The INDYCAR ButtKicker iRacing Pro Series moves back to an oval for the third time in the inaugural 2024 season Thursday, Oct. 31, with racing at World Wide Technology Raceway.
Thirty-three elite sim racers will battle it out at the 1.25-mile, egg-shaped oval just east of St. Louis, in Madison, Illinois, for 108 laps of racing. Action starts at 8 p.m. ET via iRacing social channels and the NTT INDYCAR SERIES YouTube channel and website.
During the Qualifying Series race at WWT Raceway earlier this summer, Philip Kraus scored the top split victory over Jason Brophy. PRIVATE LABEL Team Hype's Kraus leads the drivers considered more to be oval specialists, already scoring a victory at Iowa Speedway in the third race of the season.
With three of the final four races of the season on circle tracks, Team Redline will try to keep command of the championship, with five drivers in the top five after six races.
Last Race:
For the first time in the inaugural season, there is a multiple winner in the series. Team Redline's Edoardo Leo backed up his win at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course earlier this season with a dominant win last week at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, leading every lap.
Leo’s task was made easier when Coanda Esports' Jordan Caruso spun the tires coming to the green flag on the first lap, forcing a pileup that collected multiple cars and series stars before Turn 1.
Diogo Pinto leads the standings with four races to go.
Next Up:
The final road race of the season is in the eighth race slot on the schedule and will take place Thursday, Nov. 7 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. The 2.23-mile venue includes 11 corners, the most notable being the abrupt, downhill Corkscrew in Turns 7 and 8. Laguna Seca was not one of the seven tracks on the Qualifying Series schedule.
About the Series:
The inaugural INDYCAR ButtKicker iRacing Pro Series season will feature a purse of $50,000, with the champion taking home $20,000 at season's end. The 10 races scheduled include a fair mix of road courses and ovals that are often found on the real-world INDYCAR SERIES schedule. Points will be scored based on a similar system that the real-world series uses, with 50 points going to the winner and bonus points for laps led, most laps led and the pole award.