THIS WEEK: iRacing Firecracker 400 Special Event
June 29th, 2026 by Justin Melillo
iRacing’s Special Event calendar features a selection of the world’s most compelling races across numerous disciplines. Whether you’re interested in stock cars or sports cars, open-wheel formula cars or sprint cars, sticking to pavement or playing in the dirt, running solo or racing with a team of your closest friends, our Special Events have something for everyone!
This week, the iRacing Firecracker 400 takes the spotlight with the 1987 NASCAR Cup Series Legends taking on the 2008 Daytona International Speedway oval for 400 miles, or 160 laps of competition. Here’s everything you need to know about participating in this iRacing Special Event.
TRACK: Daytona International Speedway – Oval – 2008
CARS COMPETING: 1987 NASCAR Cup Series Legends
- NASCAR Legends Buick Lesabre – 1987
- NASCAR Legends Ford Thunderbird – 1987
- NASCAR Legends Pontiac Grand Prix – 1987
- NASCAR Legends Chevrolet Monte Carlo – 1987
TIMES TO RACE | JULY 1ST TO JULY 6TH:
FIXED SETUP RACES:
- Wednesday 21:00 GMT (Wednesday 5 PM ET)
- Friday 2:00 GMT (Thursday 10 PM ET)
- Saturday 10:00 GMT (Saturday 6 AM ET)
- Saturday 17:00 GMT (Saturday 1 PM ET)
- Monday 2:00 GMT (Sunday 10 PM ET)
OPEN SETUP RACES
- Thursday 02:00 GMT (Wednesday 10 PM ET)
- Thursday 19:00 GMT (Thursday 3 PM ET)
- Saturday 2:00 GMT (Friday 10 PM ET)
- Sunday 15:00 GMT (Sunday 11 AM ET)
BROADCAST DETAILS
There will be a broadcast of the Top Split broadcast for the third Open Setup time slot, the Saturday 02:00 GMT, or Friday 10 PM ET event. RACESPOT will be handling the call of the action. The show will be available at iRacing.com/live.
ABOUT THE iRACING FIRECRACKER 400
The iRacing Firecracker 400 pays tribute to NASCAR’s rich Fourth of July racing tradition with a full-length, high-stakes battle at Daytona International Speedway. Running the 1987 NASCAR Cup cars at the historic version of the venue, this event brings old-school horsepower and razor-thin pack racing to life in one of iRacing’s most intense formats, available in both fixed setup and open setup variety. The race will be scheduled in the sim for July 4th at 12:00 pm with dynamic weather enabled.
This event is open to iRacing members that have an Oval license at Class C or higher, or at Class D with a 4.0 Safety Rating. Splits will be determined by iRating. Driving aids except clutch assistance will be disabled. Splits can have up to 43 drivers, and a disqualification limit has been set at 40 incident points, or 40X.
This will be the second year that iRacing hosts an official Firecracker 400. The idea for the race is based off of the real world event, currently known as the Coke Zero Sugar 400, and for years, existed as an event run by many iRacing communities, most notably by eRacr.gg from 2020 to 2023. Last year, the broadcasted Open Setup SoF race was won by current eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Championship Series and College Series competitor Dylan Basen. In the Fixed Setup SoF, it was NASCAR Cup Series standout Carson Hocevar claiming the victory. Benjamin Forester, Brandon Sox, Wyatt Gray, and Justin Horton were also Top Split winners last year.
ABOUT DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
Known as “The World Center of Racing”, Daytona International Speedway has a deep history in many facets of American motorsport. No one could have known it then, but when it opened in 1959, it marked the beginning of a new era. As a replacement for the old beach road course a few miles east, the the high-banked, 2.5-mile Florida tri-oval represented the leading edge of a wave of construction of big, paved speed palaces. Before Daytona, Indianapolis was the only American oval track longer than 1.25 miles, and most racing took place on dirt ovals a mile or less in length. From the very first Daytona 500, won by Lee Petty in a three-way photo finish, those high banks, so steep that it is hard to walk up them, proved a favorable venue for wide-open stock car racing, and Daytona kicked-off the growth of NASCAR as we know it today.
To learn more about the event and join in on the discussion, visit our Special Events page and head over to the iRacing Forums.
For more information on iRacing and for special offers, visit iRacing.com.
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OFFICIAL PARTNERS:
