IROC XXI

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1997 International Race of Champions
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Mark Martin (seen in 1998), the IROC XXI champion Mark martin Pocono June 98.jpeg
Mark Martin (seen in 1998), the IROC XXI champion

The twenty-first season of the International Race of Champions started on February 17, 1997. The series used identically prepared Pontiac Firebird Trans Am race cars, and contested races at Daytona International Speedway, Charlotte Motor Speedway, California Speedway, and Michigan International Speedway. Mark Martin won the IROC championship, his second straight and third in four seasons.

International Race of Champions auto racing championship held in the United States

International Race of Champions (IROC) was a North American auto racing competition, created by Les Richter, Roger Penske and Mike Phelps, promoted as an equivalent of an American All-Star Game or The Masters. Despite its name, the IROC was primarily associated with North American, oval-racing, NASCAR culture.

Daytona International Speedway Motorsport track in the United States

Daytona International Speedway is a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. Since opening in 1959, it has been the home of the Daytona 500, the most prestigious race in NASCAR. In addition to NASCAR, the track also hosts races of ARCA, AMA Superbike, USCC, SCCA, and Motocross. The track features multiple layouts including the primary 2.5-mile (4.0 km) high-speed tri-oval, a 3.56-mile (5.73 km) sports car course, a 2.95-mile (4.75 km) motorcycle course, and a 1,320-foot (400 m) karting and motorcycle flat-track. The track's 180-acre (73 ha) infield includes the 29-acre (12 ha) Lake Lloyd, which has hosted powerboat racing. The speedway is owned and operated by International Speedway Corporation.

Charlotte Motor Speedway Motorsport track in North Carolina, USA

Charlotte Motor Speedway, formerly Lowe's Motor Speedway, is a motorsports complex located in Concord, North Carolina 13 mi (21 km) from Charlotte. The complex features a 1.5 mi (2.4 km) quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing including the prestigious Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend, the NASCAR All-Star Race, and the Bank of America Roval 400. The speedway was built in 1959 by Bruton Smith and is considered the home track for NASCAR with many race teams located in the Charlotte area. The track is owned and operated by Speedway Motorsports, Inc. (SMI) with Marcus G. Smith as track president.

Contents

The roster of drivers and final points standings were as follows: [1]

PositionDriverPointsWinningsSeries
1 Flag of the United States.svg Mark Martin 72 $225,000 NASCAR Winston Cup
2 Flag of the United States.svg Robby Gordon 63 $100,000 CART
3 Flag of the United States.svg Randy LaJoie 58 $60,000 NASCAR Busch Series
4 Flag of the United States.svg Al Unser, Jr. 57 $50,000 CART
5 Flag of the United States.svg Terry Labonte 43 $45,000 NASCAR Winston Cup
6 Flag of the United States.svg Jeff Gordon 39 $40,000 NASCAR Winston Cup
7 Flag of the United States.svg Dale Earnhardt 35 $40,000 NASCAR Winston Cup
8 Flag of the United States.svg Dale Jarrett 34 $40,000 NASCAR Winston Cup
9 Flag of the United States.svg Tommy Kendall 34 $40,000 SCCA Trans-Am Series
10 Flag of the United States.svg Jimmy Vasser 30 $40,000 CART
11 Flag of the United States.svg Darrell Waltrip 18 $40,000 NASCAR Winston Cup
12 Flag of Italy.svg Alex Zanardi 17 $40,000 CART

Race results

Daytona International Speedway, Race One

  1. Al Unser, Jr.
  2. Mark Martin
  3. Dale Earnhardt
  4. Randy LaJoie
  5. Tommy Kendall
  6. Terry Labonte
  7. Dale Jarrett
  8. Robby Gordon
  9. Jeff Gordon
  10. Alex Zanardi
  11. Darrell Waltrip
  12. Jimmy Vasser

Charlotte Motor Speedway, Race Two

  1. Mark Martin
  2. Robby Gordon
  3. Jeff Gordon
  4. Jimmy Vasser
  5. Al Unser, Jr.
  6. Terry Labonte
  7. Randy LaJoie
  8. Dale Earnhardt
  9. Tommy Kendall
  10. Dale Jarrett
  11. Darrell Waltrip
  12. Alex Zanardi

California Speedway, Race Three

  1. Mark Martin
  2. Bobby Labonte 1
  3. Terry Labonte
  4. Randy LaJoie
  5. Jeff Gordon
  6. Al Unser, Jr.
  7. Tommy Kendall
  8. Dale Jarrett
  9. Dale Earnhardt
  10. Jimmy Vasser
  11. Darrell Waltrip
  12. Alex Zanardi

Michigan International Speedway, Race Four

  1. Randy LaJoie
  2. Robby Gordon
  3. Dale Jarrett
  4. Al Unser, Jr.
  5. Tommy Kendall
  6. Terry Labonte
  7. Dale Earnhardt
  8. Mark Martin
  9. Jeff Gordon
  10. Jimmy Vasser
  11. Darrell Waltrip
  12. Alex Zanardi

Notes

  1. Bobby Labonte drove for Robby Gordon in Race 3.

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IROC XIV

IROC XIV was the fourteenth year of the International Race of Champions auto racing competition. It took place in 1990 and was the first year the Dodge Daytona was used in competition, and continued the format introduced in IROC VIII. Race one took place on the Talladega Superspeedway, race two took place at Burke Lakefront Airport, and race three ran at Michigan International Speedway. Dale Earnhardt won the series championship, his first of four, and took home $175,000 for his efforts.

IROC XIX

The nineteenth year of IROC competition took place in 1995. IROC XIX was the second and final year the Dodge Avenger was used in competition, and continued the format introduced in IROC XVIII. Race one took place on the Daytona International Speedway, race two took place at Darlington Raceway, race three ran at Talladega Superspeedway, and the year finished at Michigan International Speedway. Dale Earnhardt won his second series championship, and took home $225,000 for his efforts.

IROC XX

The twentieth season of IROC competition started on February 16, 1996. IROC XX was the first year that the Pontiac Firebird Trans Am was used in competition, and contested races at Daytona International Speedway, Talladega Superspeedway, Charlotte Motor Speedway, and Michigan International Speedway. Mark Martin won the first night race in the history of the series in race three at Charlotte Motor Speedway, and won again in the season finale at Michigan International Speedway propelling him to a come-from-behind IROC championship, his second in three seasons.

IROC XXII

The twenty-second season of the International Race of Champions started on February 13, 1998. The series used identically prepared Pontiac Firebird Trans Am race cars, and contested races at Daytona International Speedway1, California Speedway, Michigan International Speedway, and Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Mark Martin won the IROC championship, his third straight and fourth in five seasons.

References