Long-Forgotten Clash of Legends Is Back After 18 Years, With Jeff Gordon’s Ex-Crew Chief Breathing It Back to Life

In a long span of over 30 years beginning in 1973, a racing series had left its mark on American race tracks. The International Race of Champions or IROC invited drivers from various racing disciplines. These racers gathered to showcase their blooming talents on a single platform. This unique series was disbanded in 2006.

But now IROC fans are in for a surprise. I mean, it was announced earlier this year, but the IROC schedule has finally been declared! And Ray Evernham, Jeff Gordon’s star crew chief, is one mastermind behind the roaring comeback.

IROC’s glitterati are set to hit the tracks with Ray Evernham at the helm

Ray Evernham started out as a modified driver but tasted success as a star crew chief. He and Jeff Gordon led the ‘Rainbow Warriors’ to glory in the 1990s’ decade, winning three championships in four seasons. But Evernham’s versatility shined as he ventured into ownership roles, founding Evernham Motorsports in 2000 and co-founding SRX in 2021.

And now the NASCAR Hall of Famer is invested in another venture. Early this year, Ray Evernham and former NASCAR team co-owner Rob Kauffman set up IROC Holdings LLC and snagged the IROC brand. Now the wait is over, as the dates have been announced for IROC’s special 2024 event.

IROC updated this delightful news on their website. “Join us for the return of IROC at Lime Rock Park July 19-20! Featuring both an on-track racing exhibition and static display, the event will reunite original IROC competitors with cars actually raced in the legendary series. Fans will have the opportunity to see nearly every generation of IROC racecar with many being driven by former IROC drivers.”

And the clash of legends is bound to make your jaws drop. A NASCAR journalist gave a sneak peek into who all are going to come under Ray Evernham’s enterprise. “This is going to be quite a weekend. Former IROC competitors already confirmed to be racing in the TransAm All-Star race that week include: Danny Sullivan, Bobby Labonte, Ken Schrader, Greg Biffle, Ryan Newman, Max Papis, Davy Jones, Geoff Brabham. Imagine they’ll be part of IROC”.

In line with the IROC tradition, these commendable drivers may race in identical stock cars.

IROC’s unique tradition echoes the Next Gen car

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Everybody is aware of the current clamor surrounding Next Gen difficulties. Drivers especially criticize the increased parity on the racetrack, which leaves no margin for creativity. However, there was a time when this parity was still a favorite. IROC came into existence on the basis of this philosophy: drivers were to use identical race cars prepared by a single team of mechanics.

The aim was to make the competition about driver skills. But the diverse array of top-notch cars could make motorheads drool. In the inaugural season of 1974, Porsche 911 Carrera RSRs were used. For the rest of the series, purpose-built stock cars were used. These included Chevrolet Camaro, Dodge Daytona, Dodge Avenger, and Pontiac Trans Am.

Now we cannot wait for IROC to bring back these legendary cars for display on race tracks again.