 | |
| Category | Stock car racing |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Inaugural season | 1973 |
| Drivers | 12 |
| Constructors | Porsche,Chevrolet,Dodge,Pontiac |
| Drivers' champion |  Tony Stewart |
| Official website | https://www.iroc-racing.com/ |
International Race of Champions (IROC) was a North Americanauto racing competition, created byLes Richter,Roger Penske and Mike Phelps, promoted as an American-motorsports equivalent of anall-star game. Despite its name, IROC was primarily associated with North Americanoval track racing.
Drivers raced identically-preparedstock cars set up by a single team of mechanics in an effort to make the race purely a test of driver ability. It was run with a small field of 12 invited drivers. It was created and developed in 1972 byDavid Lockton, the developer of theOntario Motor Speedway, launched in 1973, withMark Donohue being the first driver to win the championship, in1974. The cars used that year werePorsche Carrera RSRs. Donohue's win in the fourth and last race of that season was his last win, as he died in aFormula One crash at theÖsterreichring in practice for the1975 Austrian Grand Prix. The series was not run in 1981, 1982, or 1983.
In 2007, IROC could not find a sponsor and postponed the first two races, at Daytona and Texas.[1] IROC went on hiatus in 2007 hoping to return with a sponsor in 2008, which did not happen. In March 2008, IROC auctioned off its tools, equipment, cars, and memorabilia, and went out of business.[2] On January 8, 2024,Ray Evernham alongsideRob Kauffman announced the series would relaunch in 2024 with the intent of one race while exploring future opportunities afterwards.
The drivers invited were from a broad range of racing disciplines:Indy cars,NASCAR,sports car racing, and on occasion,sprint car racing. Criteria for invitation was very loose, but typically consisted of recent season champions of the respective series, and individual winners of big events (Indy,Daytona, etc.) It was occasionally rumored that a topNHRAdrag racer would be invited and compete, but none ever did.
Due to its fundamentalstock car formula, and the majority of racing being contested onovals, the series was often dominated by NASCAR participants (which was the major criticism of the series). Also, in the small field of about a dozen cars, the share of NASCAR invitees grew over time; from just three drivers in the first season to seven in the final season. The last non-NASCAR based champion of the series wasAl Unser Jr. in1988. Althoughopen wheel drivers had numerous successes, as of 2005[update], drivers fromroad racing series had only won two races in the history of IROC. In some years, no sports car drivers competed.
Through 2003, IROC was also known for its rainbow of car colors being easily recognized from all other racing series. Car numbers were utilized for scoring purposes, but were not the primary means of identification. Instead, the driver's surname would appear on the door of the car. Exceptions were made whenMario andMichael Andretti raced in the same events. In those cases, their first name was used. The numbers would change from race to race, with the number 1 being given to the driver starting first, and so on. The colors would correspond to the numbers. Before the races, drivers were assigned via blind drawing, as was how the starting grid for the first race was determined. The finishing order of the race would be inverted for the second race's starting grid, while the reverse of the points standings determined races three and four's grids. Numbers were assigned by the starting position. After the first race, the numbers were assigned based on points standings.[3]
In 2004, the alcoholic beverage company,Diageo became the series' titlesponsor, utilising theirCrown Royal brand whiskey, replacingTrue Value, and the procedure changed as well. Cars would be identically painted in white, with trim which could be changed to represent the driver's colors in his regular racing series. Also, a driver's number in IROC would be his regular number. Thus, Steve Kinser would use green trim with the No. 11, and Matt Kenseth's car featured yellow trim with No. 17.
The only exception to the numbering scheme involved the number 3. Following thedeath of Dale Earnhardt in the2001 Daytona 500, IROC retired the use of No. 3. Any driver with that regular number would use No. 03 instead.Hélio Castroneves raced with No. 03, but the car kept red trim, in reflection of hisIndyCar being red.
If there was a numbering conflict, another number would be substituted. In most cases, for one-digit numbers, a zero would be added in front. Otherwise a historically notable number would be run. (Penske drivers, for instance, could use No. 66, owing to Mark Donohue.)
From its inception to 1991, the series contested at least one race per season on aroad course.Riverside held the most IROC road races, followed byWatkins Glen. Races were also contested atMid-Ohio, theDaytona combined road course, and theCleveland (Burke Lakefront Airport)CART series course.
From 1992 to 2005, the IROC season was exclusively run on ovals. In 2006, road courses were reintroduced to the IROC series with the cars competing on the road course atDaytona International Speedway. Also, in 2006, two drivers shared one car in an IROC first.Grand American Road Racing driversMax Angelelli andWayne Taylor each drove two races in 2006, trying to win the IROC title as a team, reflecting sportscar racing as a two-man team. However, in 2007, that may not have been used, as 2006 Grand American Road Racing championJörg Bergmeister was a solo champion. Bergmeister had to split driving duties with various drivers because his regular co-driver was forced to sit out three races because they were raced with the Indy Racing League;Colin Braun, who was 17, could not race in those three races underMSA rulings.
The International Race of Champions series was beloved by NASCAR and international fans alike, as drivers from several different disciplines could be seen competing on a level playing field. During the hiatus of motorsports due to theCOVID-19 pandemic in 2020, a group of drivers from NASCAR,NHRA,IndyCar,IMSA,Supercross,Supercars Championship,Formula One, and Rallycross competed iniRacing in dirt modifieds, GTE cars, and stock cars in an event dubbed a "tribute to IROC".[4]
In 2021, final IROC championTony Stewart andRay Evernham launchedSuperstar Racing Experience (SRX) based on the IROC concept of identical cars and an all-star cast of drivers from different racing series.[5]
| Pos.[3] | Points |
|---|---|
| 1st | 21 |
| 2nd | 17 |
| 3rd | 14 |
| 4th | 12 |
| 5th | 10 |
| 6th | 9 |
| 7th | 8 |
| 8th | 7 |
| 9th | 6 |
| 10th | 5 |
| 11th | 4 |
| 12th | 3 |
Bonuses | |
| Most laps led | 5 |
| 2nd-most laps led | 3 |
| 3rd-most laps led | 2 |
| Pos. | Purse[3] |
|---|---|
| Champion | $225,000 |
| 2nd | $100,000 |
| 3rd | $60,000 |
| 4th | $50,000 |
| 5th | $45,000 |
| 6th–12th | $40,000 |
| Car | Years |
|---|---|
| Chevrolet Camaro | 12 |
| Pontiac Trans Am | 11 |
| Dodge Daytona | 4 |
| Dodge Avenger | 2 |
| Porsche Carrera RSR | 1 |
Media related toInternational Race of Champions at Wikimedia Commons