7/24/2025 – The Agony of Defeat – Episode 0494
iRacers Lounge Podcast – Conversation Topics
Show Introduction
On today’s show we discuss why iRacing is the King of sim racing, see where NASCAR is using iRacing again in track development, find out how much force feedback is too much, which Coke Series driver sat out Indianapolis, what are the five stages of sim racing and cover more Sim Gaming Expo announcements as we are under 50 day to the show.
And remember you can follow along with us on your PC or mobile device in real time as you listen to the show and see for yourself all of the great topics and products we’ll discuss by visiting iracerslounge.com and selecting show notes. Hope to see you there..
TITLE SPONSOR READ:
https://www.premierracingsetups.com/
Topics
Help From iRacing
https://x.com/A_S12/status/1948036820354097564
As it has with several other events in recent years, iRacing helped NASCAR design the track that will be built for the race. A handful of drivers have already tested the virtual track on the iRacing digital platform. Grandstands, suites and general-admission areas will be set up.
Scanned the base several months ago… (7 minute mark) – Already have track model built out. Have had drivers on it…. Looking at bumps and such… Its a great collabative process… To have a partner like iracing where we can dream up these concepts years in advanced, they can use thier system to build out these tracks, which have a lot of validity behind them, and to put real drivers on it and test it real time to give us feedback, kudos to them.
5 Stages Of Sim Racing
- Survival mode just nail the line nothing fancy
- Control and consistency – how to drive smoothly
- Fundamental driving skills
- The black hole – tinniest details matter
- The alien
We Have A Date For NASCAR25
Did You Suffer From Split 22?
Who Is The Undisputed King?
Why is iRacing dominating the sim racing world in 2025? It’s not because of the graphics. It’s not even because of the physics. In this video, I break down the real reasons iRacing continues to lead the pack — from its addicting ranking system and nonstop competition, to the convenience that keeps racers coming back.
We’ll talk about:
✅ Why iRacing feels like the “Netflix of sim racing”
âś… How iRating turns races into obsession
✅ Why other sims still can’t compete — even with better visuals
✅ And whether it’s all actually worth the price tag
Parked Again
Wilson Grabs Sixth Win Of The Year
https://x.com/iracing/status/1947839828789272671?s=43
Oscar At Spa
Umm..What?
Pre-race Routine
INDYCAR Lap At Laguna Seca
Some Dirt Help From Jimmy Phelps
https://x.com/SuperDIRTcar/status/1947673192862257187
Premier Racing Setups Seeking To Expand To Road
Sim Gaming Expo
Use code IRLP10 to save 10% off tickets
https://www.overtake.gg/news/things-to-see-do-in-chicago-when-traveling-to-sim-gaming-expo-2025.3427
SGE Challenge Series By Simucube
iRacing Race For The Cure
https://www.iracing.com/iracing-and-national-ms-society-reunite-for-race-for-the-cure-on-august-13
Knoxville Nationals
https://forums.iracing.com/discussion/82787/iracing-presents-2025-knoxville-nationals
2025 Brickyard 400
https://www.iracing.com/this-week-iracing-brickyard-400-special-event-2025
Next Level’s Esports Championship Set To Return
https://nextlevelracing.com/next-level-racing-esports-championship-2025/
This Week In iRacing
https://www.iracing.com/this-week-in-iracing-july-22-july-28-2025
https://www.iracing.com/iracing-weekly-tune-in-esports-community-events-july-24th-to-july-30th/
Podcast Housekeeping
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Fantasy
Hardware/Software
New-Gen DD From PXN
How Much Is Too Much?
Need A Pivoting Side Arm?
Sim Lab P1X Ultimate
Conspit CCP EVO Pedal Review
New Prodrive Racing Simulator
Simagic EVO, Just Short Of Great?
Something Coming From VPG
Trak Racer TR160 V5Â
https://trakracer.com/collections/racing-simulators/products/tr160-v5
Results
NASCAR iRacing Series
Friday Open – NiS – Dover
- David – P dnf, tire blew with 7 laps to go, then I sped, then I stopped in the pits and exited
- Tony -P34 self spun out of 4 10 laps in. Yup on par on how my last 3 years in nis has been
- Brad- P Last. Popped RF tire on the first run. Trying to get to pitroad I hit the barrels and got the dreaded “Too much damage, we’re done.” Really disappointing week at Dover.
Sunday Open- NiS – Dover
- David – P 9, caution came out trapping me a lap down and playing to the advantage of guys who ran their tires longer instead of splitting the stints.
- Tony – P14 tried staying out of trouble. Avoided a couple of wrecks but one of em had me dodge a car and into the wall. Tried getting damage fixed and was wanting to go a lap down to get get more and ended up leaving pit road just ahead of the leaders on the restart… ( needs to be 4 laps not 3 for any track thats under mile and ½) long run to end so never got laps back
- Kyle – P7 Started P9 and just ran a top 5 race for the most of the first half of the race. Couldn’t keep tires on it to hold a top 5 finishing spot. Lap 131 Driver decides to try and get under me in turn 2 and just drove through me and I fell back to 16th. Quickly came up through the field and just hung around the 7th position until the end of the race.
Sunday Fixed- NiS – Dover
- Mike- P3- had a good run going. I even led some laps at one point caused caution by myself, spitting out while racing for the lead. Was able to recover and finish P3 on the final stop. I took tires a few others didn’t they won and I didn’t great run, however will take the podium.
Wednesday Open -NiS – Indy
- David – P10 dirty first half, green for last 60 laps or so, wasn’t fast, just consistent
- Bobby – P was running after fixing 8 minutes of damage, internet failed
Thursday Open- NiS – Indy
- Mike- P2- 21 cautions four hours kept it clean somehow ran top five most of the race was leading with 25 to go leading holding a gap if it would’ve stayed green, I had it one for sure but we got a caution for green white checkers on the first restart. The guy drove it in there deep on the apron and I gave him enough room so he didn’t kill us and he took the spot and I could never recoverP2
- Bobby – P wrecked out
Official Series
Gen 4
- Ellis – P had a pretty clean race got to the lead at one point but hit the wall just a few too many times to really contend with the leader and so I finished P2
- Top split started 12 worked my Way forward was gonna finish ninth but on the last lap, a few others wrecked and I ended up finishing a nice P6.
- Qualified six top split pretty uneventful Reyes finished P5
- Qualified third the leader started for the pitch so I ended up on Paul lead a few laps put on lap 12 ended up losing some track position then I ended up shorting on the long run everybody else, but I did a fuel only like a fool and it didn’t work out and I finished P8
- Switching to Talladega. Let a smart race kept myself. Patient made good moves. Avoided some racks near the end at a restart went from 7th to 1st for the late caution to come out and then held it from there to win the race. Winner winner, chicken dinner.
- Qualified nine out of 26 wrote around in the top five basically most of the race let a few laps was pretty much in a good position near the end, but made one bad move to pull up in front of the second lane and they split me and just couldn’t fully recover from that mistake but still got up to P5
- Then P 13. No cautions early and we ended up with green flag stops a group Short pit at everybody. They ended up with a big lead. We finally caught a caution restarted that late caution seventh was able to position myself to be in third place on the white with help from behind we had a huge run coming. We were gonna blow right by him. He was pushing me through the corner and I got turned off his nose and dumped basically and he went on the win.
- Had a good race going on let some laps near the end. Was in the middle of a three wide and the guys on the outside got a run and they were coming down but the second or third car back wasn’t clear and just cleared himself off my nose and wrecked the field. Four minutes damage I finish P 22.
- Got wrecked out on lap 15 real bad blew up the entire right front of the car.
A Open
- Brad W – P8 (Indy) Started p13 and just tried to keep it clean. We only had one caution and that was just before halfway. Extremely hard to pass so track position is at a premium. Qualify and defend early on.
IMSA
- Brad W – P5 (GT3-Interlagos) Definitely felt the benefit from running the GRR race here earlier in the week. The Merc had good pace and I was able to drive with more confidence at the start.
GT Sprint Simucube Series
- Brad – P11 (VIR) Gave a top 5 away with a pit error. Started p14 and drove up into the top 6 before pitting. Thought for certain that I had cleared my tires but nope. Extremely frustrating to throw a great finish away.
Indycar iRacing Series
- Kyle P- P2 Indy cars at Kansas80 laps of green flag racing and green flag pit stops. Fought the last 15 laps on the bottom 3 wide to squeeze out a P2 narrowly falling to P3 by less then the nose wing. Some of the most fun I’ve had racing since I joined iRacing 5 years ago.
League / Hosted Races
Grass Roots Racing
GTP/GT3 League – Road America Endurance
- William W – P3 – Enduro at Road America. One of my favorite tracks and always look forward to coming here. Could have quali on pole, but did not put enough gas in the set and ran out coming to the line. We run 60% to force a second stop. Took tires during the second instead of the first and that was probably the wrong decision. Came into the pits 2 seconds behind first, and by the time I got my tires warm I was 6s down. Ran P2 down but could not make the pass. Disappointed in myself. I was much faster but he did an exceptional job defending. Had a run out of the carousel, he defending into canada, I had the pass but got in the debris on the outside and lost the car. Contact and let him have the position as I think it damaged his car. Overall not bad, but could have been better.
- Brad W – P8 overall and p7 in class and really good race over all. The fuel limit was interesting because it forced us to pit twice during the 90 minute race. I took tires on second stop and thinking back I think it would have worked out better to do the opposite. The new tires were very hard to get heat into them with the rubbered up track. Definitely something to think about for the next one.
Hosted-
- Ellis – supercars at Michigan came from the back to lead the most laps that got wrecked out coming into the white
- 87 at Talladega started near the back worked my way forward and finished the race P one winner winner, chicken dinner. It wasn’t too pretty. I was on the bottom. I came up a little bit. He came down to the middle. It was a net code about a foot in between us, but he’s fine and the entire field wrecked besides me so I won the race
Final Thoughts
Words Spoken in Closing Audio Clip -“”Thank you for listening to the iRacers Lounge podcast make sure to go subscribe to us on iTunes, SoundCloud, or Google Play, Facebook & Twitter, See You On The Track .”
TITLE
- The Agony of Defeat
Description
On today’s show we discuss why iRacing is the King of sim racing, see where NASCAR is using iRacing again in track development, find out how much force feedback is too much, which Coke Series driver sat out Indianapolis, what are the five stages of sim racing and cover more Sim Gaming Expo announcements as we are under 50 day to the show.
So sit back, relax and join us on the iRacers Lounge Podcast.
iRacers Lounge Podcast is available on iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app, Stitcher, TuneIn, Google Play Music, Spotify, Soundcloud, Podbean, Spreaker, Podbay, PodFanatic, Overcast, Amazon, and other podcast players.
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Hosts:
Mike Ellis – https://x.com/mikedeanellis
David Hall – https://x.com/dmixmage
Greg Hecktus – twitter.com/froozenkaktus
Donnie Spiker – https://www.instagram.com/spikerman19/
Brad Wrenn – https://x.com/bradwrenn
John Kerley – https://x.com/KerleyJohnE
Justin Pearson – https://www.facebook.com/justin.pearson.5811
Bobby Jonas – https://x.com/bjonas71
William Westbrook – https://www.facebook.com/william.westbrook.35
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