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How to Connect Crew Chief to Iracing

Struggling with how to connect Crew Chief to iRacing? This no-fluff guide for iRacing drivers gives exact steps, quick fixes, and tips to get spotter working fast.

If you’re stuck on how to connect crew chief to iracing, the short answer is: install Crew Chief, set the game to iRacing, pick your audio device, start the app, then load into a session. You’re in the right place—follow the steps below and get your spotter talking fast.

Quick Answer: how to connect crew chief to iracing

Install Crew Chief, open it, set “Game” to iRacing, download the sound pack, select your headset/speakers as the playback device, click Start Application, then join an iRacing session. Mute the in-game spotter to avoid double calls.

What’s Really Going On

Crew Chief is a free spotter/engineer app. It listens to iRacing’s live data and gives clear voice calls (gaps, flags, car left/right, fuel info). It doesn’t need a plugin—once iRacing loads a track, Crew Chief “sees” the session and starts talking. If you hear nothing, it’s usually one of three things: wrong audio device, not actually on track, or the in-game spotter is drowning it out.

Step-by-Step Fix

  1. Download and install Crew Chief
  • Get it from the official Crew Chief site. Install and launch the app.
  1. Choose iRacing and download sounds
  • In Crew Chief, set Game to “iRacing.”
  • Click “Download sound pack” and “Download driver names” on first run.
  1. Pick the right audio device
  • In Crew Chief, set Playback device to your headset/speakers (or VR headset).
  • Set Spotter volume to a comfortable level.
  1. Start Crew Chief
  • Click “Start Application.” Leave Crew Chief running in the background.
  1. Join an iRacing session
  • Launch iRacing and load into a test, practice, or race so the car is on track. Crew Chief should say a greeting within a few seconds.
  1. Prevent double spotters
  • In iRacing Options > Sound, turn the in-game Spotter volume down (often to 0) so only Crew Chief calls are heard.

Extra Tips / Checklist

  • If silent: Make sure you’re actually in the car/on track; the app won’t speak in menus.
  • App order: If it doesn’t connect, try starting iRacing first, then Crew Chief (or vice versa).
  • Voice commands: In Crew Chief, enable voice recognition and assign a “Talk to Crew Chief” button if you want to ask for fuel, lap times, etc. Install the Windows speech pack if prompted.
  • Multiple apps: Crew Chief works alongside tools like SimHub or JRT. No special setup needed.
  • VR users: Set Crew Chief’s playback device to the VR headset’s audio so you hear calls clearly.

FAQs

  • Do I need to disable the iRacing spotter? You don’t have to, but you should mute it (Spotter volume to 0) to avoid overlapping calls.

  • Crew Chief isn’t talking—what should I check first? Confirm you loaded into a session (on track), Crew Chief is set to iRacing, and the Playback device matches your headset/speakers.

  • Can I run Crew Chief with SimHub or other overlays? Yes. Crew Chief reads iRacing data without blocking other tools.

  • How do I use voice commands? Enable voice recognition in Crew Chief and assign a “Talk” button. If it doesn’t recognize you, install the correct Windows speech language and do a quick mic check.

Short Wrap-Up

Connecting Crew Chief to iRacing is simple: set the game, pick your audio device, start the app, and load into a session. Mute the in-game spotter to keep calls clean. Next session, try voice commands for fuel and lap info to level up your race craft.