How iRacing Dirt Track States Work

Confused by iRacing dirt track states like “moist,” “slick,” and “cushion”? This simple guide explains what they mean, how the surface changes during a race, and how to pick the right line for grip and speed.

iRacing dirt can feel random when you are new. One race the track feels hooked up and easy, and the next race the car slides like it’s on ice. Most of that “mystery” is just the dirt surface changing. Once you understand moisture, slick, and the cushion, the track stops being random and starts becoming a tool you can use to go faster.

The three main dirt states

On iRacing dirt ovals you are really dealing with three main ideas: moisture, slick, and cushion. These show up in how the track looks and how the car feels.

• Moist/tacky:

  • Darker, almost muddy or very dark brown dirt.
  • Tires “bite” hard, the car feels stuck, and you can be more aggressive with throttle before it spins.

• Slick:

  • Shiny, polished-looking brown or even black lane where most people have been driving.
  • Much less grip; the car wants to slide, and wheelspin is easy if you use too much throttle.

• Cushion:

  • A built-up ridge or fluffy band of dirt higher up the track, near the wall, where loose dirt has been pushed.
  • Often has more moisture and grip, but it can be bumpy and risky if you misjudge it.

When you first load into a session, the host’s track state (for example “0% used,” “20% used,” “torn up”) decides how much moisture is already gone and how much slick there is. As laps are run, the racing line dries and polishes, and loose dirt gets moved up the track, building that top cushion over time.

How moisture affects grip

Moisture is the “life” in a dirt track. With more water in the surface, the dirt is tackier, so your tires dig in instead of sliding on top.

Fresh, wet track:

• Lots of grip, but the surface can feel heavy and slightly slow at first.
• You can usually run a lower line where the track is still dark and moist, and really lean on the throttle on exit.

Drying track:

• As cars run, they carry water and loose dirt up the track and polish the main groove.
• The bottom may start to lose bite while a middle or high line remains tacky, so you have to move around.

Very dry track:

• The main groove turns shiny and slick, and the track can feel like glass if you stay in it.
• You hunt for remaining dark, non-shiny patches of moisture or move to the cushion for grip.

Think of moisture as your grip budget. Every lap the field spends on one lane spends some of that budget, and that lane eventually goes away.

What “slick” really means in iRacing

A “slick” spot is simply where the dirt is polished, dry, and low on grip. You can see it because it looks smooth and shiny compared to the darker, duller moist dirt.

On slick:

Your car has:

• Less forward bite: spinning the rear tires is easy, especially off the corner.
• Less side bite: if you turn in too hard, the car just slides up the track instead of turning.

How to drive it:

• Use less throttle and be smoother; think “roll” the throttle, don’t stab it.
• Turn the wheel less and earlier, so the car arcs through the corner instead of jerking into it.

If you are spinning out a lot when the track looks shiny, the fix is usually in your driving first: calmer inputs, a slightly higher line, and sometimes shorter gearing so you are not bouncing off the limiter in the slick.

The cushion: why the top can be so fast

The cushion is that built-up band of dirt up near the wall that forms as cars push loose dirt off the racing line. In iRacing, it looks like a darker, thicker ridge or a strip of fluff just inside the wall.

What the cushion does:

Gives you extra grip:

• There is usually more moisture trapped in that loose dirt, and your right-side tires can dig into it.
• You can carry more speed around the top once you learn to “lean” on it.

Punishes bad judgment:

• Miss it by a foot and you are in the marbles with no grip.
• Miss it by half a car and you can slap the wall, damage the car, or launch into someone else.

To use the cushion, you want your right-front and right-rear just in that darker band, not fully buried against the wall. Entry angle matters: if you come in too low or too late, you will either miss it or hit it too hard and bounce.

How the track evolves over a race night

In a typical event (practice → heats → feature), the track does not stay the same. Even in short official races, you will notice changes across the session.

Common pattern:

1) Early practice – heavy and tacky

• Bottom or slider line is strong because the low groove still has moisture.
• You can drive harder and get away with mistakes because the surface is forgiving.

2) Mid-session – groove goes slick

• The main racing line (usually low-to-middle) gets shiny and polished.
• Drivers who stay in that line start losing pace and sliding, while others move up a lane where there’s still darker dirt.

3) Late race – cushion and off-lines matter

• The bottom can be very slick, the middle patchy, and the top cushion becomes the place with the most grip.
• The fastest drivers are usually the ones who move early, finding that next lane before everyone else does.

Your job is to watch these changes, not just drive the same line every lap. If you are slowing down while others are speeding up, odds are your line is dying.

How to read the track with your eyes

The easiest way to learn dirt track states is to train your eyes while you drive:

Look for color and shine:

• Dark, “matte” dirt = more moisture and grip.
• Light, shiny dirt = slick and low grip.

Watch where fast drivers run:

• In practice and early laps, note where the top splits are placing their right-side tires.
• If they suddenly move up or change entry angle, that usually means the groove they were using is going away.

Notice how the car feels when crossing zones:

• When you move from dark to shiny mid-corner, does the car start drifting up?
• When you touch the cushion, does the car suddenly rotate or “hook” more?

Link what you see to what you feel. Over time, those visual cues will tell you how to adjust before you even complete a lap.

Adjusting your line for each state

Here are simple rules for choosing your line based on what you see:

Mostly moist/tacky track:

• Run the shortest path (usually lower line) and drive more aggressively.
• Use the grip to get great exits and focus on staying clean.

Mixed: moist in spots, slick in the groove:

• Move half a lane up to put your right-side tires in remaining dark dirt.
• Arc your entry a bit higher so you cross the slick with less steering and throttle.

Very slick with strong cushion:

• Commit to running near the top where the cushion is, especially in higher-horsepower cars.
• Enter higher and earlier so you “float” into the cushion and ride it through the corner.

If nothing is working, try the opposite of what everyone else is doing. Sometimes the extreme bottom or an odd middle line still has untouched moisture, and being the first there can gain you a lot of time.

Simple driving tips for each state

To make all of this practical, match your inputs to what the track is giving you:

On moist/tacky:

• You can brake a bit later and get on the throttle earlier.
• Still avoid jerky steering, but you have more margin for error.

On slick:

• Back up your corner entry: lift earlier, brake gently, and let the car roll more.
• Feed in throttle slowly and keep the car straighter to reduce wheelspin.

On the cushion:

• Look far ahead at the wall and cushion, not right over the nose.
• Be smooth on entry; if you divebomb into the cushion, it will bounce you or send you into the wall.

Always remember: dirt is about rhythm. The right line and a smooth lap on a tricky surface will beat a wild, aggressive lap on a perfect surface almost every time.

Putting it all together

If you are just starting out on iRacing dirt, the key is to stop thinking “the track is bad” and start thinking “the track is changing.” Moisture, slick, and cushion are not random—they are the result of laps being run and how the dirt moves. Once you can read those states with your eyes and feel them through the car, your decisions about line, throttle, and setup will suddenly make a lot more sense, and you will start moving forward instead of just trying to hang on.