NASCAR 26 is officially confirmed. iRacing VP of Marketing and Communications Kevin Bobbitt stated on the Downshift podcast on June 8 that the next NASCAR console game is “well into development,” ending months of community speculation about whether a new title was coming at all.
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“The next version of NASCAR 25, which, as you can imagine, will be [called] NASCAR 26, is well into development,” Bobbitt said. He added that concrete news is coming before long. “I think you will see some news on that in the very near future,” he said. “We’ll say hashtag soon. Some news that’s coming, but I can’t say more than that.”
The announcement matters because, since early in 2026, iRacing had gone quiet on the NASCAR console game front. As a result, some in the community began wondering whether iRacing might take an approach similar to EA Sports with F1 25 and release a season update to the existing title rather than a full new game. Bobbitt’s statement makes clear that is not the plan. NASCAR 26 is a full standalone release, and it is already in active development.
Before Monday’s confirmation, the clearest signal that NASCAR 26 was in progress came from iRacing Executive Director Dale Earnhardt Jr. In April, Earnhardt Jr. shared on social media that he has 19 songs lined up for the game’s soundtrack and is working on new features that let players control what they hear. That kind of foundational work happens well ahead of a release window, so it already indicated development was underway. Now the official word from Bobbitt makes it concrete.
NASCAR 25 was iRacing Studios’ first full console release under the new brand. It launched on PlayStation and Xbox in October 2025, with a Steam release following in November. The game introduced a new physics model, an expanded career mode, and online multiplayer, bringing iRacing’s simulation expertise to a console-friendly format for the first time. For many sim racers who had not followed NASCAR gaming closely in recent years, it came as a genuine surprise in terms of quality. NASCAR 26 builds from that foundation rather than starting over, which means the development team can focus on expanding and refining what already works.
What iRacing has not yet shared is any detail about what NASCAR 26 will actually include. Bobbitt confirmed that development is active and announcements are on the way, but he stopped short of revealing features, platforms, or a release window. If iRacing follows a similar timeline to NASCAR 25, a reveal campaign could realistically begin this summer, with a fall release to follow. That is speculation, however, and nothing has been announced officially beyond the development confirmation itself.
The response across the iRacing and NASCAR gaming communities was largely one of relief. Because the announcement came with almost no detail on features or platforms, the reaction was more “good, it’s happening” than a full celebration. The main question before Bobbitt’s statement was simply whether a sequel was in the cards at all. Now that question is settled, attention has shifted to what NASCAR 26 will actually offer. Some sim racers are hoping for deeper physics fidelity given iRacing’s background. Others are focused on the career mode, which landed well in NASCAR 25 but had room to grow. Bobbitt indicated specific news is coming soon, so those questions should not stay unanswered much longer.
Bobbitt also noted in the same episode that iRacing Studios’ upcoming IndyCar game is “progressing very nicely,” though he offered no specifics there either. iRacing Studios now manages a growing lineup of console titles, including ExoCross and World of Outlaws: Dirt Racing alongside its NASCAR and IndyCar projects. For the iRacing sim racing community, however, the NASCAR 26 confirmation is the immediate story. According to Bobbitt, more news is not far off. When it arrives, iRacerHub will have it.
