NASCAR 26 releases September 18: dynamic tracks, AI DNFs and Chase playoffs

Racing simulator NASCAR 26 from iRacing Studios is released on September 18, 2026 on PC (Steam), PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. Gold Edition owners received early access on September 15th. On the cover of the game is one of the main pilots of the series, Kyle Larson.

Main innovations

The developers focused on what the community requested most. Firstly, the game will feature dynamic track surfaces: over the course of a race weekend, the rubber from the tires changes the characteristics of the surface, and the optimal trajectory shifts from session to session. Secondly, rivals controlled by AI will finally be able to retire from the race after serious accidents - previously, cars returned to the track indefinitely, destroying realism.

Penalties for leaving the track on road configurations have also been relaxed - in NASCAR 25, players complained that the decisions of the judging system were too strict and unintuitive.

Chase mode

A separate line is the playoff mode: the seasonal format race for the title is reduced to the final 10 stages of the Chase. You can immediately set up the composition of participants and go through the decisive part of the championship without losing the whole year. Crossplay between platforms and festive tire spins after the finish are also confirmed.

Source: iracing.com