Steam lists iRacing.com Motorsport Simulations, LLC as both developer and publisher of NASCAR 26. That relationship exists because iRacing acquired the exclusive NASCAR console racing game license from Motorsport Games in October 2023, after Motorsport Games ran into financial trouble.
How iRacing Got the NASCAR License
Forbes reported on October 5, 2023 ("iRacing Acquires NASCAR Team Properties License From Troubled Motorsports Games Inc.") that iRacing acquired NASCAR Team Properties' exclusive license for simulation-style console racing games directly from Motorsport Games, which had been struggling financially. iRacing's own announcement of the deal confirms the same acquisition. The first game to come out of that acquisition was NASCAR 25, released in 2025; NASCAR 26 is the direct follow-up.
This is a separate relationship from iRacing Studios' role as developer — Steam's listing means the same company, iRacing.com Motorsport Simulations, LLC, is publishing NASCAR 26 as well as developing it, so there's no third-party publisher involved based on the sources reviewed for this guide.
iRacing's Longer NASCAR Relationship
The NASCAR game license is a fairly recent development, but iRacing's relationship with NASCAR goes back further. According to iRacing's official history page, iRacing and NASCAR announced a partnership in April 2009 to develop NASCAR-sanctioned online racing series, and the relationship as a licensed sim-racing product began in 2010. iRacing has since grown into what its own materials describe as NASCAR's "official simulation partner."
Co-founder John Henry is also connected to NASCAR outside of the software business: he's the principal owner of the Boston Red Sox and Liverpool Football Club, and he co-owns the NASCAR Cup Series team Roush Fenway Racing. iRacing's own history page notes he is also an avid sim racer himself, which is public context for why a licensed NASCAR game fits the company's broader motorsport ties, though it isn't cited anywhere as the reason iRacing pursued the license.
FAQ
Yes. Steam lists iRacing.com Motorsport Simulations, LLC as both developer and publisher.
It acquired NASCAR Team Properties' exclusive simulation-style console racing game license from Motorsport Games in October 2023, per Forbes and iRacing's own announcement.
No. NASCAR 25, released in 2025, was the first game following the 2023 license acquisition; NASCAR 26 is its direct successor.