iRacing’s Season 3 2026 development update dropped on May 28, and it is one of the most content-heavy build announcements the sim has seen in years. Written by Greg Hill, the update covers new cars, new tracks, a long list of feature additions, and a series of long-term projects now moving from speculation to confirmed. Here is a full breakdown of everything announced.
New Cars Coming in Season 3
The BMW M2 Racing (G87) is the headline car addition for Season 3. It arrives as free base content, making it accessible to every active subscriber from launch day. The car is a production-based road racer derived from the current-generation M2, and it slots into the amateur and club racing end of the iRacing road racing ladder.
The Euro NASCAR RC01 is also confirmed, bringing a European-style stock car to the roster. The development update notes that final car art may not be ready in time for Season 3, which is an unusual caveat but suggests the team is close. Two new Formula Vee variants arrive as optional purchase content, the BMW M Hybrid V8 Evo gets a free content refresh, the Dallara IR18 receives technical updates, and the Porsche 992.2 gets the distinctive X-tape headlight styling. The SK Modified and Tour Modified both receive physics refreshes.
New and Updated Tracks
The Qualcomm Circuit at Naval Base Coronado in San Diego is the standout track addition. Built through a direct NASCAR partnership, it is a street circuit on the grounds of a military base, and iRacing’s version will be available before the real-world race takes place. Laguna Seca gets a full ground-up rescan, replacing the existing version with high-resolution surface data that matches the current standard for newer iRacing tracks.
Oschersleben and Magny-Cours both receive 3D curb geometry updates, improving the feel of corner surfaces that were previously flatter than the real versions. Oran Park gets a visual upgrade and Chicagoland receives a NASCAR-focused refresh.
New Features in Season 3
Dirt AI arrives alongside AI Heat Racing, which brings complete dirt oval event formats, including heats and features, into offline and hosted sessions. The UI receives several additions: Live Dynamic Track Maps with three display modes, a native Fuel Calculator, Control Profiles for switching between controller setups, a redesigned wet and dry tire selection interface, drag-to-resize widgets, and a dedicated incident tracker display. Pit Speed Enforcement is being redesigned. Multi-Class Starts and Per-Class Pace Cars are listed as possible Season 3 additions. Anycast routing improvements will reduce latency for underserved regions.
Long-Term Projects Now Confirmed
Career Mode is confirmed and in active development, with a dedicated feature preview promised in the next developer blog. The Spark graphics engine continues development. Physics multi-threading is confirmed as coming and is described as delivering approximately a 50 percent CPU usage reduction with a full grid. The Oval Refresh and series-specific regulations projects continue, Track Reverb is targeted for Season 4, and Circuit Bugatti is in pre-production. Mid-Ohio, Road America, and Milwaukee are all confirmed for rescans, Paul Ricard scanning is planned for next month, Winchester is targeted for later in the year, and a Charlotte dirt road configuration is in development. A Simplified Chinese launcher and driver gear upgrades are also in the pipeline.
What to Watch For
Season 3 2026 touches almost every part of the subscriber base. The free BMW M2, the San Diego street circuit launching before the real NASCAR event, a new Laguna Seca, the first confirmed Career Mode details, and major AI improvements make this one of the more notable build announcements in recent memory. Individual deep-dives on the biggest items are running on iRacerHub throughout the coming days.
