The iRacing Season 2 update dropped on February 26, and the build arriving March 10 is packed. New cars, new tracks, a pair of class-wide physics overhauls, a suite of new HUD tools, and several teasers about what is coming later in 2026 all land in a single announcement. Here is everything that was announced, broken down by category.
New Cars in the iRacing Season 2 Update
Additionally, the Audi RS3 LMS Gen2 TCR leads the new car additions. The RS3 LMS platform has won multiple TCR awards in real-world racing. The Gen2 continues that legacy. With its Season 2 debut, the Gen1 model moves to Legacy status. Existing Gen1 owners receive credits toward the new car.
Furthermore, nASCAR gets its biggest hardware news in over a decade with the RAM Truck joining the Craftsman Truck Series. For the first time in 14 years, NASCAR now runs a four-manufacturer field, and iRacing matches that reality through a new Stellantis partnership. The truck was still pending final approvals at the time of the announcement. Once cleared, it joins the existing Chevrolet, Ford, and Toyota machines in the Truck roster. This brings massive authenticity to the class for iRacers who follow the real series.
Moreover, the 2026 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 rounds out the new car additions. It arrived a few weeks before this announcement. iRacing wanted it ready for the start of the NASCAR Cup season. The updated body mirrors the aggressive look of the ZL1 carbon performance package. Its aero and power settings sync to the 2026 NASCAR Cup rules across all track types.
New Tracks: St. Petersburg and a Rebuilt Barber
As a result, the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg is the most anticipated track addition in this build. The circuit weaves together city streets, purpose-built racing infrastructure, and a section of the Albert Whitted Airport runway. The layout constantly shifts in surface character, grip level, and track width. St. Pete has long been a staple of the IndyCar calendar, and 2026 sees it grow larger. The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and MX-5 Cup now join the IndyCar field at the venue. iRacing’s production and rendering teams have leveled up since earlier street circuit work, and this track reflects that progress.
In particular, iRacing rebuilt Barber Motorsports Park from scratch rather than patching the existing version. The real-world facility went through a full repave, updated runoff areas, and various facility changes in recent years. iRacing’s scan team returned to Alabama to capture the circuit in its current state. The rebuilt version replaces the original in the library, and all existing Barber owners get the update at no additional cost. The short configurations are not part of this rebuild, as iRacing’s data showed them accounting for less than 0.5% of all Barber racing on the service.
Sim UI Changes in the iRacing Season 2 Update
Specifically, season 2 delivers two major class physics overhauls. The TCR class went through a six-month rebuild covering all five cars. iRacing updated the tire model for wet and dry conditions. The braking system now includes a rear proportioning valve. Fuel levels match IMSA regulations, and the Balance of Performance is brand new. TCR is also fully rain-capable for the first time.
The GTE class updates all five cars: the Ford GTE, Ferrari 488 GTE, BMW M8 GTE, Corvette C8. Additionally, r, and Porsche 911 RSR. iRacing brought them all up to current GT3 physics standards. The class is now rain-ready, and a new 50mm minimum ride height rule means old setups will fail tech inspection after the update. iRacing recommends recording your current setup numbers before the build drops if you want them as a starting point. The tire model now includes realistic deformation and wear under sustained cornering loads. iRacing also recalculated mass, inertias, and Balance of Performance figures for the entire class. This is one of the biggest changes in the iRacing Season 2 update.
Sim UI: HUD Profiles, Visual Spotter, and New Widgets
The Sim UI adds several notable features in Season 2. Additionally, hUD Layout Profiles let drivers save, name, and switch between custom HUD configurations. You can assign default profiles per car or globally, and profiles live in Documents/iRacing/profiles/hud. They are shareable between drivers. The Throttle and Brake Timeline adds a live pedal trace to the Driver Inputs widget, showing throttle and brake inputs as a graph over time. This makes analyzing braking technique easier without external telemetry tools.
The Visual Spotter helps single-monitor users. Additionally, it shows spatial car proximity on screen. It uses the same data as the audio and text spotters. Two new widgets also arrive: Session Info and Session Rules. The Reference Car Offset tool now lives in the UI instead of config files.
Oval Physics, Rain Content, and Track Visuals
The oval physics side targets rubber buildup across oval surfaces. Additionally, the focus is on how rubber accumulates during heavy use. iRacing also models how tires pick up rubber during cautions. The NASCAR O’Reilly Series gets an updated CFD drafting model. The Dallara IR18 IndyCar receives new aero, tire, and engine power figures. Members should see higher top speeds at most venues.
Two more car groups gain rain capability in Season 2. Additionally, the Lotus 49 gets a full physics refresh. New all-weather period tires behave differently from modern compounds. The IMSA Vintage class also joins the rain roster. Six circuits receive visual upgrades. Long Beach, Sebring, and Red Bull Ring get art improvements. Lanier, Langley, and USA International get full overhauls.
Future Content: San Diego, Spark, and AI Coaching
Beyond Season 2, iRacing shared longer-range project updates. Additionally, the Naval Base Coronado street circuit targets a June 2026 release. The new Spark graphics engine has completed its vertical slice. Night lighting is the next focus area. iRacing calls the coming visual improvement “transformative.”
Microsoft Research is helping build AI coaching for iRacing. Additionally, the system has reached the integration phase. It uses a Large Action Model built natively into the sim. Career Mode has completed internal testing. Dirt AI is deep in QA. The iRacing Season 2 update build notes drop on March 10.
