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 Pro Qualifying 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 2024 INDYCAR ButtKicker Pro iRacing 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.
