Launched in 2008, iRacing built a subscription service around laser-scanned cars, official series and safety and skill ratings used by real racing partners.
iRacing is a subscription-based online sim racing game developed and published by iRacing Studios, first released in 2008. All sessions run on the publisher's servers, and the game models real cars, tracks and race rules. Its Safety Rating and iRating systems rank drivers by clean racing and skill across five disciplines.
iRacing set out to recreate the feel of real-world racing as closely as possible, with a cockpit-only view for most driving and rules modelled on actual events. It runs on seasons, ranked series and rating systems that decide who races whom. Its partnerships with racing bodies and manufacturers have made it a familiar name in professional sim racing.
How did iRacing begin?
The project started in 2004, when Dave Kaemmer, co-founder of Papyrus Design Group, partnered with John W. Henry to form FIRST.net LLC. That company acquired the code of NASCAR Racing 2003 Season, and Kaemmer built it into iRacing, which was released four years later in 2008.
iRacing kept the multi-body physics system from that code, along with some track presentation and multi-user packet code. The tyre model and graphics engine were rebuilt, and the service receives regular updates between its 12-week seasons.
In December 2021 and January 2022 iRacing acquired Orontes Games and Monster Games. Orontes had built the engine behind the 2020 off-road title Drag, while Monster Games had created racing games including NASCAR Heat, and both stayed independent of their new parent.
A subscription that runs racing like a real championship, with safety and skill ratings deciding who races whom.
How realistic is the driving experience?
Cars and tracks are lidar scanned, and most driving happens from a cockpit-only view. A day-night cycle limits visibility after dark, and a dynamic weather model added rain and fog in 2024, changing the track surface and temperature. Temperature variation and limited sight at night make the racing more dynamic.
Hardware support is broad. Racing wheels, gamepads, adaptive controllers and VR headsets all work with the service, and computer-controlled opponents arrived in late 2019 for a limited set of tracks and cars before expanding gradually.
Rules of conduct follow real motorsport. Drivers can be penalised in-race or disqualified for too many incident points, and when cars touch, the system gives every driver involved the same points without assigning fault.
How are seasons, series and sessions organised?
Seasons last 13 weeks, with four in each year, and new content usually arrives the week before a season starts. Official series typically run one car or a class of cars for the whole season, changing track each week for 12 weeks.
Week 13 is different. Most ranked official series are suspended and replaced by unranked races that showcase the new content. Each week a series offers open practice, a race or a time trial, and a short two-lap qualifying session usually comes before every race.
Players can also create hosted sessions and leagues, which are always unranked. Five disciplines are available: sports cars, formula cars, oval, dirt road and dirt oval.
How do qualifying and race sessions fit together?
Most race sessions are preceded by a short two-lap qualifying session that sets the starting order. Some series use a detached qualifying session instead, where the best lap a driver sets in any qualifying session during the week determines their grid position for all of that week's races. Each series runs its own seasonal championship for races and time trials.
How do licences and ratings work?
Every player starts with a Rookie licence and moves through letter grades D, C, B and A. The Safety Rating tracks clean racing through corners per incident, while iRating is an Elo-type skill score used to sort drivers into fair races and championship divisions. Both are tracked separately for each discipline.
Incident points are awarded for leaving the track, losing control or touching a barrier or another car. Contact is treated as no-blame, so every driver involved takes the same number of points. Ratings change only in official ranked races, and usually at least six players need to take part before iRating moves.
A Pro licence is reserved for drivers who qualify for the premier eSports series, such as the eNASCAR iRacing Series and the Porsche eSports Supercup.
How do minimum licence levels work?
Series require a minimum licence level to take part. A race in a C-level series, for instance, is open to C, B and A licence holders, while Rookie and D licence holders are generally kept out. Each discipline has its own licence ladder, so a driver can be strong in one type of car and new to another.
Advancement comes from taking part in sessions that meet a minimum licence requirement, plus improvement in safety rating. That structure rewards consistent racing rather than a single lucky result.
How is the safety rating calculated?
The safety rating uses the ratio of corners driven to incident points, calculated over a large number of recent corners. The exact number of corners depends on the player's current licence level, and the figure is worked out separately for each discipline. Too many incident points can bring a race penalty or a disqualification.
What counts as each discipline?
Sports cars are cars with fenders, and formula cars were split from them in early 2024. Oval racing uses ovals, while dirt road combines rallycross and trophy truck racing. Dirt oval completes the set. Before early 2024 both kinds of road car sat in a single discipline, so the change gave each type its own ranking.
What content is included?
The base subscription includes 24 cars and 32 tracks, and ranked Rookie races mostly use this content. Extra cars and tracks can be bought individually, but an active subscription is needed to keep access to them. The catalogue now exceeds 100 cars and tracks, covering stock cars, sprint cars, touring cars, open-wheel cars and prototypes.
Which partnerships shaped the service?
NASCAR has been a long-term partner since 2010, and the relationship was renewed in 2021 with a long horizon ahead. IMSA launched its iRacing Pro Series in 2020, and Porsche has worked with the service since 2017. Automakers such as Audi and Mercedes also hold licensing deals.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. was named executive director in November 2020, tying NASCAR's racing figures more closely to the service. The eNASCAR series are covered in more detail below.
World of Outlaws began partnering in 2018 to run two eSports championship series, and in 2022 it announced a new console game developed with iRacing and Monster Games. FOX Sports aired the first eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational event in March 2020, and the FS1 broadcast drew almost a million viewers.
On 30 May 2023 iRacing announced an official FIA partnership, and the iRacing Formula iR-04 was relaunched as the FIA F4 in June 2023 with the Season 3 update.
What special events and series ran on the service?
iRacing hosts special events across the calendar, including 24-hour endurance races inspired by the 24 Hours of Daytona, the Nurburgring 24 Hours and the Spa 24 Hours. An IndyCar iRacing Challenge also ran in 2020, linking the service to another open-wheel championship.
IMSA sponsors several iRacing series that reflect its real championships, including the IMSA Hagerty iRacing Series, the iRacing IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge and the IMSA iRacing Endurance Series. World of Outlaws runs two eSports championship series on the service, one for late models and one for sprint cars.
Which eSports series have run on iRacing?
The eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series has run since 2010, the eNASCAR Road To Pro Series ran from 2020 to 2025, and the eNASCAR International Series began in 2021. The eNASCAR College iRacing Series has run since 2022, and the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series ran from 2020 to 2021.
How many people used iRacing?
Over 16,000 people had subscribed by July 2009, and the company reported 50,000 members in December 2013. By April 2020 the president and CFO, Anthony Gardner, put active subscribers above 160,000. That growth reflected a loyal community of racers who stayed through the seasons.
The service launched to the public on 26 August 2008. Its growth was steady rather than explosive, and early reviews in automobile, racing and gaming magazines were largely favourable.
Criticism focused on missing features, most notably advanced visual damage modelling. Rain arrived for Season 2 of 2024, and PC Gamer said the game was not one that would suit everyone. GameStar's 2009 verdict was that the graphics felt like an unfinished beta, though the atmosphere among players was friendly.
Why does the service matter to real racers?
Because partners such as NASCAR, IMSA and Porsche run official series on the service, drivers from real championships sometimes race alongside simulator specialists. The service therefore sits between entertainment and training, which is why its rules carry weight with people who follow motorsport as closely as they follow games.
What lasting mark has iRacing left?
iRacing showed that a subscription can fund a racing calendar that runs all year, with seasons, ratings and official series that mirror real championships. Its partnerships tie the simulator to real motorsport bodies, which gives its rules a weight that many casual games lack.
