INDYCAR ButtKicker iRacing Pro Series | Race Preview: Indianapolis Oval

On Thursday night, the INDYCAR ButtKicker iRacing Pro Series continues its inaugural 2024 season with the fifth race of the 2024 season over in Speedway, Indiana. Back home again, and back on the oval, the top-33 INDYCAR competitors will contest the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway for 66 laps of racing with left turns only.

During the Qualifying Series race here over the summer, Brandon Traino was victorious in the top split event over Jacob Oster and Robert Maleczka III. In the full-length, 200-lap, top split iRacing Indy 500 event during the spring, Maleczka III outlasted Jason Brophy and Brendan Lichtenberg in a three-wide finish across the bricks. Don’t count out the likes of Luke McKeown or Peter Berryman, however; they were two drivers who showed they have skills on the ovals as well, two weeks ago at Iowa, a race ultimately won by Philip Kraus.

Each race will be broadcast live at 8:00 p.m. ET on Thursday nights via iRacing social channels and the NTT INDYCAR SERIES YouTube channel and website.

Last Race:

Apex Racing Team’s Luke McKeown etched his name into the winner’s column last week at Barber Motorsports Park following a brilliant drive from fourth-to-first in the 39-lap feature. Coanda Esports locked out the first three spots with Jordan Caruso, Elliott Vayron, and Michele Costantini, but all three would find trouble at some point throughout the event. Before Caruso’s off-track excursion leaving pit road after halfway, McKeown had worked his way to the lead, on the 11th lap. Utilizing Alternate red-wall tires first, then the Primary black walls, McKeown managed to hold off Team Redline’s Cooper Webster in the closing laps on the same strategy.

Track Facts:

Around since 1909, Indianapolis Motor Speedway was once paved with more than 3 million bricks. Known today as “The Racing Capital of the World”, Indy is perhaps one of the most iconic tracks to ever exist. Also known as “The Brickyard”, Indy hosted its first 500-mile race on Memorial Day of 1911. By 1961, the track had been resurfaced to asphalt—all but the famous “yard of bricks” at the start-finish line as a tribute to the tradition of “The Brickyard.” The 2.5-mile rectangular oval features four low-banked corners that drivers will flirt with going flat-out around at speeds around 230 mph in qualifying trim.

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 schedule. Points will now 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.

Next Up:

Following the second and final trip to Indy, it’s back to the road courses with a trip to Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on October 24th. In the final round of the Qualifying Series, it was Jordan Caruso who took the checkers in the top split race, defeating Jose Soria and Edoardo Leo for the victory.

For more information on the INDYCAR ButtKicker iRacing Pro Series, visit www.iracing.com/indycar-esports/. For more information on iRacing and for special offers, visit www.iracing.com.

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