After 18-year absence, IROC all-star racing series to return
Welcome back, IROC.
NASCAR Hall of Fame member Ray Evernham and former NASCAR Cup team owner and venture capitalist Rob Kauffman, announced on Monday the joint venture formation of IROC Holdings LLC, and the acquisition of the rights to the former IROC brand.
The International Race of Champions (known as IROC) was a series of races held annually from 1973 to 2006. IROC brought together legendary drivers from NASCAR, IndyCar, Formula One and other racing series to compete against each other in equally prepared cars at tracks across the United States.
Mark Donahue won the inaugural IROC championship, which was held from 1973-74. Past champions of the series include Bobby Unser, A.J. Foyt, Mario Andretti, Al Unser Jr, Dale Earnhardt, Mark Martin and Tony Stewart.
Evernham previously worked as a mechanic in IROC before winning three championships with Jeff Gordon in NASCAR. He restores former IROC cars as a hobby and was one of the founders of Superstar Racing Experience, which was viewed as a spiritual successor to the original IROC. In 2022, Evernham announced he no longer had an active role within SRX.
Whether the new version of IROC will compete with SRX remains to be seen.
In the press release that made the announcement, IROC Holdings said it intends on holding a racing event this year utilizing historic IROC cars, but did not reveal any other information such as where the race will be held and on what date. The company, which will be based in Mooresville, North Carolina, is also exploring future opportunities.
Even though the previous incarnation of IROC ended 18 years ago, the series has remained close to Evernham’s soul, as he has amassed a vast collection of past IROC race cars and memorabilia. Here are three videos that tell the story of Evernham’s collection: