NASCAR Hall of Famer Ray Evernham and former NASCAR team co-owner Rob Kauffman have announced the formation of IROC Holdings LLC and the acquisition of the IROC brand, signaling the revival of the International Race of Champions invitational series. IROC Holdings will house the organization's business operations with the intent to have a historic IROC racing event in 2024.
Launched in 1973, IROC served as an invitational series for the best drivers across multiple motorsports disciplines, namely NASCAR, IndyCar, sports car racing and sprint car racing. The series featured identically-prepared stock cars set up by a single team of mechanics and was showcased on tracks such as Daytona, Indianapolis, Talladega and Michigan.
While NASCAR stars came to dominate IROC -- NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin's five championships were the most in series history -- other champions included racing icons such as Mark Donohue, the Unsers, A.J. Foyt, Mario Andretti and Tony Stewart. The series was disbanded following the 2006 season.
In IROC Holdings' announcement, it was noted that the intention was for the new organization to hold an IROC racing event featuring historic IROC cars this year while exploring future opportunities. IROC's operations will be based in Mooresville, N.C.
This is the second time in the past several years that Ray Evernham, a NASCAR Hall of Fame crew chief and car owner, has aligned himself with an all-star invitational racing series. Evernham was the co-founder of the Superstar Racing Experience, but left the organization following its inaugural season in 2021.
