Multi-Groove Racing on iRacing: Fantasy and Reality

In this post I’m going to look at iRacing tracks, current and future, as they are in the real world. I will determine which tracks feature single groove racing, and which tracks feature multi-groove racing. This post stems from my article on How to Clean Up iRacing Dirt in which I point out the fact that all the calls for multi-groove racing on iRacing are unrealistic since there really aren’t that many dirt tracks that feature multi-groove racing.

Cedar Lake Speedway

Cedar Lake Speedway is a 3/8 mile high-banked clay track located near New Richmond, Wisconsin.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gPl2OfRgG8

Cedar Lake Speedway is a bottom dominant track for the Late Model Cars. Most of the cars run the bottom. The guys riding around the top are usually losing positions or trying to make a pass. If a driver can keep it really smooth and get a good run, he can make passes on the outside. The outside is a good place to go to pass a driver who has made a slip or bobble. Three wide doesn’t really work as you can see around 4:17 in the video above. Once in a while you will see a car or two that works better on the outside but the rule of thumb is, the inside is faster. The winner of this race was actually running the high line in turns one and two and right on the bottom in turns three and four. The inside is also typically the favored line for Late Models on most tracks in iRacing. So here we have a track that really does not have multi-groove racing, matching most of the tracks on iRacing.

Late Model Verdict: Single Groove

As with most of the tracks already available on iRacing, the real life Sprint Cars favor the top at Cedar Lake Speedway. From the videos I have seen, the bottom can also be pretty good at this track, but you almost always see the winner riding around the top of the track unless he’s trying to make a pass.

Sprint Car Verdict: Multi-Groove

Eldora Speedway

Eldora Speedway is a little more forgiving where racing grooves are concerned. Most types of cars can race all over the track; top, bottom, middle, wherever, but there is a more preferred line which can also vary based on they type of car and the setup. This is one track where iRacing has not been able to find the right combination to provide a realistic experience, and I would agree that multi-groove racing at Eldora would be more realistic and could potentially help a little bit with the official race issues on iRacing. It won’t help much because it doesn’t matter how many racing grooves there are, there will still be drivers who either have no respect for others and don’t care, or who don’t possess the skills necessary to be on the track with other drivers.

Although there is a way to run different lines at Eldora Speedway, all you have to do is go watch a few Sprint Car videos to see that the high line is a little better in general for the Sprint Cars. At about 4:35 you can see Brad Sweet in car number 49 put the right rear on the wall coming out of turn two. It shows how good the high line really is at Eldora if you have the skills and you’re willing to risk it. Sweet definitely had the fastest car on the track late in the race and he was running the rim right next to the outside wall.

Sprint Car Verdict: Multi-Groove

The Late Models run all over the track at Eldora Speedway if the conditions are good. As with other tracks, it seems that the Late Model is better on the bottom although the top is also pretty good. Bloomquist used the bottom to great advantage in winning this race.

Late Model Verdict: Multi Groove

Fairbury American Legion Speedway

The Fairbury American Legion Speedway is a 1/4 mile semi-banked dirt oval located in Fairbury, Illinois.

The Sprint Cars strongly favor the middle to the top at Fairbury and it’s pretty much one racing groove. The racing is all on the cushion.

Sprint Car Verdict: Single Groove

For the Late Models, the top is still the preferred line although it isn’t nearly as dominant as in the Sprint Cars. Drivers can make it work in the middle or on the bottom. This track does provide multi-groove racing for the Late Models.

Late Model Verdict: Multi-Groove

Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 aka Pevely

I-55 Raceway is a 1/3 mile high-banked clay oval in Pevely, Missouri.

Pevely Raceway is pretty forgiving, groove-wise, for a Sprint Car. This seems to be a really good track for the Sprint Cars.

Sprint Car Verdict: Multi-Groove

Pevely Raceway is great for the Late Models also. If iRacing can get this track to grip the way it does in real life, it might be one of the best dirt tracks on the service.

Late Model Verdict: Multi-Groove

Knoxville Raceway

Knoxville Raceway provides multi-groove racing for Winged Sprint Cars, but again, there is usually a preferred line and it varies based on track conditions.

Sprint Car Verdict: Multi-Groove

Just as it is on iRacing, Knoxville Raceway is dominated by the low racing line for the Late Models in earlier laps. You do see a little bit of side by side but the guy on the inside has a distinct advantage. As the track changes you will see more cars moving to the top of the track, but the guy on the bottom still has a slight advantage. When the track really gets worked in, the top sometimes get better but the bottom goes away. Knoxville is pretty much a one groove track for the Late Models.

Late Model Verdict: Single Groove

Kokomo Speedway

Kokomo Speedway is a 1/4 mile semi-banked clay oval lin Kokomo, Indiana. This track has been in operation for 71 years as of 2018.

Kokomo is pretty much a top dominant track for the Sprint Cars with some pretty good opportunities to race on the bottom sometimes.

Sprint Car Verdict: Multi-Groove

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxKm0ZYwH8Q

It seems that most types of stock cars start out on the bottom at Kokomo Speedway, moving up as the track wears. It’s pretty much one racing line, but it does move around based on track conditions.

Late Model Verdict: Single Groove

Lanier National Speedway

Lanier National Speedway was located in Braselton, Georgia. The track was paved in the mid-80s and then closed in 2011. I couldn’t find any videos from the days when it was a dirt track. As far as the iRacing version is concerned, it’s a good track. The Sprints are good on the top but the bottom can be used, too, and that seems pretty realistic. For the Late Models, it’s all bottom, as it would probably be in real life. Yes, it’s a fantasy track in a sense, but the reality is, most tracks don’t have many places to race outside of that one preferred groove.

Lernerville Speedway

Sarver, Pennsylvania is home to Lernerville Speedway, a 4/10 mile high-banked dirt track.

As we’re seeing from most tracks, the Sprint Cars prefer the top at Lernerville Speedway and the bottom is used mainly for slide jobs. The pros can sometimes make the bottom work fairly well.

Sprint Car Verdict: Single Groove

Lernerville Speedway seems to be a very good track for Dirt Late Model Cars. They run well top or bottom. I’ve seen some drivers do well in the middle. Let’s hope iRacing can get that working.

Late Model Verdict: Multi-Groove

Limaland Speedway

The first thing that struck me in looking at racing videos from Limaland Speedway is the fact that there is no huge bank of dirt piled at the top of the track.

I can’t say that I’m surprised to see that Sprint Cars strongly prefer the bottom at Limaland in the early laps. You don’t really see that in the iRacing 410 Sprint. The track is far too top dominant on iRacing and completely unrealistic, but it is, pretty much, a one groove track for the real life Sprint Cars. The top just isn’t there like it is in iRacing. Too bad iRacing completely failed to properly replicate this track.

Sprint Car Verdict: Single Groove

There isn’t much recent Late Model action to be found for Limaland Speedway, so I decided to look at some UMP Modified videos. The fast guys are stuck to the bottom of the track. As we all know, the top is very dominant in almost all cars at iRacing’s failed version of Limaland Speedway. It’s wholly unrealistic. I guess the only thing that comes close is the 305 Sprint Car. Some of the UMP Modified Cars are using the middle groove and it’s working pretty well, but the bottom is clearly the place to be.

UMP Modified Verdict: Single Groove

The Dirt Track at Charlotte

It seems like iRacing got pretty close with this track. Not perfect, but not bad either. It is primarily a one groove race track for the Sprint Cars with the top preferred and the bottom used for slide jobs. As we go along here, you can see that multi-groove racing is indeed very rare and single groove racing is the norm.

Sprint Car Verdict: Single Groove

The fact that the fast way around The Dirt Track at Charlotte in an iRacing Late Model is on the top is beyond ridiculous. But we’re here to look at racing grooves. This is a one groove track in a Late Model. In real life, the way around is on the bottom. Interestingly, most of the real world passing takes place by running so close to the driver on the inside that the cars are rubbing and banging together. It’s more of a case of the outside car taking the line away from the inside car.

Late Model Verdict: Single Groove

USA International Speedway

I don’t think anybody is going to find any real life video from USA International Speedway Dirt. I think iRacing did a pretty good job on this fantasy track. The Sprint Cars favor the top and the Late Models favor the bottom, just like most dirt tracks across the country.

Volusia Speedway

Volusia Speedway is top dominant in Sprint Cars, real world and iRacing world. One groove. It’s unfortunate but that’s the reality.

Sprint Car Verdict: Single Groove

Similar to iRacing, real world Late Model Cars strongly prefer the inside line at Volusia Speedway. Some guys can get it hooked up on the outside but it’s unusual. The top also comes in a little better later in the race, but most drivers will choose to run the bottom if possible.

Late Model Verdict: Single Groove

Weedsport Speedway

Weedsport Speedway is a 3/8 mile clay track located near Weedsport, New York. Big Block Modified Cars are popular at this track, and I certainly wouldn’t mind if iRacing gets around to making a pretend Big Block Modified Car at some point after they finish some more dirt tracks.

The Sprint Cars appear to try to stay on the bottom of the track at Weedsport. You see some venture to the top. The better drivers can pass on the top but it’s not really a good place to be. This is a one groove track for the Sprint Cars.

Sprint Car Verdict: Single Groove

This is a more recent video of some Sprint Cars at Weedsport. There are some cars running higher lines, but it looks like it’s very easy to slide right up into the wall up there. The track looks very dry and slick. This is probably the most interesting track that will be coming to iRacing in the future. From looking at this video, it might also be the most treacherous.

This is a Big Block Modified track so let’s take a look at their racing groove. It’s similar to the groove that the Sprint Cars run but we seem to see a little more outside line in these cars. Still, it’s really a one groove track for them with the inside being fairly dominant.

Big Block Modified Verdict: Single Groove

Williams Grove Speedway

It’s all about the cushion. Single groove, outside. Some people say there is no cushion on iRacing. There is and there always has been. You just have to find it. I think people are confusing cushion and berm. The cushion is just some loose dirt with a little moisture. It actually works very well at Williams Grove Speedway.

Sprint Car Verdict: Single Groove

This video is a couple of years old, but it doesn’t look like Williams Grove Speedway has changed much. The cars are running right on the bottom, just like the Late Models do on iRacing. This is very much a single groove track for the Dirt Late Models.

Late Model Verdict: Single Groove

So let’s look at the numbers for all these tracks.

• Sprint Car Single Groove Tracks: 7
• Sprint Car Multi-Groove Tracks: 5
• Late Model/Modified Single Groove Tracks: 8
• Late Model/Modified Multi-Groove Tracks: 4

So, even though iRacing has chosen to include tracks that feature some of the best racing on dirt, thereby providing a disproportionate number of multi-groove race tracks with respect to the preponderance of dirt tracks across the country, we find that the majority of tracks that iRacing has chosen are still single groove race tracks. It’s unrealistic to suggest that iRacing should provide more multi-groove racing. Stop living in a fantasy world.

To summarize, it’s nice to fantasize about racing in multiple grooves, but the reality is, it’s pretty rare. It is possible to race in different grooves on many tracks, but it takes skill and respect for the driver with whom you are racing. The vast majority of the drivers on iRacing don’t possess the skills necessary to drive in secondary grooves and race with other drivers. It’s typically only in passing situations that you will see a real life driver move to the alternate groove. There are few tracks across the country on which the alternate groove is anywhere close to the preferred groove in terms of grip and speed, but iRacing does provide a disproportionate number of multi-groove tracks.