CHELMSFORD, Mass. — INDYCAR and iRacing agreed to a long-term licensing agreement that will see iRacing produce standalone INDYCAR video games.
Graphic: iRacing
As part of the agreement, iRacing Studios will release an INDYCAR title for PlayStation, Xbox and Steam in late-2026. The title will mark the first dedicated INDYCAR game since “IndyCar Series 2005”. The game came out June 22, 2004, and featured the 2003 INDYCAR field.
“INDYCAR fans have long been clamoring for a standalone title for consoles, and we’re excited to give them what they’re looking for in 2026,” said Tony Gardner, president, iRacing.com Motorsport Simulations. “iRacing Studios’ standalone INDYCAR title will offer all the excitement of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and an immersive experience that fans of all ages can enjoy. We are already very excited about how the game is coming together.”
iRacing Studios is also producing “NASCAR 25”, set for release in fall of 2025. They also released “World of Outlaws: Dirt Racing” in September 2022.
“iRacing Studios is the ideal partner for us, trusted and known to our core fans and ready to share our sport with a wider and highly engaged audience,” said INDYCAR’s president, J. Douglas Boles.
The game will feature a multilevel career mode with licensed NTT INDYCAR SERIES and INDY NXT drivers. It will also feature an online multiplayer mode. The game will be based on iRacing Studios’ “proprietary and enhanced” Orontes engine. According to the studio, they built it from the ground up just for the INDYCAR game.
“Our company has grown significantly in recent years with the addition of new development teams and studios,” Gardner said. “Our INDYCAR title will benefit from this growth as it will be the sole focus of one of these teams. However, the game will also incorporate elements like car and track assets, technology and driving characteristics developed from other iRacing Studios products.”
Scott McLaughlin and Team Penske are among the top drivers and teams involved in the creation of the game.
“I’m thrilled to be a part of the development process for iRacing Studios’ new INDYCAR title,” McLaughlin said. “It’s an honor to work with a team that has developed such amazing products to help deliver INDYCAR’s first dedicated title in quite some time.
“It’s already an exciting time to be an INDYCAR fan for so many reasons. This game will take the fans’ at-home driving experience to the next level!”
Photo by John Cote
The predecessor to iRacing, Papyrus Racing Games, created three INDYCAR titles —in 1989, 1993 and 1995, respectively.
Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.
A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.
Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick’s final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen’s stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers’ stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.
Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com
After years of racing out of residential garages, take a look inside Ricky Thornton Jr’s new race shop
Ricky Thornton Jr won 31 races in the 2025 season. He went on to finish 2nd in the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series standings.
He’s has been racing since 2005. And until now, he has only used residential garages outside of other teams he’s raced for.
400+ wins and 30+ championships later, he has opened a new shop in Iowa. Koehler Motorsports will continue to use their shop in Mount Airy, NC. But, the Iowa shop will also be used when the team is in the area.
Take a look at the photos of the Ricky Thornton Jr Racing shop below.
Ricky Thornton Jr Racing comments
The team shared the following update:
“After a career of racing out of residential garages, (and some beautiful shops of others) Ricky finally has his very own personal race shop. A true dream come true,” the team opened via social media.
“Graystone Companies- thank you Troy for the time you put into this project. Deadlines & expectations were heavily exceeded! If you’re looking to build anything in the Des Moines metro, Graystone Companies is what you’re looking for! Thank you to Ganoe Excavating, Inc. for the dirt work, D and E Outside Services for the tree removal, and Matt Allen for the floor finish!”
“Our Koehler Motorsports team will continue to race out of their Mount Airy, NC shop, but our Iowa shop will be a frequent stopping point throughout the summer!”
The 2026 season is set to begin. Thornton Jr is heading to Central Arizona Raceway for the Wild West Shootout beginning on January 10th.
Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series removes playoff format for 2026
Ricky Thornton Jr Race Shop (Photos)
Ricky Thornton Jr Race ShopBathroom – Ricky Thornton Jr Race Shop – IowaRicky Thornton Jr Race Shop – IowaFormer Shop – Ricky Thornton Jr Race Shop – Iowa
The 2026 season will be a special one for Team Penske, which made its first foray into the racing scene in 1966. Whether it’s NASCAR, IndyCar or IMSA, Team Penske has enjoyed plenty of success and plans to savor many more victories in the future.
Team Penske cars in all three major series will sport special retro livery at select races, while the team will also introduce an anniversary identity that will appear across its race cars, uniforms, digital platforms and merchandise, with the first items available online and in the team store beginning in January.
“Our 60th anniversary is a tremendous milestone for our organization,” Roger Penske said in a team release. “The 2026 season will give us the opportunity to celebrate the people, partners and fans who have helped shape Team Penske since 1966, while also looking ahead to the future. This year ahead is a meaningful one with many terrific moments for our team and story still to come.”
Few teams can match the Penske programs when it comes to success on the track. The team has 20 Indianapolis 500 victories, three Daytona 500 wins and has won at least one major championship for the past 14 years, including last season’s WeatherTech SportsCar Championship sweep of the team, drivers and manufacturers titles. It was the second straight season Porsche Penske swept the awards and last season saw the team become the first since 2017 to win Daytona and Sebring in the same season.
With the team not competing in the World Endurance Championship in 2026, Team Penske will focus all of its sportscar racing attention on IMSA. Despite winning the GTP title the past two seasons, there will be some new faces on the team in 2026.
The team will see Kevin Estre and Laurens Vanthoor move from the WEC to drive the No. 6 Porsche 963, while the No. 7 will be in the hands of Felipe Nasr and Julien Andlauer. Matt Campbell, one of the championship drivers this season, will serve as the endurance driver for the No. 6 car at Daytona, Sebring and Road Atlanta, while Laurin Heinrich will serve in the same role for the No. 7 Porsche. All six are Porsche factory drivers.
Porsche Penske will begin its 2026 season in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with the Roar Before the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway Jan. 16-18. The Rolex 24 At Daytona begins Saturday, Jan. 24.
MANAMA: The director of the Kuwaiti Motor Sports Club, Sheikh Sabah Dawood Al-Sabah, praised the outstanding results achieved by the club’s racers in the second round of the Bahrain Drag Racing Championship on Saturday, emphasizing that they reflect the advanced level reached by Kuwaiti champions in this sport. The team director stated that the racers delivered a remarkable performance in the competitions held at the Bahrain International Circuit’s drag strip.
Abdullah Ali Al-Aqab secured first place in the Pro 29.5 category, while Ahmed Zaman took second place in the 8.5 Index category, and Fawaz Al-Awadhi finished third in the same category. The remaining members of the participating delegation also achieved high rankings in the eight rounds.
Al-Sabah affirmed that these achievements are the fruit of the continuous efforts exerted by the racers and the technical and administrative staff.
He noted the club’s commitment to providing all means of support and care to raise Kuwait’s flag high in regional and international events, wishing them continued success in future competitions.
The second round of the Bahrain National Drag Racing Championship, the most popular drag racing championship in the region, kicked off over the past two days at the Bahrain International Circuit’s drag strip. The new season of the Bahrain Drag Racing Championship is scheduled to run until March, with the third and fourth rounds taking place in January and the championship concluding in March. — KUNA
It’s the biggest motorcycle drag racing grudge race of the year, Kings of Grudge Grinchmas from Orlando Speedworld Dragway and we cover this shocker as a fast mini bike calls out a stretched Suzuki Hayabusa grudge bike on the opening day of this event. We also see some motorcycle drag racing gone wrong as a fast Suzuki Hayabusa and GSXR 1000 suffer engine damage. Enjoy some thrilling motorcycle drag racing from Kings of Grudge
There are more videos on the Cycledrag Youtube channel (please subscribe here) and like the Cycledrag Facebook page (Please like here) and more will be coming soon. Also subscribe to our NEW Youtube channel “Racing Jack” and Check back daily.
It’s episode No. 3 of the Racing Jack Show and we sit down with media mogul “Bubba The Love Sponge” to Talk about what’s really hurting the racing business and what the sport must do to bring fans back to NHRA, NASCAR, Dirt Races and a whole lot more. After an in-depth discussion on the state of motorsports and racing the leader of the Bubba Army shocks us when he calls his good buddy and motorsports legend Tony Stewart.
We ask Bubba how the next generation of race fan has changed, how difficult it is to run a track and an organization and how racing organizations can follow the successful formula of WWE and UFC. We also discuss the controversial decision by the NHRA to cancel its final race of the season and discuss some of the interworking of NHRA drag racing and how it functions as a not for profit organization. Bubba also talks about what it’s like to climb the ladder in NASCAR in today’s climate compared to how it once was in the days of greats like Dale Earnhardt Sr. Finally we discuss Bubba’s reporting on the untimely death of Hulk Hogan and how the wrestling legend’s passing changes the way Cycledrag operates.
There are more videos on the Cycledrag Youtube channel (please subscribe here) and like the Cycledrag Facebook page (Please like here) and more will be coming soon. Also subscribe to our NEW Youtube channel “Racing Jack” and Check back daily.
We head to the biggest motorcycle drag racing grudge race of the year where we unfortunately see one fast racer on a Suzuki GSXR blow an en engine and suffer a big top end crash at Orlando Speedworld Dragway. It’s motorcycle drag racing gone wrong as this veteran driver suffers an incident but the good news is he was alert and awake and the Orlando safety team was right on top of it. We also see some unbelievable motorcycle drag racing as nitrous and turbo Suzuki Hayabusa and GSXR 1000 and Kawasaki ZX-14 stretched bikes go for big money win at the biggest Grudge race of the year, Kings of Grudge Grinchmas from Orlando, FL
There are more videos on the Cycledrag Youtube channel (please subscribe here) and like the Cycledrag Facebook page (Please like here) and more will be coming soon. Also subscribe to our NEW Youtube channel “Racing Jack” and Check back daily.
