Episode 0550 - iRacers Lounge Podcast

9/18/2026 – Sim Racing Heaven – Episode 0550

iRacers Lounge Podcast – Conversation Topics

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Show Introduction

On today’s show we come to you live from the 2026 Sim Gaming Expo in Chicago. Is iRacing anti-racing?, the legacy Grand National car is almost perfect, is the Caterham the best car on the service now?, more changes coming to weather and rookie to Petit LeMans in fourteen days?

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..

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Topics

LIVE From The 2026

Really Ruined?

Is iRacing Anti-Racing?

2026 Season 4 Hotfix 1

https://forums.iracing.com/discussion/100023/2026-season-4-hotfix-1-release-notes-2026-09-11-01

Why No New F1 Car?

https://forums.iracing.com/discussion/100198/newer-formula-1-cars-and-possible-f2

Any Chance Of A Madring Scan?

https://forums.iracing.com/discussion/99860/madring

Rookie To Petit In 14 Days?

Almost Perfect

Here is a summary of the video “iRacing Grand National Car Review: The Old Arca Car, But Be

Caterhams

See It Is Realistic

Bad Luck

Fence Rider

Weather Regeneration Plan

https://forums.iracing.com/discussion/100222/2026-season-4-weather-regeneration-plan/p1

Sim Racing Expo eNASCAR Euro Showcase

https://forums.iracing.com/discussion/100223/the-sim-racing-expo-frankfurt-is-pleased-to-present-the-enascar-euro-showcase/p1

Alt-F4

Tire Smoke Is No Joke

Petit LeMans

https://forums.iracing.com/discussion/100400/2026-petit-le-mans-powered-by-vco

Britcar 24

https://forums.iracing.com/discussion/100050/2026-britcar-24-presented-by-cosworth

Great American 500

https://discord.com/channels/238867726335082506/238867726335082506/1549721684557307945

This Week In iRacing

https://www.iracing.com/this-week-in-iracing-september-15th-to-september-21st-2026

Podcast Housekeeping

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Fantasy

Hardware/Software

Chad McNeese’s Ultimate Hardware Spreadsheet

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1i08zKjBSmSn5G_mCc9cHx07w7XLo03sfoytpVJkqbYk/edit?usp=sharing

Immersion

Check Your Settings

Sensit Haptics MTC-P Extreme

Focus 160 Review

Bavarian Simtec Long Term Review

Ark Dynamics

Powered Seat

Mixed Reality

DNR Halo

Conspit Halo 270

EPLAB FC992 Dashboard

Results

NASCAR iRacing Series

Friday Open – NiS – Gateway

Mike- P. DNF. Involved in three different wrecks before lap 20 eventually ending with wheel damage and parking it out of frustration the first wreck I got door going down the straight away.
David – P destroyed, with 9 to been stuck in around 20th all race, no long rusn, on 12th restart three guys underneat get tangled and one of is sent on a journey acrose of the corners leading him to hit be flying back up the track at speed, he was not under control, just my luck though.
Tony -P13 stayed out of trouble but on the 2nd to last GWC was 5th when 3rd place spun went into the outside line and got black flagged for passing him on the inside which i had to serve on the last GWC
Brad- P wrecked out

Sunday Open- NiS – Gateway

David – P32, caution fest, but was having a late long run, snapped just loose enough to put myself in the wall, took no one else out and able to get out of the way and off the track with no yellow
Tony – P26 again staying out of trouble and had iracing disconnect on me with 38 to go while in 7th

Wednesday Open -NiS – Bristol

Mike- P wrecked out around 80 to go. Missed some wrecks at the beginning, didn’t pit until lap 60. That was a mistake. It put me back with the garbage, gotten several wrecks after that, ran around with six minutes damage for a long time, but eventually wrecked more and parked it
Justin- lost connection while leading
Chris – P6
David – P wrecked out
Brad- P Did not complete a lap

Thursday Open -NiS – Bristol

Tony – P6 Bristol is a blender and just like every other short track this year its 25 plus cautions. This one had 27. Tagged in a wreck early and just kept chipping away at my optional til 20 to go where there were only 8 cars on the lead lap. The new smoke model bit nice but also a pain in the ass because its gotten thicker and you cant see shit when coming around the corner

Official Series

Ring Meister

Mike- P the catarrham. Start at P2. Finished P2 I had two spinoffs on my own, and that really cost me the win. I was actually chasing down the leader, and when I went off the second time, but boy, what a fun car
- Start a sixth, quickly got to the lead, but then spun myself out into the wall and couldn’t get back on track. DNF
- Started sixth, quickly got to the lead, me and another guy pulled away, just me and him going up the hill in the kink side-by-side. He doesn’t give me any room and runs me off the track. We both wreck.DNF
- Top split started third, some heavy headers in here. Top four break away. We had great battle switching back-and-forth. I eventually spun on my own while in the lead, so DNF.
- Started on pole out of 29. We had three cars break away. from the rest, and it was a good battle trading first, second, and third, really clean racing. I could always outbreak them on the long straight, though, and so that’s what I did. We were side by side for the last lap there, and I took it winner, winner, chicken dinner, number 163. What a fantastic car, and to say I got a win in it in the second day of the car, I’m super proud

Sprint Car

Mike– at North Wilkesboro, qualified fifth out of 12. Finish P6 got about what I deserve. There were a couple cautions in the back, but clean race otherwise. The leaders were consistently 2/10 to lap faster. It was fun to rip the top
- Qualified 13th out of 26. There were a few cautions. The last one, there was a delayed caution, so I waited for the pace car. I was running like six. The other five kind of went ahead a little bit. Pace car came back out on the backstretch, didn’t do a lap, immediately came into the pitch, and I became the leader basically because everyone else got black flags, but I earned it. I was able to keep the lead for the rest of the race and winner, winner, chicken dinner! What a great car

Caterham 420 r. cup

Mike-qualify 24th out of 30 at oulton Park circuit. Got to 16th by the end of a chaotic lap one after getting doored on the grid, the guy on the left has turned right and plowed me up into the air. After that, I brought it home. P11

F-4 Fixed.

Mike – P at Okayama. Qualified seventh of 21. Got up to second, but got wrecked out actually
- Then started second out of 22. Wrecked out on the first lap on cold tires. I can’t get a handle on this car

League / Hosted Races

Hosted-

Ellis – week 13 sprint car at South Boston started fifth out of 13. . Of course they wrecked all out in front of me and turned one lap one had to go get a quick repair came back out and worked my way up to fourth before a lap car hit the wall as I was going around him and wiped me out. Karl felt good. I had to push both the brake and the throttle at the same time in the corners to be fast.
- Sprint car at IRP started 10 out of 21. Got up to nine they got wrecked out by the highest iron rating in the room 7000 trying to go through the inside and just push-up into me and kill me into the wall.
- Then started 12 out of 12. Add a clean race this time and move forward to finish P4 and the force feedback pretty strong and I’m worn out after 40 laps.
- I have to go 87 at Talladega got wrecked and turned one lap one
- Then ridiculousness at Bristol and the Cadillac GTP qualified third out of 17. And explain to me why we have eight minutes of qualifying for 213 second laps. massively wrecked out around lap five.
- Then BMW M2 at Willow Springs qualified fifth out of 10. Finish P3 great race.
- MX 5 cup at Oran Park. Qualified 14th out of 17. spot on cold tires by myself fell to the back worked my way back up to finish P 14. Hey Siri give me a 29 minute countdown timer.

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

Sim Racing Heaven

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