SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Saturday, January 10, 2026
USA Speedway
All times Eastern US
12:30pm Legend 34’ Practice/Qualifying 20-Minutes 32-Car Limit
12:55pm Legend 34’ Race 50-Laps 32-Car Limit
1:50pm Street Stock Practice/Qualifying 20-Minutes 32-Car Limit
2:10pm Street Stock Race 50-Laps 32-Car Limit
3:05pm SK Modified Practice/Qualifying 20-Minutes 32-Car Limit
3:25pm SK Modified Race 60-Laps 32-Car Limit
4:20pm SRX Practice/Qualifying 20-Minutes 32-Car Limit
4:40pm SRX Race 60-Laps 32-Car Limit
5:35pm WinterFest Qualifier Practice ARCA 15-Minutes 36-Car Limit
5:50pm WinterFest Qualifier Qualifying ARCA 5-Minutes 36 Car Limit
5:55pm WinterFest Qualifier Race ARCA 80-laps Top 26 Qualify
6:50pm IceMaker 100 Practice ARCA 30-Minutes 36-Car Limit
7:20pm IceMaker 100 Qualifying ARCA 5-Minutes 36-Car Limit
7:25pm IceMaker 100 Race 100-Laps 36-Car Limit
8:50pm WinterFest Derby Practice ARCA 30-Minutes 33-Car Limit
9:20pm WinterFest Derby Qualifying ARCA 10-Minutes 33-Car Limit (4-Lap Average Qualifying)
9:30pm WinterFest Derby Race ARCA 200-Laps 33-Car Limit
(This is a VGN-Broadcast Race)
The winner of the WinterFest Derby will receive a “Baldy.” A 24” inch, three dimensional Stars & Stripes American Eagle made from 16-gauge steel by Metal Art of Wisconsin in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. The Eagle is ground, coated, and polished with an American Flag look.
In addition, the WinterFest Derby Champion also receives an invitation to the 2026 YesterYear™ IROC Series. (If the winner is already qualified, the next place driver, not already qualified, will get the invitation)
FORMAT
Multiple Support Races (Non-Broadcast) – Winner of each Support Race qualifies for the WinterFest Derby Main Event (If same winner in multiple support races, next highest finisher qualifies for WinterFest Derby Main Event)
26 drivers from the WinterFest Qualifier race also qualify for the WinterFest Derby Main Event.
IMPORTANT: The IceMaker 100 Event is ONLY for drivers that have not qualified for the WinterFest Derby Main Event up to that point. If a driver has already qualified for the WinterFest Derby Main Event either by winning a support race, or qualifying via the WinterFest Qualifier Race, they SHOULD NOT RACE the IceMaker 100. The TOP 3 drivers from the IceMaker 100 are “last chance” qualifiers for the WinterFest Derby Main Event.
WinterFest FAQS
May I participate in the event if I am not in one of the approved leagues?
No. A driver MUST be a member of one of the following iRacing leagues to participate in the 2026 WinterFest event. The approved leagues are the YesterYear Racing League, Bootleg Racing League, OBRL, Red Light Racing League, Stars & Stripes Racing League, and the Skitter Creek Drivers Club. If a driver is not a member of one of these leagues, they cannot register for WinterFest.
If I sign up for WinterFest, do I have to race in all the races throughout the day?
No. A driver can sign up for WinterFest and pick and choose the races they want to attend. However, to race in the WinterFest Derby Main Event, a driver would need to qualify by either winning one of the support races, qualifying via the WinterFest Qualification race, or qualifying by finishing in the top three spots in the IceMaker 100 last qualifier event.
I see all the support races have a maximum number of drivers to grid up. What if more drivers show up to race than the maximum allows?
If more drivers show up than the race maximum number allowed, qualifying will determine who gets into the race. There are multiple support races, so a driver can try and qualify for the next race on the schedule.
Are all races at WinterFest broadcast on the Virtual Grip Network?
No. Only the WinterFest Derby 200-lap Main Event is broadcast on VGN.
Are there penalties for drivers that are too aggressive or cause recurring accidents?
WinterFest is meant to be a fun, one-off event during the racing off-season. However, if a driver is deemed to be too aggressive on the track, they can get penalties including suspension from one or more of the support races, EOLs in one or more of the support races, or other penalties deemed applicable by the Race Director. This includes suspension from all WinterFest races for the remainder of the day if the violation is ruled to be bad enough by the stewards. So race craft is very important, as always.
Will I need to buy tracks or cars from iRacing to participate in WinterFest?
You will not need to buy the track since U.S.A. Speedway comes with an iRacing subscription. With respect to cars, the U.S. Legend 34’ car, and Street Stock Panther, come with an iRacing subscription. If you want to race the SK™ Modified support race, and the SRX™ support race and don’t already own those cars, you will need to purchase them. If you do not have a new ARCA car (not ARCA Legend car), it is highly recommended you purchase it as that car will race in three races, including the WinterFest Derby Main Event.
What is the WinterFest registration process?
The first step is to send a Discord message saying you want to register to Allen Wannamaker, who is a member of OBRL, YesterYear, Red Light, and BRL, and the Skitter Creek Drivers club. If any Stars & Stripes drivers want to participate, they can send a Discord message to Brian Lynch who will get in touch with Allen. From there, you will receive an invitation to WinterFest within iRacing (WinterFest is set up as a separate league even though it is only one race event). Once you accept your invitation to WinterFest in iRacing, your car number can be assigned.
Can I run a custom paint scheme for WinterFest, or does it need to be a Sim-Stamped paint?
You will need a sim-stamped paint to run at WinterFest. This is because we don’t want to have a situation where more than one car on the track has the same number as this could get confusing to both other drivers and the broadcasters doing the Main Event. Your car number will be assigned to you. The stewards will make every effort to assign you the car number you run in your respective league, but that may not be possible.
Please note the VGN broadcast policy:
https://virtualgrip.net/policies-and-expectations/
Bootleg Racing League 