Apex Racing League is back on ovals for the first time in nearly a year for season 2 of the ARL Truck series! These third tier NASCAR vehicles are some of the most popular stock cars on the sim and return for a 9 round championship on Sunday the 4th of September.

This is the first ARL championship with a playoff format. The top 8 drivers from the first 6 rounds have their points reset to 1000 + any bonus points they had accumulated for podium finishes before having a 3 race shootout to see who can become the second ARL Truck Champion. Whilst there are no pro and am classes for this season, we expect a better chance than ever for lower ranked drivers to challenge for the title, as consistent results during the regular season could qualify you for the playoffs, at which point anyone with some fortune could clinch the title.

For this season, we put the selection for 3 of the tracks to our discord members. They voted for Indianapolis, Michigan and Road America to be added, with the former receiving the most votes and assigned to host the season finale. They join the classic venues of Daytona, Bristol, Talladega, Charlotte, Phoenix and Watkins Glen on the schedule, several of which taking place the same weekend as the real life and iRacing NASCAR truck series.

The races have been extended slightly this season in an attempt to make each round approximately an hour in length. A 5 minute qualifying forms the grid, with each driver being allowed to set 4 laps. Races start at 19:10 GMT for the first 6 rounds and 20:10 GMT for the final 3 due to the UK’s clocks change. This means the series is accessible for both Europeans and Americans.

New for this season is an early practice session that is held the day before each meeting. This follows the same format as the race meeting although the race is timed to just 20 minutes. This should help drivers practice their lines and racecraft before each meeting. Stewarding has been changed slightly as well, with more impetus on the effects of an errant maneuver than the action. Position drop penalties will also be applied to drivers rather than penalty points to ensure there are no complications with bonus points

We only have 43 places open for round 1, and with our Porsche Cup and GT3 Trophy series reaching their 60 car limit, spots may dry up quickly. Go to the league entry page and sign yourself up for the season!