Written by eNASCAR College iRacing 2026-27 brings the biggest shake-up in the series’ history, and the headline change is the addition of an IMSA class to the collegiate esports championship. eNASCAR unveiled the schedule and format for the 2026-27 College iRacing Series during the eNASCAR College iRacing Series Showdown at the Sim Racing Expo in Charlotte, where organizers confirmed the season will grow from six to eight Tournaments, introduce a new car, and put $60,000 in scholarship money on the line for competing students.
eNASCAR College iRacing 2026-27: What’s New
The eNASCAR College iRacing 2026-27 season marks the biggest structural overhaul the eNASCAR College iRacing Series has seen since its launch. Built on iRacing, the series is part of NASCAR’s official esports ecosystem and pits teams representing U.S. colleges and universities against one another across a season-long calendar. For 2026-27, that calendar expands from six to eight Tournaments, the points system gets a NASCAR-style makeover, and — for the first time — sports car racing enters the mix through a dedicated IMSA class. The Ford Mustang GT4 joins the car lineup, tournament fields grow to 100 entrants, and $60,000 in scholarship money is on the table for participating drivers. Together, these changes push the college series toward a genuine multi-discipline championship, one that tests oval craft on NASCAR ovals and road-course skill on IMSA-sanctioned circuits within the same season.
New Race Format for the 2026-27 Season
Tournament size is increasing to 100 entrants per event, up from previous seasons, giving more student drivers a shot at qualifying rounds. The points system has also been reworked to mirror the real-world NASCAR structure more closely, with the Tournament winner earning 55 points in the final round — an approach that rewards consistency through the playoff-style bracket while still putting a premium on winning when it matters most. Readers who want a deeper look at how NASCAR-style scoring translates into esports competition can check our NASCAR esports coverage for more context on how points systems like this one play out across a season.
Here’s a quick rundown of the key format changes for 2026-27:
- Season expands from 6 to 8 Tournaments
- Tournament fields grow to 100 entrants
- New points system modeled on real NASCAR scoring (55 points to the winner in the final)
- Ford Mustang GT4 joins the car lineup
- IMSA class debuts with two dedicated Tournaments
- $60,000 in scholarships available to participating drivers
The addition of the Ford Mustang GT4 is notable on its own, giving oval-focused college racers a modern GT platform to learn road-course craft on before the IMSA rounds even begin. Combined with the larger fields and revised points, the format changes push the series closer to a true multi-discipline collegiate championship rather than a NASCAR-only proving ground. For teams that have spent years building rosters around oval-only skill sets, this is as much a coaching challenge as it is a competitive one, since road-course fundamentals like braking points, weight transfer, and setup work differ substantially from the short-track and superspeedway racing that has defined the series to date.
Full Track Schedule for 2026-27
The expanded eight-Tournament calendar brings several new venues into the mix alongside returning staples of the series. Among the confirmed additions are Echo Park (Atlanta), Watkins Glen, Dover, and the Daytona Road Course — a mix that spans short ovals, superspeedways, and technical road courses, reflecting the broader scope of the eNASCAR College iRacing 2026-27 season.
| Venue | Track Type | Class |
|---|---|---|
| Echo Park (Atlanta) | Oval | NASCAR |
| Dover Motor Speedway | Oval | NASCAR |
| Daytona Road Course | Road Course | IMSA |
| Watkins Glen International | Road Course | IMSA / NASCAR |
This isn’t the full eight-Tournament slate, but it does confirm the direction of the schedule: a blend of the ovals the series has always run, plus road-course rounds built specifically around the new IMSA class. Watkins Glen and the Daytona Road Course, in particular, give student drivers a proper road-racing test alongside the oval-heavy NASCAR side of the calendar. Teams that already race on iRacing outside of the college series will recognize these venues from other official series, and drivers who have logged laps using our iRacing setup and track guides should find the transition between disciplines a little smoother once the season gets underway. Echo Park and Dover keep the series rooted in its NASCAR heritage, while the road-course additions signal how seriously organizers are treating the IMSA expansion as a permanent fixture rather than a one-off experiment.
IMSA Class Makes Its Debut
The biggest storyline of the eNASCAR College iRacing 2026-27 season is the arrival of IMSA competition inside the eNASCAR College iRacing Series. Two dedicated Tournaments will run under IMSA sanctioning on road courses, giving college teams their first taste of sports car racing within the collegiate esports program. IMSA president John Doonan called the move a natural extension of IMSA’s growing relationship with iRacing and its push to reach the next generation of motorsport talent through simracing.
Running IMSA content through iRacing isn’t new — the sim has long hosted official IMSA content and endurance racing — but folding it into a scholastic esports championship is a first for the college series. It gives drivers who may be more comfortable on road courses than ovals a legitimate path to compete and be recognized within the same season-long points structure as their NASCAR-focused teammates.
For programs building out their rosters, the IMSA addition also changes recruiting calculus. Coaches who previously prioritized oval specialists now have a reason to scout road-course talent too, and drivers who split time between series can lean on our ongoing IMSA sim racing coverage to track how the class is evolving both in the college series and across the wider simracing calendar. It’s a small but meaningful step toward treating collegiate esports as a genuine training ground for multiple forms of motorsport, not just NASCAR-style oval racing.
IMSA Race Calendar and Format
The two IMSA Tournaments will be contested on road courses, with the Daytona Road Course and Watkins Glen among the confirmed venues tied to the class. IMSA rounds follow the same expanded 100-entrant Tournament structure as the NASCAR side of the schedule and feed into the same overall points system, meaning strong IMSA results carry real weight for teams chasing the season championship and the associated scholarship pool. Because the IMSA rounds sit inside the broader eight-Tournament calendar rather than running as a separate side series, drivers can’t simply ignore the road-course events and hope to contend for the title on oval results alone — building a well-rounded roster is now part of the competitive equation.
What This Means for College Teams and Drivers
For programs and drivers already competing in the eNASCAR College iRacing Series, the 2026-27 changes mean more racing, more disciplines to master, and more opportunities to earn scholarship money. Adding IMSA content — and the Ford Mustang GT4 alongside it — pushes teams to build depth beyond oval specialists, rewarding rosters that can field competitive drivers across both NASCAR-style ovals and road-course sports car racing.
With eight Tournaments instead of six and larger 100-driver fields, qualifying for and advancing through events will be more competitive than in previous seasons. Coaches and team organizers will need to factor road-course preparation into their programs well before the IMSA rounds arrive on the calendar, given the technical demands of tracks like Watkins Glen and the Daytona Road Course compared to the series’ traditional oval venues. Programs that treat the IMSA rounds as an afterthought risk falling behind in the standings, since every Tournament now counts toward the same scholarship-linked championship, regardless of whether it’s run on an oval or a road course.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What platform does the eNASCAR College iRacing Series use? The series runs entirely on iRacing, part of NASCAR’s official esports ecosystem for collegiate competition.
- How many Tournaments are in the 2026-27 season? The season expands from six to eight Tournaments, including two dedicated IMSA rounds.
- What’s new about the IMSA class? IMSA makes its debut in the college series with two Tournaments run on road courses, marking the first time sports car racing content is integrated into the championship.
- Is there a new car for 2026-27? Yes, the Ford Mustang GT4 joins the lineup as part of the format changes tied to the IMSA addition.
- How much scholarship money is available? Organizers have confirmed $60,000 in scholarships tied to the 2026-27 season.
- Where was the announcement made? Details were revealed at the Sim Racing Expo in Charlotte during the eNASCAR College iRacing Series Showdown.
Source: enascar.com
