Ray Evernham, Rob Kauffman purchase IROC brand, plans to race historic cars in 2024
Folks it is starting to feel a lot like the good old days. Ray Evernham and Rob Kauffman are bringing back the IROC brand and racing series. With plans to revive the International Race of Champions, the duo of the NASCAR Hall of Famer and former Cup Series team owner want to race historic IROC cars in 2024.
The new ownership team that is now in charge of IROC Holdings LLC, is set to bring back the series after its incredible run from 1973-2006. Since the series ended, fans have been waiting for something to happen with the brand.
For those iRacing folks, this is probably the first step to getting IROC on the sim.
“Although the annual events ended in 2006, the legacy and recognition of the IROC brand has continued throughout the years. IROC Holdings plans to bring the historic brand back to life.
“IROC Holdings has been formed to house the business operations with the intent to have an IROC racing event in 2024 with historic IROC race cars while exploring future opportunities,” a statement from the new ownership group says. “The company will initially be based in Mooresville, N.C.”
This is very interesting. While the series has been missed, another series has stepped up to take over that role, at least a bit. The SRX Series, owned by Tony Stewart. Just like IROC, the SRX drivers are all in the same equipment. So, could we see some friendly competition in 2024?
IROC means more racing for NASCAR fans
Anything that is going to create more racing is good for NASCAR fans. With a full 38-week season in the Cup Series, there are plenty of weekends and days to fill with racing action. The SRX Series angle really makes things interesting since these two series basically have the same goal in mind.
The purpose of IROC and SRX is to put drivers from different disciplines into cars that all are equal. This, theoretically, allows the race to be all about the driver. Race fans are going to be dying to see the series return and these historic cars hit the track as well.
Champions of the series include Dale Earnhardt, Mark Martin (five-time), Rusty Wallace, Davey Allison, Bobby Labonte, Kevin Harvick and more. The last champion was Tony Stewart himself.
If IROC comes back this season, would you rather watch it or the SRX Series? What are your hopes for the newly revived series?