AREA Publishes Updated 2026 Rulebook and Confirms Competition Format Changes

January 25th, 2026 —

AREA iRacing has officially published its updated 2026 Official Rulebook, finalizing a wide range of procedural, financial, and competition-related updates ahead of the upcoming season. These changes follow January Team Owner and Admin meetings and are designed to improve competitive balance, transparency, and long-term league stability.

All updates outlined below are now live in the rulebook and will govern competition beginning with the 2026 season.

Financial Updates and Guaranteed Payouts

Beginning in 2026, AREA will implement several financial changes that increase guaranteed payouts across all series.

• Driver registration cost is set at $60 per series

• Each series will feature a guaranteed $500 Driver Standings purse for the top 12.

• Guaranteed payouts are confirmed for the following marquee events:

  • Preseason Shootout

  • Daytona

  • Darlington

  • All-Star Race

• Any sponsor contributions will be added on top of guaranteed payouts and will not replace or reduce base guarantees

These changes are reflected in the updated rulebook and apply uniformly across all series.

Team Championship Payout Structure

As outlined in Section 6.5 of the rulebook, each series will now pay out the top five teams at season’s end. The team championship payout split has been finalized as follows:

• 1st: 50%

• 2nd: 20%

• 3rd: 10%

• 4th: 10%

• 5th: 10%

This update expands team payouts beyond the previous structure and rewards consistent performance throughout the season.

Scoring System and the Chase Format

Points System Overview

AREA has adopted a points system closely aligned with modern NASCAR scoring:

• 1st place: 47 points

• 2nd place: 42 points

• Each finishing position thereafter is reduced by one point

• Bonus points are awarded for:

  • Pole position

  • Leading a lap

  • Leading the most laps

  • Finishing the race with a 0x incident count

Bonus points are applied to both the regular season and the Chase as governed by the rulebook.

Chase Format and Qualification Criteria

The regular season will consist of 12 races, followed by a five-race Chase to determine the series champion.

The Chase field will consist of 12 drivers, qualifying as follows:

• The top 10 drivers in points following the conclusion of Race 12 will automatically qualify for the Chase

• The remaining two Chase positions will be awarded to the two drivers ranked 11th–20th in the standings with the most race wins

• If fewer than two drivers outside the top 10 and within the top 20 have race wins, any unfilled Chase positions will be awarded to the highest-ranked drivers in the standings outside the top 10

To be eligible for the Chase, drivers must:

• Be ranked within the top 20 in points

• Start at least 10 of the 12 regular-season races

All eligibility requirements are strictly enforced per the rulebook.

Chase Points Reset and Tiebreakers

At the conclusion of Race 12, all qualified Chase drivers will have their points reset for the final five races. The reset structure is designed to reward regular-season performance while maintaining a tight championship battle:

• 1st seed: 2,040 points

• 2nd seed: 2,030 points

• 3rd through 10th seeds: Separated by three (3) points per position

• 11th and 12th seeds: 2,000 points

Championship ties, both during Chase qualification and final standings, will be broken using the following criteria, in order:

1. Total wins

2. Top-5 finishes

3. Top-10 finishes

4. Successive finishing positions (2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc.) until the tie is resolved

All Chase procedures, resets, and tiebreakers are governed by Section 5 of the AREA Official Rulebook.

Team, Charter, and Number Assignment Clarifications

Several updates were made to clarify team and charter procedures across all series:

• Returning chartered drivers will retain their car numbers in each series

• Language allowing automatic number retention by teams has been removed

• If a returning chartered driver leaves a series, the team they last drove for will receive first right of refusal on that number

• If declined, the number will be reassigned based on prior season team standings

Race Procedures and Admin Authority

The updated rulebook also confirms several procedural changes:

Qualifying Procedures

• For the AREA 500 and Duels, drivers may not enter the car prior to qualifying

• Any driver who enters the car early will forfeit their qualifying attempt

Race Control

Updates were also made to Conduct, Penalties, Appeals, and Connection sections to improve clarity and enforcement consistency.

Charter and Registration Timeline

In accordance with the updated rulebook, the charter and registration process for the 2026 season will follow the timeline below. All dates are tentative and subject to adjustment at the discretion of league administration.

• New Team Applications:
  January 26 – February 2, 2026

• Final Charter Allocations:
  Announced shortly following the conclusion of the new team application window

• Charter Market:
  February 6 – February 13, 2026

Additional charter details are governed by Section 6 of the AREA Official Rulebook.

Final Notes

All changes outlined above are official, finalized, and reflected in the current AREA Official Rulebook. Any scenarios not explicitly addressed will be governed by the rulebook as written and interpreted by league administration.

Drivers and team owners are encouraged to review the full rulebook prior to registration as AREA prepares to enter its 8th season of competition.