The road to $500,000 heads to San Diego for another real-world motorsports debut on iRacing. After two intense eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Championship Series battles at Charlotte and Atlanta, won by ERA Esports Team’s Bobby Zalenski and Spire Motorsports’ Steven Wilson, respectively, those two and the others in the 40-man field will aim to double up their win total by scoring the inaugural victory at Naval Base Coronado—also known as Qualcomm Circuit—this Tuesday night.
The last few seasons have featured a rotating road course from around the world. From Monza, to Brands Hatch, and most recently to Interlagos in the 2025 edition, only two drivers have stood as winners—Zalenski in the first two, and Wilson in the most recent. However, this is a street course in the United States, which for the last few seasons, was on the schedule as the Chicago Street Course, again, with Zalenski a winner twice and Kanaan Esports’ Vicente Salas scoring a win there last year.
Coronado takes the place of both of these calendar mainstays, so it will be expected that those three will be the ones to watch for. But truly, who knows with such a brand new circuit on the schedule? Coverage for the third round of the Championship Series season begins at 8 p.m. ET at eNASCAR.com/live and across iRacing social media channels. Tune in 15 minutes earlier to catch the Countdown to Green at 7:45 p.m. ET.
PREVIOUS RACE: WILSON WINS AGAIN, MOVES UP TO FOURTH ALL-TIME ON MOST WINS LIST
Last year, Spire Motorsports and Steven Wilson broke records en route to his second career championship. That drive hasn’t faded as two weeks ago, Wilson scored the win at Echo Park and etched his name into fourth place all-time on the most wins list.
From the 17th starting spot, Wilson moved his way through the field methodically, straying from trouble and moving where it made sense. It wasn’t until the final run of the race that the No. 77 made his way into the top spot.
The race would go into eNASCAR Overtime, and Wilson was the leader, which is often a sitting duck situation on superspeedway style tracks. However, handling is bigger in Atlanta, especially on worn tires. Wilson managed to hold off runs from Rick Ware Racing’s Daniel Faulkingham, Letarte Esports’ Connor Yeroschak, and the JR Motorsports duo of Malik Ray and Zack Novak in the final laps to win.
CORONADO DEBUT TAKES PLACE ON VIRTUAL STAGE
In past seasons, there have been at least two road or street course races on the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Championship Series schedule. The formula used to be an international track early on, with venues such as Monza, Brands Hatch, and Interlagos gracing the schedule, and then a trip to the Streets of Chicago for a race closer to the eNASCAR Playoffs. With this Championship Series season more abbreviated, just one track with left and right turns will be run, and that will be Coronado.
As mentioned before, Qualcomm Circuit at Naval Base Coronado is entirely brand new, not only to the iRacing platform, but in the real-world, in part thanks to the iRacing platform for helping to bring the vision to life. It’s a tried and true method that was seen at places such as Chicago, Echo Park, and the L.A. Coliseum clash oval a few years back.
“iRacing is an incredibly valuable part of how we bring new venues to life,” said NASCAR Chief Operating Officer Ben Kennedy. “Long before the first piece of pavement is laid, we’re able to build, test and experience these tracks in a virtual environment, which helps us refine ideas and see what’s possible. The fact that fans can now drive Qualcomm Circuit on iRacing before we race there in person is a great example of how closely the virtual and real worlds work together at NASCAR.”
This weekend, the track will finally be ready to race at in the real world, but eNASCAR and iRacing get the first crack at the course in a competitive setting. While the races this weekend for the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series headline the bill, the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series, with 40 of the best virtual racers in the world, will be a worthy opening act.
ROAD RACE FORMAT BACK IN PLAY
Once again in 2026, the sole road racing event will have its own special format, similar to the Porsche Esports Supercup, with a Sprint and Feature race in play. Up to 48 points are on the table, with qualifying points awarded to top qualifiers. The Pole Award winner will score eight points, and each position down through eighth will incrementally score one less point through eighth place.
The top eight qualifiers will then invert for the Sprint race, with the Pole Award recipient starting eighth and eighth place on the pole. The Sprint race will be 10 laps, and it will set the grid for the Feature. No points will be scored at the conclusion of the Sprint race. The Feature will be 20 laps, and the normal eNASCAR points will be awarded at the conclusion of that.
SPECIAL SCHEMES TO WATCH FOR
A number of drivers and teams will be running some special schemes to get into the spirit of racing on this virtual U.S. Navy base located in San Diego, California.
Two teams are fully on board with the event, with both teams re-skinning both of their cars for the night. Jim Beaver eSports will feature Nate Stewart in the No. 5 Misadventure Life “Navy Dazzle” Ford Mustang, while Kollin Keister takes on the base with his No. 15 “Navy Camo Fatigues” Ford Mustang sponsored by Kicker.
The ERA eSports Team is owned by US Navy Officer Jesse Iwuji, who also competes part time in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series for his own team, Jesse Iwuji Motorsports, which is running again in 2026 partnered with DGM Racing. Iwuji will compete at Coronado, and his Navy Exchange scheme is featured on both Bobby Zalenski’s No. 22 and Michael Cosey Jr’s No. 34.
There are two drivers running specialized schemes as well. Shawn Conklin’s RFK Racing No. 17 Ford Mustang has Body Guard on the car, and this particular scheme is a Patriotic one, sporting the red, white, and blue of the American Flag.
As for eRacr’s Logan Helton, he’ll be driving a No. 42 Money Lap Toyota Camry inspired by the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels. Helton, a Pensacola, Florida native, grew up near Naval Air Station Pensacola, and his scheme portrays the famous blue and yellow of the Blue Angels.
STANDINGS ENTERING CORONADO
There are a number of points standings to keep an eye on this season besides the Driver’s Standings. There will also be Team Standings to keep track of, where the two drivers of each official team will earn points towards the Team Championship at the end of the season.
Every three races, there will be a three-race mini-championship, dubbed Segments, where the driver with the most points in that stretch will earn five additional Playoff Points. Finally, there are nine rookies competing this season, but only one can be the Rookie of the Year.
PLAYOFF STANDINGS FOLLOWING RACE #2 | ECHOPARK SPEEDWAY
| POS | NO. | DRIVER | TEAM | POINTS | + / – | WINS | POLES | TOP 5’S | TOP 10’S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 77 | Steven Wilson | Spire Motorsports | 74 | Adv. | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 2 | 22 | Bobby Zalenski | ERA eSports Team | 55 | Adv. | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 3 | 40 | Connor Yeroschak | Letarte Esports | 62 | +11 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 4 | 25 | Christopher Hill | William Byron eSports | 61 | +10 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| T-5 | 11 | Vicente Salas | Kanaan Esports | 57 | +6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| T-5 | 14 | Seth DeMerchant | fgrAccel eRacing | 57 | +6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 7 | 2 | Zack Novak | JR Motorsports | 56 | +5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 8 | 4 | Donovan Strauss | Williams F1 Team Gaming | 55 | +4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 | 20 | Wyatt Tinsley | Kansas City Pioneers | 53 | +2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 10 | 66 | Blake Reynolds | Channel 199 Sim Racing | 52 | +1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| —————————————————————PLAYOFF CUTOFF————————————————————— | |||||||||
| 11 | 88 | Malik Ray | JR Motorsports | 51 | -1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 12 | 17 | Shawn Conklin [R] | RFK Racing | 45 | -7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | 55 | Daniel Faulkingham | Rick Ware Racing | 42 | -10 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 14 | 34 | Michael Cosey Jr | ERA eSports Team | 41 | -11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| T-15 | 98 | Cody Byus | Apex Racing Team | 38 | -14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| T-15 | 7 | Femi Olatunbosun | Spire Motorsports | 38 | -14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| T-15 | 33 | Kenny Brady [R] | Team Dillon Esports | 38 | -14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
TEAM STANDINGS FOLLOWING RACE #2 | ECHOPARK SPEEDWAY
| POS | NOS. | TEAM | POINTS | + / – | WINS | POLES | TOP 5’S | TOP 10’S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | 77 | Spire Motorsports | 112 | Ldr. | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 2 | 8 | 88 | JR Motorsports | 107 | -5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 3 | 25 | 97 | William Byron eSports | 98 | -14 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 4 | 22 | 34 | ERA eSports Team | 96 | -16 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| T-5 | 36 | 40 | Letarte Esports | 94 | -18 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| T-5 | 11 | 66 | Kanaan Esports | 94 | -18 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 7 | 12 | 14 | fgrAccel eRacing | 84 | -28 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 8 | 20 | 24 | Kansas City Pioneers | 83 | -29 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 9 | 86 | 199 | Channel 199 Sim Racing | 77 | -35 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 10 | 4 | 95 | Williams F1 Team Gaming | 76 | -36 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
SEGMENT #1 STANDINGS FOLLOWING RACE #2 | ECHOPARK SPEEDWAY
| POS | NO. | DRIVER | TEAM | POINTS | + / – | WINS | POLES | TOP 5’S | TOP 10’S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 77 | Steven Wilson | Spire Motorsports | 74 | Ldr. | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 2 | 40 | Connor Yeroschak | Letarte Esports | 62 | -12 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 3 | 25 | Christopher Hill | William Byron eSports | 61 | -13 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| T-4 | 11 | Vicente Salas | Kanaan Esports | 57 | -17 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| T-4 | 14 | Seth DeMerchant | fgrAccel eRacing | 57 | -17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 6 | 2 | Zack Novak | JR Motorsports | 56 | -18 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| T-7 | 22 | Bobby Zalenski | ERA eSports Team | 55 | -19 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| T-7 | 4 | Donovan Strauss | Williams F1 Team Gaming | 55 | -19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 | 20 | Wyatt Tinsley | Kansas City Pioneers | 53 | -21 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 10 | 66 | Blake Reynolds | Channel 199 Sim Racing | 52 | -22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
ROOKIE STANDINGS FOLLOWING RACE #2 | ECHOPARK SPEEDWAY
| POS | NO. | DRIVER | TEAM | POINTS | + / – | WINS | POLES | TOP 5’S | TOP 10’S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shawn Conklin | RFK Racing | 45 | Ldr. | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2 | Kenny Brady | Team Dillon Esports | 38 | -7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 3 | Sebastian Marin | Kanaan Esports | 37 | -8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 4 | Matthew Morton | TC Esports | 33 | -12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 5 | Thomas Lloyd | Letarte Esports | 32 | -13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 6 | Tommy Gossett | Vegas Inferno | 24 | -21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 7 | Seth Noell | eRacr | 15 | -30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 8 | Dylan Basen | RFK Racing | 14 | -31 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 9 | Logan Helton | eRacr | 4 | -41 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Two races in the books, and that’s all it took for the defending series champion, Steven Wilson, to take back the top spot. His win at Echo Park, plus his fourth place effort two weeks earlier at Charlotte, has two-time leading the points, the segment, and together with Femi Olatunbosun, leading the Team Championship at Spire Motorsports.
Bobby Zalenski, the Charlotte winner, had a rough go at Atlanta, and while he sits second in the Playoff picture, he’s tied for seventh now in the Segment. The segment ends after Coronado, and the winner will claim five Playoff Points plus some cash, and right now, Wilson has a big lead over the rest of the field with a good chance at maintaining that through the end of the event.
The rookies have been impressive this season. While Kanaan Esports’ Sebastian Marin was in position for the win at Echo Park, his late race tussle with the Rick Ware Racing cars gave way to RFK Racing’s Shawn Conklin as the overall rookie leader, by seven points over Team Dillon Esports’ Kenny Brady and eight over Marin. While there are plenty of hot shoes already in the field at these road races, don’t be surprised to see Conklin extend his rookie points lead with an impressive drive in San Diego.
CORONADO TRACK FACTS
NASCAR’s partnership with iRacing to push the boundaries of track design brought the sport back to Southern California for 2026, with Naval Base Coronado chosen as the host for the sport’s newest street race. Previously home to the Coronado Speed Festival, which primarily hosted vintage racing from 1997 to 2016, the layout joins the Chicago Street Course as the second street circuit to host the Cup Series in the sport’s modern era.
The 16-turn Qualcomm Circuit doubles the length of the former Speed Festival circuit, extending for a total of 3.4 miles. The iRacing-designed circuit mixes high-speed straightaways with a handful of tighter turns, including 90-degree bends onto and off Rogers Road in Turns 2 and 3 and four sets of chicanes. Its highest-speed straightaways include the stretch after Carrier Corner (Turn 5) and the run up to the final left-hander bringing drivers back to the finish line.
NEXT RACE: A TRIP TO THE MONSTER’S CONCRETE JUNGLE
Following Coronado, the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Championship Series will race next at Dover Motor Speedway. There will not be an off-week in between Coronado and Dover, as the event is slated for next Tuesday night.
Last season, Vicente Salas was victorious in a race that saw massive tire wear throughout the night. The action from Dover starts on June 23rd with the Countdown to Green pre-race show at 7:45 p.m. ET.
For more information on the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series, visit eNASCAR.com or iRacing.com/eNASCAR.
For more information on iRacing and for special offers, visit iRacing.com.