The historic San Diego race weekend has started with a big announcement. NASCAR and iRacing Studios have revealed the official cover art for NASCAR 26.
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The announcement took place on Thursday as media members took part in a kickoff event. Kyle Larson pulled his No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro onto the flight deck of the USS Midway, and then he began performing burnouts.
The two-time Cup Series champion then helped iRacing Studios Vice President and Senior Producer Matt Lewis reveal the cover art featuring a view of his helmet and car.
From your couch to the Cup Series, you can drive your dream in @NASCAR26TheGame.
Coming this September! pic.twitter.com/2dgFmM7NhY
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) June 18, 2026
This marks a change from the NASCAR 25 cover art, which featured three drivers. William Byron took the center spot while 2023 champion Ryan Blaney and Christopher Bell stood on either side of him. Their three Cup Series cars sat idle at the bottom of the video game's cover.
NASCAR 26, which brings a version of the iRacing simulator to home consoles, will release during the heat of The Chase. The game has a release date in September 2026. This is the portion of the schedule featuring the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, World Wide Technology Raceway, Bristol Motor Speedway, and Kansas Speedway.
The cover art for NASCAR 26 is not the only reveal that iRacing Studios made on Thursday. The developer also announced that it had added an oft-requested featured.
Fans can now perform burnouts after winning races on the simulation video game. They did not have this opportunity in NASCAR 25 after closing out races in the ARCA Menards Series, Craftsman Truck Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series, and NASCAR Cup Series.
The cover art is only the first big reveal for the upcoming video game. As iRacing Studios approaches the September release date, the developer will face questions about other aspects.
Fans will want to know about the included tracks, the soundtrack, the schemes, the drivers, and the championship format. Will they be able to race on the virtual San Diego street course as the PC users have?
The developer will provide more clarity as the NASCAR season continues and the official release date approaches.
