The INDYCAR iRacing Series heads into its season finale this Saturday, September 5, with Round 17 of 17 at WeatherTech Raceway at Laguna Seca. The Dallara IR-18 runs in open-setup format, and coverage starts at 2:00 PM ET via P1 Broadcasting on YouTube. After 16 rounds following the NTT IndyCar Series calendar, the 2026 season closes at the same track that hosts the real-world championship finale.
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Open-setup racing at Laguna Seca means every driver brings their own car configuration into the round. Because setup choices carry real weight at this circuit, preparation work during practice translates directly to lap time. Small differences in downforce level, brake bias, and corner entry speed compound quickly around WeatherTech Raceway’s mix of slow corners, elevation changes, and the famous Corkscrew. Open setup is also the format used across the regular INDYCAR iRacing Series schedule, so it’s the same approach drivers have been running all season. There’s no fixed baseline to fall back on.
Racing the INDYCAR iRacing Series at the Corkscrew
Laguna Seca has hosted motorsport since 1957. The circuit sits in the hills above Salinas, California, and it is probably the most visually distinctive track in North America. That reputation comes largely from the Corkscrew, a blind, dropping left-right combination near the top of the hill that is the defining feature of every race run here. In iRacing, you approach the Corkscrew in the Dallara IR-18 at high speed and brake before the crest. Then you commit to the left turn before the full drop becomes visible. Getting the entry wrong means either pushing wide into the gravel or losing several tenths with an over-cautious approach.
The track rewards mechanical grip across its slower corners. However, the back section from Turn 5 onward is fast and demands stability at high speed. Because of that contrast, open-setup rounds here often produce split setup decisions. Some drivers favor more downforce through the middle of the circuit. Others sacrifice grip for straight-line speed through the back section. The Dallara IR-18 is forgiving enough at Laguna Seca that several approaches can be competitive, though the difference typically comes down to execution at key corners.
How to Watch Saturday’s Season Finale
P1 Broadcasting covers the INDYCAR iRacing Series finale live on Saturday. Race coverage begins at 2:00 PM ET. P1 produces broadcasts for multiple iRacing esports series throughout the year, and their INDYCAR coverage includes full race commentary and on-screen timing. You can watch directly on P1 Broadcasting’s YouTube channel. If you haven’t caught one of their broadcasts before, the season finale is a good entry point.
The real-world NTT IndyCar Series also closes its 2026 season at WeatherTech Raceway at Laguna Seca this same weekend. Although the sim series and the actual championship are separate competitions, the timing is by design. The INDYCAR iRacing Series follows the NTT IndyCar calendar as closely as possible. That means each round of the sim series lands on the same weekend as the corresponding real IndyCar race. Consequently, Saturday’s finale wraps up both the virtual season and the real IndyCar championship at the same circuit. It gives the weekend extra weight for anyone following both.
Round 17 ends the 2026 INDYCAR iRacing Series season. Meanwhile, the elite Thrustmaster iRacing Pro Series concluded its own season at Laguna Seca recently, with Luke McKeown taking the championship title after a tight final round. For iRacers running the regular weekly schedule, Saturday is the last competitive round of the year before the 2027 calendar takes shape.
