the form of the pole point, a lap led point, or the two most-led points, he will be the champion. Of course, if Costantini finishes ahead of McKeown in any case, he will be the champion if they both finish outside of the top-eight. Then, it could get complicated.

Drago Racing’s Michael Romanidis has been in the conversation all season, despite not having a victory to his name. Romanidis doesn’t need to win to potentially take the title, but he does need to finish at least third with all four available bonus points, or second with no bonus points to pass Costantini and McKeown should they finish in the minimum points. Team Hype with Powerslide’s Philip Kraus and Team Redline’s Diogo Pinto, the two in the title bout last season, would both need to win or finish second with enough bonus points in the same scenario to take the title. Team Redline’s Florian Lebigre’s only chance is by winning, and a lot going wrong for the five drivers ahead of him in the points.

DRIVERS STANDINGS ENTERING WEATHERTECH RACEWAY LAGUNA SECA

1. No. 66 Michele Costantini | Team VRS Chevy, 182 points
2. No. 96 Luke McKeown | Team Redline Honda, -10
3. No. 53 Michael Romanidis | Drago Racing Chevy, -33
4. No. 19 Philip Kraus | Team Hype w/ Powerslide Chevy, -36
5. No. 1 Diogo Pinto | Team Redline Honda, -37
6. No. 02 Florian Lebigre | Team Redline Honda, -44

LAST SEASON: DIOGO PINTO CLAIMS FIRST WIN, ULTIMATELY RESULTING IN 2024 TITLE

Laguna Seca has an important stat tied to its name in this INDYCAR Thrustmaster iRacing Pro Series. In its one race back in 2024, the eventual winner went on to become the series champion. That was Diogo Pinto, who claimed the title two races later at Nashville Superspeedway.

The 2024 event was Pinto’s only win that season, as well. With Philip Kraus having a tough time in Monterey County, not even the two ovals to end the season could help the oval specialist to overcome the points that Pinto built up in that final road race.

Will that stat ring true again in 2026? Tune in to the action to see who claims the second championship in series history on Thursday night.

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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