Photography courtesy WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
Mario Andretti. Dale Earnhardt. Mark Donohue. The common thread? IROC. All three were extraordinary race car drivers. All three were crowned IROC champions.
From 1974 to 2006, the International Race of Champions pitted the crème de la crème of drivers from across motorsport disciplines and put them into identically-prepared cars to see who’s the best of the best.
This August, you can see 24 IROC race cars at the Rolex Motorsports Monterey Reunion at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. All seven generations will be represented, and here’s a sampling of those.
Driver: William E. (Chip) Connor II
When IROC began, they started with the Porsche 911 Carrera RSR, which they used for just one season. The schedule consisted of four races, all on road courses, with the first three at Riverside and the final one at Daytona. This example was raced by F1 driver Denny Hulme, USAC Champ Car champion Roger McClusky and NASCAR champion David Pearson.
Driver: Shaun Lynn/Alex Lynn
The Porsches proved to expensive to maintain, so the series switched to Chevrolet Camaros. These were street cars with a roll cage installed and various mechanical upgrades made. The series also now hosted oval races, with events at Daytona and Michigan. A who’s who raced this particular Camaro: Pearson, Indy 500 winner Johnny Rutherford, USAC Champ Car champion A.J. Foyt, SCCA champion Brian Redman and F1 champion James Hunt. With this car, at the 1975 Daytona race, Foyt finished just a few feet short of winner Bobby Unser, making it the second-closest finish in series history.
Driver: Zak Brown
For the 1977-78 season, IROC introduced Camaros built on tube-frame chassis built by the legendary Banjo Matthews. NASCAR champs Cale Yarborough and Darrell Waltrip won with this example. Actors Clint Eastwood, Paul Newman, Gene Hackman and James Brolin also drove it during a media day at Sonoma Raceway in 1977.
Driver: Bill Elliott
The series went on hiatus after the 1979-1980 season and returned in 1984 with a new Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z, which helped promote the IROC-Z being sold at dealerships. This car was driven by NASCAR champion Dale Earnhardt, NASCAR legend Geoff Bodine, CART champion Bobby Rahal, IMSA champ Scott Pruett and NASCAR champion Bill Elliott. Elliott won with this car in 1988 at Daytona and will be driving it in Monterey this year.
Driver: Scott Pruett
After years with GM and the Camaro, IROC introduced the Dodge Daytona body in 1990. This particular example started as a Camaro and won races with NASCAR legend Harry Gant and CART legend Al Unser Jr. behind the wheel. Gant won the IROC championship with this car in 1985. The Daytona remained in Roger Penske’s person collection until 2025 and is one of the few IROC cars with a Dodge Daytona body remaining.
Driver: Bruce Canepa
In 1994, IROC debuted the Dodge Avenger body style. This example started its life as one of the first Gen 3 IROC Camaros built by Banjo Mathews. It’s worn Camaro, Daytona and Avenger bodywork over its life. Drivers who’ve raced it include Trans Am champion George Follmer, F1 champion Emerson Fittipaldi, Earnhardt, Rahal, NASCR champion Jeff Gordon, NASCAR champion Richard Petty, NASCAR legend Mark Martin, among others.
Driver: Rob Kauffman
Two years after introducing the Avenger, IROC reunited with GM and ran the Pontiac Firebird until the series shut down after the 2006 season. IndyCar and NASCAR champion Tony Stewart drove this Firebird to an IROC win in 2006 on the Daytona road course. That year, Stewart would be crowned the IROC champion.
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