2026 Season 3 Initial Release [2026.06.09.01]

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The iRacing 2026 Season 3 Release Build is on the grid and ready to fly! This is one of four major annual releases for iRacing, and it adds new content, features, upgrades, and more fixes than an expert pit crew could apply during a 24-hour special event. iRacing 2026 Season 3 officially starts on June 16th at 0000 UTC!

The wait is over - AI Racing has arrived at Dirt Ovals! AI Drivers are ready to challenge you in the dirt at TWELVE of our Dirt Oval tracks with either the Dirt Street Stock or the Dirt Legends Ford '34 Coupe! Two brand new vehicles arrive on our service, including the BMW M2 Racing (G87) and the EURO NASCAR V8GT. We have also added two new body types for the Formula Vee; Cutlass and Conqueror, which capture the worldly spirit of grassroots racing. Get ready to spend some time in California, as Qualcomm Circuit (Naval Base Coronado) is ready for its world premiere, and we have fully rebuilt WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca using new scan data and artwork.

On the track updates front, Charlotte Motor Speedway receives a new Dirt Road config with Rallycross - Dirt Road. Two tracks also receive major artwork updates, including Chicagoland Speedway and Oran Park Raceway, bringing much of their visuals into the modern age. We have also deployed fully 3D modeled curbs which will enhance the realism at two other tracks, including: Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, and Motorsport Arena Oschersleben. Also, we’ve made some updates to the Dynamic Track System, including tuning some dust parameters, water drainage systems, and how solar energy behaves on the asphalt.

As for car updates and features, the NASCAR Whelen Tour Modified and SK have received full vehicle refreshes and brand-new tires. Seasonal class-wide updates continue with the GT3 and GTE classes, making them as real-to-life as they can be. Drafting improvements have been applied to short track asphalt oval race cars after a lengthy series of testing and tuning. Also, we have updated the pit speed limiter programming and rules for a more precise pit stop experience.

The 2026 Season 3 Release also includes some brand new features, including a new routing option for our Race Servers! This new option adds Anycast-announced endpoints to our Race Servers, which allows the simulation to enter our network at an endpoint close to you, even if the Race Server is very far away. This bypasses routing your connection halfway around the world on public infrastructure and plugs you directly into the iRacing network. With the addition of AI Racing for Dirt Ovals, we knew we needed to get Heat Racing for AI ready, and it is! The Sim UI continues to expand, and this season we’ve added three new UI Widgets including: Track Map, Fuel Calculator, and Incident Tracker. The Sim UI will also now be able to utilize Controls Profiles where you can set up, save, and load various different control configurations quickly from within the Sim.

The iRacing Launcher is how you explore all iRacing has to offer and find events to get you racing. With this season, we have added a new Series Discovery interface to help you browse and target your interests so you can find more of what you like. Another new feature is Series-Specific Sporting Regulations & Branding, which allows an additional layer of real-world rules to be in effect for some events. We have also added language support for Simplified Chinese to the iRacing Launcher, 欢迎!

Season highlights include:

• BMW M2 Racing (G87)

• EURO NASCAR V8GT

• Formula Vee - Cutlass and Conqueror

• Qualcomm Circuit (Naval Base Coronado)

• WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca (Updated Laserscan & Fully Rebuilt)

• Charlotte Motor Speedway - Rallycross - Dirt Road (New Track Config)

• Chicagoland Speedway (Major Art Update)

• Oran Park Raceway (Major Art Update)

• 3D Curbs added to TWO Tracks (Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours & Motorsport Arena Oschersleben)

• iRacing Race Servers: Anycast network routing protocol

• Heat Racing support for AI Opponents

• New Sim UI Widget: Track Map (with four variants)

• New Sim UI Widget: Fuel Calculator

• New Sim UI Widget: Incident Tracker

• New Sim UI Feature: Controls Profiles

• New Sim UI Feature: What’s New!

• Sim UI Update: Tire Compounds

• Sim UI Update: Drag-to-Resize

• Sim UI Update: Unicode Support

• NASCAR Whelen Tour Modified / SK (Full vehicle refresh and new tires)

• GT3, GT4 and GTE Class Updates

• BMW M Hybrid V8 updated to Evo model

• Dallara IR18 updated with ramp flaps and Indy 500 body wicker

• Porsche 911 Cup (992.2) updated with “X tape”

• Dynamic Track Updates (Dust parameters, rain drainage, and solar energy behavior)

• Pit Speed Limiter Updates

• Short Track Asphalt Oval Drafting Improvements

• iRacing Launcher Feature: Series-Specific Sporting Regulations & Branding

• iRacing Launcher Feature: Series Discovery interface

• iRacing Launcher Feature: Simplified Chinese language support

• Rain racing for FOUR more vehicles! (BMW M2 Racing (G87), EURO NASCAR V8GT, and both the Formula Vee - Cutlass and Conqueror)

• AI Racing is now available with TWO Dirt Oval vehicles: Dirt Street Stock & Dirt Legends Ford '34 Coupe!

• AI Racing is now available at TWELVE Dirt Oval track configs: Bristol Motor Speedway - Dirt & Dirt - 2021, Eldora Speedway, Fairbury Speedway, Huset's Speedway, Kevin Harvick's Kern Raceway - Dirt Track, Lanier National Speedway - Dirt, Lernerville Speedway, Limaland Motorsports Park, Lucas Oil Speedway - Dirt Oval, Port Royal Speedway, and The Dirt Track at Charlotte.

• AI Racing is now available with SEVEN new cars: BMW M2 Racing (G87), EURO NASCAR V8GT, Formula Vee - Cutlass and Conqueror, Pontiac Solstice & Rookie version, and Radical SR8.

• AI Racing is available at FOUR new tracks: Autodromo Nazionale Monza - ALL THREE Combined configs, and WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

• Hundreds of the sharpest quality vehicle setups our trained drivers can hone.

Visit our 2026 Season 3 features page here:

https://www.iracing.com/seasons/2026-s3/

The FULL 2026 Season 3 Release Notes can be found on the official iRacing Forums here:

https://forums.iracing.com/discussion/96438/2026-season-3-initial-release-notes-2026-06-09-01