IROC gets Ray Evernham jolt; Dale Earnhardt would love it, here’s why
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Hate to spend much time on something that may turn out to be nothing, but even if it’s a longshot hope, let’s hope something actually comes of the potential IROC rebirth.
Early this week, Hall of Fame crew chief Ray Evernham and venture capitalist Rob Kauffman announced they have acquired rights to the old IROC brand and intend to go racing with it — albeit in a toes-in-the-tide fashion to start.
At first blush, this seems like a potential winner because along with utilizing modern racing stars — at least we assume that’d be the plan — you have the strong whiff of nostalgia, and boy is nostalgia big with a certain chunk of the race-fan demographic.
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Some quick background for the youngsters, as well as any lifers whose recollections of such things may have dimmed a bit.
IROC started by Roger Penske, others
IROC — the International Race of Champions — was put together in 1973 by Roger Penske, Les Richter and Mike Phelps, with Jay Signore running the day-to-day operations. The concept: Four races in 12 equally prepared cars, with 12 accomplished racers from multiple forms of auto racing.
Over time, each of the four races would be part of a NASCAR weekend, starting at Daytona and then three other high-profile tracks through the season. Porsche Carerra was the car in Year 1, but IROC went with American muscle cars thereafter — Chevy Camaro, Dodge Daytona, Pontiac Trans Am.
Mark Donohue was the first season’s champ, with Mario Andretti, A.J. Foyt (twice), Bobby Unser and both Al Unsers also winning championships. But as NASCAR grew and swallowed the TV market, IROC eventually became an oval-track series at NASCAR venues, which explains why it was dominated by NASCAR racers over its last 18 years.
That’s not to say “interlopers” like Scott Pruett, Tommy Kendall and Hurley Haywood didn’t give ’em hell from time to time. But best among the outsiders was Little Al Unser, whose willingness to go toe-to-toe with Dale Earnhardt and others — particularly at Daytona — showcased his amazing overall abilities.
IROC at Daytona was a Dale Earnhardt playground
February after February, Daytona’s IROC race, paired on Friday with the old Goody’s Dash Series race, was often the highlight of Speedweeks, in terms of the on-track product.
Six of Dale Earnhardt’s 34 overall Daytona wins came in either a Dodge or Pontiac on IROC Fridays. But it’s his seventh-place finish in ’01 that’s forever etched into the Daytona/Earnhardt memory bank — a broadside from Eddie Cheever, the remarkable save through the grass, followed by all that happened shortly thereafter (you really should look it up).
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In the midst of all the IROC years, a young mechanic and former racer named Ray…
Read More: IROC gets Ray Evernham jolt; Dale Earnhardt would love it, here’s why 2024-01-12 21:07:20