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iRacing Special Events Calendar 2026
The 2026 iRacing Special Events Calendar has been revealed, with key events returning and new special events added including the 6 Hours of Road America. Here are all events and dates.
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iRacing special events mark key dates throughout the year where sim racers come together to participate in huge community races.
While you may have your favourite iRacing series, from the GT Sprint to Sports Car Challenge or Super Formula Lights. Many iRacers will participate in at least one special event due to most racing disciplines being included.
The 2026 iRacing Special Events Calendar adds new events, including the first ever Britcar 24 at Silverstone, which is a brand new 24-hour race. Below is a complete run down of every iRacing special event for 2026, along with our plans to create car setups for as many of these special events as possible.
Key returning events
Some events are synonymous with the iRacing annual calendar. 24 hour events such as the Daytona 24 and Nurburgring 24 are back, featuring some of the most popular car classes in GT and LMP2.
Other events such as the Daytona 500 and Indy 500 return, falling in line with their real-world counterpart events.
Event date changes
With the new additions to the calendar, it does mean some events have had their dates changed for 2026. These events include the classic Nurburgring 24, which moves from June to May, and the Suzuka 100 which is now in September for 2026.
New special events, including a 24 hour race at Silverstone
While we do have most key events returning, it is the notable additions to the 2026 calendar that have peaked a lot of sim racers attention.
--- Article continues below --- Shop Sim Racing DiscountsThis year we have the Britcar 24 for the first time, which is a 24 hour race around Silverstone featuring the ever-popular GT3 and GT4 cars. This event has previously been organised indecently, but now becomes an official iRacing special event for the first time.
We also have additions including the SFL Mountain Showdown. This event will see the incredibly popular Super Formula Lights racing around the mighty Mount Panorama circuit.
There is another race added featuring Road America, with the 6 Hours of Road America making its debut. This will feature GTP, GT3 and LMP2 cars, racing around the classic American circuit in the heat of summer.
For fans of NASCAR, new events such as the Southern 500 and Homestead Championship bring some much asked for special events to the calendar.
Complete iRacing special events calendar for 2026
Below is a complete calendar showing all iRacing special events throughout 2026, along with their dates, and the classes elegible to enter.
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| Special Event Name (Track) | Event Date | Classes |
|---|---|---|
| Roar Daytona International Speedway | 9th–10th January | LMP3, GT4, Touring |
| Daytona 24 Daytona International Speedway | 16th–18th January | GTP, LMP2, GT3 |
| Dale Jr Charity Event Iowa Speedway | 28th January | NASCAR Cup |
| Daytona 500 Daytona International Speedway | 11th–18th February | NASCAR Cup |
| Bathurst 12 Mount Panorama Circuit | 20th–22nd February | GT3 |
| Sebring 12 Sebring International Raceway | 27th–29th March | GTP, LMP2, GT3 |
| Road America 500 Road America | 10th–11th April | Nissan GTP, Audi 90 |
| Nürburgring 24h Nürburgring-Gesamtstrecke 24h | 1st–3rd May | GT3, PCup, GT4, Touring |
| Indy 500 – Fixed Indianapolis Motor Speedway | 5th–11th May | Dallara IR-18 |
| Indy 500 – Open Indianapolis Motor Speedway | 12th–18th May | Dallara IR-18 |
| World 600 Charlotte Motor Speedway | 20th–25th May | NASCAR Cup |
| 4 Hours at Thruxton Thruxton Circuit | 29th–31st May | Touring Cars |
| Watkins Glen 6 Hour Watkins Glen International | 19th–21st June | GTP, LMP2, GT3 |
| Firecracker 400 Daytona International Speedway (2007) | 30th June – 6th July | 1987 NASCAR Cup |
| Spa 24 Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps | 10th–12th July | GT3 |
| Brickyard 400 Indianapolis Motor Speedway | 22nd–27th July | NASCAR Cup |
| 6 Hours of Road America Road America | 24th–26th July | GTP, LMP2, GT3 |
| Knoxville Nationals Knoxville Raceway | 4th–9th August | 410 Winged Sprint Cars |
| Portimao 1000km Algarve International Circuit | 14th–15th August | HPD, GT1, GT2 |
| Crandon Championship Crandon International Raceway | 25th–30th August | Pro 4 Truck |
| Southern 500 Darlington Raceway | 2nd–7th September | NASCAR Cup |
| Suzuka 1000km Suzuka Circuit | 10th–15th September | GT3 |
| Britcar 24 Silverstone | 18th–20th September | GT3, GT4 |
| Petit Le Mans Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta | 25th–27th September | GTP, LMP2, GT3 |
| Bathurst 1000 Mount Panorama Circuit | 2nd–4th October | Supercars |
| 8 Hours of Indianapolis Indianapolis Motor Speedway | 16th–18th October | GT3 |
| iRacing FF1600 Festival Brands Hatch | 30th–31st October | FF1600 |
| Homestead Championship Homestead-Miami Speedway | 4th–9th November | NASCAR Cup |
| SFL Mountain Showdown Mount Panorama Circuit | 13th–15th November | Super Formula Light |
| iRacing Runoffs Road America | Saturday, 22nd November | 6 events |
| Winter Derby Five Flags Speedway | 2nd–7th December | Super Late Model |
| Chili Bowl Chili Bowl | 15th–20th December | Dirt Midget |
| THE Production Car Challenge Virginia International Raceway | 18th–19th December | PCC Class |
iRacing Special Event car setups
At Sim Racing Setups, our pro team of iRacing car setup creators and engineers create setups across GT3, GT4, LMP2 and formula cars all year round. These setups are designed specifically for popular series such as the GT Sprint and Endurance, the IMSA iRacing series and other series such as the Super Formula Lights and Sports Car Challenge.
While these setups do keep our iRacing setup team busy, we’ll be dedicating time to creating setups specifically for a range of iRacing special events. All special event car setups and datapacks are included in our setup subscription plans at no extra cost.
The events that we will have dedicated setups for include the following events;
2026 special event setups will include
- Daytona 24: LMP2 & GT3 setups
- Bathurst 12: GT3 Setups
- Sebring 12: LMP2 & GT3 setups
- Nurburgring 24h: GT3 setups
- Watkins Glen 6 hour: LMP2 & GT3 setups
- Spa 24: GT3 setups
- 6 Hours of Road America: LMP2 & GT3 setups
- Suzukla 1000km: GT3 setups
- Britcar 24: GT3 setups
- Petit Le Mans: LMP2 & GT3 setups
- 8 Hours of Indianapolis: GT3 setups
- SFL Mountain Showdown: SFL setups
Unlock unlimited iRacing setups
With our setup subscription, you gain access to our entire library of iRacing car setups and datapacks for the current season. This includes all special event setups, and dedicated datapacks.
FAQs
What are iRacing Special Events?
iRacing Special Events are officially organized endurance and special races hosted by iRacing throughout the year. These events typically feature long race durations, multi-class fields, team participation, and replicate real-world motorsport classics such as the Daytona 24, Nürburgring 24, and Spa 24 Hours.
When will the iRacing Special Event Calendar for 2026 be released?
The iRacing Special Events Calendar is typically published in advance of the season, around mid-December. The 2026 special events calendar has been published, and can be found above.
How do iRacing Special Events work?
Most iRacing Special Events are team-based endurance races with multiple time slots across a weekend. Teams register drivers, select a split based on iRating, and compete in long-duration races featuring driver swaps, weather changes, safety rating impact, and incident limits.
Do I need a team to participate in iRacing Special Events?
Many iRacing Special Events require teams due to race length, but some events may allow solo entries depending on the format. Endurance races lasting 12 or 24 hours strongly recommend multiple drivers to remain competitive and compliant with stint rules.
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Article written by Rich
Rich is the founder, F1 car setup creator and content writer for SimRacingSetups. With over a decade of experience as a graphic designer, marketing director, competitive sim racer and avid motorsport fan, Rich founded SimRacingSetup.com to share his passion and knowledge of sim racing and Formula 1 with other sim racers. Regularly writes for sim racing website SimRaceReviews.com
View all articles written by RichImprove Your Pace With The Fastest iRacing Setups
- Access All Setups with our subscription.
- Created By Pros: All setup creators between 7-11k iRating.
- Race, Quali & Wet Setups: Multiple setups included + rain if required.
- BLAP & OLAP Data + Ghost & Replay Laps: Complete data pack.
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