International Race of Champions

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International Race of Champions (IROC) is an auto racing competition, promoted as an equivalent of an All-Star Game or The Masters. Drivers race identical stock cars set up by a single team of mechanics in an effort to make the race purely a test of driver ability. It is run with a small field of invited drivers (6-12). It was created in 1973 by Riverside International Raceway President Les Richter and Roger Penske with Mark Donohue being the first driver to win the championship, in 1974. The cars used that year were Porsche Carrera RSRs. Donohue's win in the fourth and last race of that season was his last win as he died in a Formula One practice the next season. The series was not run in 1981, 1982 or 1983.

Due to its similarity to NASCAR in tracks and cars, the series is dominated by NASCAR drivers. The last non-NASCAR champion of the series was Al Unser, Jr. in 1988. Although open wheel drivers have had successes, as of 2005, drivers from road racing series had only won two races in the history of IROC. This could change, however, because Crown Royal International Race of Champions (IROC) Series officials announced January 5th 2006 that it will hold one of its 2006 races on a road course for the first time in 14 years. As part of its 30th anniversary season, the Crown Royal IROC Series will race on the famed road course at Daytona International Speedway (DIS) on Thursday, June 29, in conjunction with the NASCAR Cup race weekend.

Until the end of the 2003 season, IROC was also known for its rainbow of car colors being easily recognized from all other closed wheel racing series. A driver's surname would appear on the door of the car (with the exception of one year when Mario and Michael Andretti were both in the same IROC series) instead of the car number, which had a smaller presence.

In 2004, the liquor brand Crown Royal became the series' title sponsor, and the procedure changed. The cars would be identically painted in white, with trim which could be changed to represent the driver's colors in his natural series, and the car numbers would be the number of the driver in his natural series, with one exception. Thus, Steve Kinser would use green trim with the number 11, and Mark Martin feature blue trim with the number 6. Helio Castroneves, however, would run 03 because IROC will not allow a number 3 car (in honor of the late Dale Earnhardt), but the car kept red trim, in reflection of his IRL car being red. If there is a numbering conflict, another number will be substituted - for a one-digit number, a 0 will be added in front of the number, otherwise a historically notable number will be run.

In 2006, road courses will be reintroduced to the IROC series with the cars competing on the road course at Daytona International Speedway. Also, in 2006, two drivers will share one car in an IROC first. Grand American Road Racing drivers Max Angelelli and Wayne Taylor will each drive two races in 2006, trying to win the IROC title as a team.

IROC has historically employed retired former NASCAR drivers Dave Marcis, Dick Trickle and Jim Sauter to prepare the setups for their cars.

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IROC Champions

(1) Three races only because of new sponsor Dodge and the late start. After Darrell Waltrip was injured in a crash at Daytona in practice for the NASCAR Pepsi 400, he was not replaced for the final two races.

(2) D. Allison was killed in a helicopter crash after three races had been completed, and only the final race, at Michigan International Speedway, was remaining. Terry Labonte was asked to drive the final race, and Allison's and Labonte's points combined were enough for the IROC championship. Labonte's winnings went to a trust fund for Allison's two children, Krista and Robbie. Alan Kulwicki had been killed in a plane crash earlier in the year after one race had been run, and Dale Earnhardt volunteered to replace the fallen champion to complete a 12-driver field, with all winnings going to charities chosen by the Kulwicki family.

(3) After Dale Earnhardt was killed in the Daytona 500, IROC went to only eleven cars for the remaining three races. Following a 2004 rule change in IROC where drivers would be using their personal numbers, IROC added one exception -- the number 3 could not be used. Any driver whose number in a series is 3 must use 03 in IROC.

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