INDYCAR ButtKicker iRacing Pro Series | Race Preview: Indianapolis Road
September 19th, 2024 by Justin Melillo
On Thursday night, the INDYCAR ButtKicker iRacing Pro Series finally kicks off its inaugural 2024 season at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course. The top-33 drivers from the Qualifying Series earned their spot into the top-level eSports series over the last two months, with many familiar names from the iRacing eSports ecosystem taking a spot on the grid.
The first challenge of the season will include a 37-lap feature at the Indy Road Course, the top-split race won by Edoardo Leo in the Qualifying Series last month.
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.
2024 INDYCAR ButtKicker iRacing Pro Series roster:
No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Country |
4 | Luis Núñez | Nexxus Esports | Honda | Spain |
8 | David Toth | Drago Racing | Chevrolet | Hungary |
9 | Brandon Traino | Apex Racing Team | Chevrolet | United States |
02 | Florian Lebigre | Team Redline | Honda | France |
04 | Xavi Ros | Unaffiliated | Honda | Spain |
10 | Brendan Lichtenberg | Team I5G | Honda | United States |
12 | Jordan Caruso | Coanda Esports | Honda | Australia |
14 | Sam Kuitert | Team Redline | Honda | Netherlands |
16 | Jacob Oster | Team I5G | Honda | United States |
17 | Edoardo Leo | Team Redline | Honda | Italy |
19 | Elliott Vayron | Coanda Esports | Honda | France |
21 | Gustavo Ariel | Team Redline | Honda | Brazil |
23 | Michael Janney | Coanda Esports | Honda | United States |
24 | Jaden Munoz | Williams Esports | Chevrolet | United States |
25 | Jose Soria | Drago Racing | Chevrolet | Spain |
29 | Adam Crane | Satellite Racing | Chevrolet | Canada |
37 | Cooper Webster | Team Redline | Honda | Australia |
41 | Daniel Amor | Apex Racing Academy | Chevrolet | United Kingdom |
44 | Diogo Pinto | Team Redline | Honda | Portugal |
50 | Peter Berryman | Apex Racing Team | Chevrolet | United Kingdom |
51 | Ricardo Rico | Drago Racing | Chevrolet | Spain |
52 | Kevin Birrell | Indy Alliance Racing | Chevrolet | United States |
53 | Michael Romanidis | Coanda Esports | Honda | Greece |
57 | Tamas Simon | Tamas Setups | Honda | Hungary |
66 | Michele Costantini | Coanda Esports | Honda | Italy |
68 | Sota Muto | Williams Esports | Chevrolet | Japan |
75 | Jeff Drake | Powerslide Motorsports | Chevrolet | United States |
86 | Jussi Kataja | Pike From Beach Racing | Honda | Finland |
88 | Jason Brophy | PRIVATE LABEL Team Hype | Chevrolet | United States |
91 | Robert Maleczka | PRIVATE LABEL Team Hype | Chevrolet | United States |
93 | Josh Chin | PRIVATE LABEL Team Hype | Chevrolet | United States |
96 | Luke McKeown | Apex Racing Team | Chevrolet | United Kingdom |
99 | Philip Kraus | PRIVATE LABEL Team Hype | Chevrolet | United States |
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. The infield Road Course came about in 2000, and its current iteration, a 2.43-mile, 14-corner circuit that travels the opposite direction across the Yard of Bricks, was revealed in 2014. The NTT INDYCAR SERIES has utilized that course since the same year, often as a precursor to the iconic Indianapolis 500 event.
About the Series:
The inaugural INDYCAR ButtKicker iRacing Pro Series 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.
The ninth race of the season will be up to the community to decide, with the possible choices including The Milwaukee Mile, Monza Circuit, or the Red Bull Ring.
The INDYCAR ButtKicker iRacing Pro Series starts tonight and YOU get to choose a track for them to race on this season!
Vote for where you’d like to see the drivers compete for Round 9!@IndyCar | @TheButtKicker
— iRacing (@iRacing) September 19, 2024
The 2024 INDYCAR ButtKicker iRacing Pro Series schedule is as follows:
- Sept 19, 2024 | Indianapolis – Road Course | 37 laps
- Sept 26, 2024 | Long Beach – Street Circuit | 40 laps
- Oct 3, 2024 | Iowa Speedway – Oval | 147 laps
- Oct 10, 2024 | Barber Motorsports Park | 39 laps
- Oct 17, 2024 | Indianapolis – Oval | 66 laps
- Oct 24, 2024 | Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course | 40 laps
- Oct 31, 2024 | World Wide Technology Raceway – Oval (Gateway) | 108 laps
- Nov 7, 2024 | Weathertech Raceway Laguna Seca | 40 laps
- Nov 14, 2024 | TO BE DETERMINED
- Nov 21, 2024 | Nashville Super Speedway – Oval | 114 laps
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.