IROC Holdings LLC, the group formed by former NASCAR team owners Ray Evernham and Rob Kauffman who acquired the rights to the IROC brand earlier this year, has announced that the first IROC event to be held in nearly 20 years is set to take place July 19-20 at Lime Rock Park as part of the SpeedTour All-Star Race weekend. 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.
IROC (International Race of Champions) held races from 1973 to 2006 (pictured above: the 2004 IROC field at Daytona), bringing together some of the greatest drivers from all forms of motorsport to race identical cars on historic tracks for an all-star extravaganza.
“We are thrilled to announce the first IROC event since 2006 will take place at historic Lime Rock Park,” said Evernham. “I began my professional racing career at IROC, so to be part of the team bringing the brand back to life and to the fans is extremely gratifying.”
“The event at Lime Rock Park will serve as a great way to kick off what is sure to be an exciting journey to reignite the magic IROC had during its original 30+ year run,” said Kauffman, a venture capitalist as well as former NASCAR team owner. “We hope this is just one of many announcements for IROC in 2024.”
The IROC event at Lime Rock Park will feature original IROC cars on track and on display in the IROC paddock throughout the weekend. Fans will have the opportunity to see nearly every generation of IROC race car with many being driven by former IROC drivers. A fan-forward display, the IROC paddock will feature appearances by some of the original IROC racers, Q&A sessions and IROC-branded merchandise.
IROC has also opened entry applications for anyone who owns IROC race cars and would like to display or drive them in the event. Those interested in applying can visit iroc-racing.com for more information. In addition, IROC has simultaneously launched their official webstore at shop.iroc-racing.com.
IROC’s return will take place during the SpeedTour All-Star Race weekend at Lime Rock Park, hosted by Parella Motorsports Holdings (PMH). The event will also feature the 60-minute SpeedTour All-Star Race, which gathers icons from Formula 1, NASCAR, IndyCar and IMSA, and pairs them with competitors from the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli’s CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series to compete as co-drivers in a race that airs live on MAVTV.
“We are thrilled to add IROC to our lineup for the SpeedTour All-Star Race weekend,” said Tony Parella, CEO of PMH. “This is quickly shaping up to be one of the most exciting motorsports events in recent memory — we already have 16 legends committed to race in the SpeedTour All-Star race, with a field that includes Daytona 500 and Indianapolis 500 champions, IROC winners and drivers who have stood atop the podium at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Nürburgring, and Daytona. IROC adds even more star power to an already exciting event. IROC was where the best-of-the-best drivers went to race and prove themselves among their competitors. As Ray and Rob relaunch the IROC brand, we’re thrilled to be a part of this first outing.”