The NASCAR 26 release window has been announced, and the game's cover revealed - with Kyle Larson as the cover athlete.
Following the revival of the NASCAR game franchise in 2025, fans can look forward to a new title this fall: iRacing Studios have announced a September release window for NASCAR 26, and the game will come to PC via Steam, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
Like its predecessor, NASCAR 26 will feature the NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series, Craftsman Truck Series, and ARCA Menards Series.
25's cover stars Christopher Bell, William Byron and Ryan Blaney will not return as the faces of the game; instead, 2025 Cup Series Champion Kyle Larson was revealed to be the cover athlete for NASCAR 26. Larson won the Championship Race in Phoenix over Denny Hamlin in dramatic fashion, sealing his second title after taking the crown for the first time in 2021.
Burnouts To Be Featured
While the release window and the cover reveal were the main focal points of the announcement, iRacing Studios also revealed a new feature for NASCAR 26: Post-race burnouts to celebrate victories are going to be part of the game as fans had requested them frequently - though they won't really have an impact on the racing itself.
NASCAR 26's September release window means that the game will be out slightly earlier than NASCAR 25, which came to consoles on October 14, 2025, with the PC version following on November 11. Even if NASCAR 26 would release at the very end of the month, there would still be six races remaining in the Cup Series season for fans to play along.
What do you make of the NASCAR 26 cover reveal, release window, and burnout confirmation? Let us know in the comments below!
