CMS Finalizes iRTSS Winter Championship Format and Adds Major Prize to iRTSS × iRTES Masters
The 21-race Wednesday-night season will count each driver's best 15 results, feature race lengths from 45 to 70 minutes, and award the inaugural Masters Champion a special trophy plus a one-year iRacing membership extension.
Champion Motorsports has put the final competitive structure in place for the 2026–27 iRacing Team Sprint Series Fall/Winter championship.
The Wednesday-night series will run 21 championship races from November 4 through April 14, blending some of the most recognizable road courses in iRacing with six special crossover weeks tied directly to iRTES Season 7.
Best 15 of 21 Will Decide the iRTSS Championship
With a championship stretching across more than five months, CMS will use a six-drop format for the normal iRTSS standings. Drivers may compete in all 21 rounds, but only their best 15 final event scores will count toward the championship.
The format is designed to preserve the value of season-long participation without making one work trip, vacation, illness or difficult race night championship-ending. Drivers who race more often retain an advantage because every extra start creates another opportunity to replace a weak result.
Race Lengths Will Vary from 45 to 70 Minutes
Every iRTSS race will continue to take the green at 9:30 PM Eastern, but race length will now vary by venue rather than forcing every circuit into the same time window.
Compact, intense circuits such as Laguna Seca, Long Beach, Monza, Interlagos and Mid-Ohio receive shorter 45-minute sprints. Larger or more strategic circuits stretch deeper into the evening, with 60-minute races at Daytona, Spa, Bathurst, Le Mans and Road Atlanta, 65 minutes at Sebring, and a season-long maximum of 70 minutes for the Nürburgring Nordschleife special event.
The Masters Championship Raises the Stakes
Sprint on Wednesday. Endure on Sunday. Master Both.
Six iRTSS races will take place on the same circuit being used by iRTES later that week. Drivers who race both sides of those crossover weeks score in a separate six-round Masters Championship.
Every Masters round counts. There are no drops. A driver's normal Wednesday iRTSS score is combined with the championship points earned by the iRTES team car that driver actually races in on Sunday.
Inaugural Masters Championship Prize
The winner will receive a special CMS Masters Championship trophy and a one-year extension to their iRacing membership, paid by Champion Motorsports.
The prize reflects the purpose of the championship: recognizing the driver who can consistently deliver both as an individual sprint racer and as part of a multi-driver endurance team.
The Six Masters Rounds
| Round | Wednesday | Venue | iRTSS Length | Sunday iRTES |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dec. 2 | Daytona | 60 min | Dec. 6 — 4 Hours |
| 2 | Dec. 16 | Mugello | 50 min | Dec. 20 — 3h20m |
| 3 | Jan. 13 | Mexico City | 50 min | Jan. 17 — 3h20m |
| 4 | Feb. 3 | Watkins Glen | 55 min | Feb. 7 — 4 Hours |
| 5 | Mar. 3 | Sebring | 65 min | Mar. 7 — 5 Hours |
| 6 | Apr. 14 | Road Atlanta | 60 min | Apr. 18 — 4 Hours |
Full iRTSS Race-Length Schedule
| Round | Date | Track | Layout | Race Length | Approx. Finish | Series Role | iRTES Pairing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nov. 4, 2026 | WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca | Full Course | 45 min | 10:15 PM ET | Regular iRTSS | — |
| 2 | Nov. 11, 2026 | Road America | Full Course | 55 min | 10:25 PM ET | Regular iRTSS | — |
| 3 | Nov. 18, 2026 | Long Beach Street Circuit | Street Course | 45 min | 10:15 PM ET | Regular iRTSS | — |
| 4 | Dec. 2, 2026 | Daytona International Speedway | Road Course | 60 min | 10:30 PM ET | Masters Round 1 | iRTES Round 1 — Dec. 6 |
| 5 | Dec. 9, 2026 | Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps | Grand Prix | 60 min | 10:30 PM ET | Regular iRTSS | — |
| 6 | Dec. 16, 2026 | Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello | Grand Prix | 50 min | 10:20 PM ET | Masters Round 2 | iRTES Round 2 — Dec. 20 |
| 7 | Jan. 6, 2027 | Autodromo Nazionale Monza | Grand Prix | 45 min | 10:15 PM ET | Regular iRTSS | — |
| 8 | Jan. 13, 2027 | Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez | Grand Prix | 50 min | 10:20 PM ET | Masters Round 3 | iRTES Round 3 — Jan. 17 |
| 9 | Jan. 20, 2027 | Suzuka International Racing Course | Grand Prix | 55 min | 10:25 PM ET | Regular iRTSS | — |
| 10 | Jan. 27, 2027 | Mount Panorama Circuit | Bathurst | 60 min | 10:30 PM ET | Regular iRTSS | — |
| 11 | Feb. 3, 2027 | Watkins Glen International | Boot | 55 min | 10:25 PM ET | Masters Round 4 | iRTES Round 4 — Feb. 7 |
| 12 | Feb. 10, 2027 | Nürburgring Grand-Prix-Strecke | Grand Prix | 50 min | 10:20 PM ET | Regular iRTSS | — |
| 13 | Feb. 17, 2027 | Autódromo José Carlos Pace | Grand Prix | 45 min | 10:15 PM ET | Regular iRTSS | — |
| 14 | Feb. 24, 2027 | Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course | Full Course | 45 min | 10:15 PM ET | Regular iRTSS | — |
| 15 | Mar. 3, 2027 | Sebring International Raceway | International | 65 min | 10:35 PM ET | Masters Round 5 | iRTES Round 5 — Mar. 7 |
| 16 | Mar. 10, 2027 | Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari | Grand Prix | 50 min | 10:20 PM ET | Regular iRTSS | — |
| 17 | Mar. 17, 2027 | Circuit des 24 Heures du Mans | 24 Heures | 60 min | 10:30 PM ET | Regular iRTSS | — |
| 18 | Mar. 24, 2027 | Nürburgring Nordschleife | Nordschleife | 70 min | 10:40 PM ET | Regular iRTSS | — |
| 19 | Mar. 31, 2027 | Virginia International Raceway | Full Course | 50 min | 10:20 PM ET | Regular iRTSS | — |
| 20 | Apr. 7, 2027 | Silverstone Circuit | Grand Prix | 55 min | 10:25 PM ET | Regular iRTSS | — |
| 21 | Apr. 14, 2027 | Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta | Full Course | 60 min | 10:30 PM ET | Masters Round 6 | iRTES Round 6 — Apr. 18 |
Realistic Weather Across the Winter
The Fall/Winter schedule will also use realistic weather conditions rather than defaulting every race to the same dry setup.
During the six Masters crossover weeks, the Wednesday iRTSS race will use weather aligned with the published iRTES race weather for that same venue and week, reinforcing the idea that the sprint and endurance events are part of one connected CMS race week.
On the remaining iRTSS dates, CMS Admins will create a balanced mix of realistic dry and wet events across the season, with race-specific conditions announced in the normal event briefing.
One Championship Rewards Flexibility. One Rewards Perfect Attendance.
The distinction between the two championships is intentional.
The normal 21-race iRTSS title allows six drops because weekly Wednesday racing must coexist with real life over a long winter schedule. The six-round Masters title does not. It is a short, focused challenge built around six specific crossover weeks, and every opportunity matters.
For drivers chasing both, the winter now offers two very different championships — and two very different paths to winning them.
Champion Motorsports • iRacing Team Sprint Series / iRacing Team Endurance Series • Fall/Winter 2026–27