iRacing 2021 Season 4 Patch 3 Replaces Phoenix

iRacing yesterday deployed their third patch for the current season. While it contains a decent number of fixes and tweaks, perhaps the one thing most people are focused on is the replacement of the 2012 version of Phoenix with the new one. While the layout of the track itself remains largely the same, the pit area and start/finish line are different, meaning that it is in every way a new track (iRacing say they re-scanned it, too).

But, confusingly, rather than putting the 2012 Phoenix into the legacy category, they decided to remove it completely. I don’t particularly mind this alone, but what annoys me slightly is the fact that this means nobody can watch their replays recorded at the 2012 version – ever. They’re just useless files now.

The idea behind RSC – apart from the news – is preservation. I spend my time going and finding version 1.2 of a game patch when the 1.4 version included those changes anyway, I find old press releases and re-post old news items so people can visit and see the history of those older sims. It’s the loss of the track and those replays from a preservation standpoint that irks me about this.

I had a friend run some laps for me in the current iRacing Cup car and Indy car, I then recorded the footage so I have some way of even confirming it existed when I (as an old man, presumably), get around to writing my Phoenix track profile page. Honestly, it’s sad that I had to do that.

New Phoenix trailer (build notes below):

View on YouTube

Changelog:

iRACING UI:

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Home Page

The Season and Week display has been moved to the right side of the page.

Licenses

Clicking on your licenses at the top-right now opens the Licenses page.

Current Series

Fixed an issue where the icon for Road Course was incorrect.

Time Attack

Resolved an issue where registering for a Time Attack Session could cause an unexpected error to occur.

SIMULATION:

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AI Racing

AI Racing is now available at Phoenix Raceway!

AI Drivers have improved their pitting skills at Rockingham Speedway.

Cameras

Fixed an issue where the focus depth decrease key-step could cause it to jump an inconsistent amount.

Spotter

Fixed a grammar issue about your gas.

CARS:

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ARCA Menards Chevrolet Impala

iRacing setups have been updated.

Dirt Sprint Car

(ALL) – Engine power and torque have been increased.

(ALL) – Tire parameters have been adjusted slightly.

(ALL) – Aerodynamic parameters have been overhauled and improved.

– – These changes resolve a pitch sensitivity issue.

– – All wing sensitivities have been adjusted to better reflect real world setups.

– – Wing angle ranges have been adjusted.

(ALL) – Opponent vehicle settings have been adjusted to reduce the visual warping that could sometimes be seen.

(ALL) iRacing setups have been updated.

NASCAR Cup Series Class Cars

Aerodynamic shifting in draft at super speedways has been reduced, especially for oversteer.

iRacing setups have been updated.

NASCAR Gander Outdoors Series Class Trucks

iRacing setups have been updated.

NASCAR Next Gen Series Class Cars

iRacing setups have been updated.

NASCAR Xfinity Series Class Cars

iRacing setups have been updated.

TRACKS:

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Daytona International Speedway

Collision parameters for the tire island have been improved.

Hickory Motor Speedway

Track checkpoints have been updated to prevent course cutting.

Penalties for course cutting have been increased.

Hungaroring Circuit

Collision parameters for the tire bundle at pit entry have been improved.

Visibility settings for brake markers have been improved based on camera distances and graphics settings.

Lanier National Speedway

Visibility settings for a variety of objects have been improved based on camera distances and graphics settings.

Oran Park Raceway

A gain-time penalty has been added for leaving the race track and using the off-track road prior to the bridge.

Phoenix Raceway

NEW AND FULLY UPDATED TRACK!

– – Phoenix Raceway has been fully updated with brand new scan data fresh from 2021!

This 2021 version completely replaces the previous 2012 version.

– – The 2012 version has been retired with this deployment – only the 2021 version is now available.

– – All users who previously owned the 2012 version have been granted ownership of the 2021 version for free!

Opened in 1964, Phoenix Raceway was built with one thing in mind: becoming the home for open-wheel racing in the western half of the United States. It quickly accomplished that, hosting IndyCar races for more than 40 consecutive years and later adding the Copper World Classic for Silver Crown and midget cars in 1977. From there, it was only a matter of time until NASCAR brought the Cup Series there for the first time in 1988; Alan Kulwicki’s first career win came in that race, and he celebrated with the reverse “Polish Victory Lap” that many drivers still utilize today. The track also hosted the first-ever NASCAR Truck Series event in 1995. Through its history, Phoenix’s one-mile oval has always been defined by its asymmetrical turns and dogleg, which was implemented in part because of the natural terrain of the area. With different progressive banking at each end of the track as well, Phoenix is often a favorite track of drivers for the challenges that they face in setting up their cars and maximizing their performance. Although its backstretch dogleg already made it one of the most unique ovals in America, the track’s latest renovation, which was completed in October 2018, made it even more unique. The start-finish line was moved between the former Turn 2 and the dogleg, fundamentally changing how drivers would approach each lap, while the former frontstretch grandstand was removed in favor of expanding seating closer to the new start-finish line. The shift also led to a reconfiguration of pit road. This layout made its NASCAR Cup Series debut in November 2018, and began hosting NASCAR’s championship weekend with the 2020 season.

Add this brand new version of Phoenix Raceway to your digital landscape from the iRacing Store here: https://members.iracing.com/membersite/member/TrackDetail.do?trkid=418

Sebring International Raceway

(Club) – Pit stall locations have been adjusted slightly.

South Boston Speedway

Collision parameters for pit barrels have been improved.

Visibility settings for pit barrels have been improved based on camera distances and graphics settings.

Talladega Superspeedway

Closed a gap in the Turn 2 SAFER Barrier.

Weedsport Speedway

Visibility settings for a variety of objects have been improved based on camera distances and graphics settings.