iRacing’s first drop for the 2026 calendar is here! With new cars, tracks, and overhauls all coming to the service, it’s time to get into the details of what’s in the new season.
New Tracks
Two brand-new tracks join the service, both with F1 pedigree. Whilst one is an Australian track of racing royalty, the other is a new circuit that boasts some hidden surprises.
The Adelaide Street Circuit is famous for being the first host of a World Championship Australian Grand Prix. Famous finales here include the 1986 battle with that “colossal” Mansell tyre blowout, and Michael Schumacher’s first of seven titles after that collision with Damon Hill. The version featured on iRacing is the current edition of the circuit, famous for hosting the Supercars series’ season finales. This year’s one saw heartbreak and triumph with the new-for-2025 postseason playoffs. And now you can see for yourself if you’re a Chaz Mostert or a Broc Feeney.
The Miami International Autodrome is the second brand-new track. Known best for its Formula One races and for Mr Beast spinning a Formula E car there, it comes with 5 different layouts that include a cut-through that skips the tricky uphill chicane at the end of Sector 2. With the Hard Rock Stadium hosting both Formula 1 and Formula E in 2026, is there a better time to try out this circuit than today?
This update also boasts 2 new Dirt Road tracks, the first since Charlotte and Knockhill received theirs and just in time for the new-for-2026 Dirt Road car! Lucas Oil Speedway’s Dirt Road layout is a figure-8 layout that boasts plenty of jumps and bumps to unsettle any car or truck that tries to negotiate them, whilst Winton’s Rallycross layout was a pleasant surprise that features a high-speed Joker lap and deceptively open corners that sharpen around tyres and concrete barriers.
New Cars
The flagship car for Sports Car drivers in the 2026 drop is the Porsche 911 Cup (992.2). Not only is it included for free for owners of the previous-gen 992 Cup, it also boasts plenty of upgrades to the mechanicals as well as an aerodynamic overhaul. It even includes driver aids for the first time on the iRacing service. If you wish to get more up to speed with the new car, you can check out our trip Under the Hood here.
For Dirt Road iRacers, the most exciting addition will be the first new car since the VW Beetle Lite and the first all-new car since the Subaru and Ford rallycross cars 7 years ago! The FIA Cross Car will be familiar to those who have played KartKraft or DiRT Rally 2.0 before, being essentially a go-kart with a rollcage and a simple wing at the back of it. They’re lightweight, so much so that if you floor it too hard, you might pop a wheelie! It gets you up to speed with Dirt Road racing quickly, whether you like it or not. And better yet, it’s free for all users on the iRacing service! A perfect addition alongside the 2 new layouts.
Car Updates
There are a few noticeable car updates in Season 1. For example, there are physics updates for the Toyota GR86 and the NASCAR Truck Series, as well as the regular GT3 updates.
The biggest update is the second phase of updates to the Dallara IR18 INDYCAR. Having received a graphical overhaul in previous seasons to bring it more up-to-date to the cars that raced in the Indy 500 this year, 2026 Season 1 sees the much-anticipated rollout of the Hybrid system that first debuted at Mid-Ohio in 2024. This comes as part of iRacing’s continued overhaul to how hybrids are modelled in the sim, a response to the highly-detailed models now present in rivals such as Le Mans Ultimate.
Track Updates
In addition to all-new tracks and layouts, iRacing continues to update and overhaul some of the older tracks on the service as they continue to build up their portfolio in the sim as well as the wider iRacing Studios titles. Two tracks stand out most in this update, with one being a rescan of Rockingham Speedway and another being an art overhaul to the Mount Panorama Circuit at Bathurst.
Rockingham’s update is a full rescan, carried out whilst iRacing developed the NASCAR 25 game. Rockingham Speedway returned to NASCAR’s national calendars in 2025 as part of the Xfinity Series and the Craftsman Truck Series earlier in the year. The older scan remains on the service too, meaning that you can feel the changes in the track as time weathered the classic circuit into the challenge that it is today.
Bathurst’s art update is more similar to the update that Oulton Park received earlier in 2025. Whilst not a full rescan that would include any changes to surface and corner profiles, it means that the track will run more smoothly on modern machines, and the beautiful colours around Mount Panorama will pop just that little bit more. It also means that, if you are able to successfully carry speed through the gravel trap, you will still be able to attempt that infamous jump.
UI Updates
There are also some smaller quality-of-life updates as iRacing continues to work to keep itself at the front of the sim racing scene. Whilst the in-game and menu UIs will receive additional language support, the updates that will stand out to users will be the continued development of the new overlay and in-game UI system.
Included in the update is the ability to have standalone widgets, such as for Relative, Timing, Standings, and Weather. This will allow iRacers to experience the benefits that previously only third-party overlays would be able to enjoy, and all without the limitations of freeware or the costs associated with a subscription to a service that would provide them with the same overlays.
- Sports, Formula & Oval iRacing Setups
- Race Telemetry - Brake, Throttle & Racing Lines
- Corner by Corner AI Coaching To Gain Seconds
- Challenge Racers on the Delta Leaderboards
