NASCAR Legend Ray Evernham Has Purchased the IROC Name
Retired NASCAR crew chief Ray Evernham and former Michael Waltrip Racing team co-owner Rob Kauffman announced on Monday the formation of IROC Holdings LLC, a joint venture that has acquired the rights to the International Race of Champions brand. The pair hope to host an IROC-branded event with historic cars from the series in 2024 before "[exploring] future opportunities."
When it debuted in 1974, IROC was a spec Porsche championship for drivers like Richard Petty, AJ Foyt, and Mark Donohue from across the world of racing. The series adopted its signature Camaros in 1975, then ran cars resembling NASCAR stock cars throughout the remainder of its 34-year history. Dale Earnhardt, Mark Martin, AJ Foyt, and Al Unser Jr. were all multiple-time champions of the original series.
The IROC name has been dormant since 2006, but Tony Stewart's Superstars Racing Experience series replicates some of the original concepts behind the series. Evernham was a co-founder of SRX with Stewart and ran the series in its first season. He has not worked with that championship since the second season began in 2022.
If Evernham and Kauffman are hoping to make something like the original IROC championship, their biggest challenge will be attracting big names from the top of the world's racing series. SRX has a talented field, but one made up largely of retired or aging stars. The final IROC season ran in 2006 with that year's IndyCar champion and the previous year's NASCAR Cup Series champion. If IROC is going to come back as a modern series, its new founders would have to find a way to bring that sort of field into the modern age.
You Might Also Like
