The International Race of Champions used to be an event where drivers across multiple disciplines would come down and compete against one another in identical cars. Despite having the word ‘International’ in it, the event was predominantly focused on American racing disciplines and race tracks. The series eventually died out following the 2006 race, which former NASCAR driver Tony Stewart won.
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After a break of nearly 18 years, news surrounding the revival of IROC has emerged. Hall of Famer crew chief Ray Evernham and MWR co-owner Rob Kauffman have joined hands and bought the IROC brand altogether. Interestingly, they plan to hold an event this year using historic IROC race cars.
Hall of Fame crew chief Ray Evernham, who worked as an IROC mechanic in his younger days, and former MWR co-owner Rob Kauffman have bought the IROC brand and hope to have an event in 2024 with historic IROC race cars.
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) January 8, 2024
With the new management, there could be a possibility that they bring in international drivers instead of just focusing on the American side of things. Perhaps make this event something like the Race of Champions, a truly international event that brings in iconic drivers across disciplines.
Well, if they can successfully host an event this year, it would be interesting to see a NASCAR champion race against let’s say a Formula 1 champion go head to head battling for the top spot.
Can the newly revived IROC bring in Max Verstappen to race against Ryan Blaney?
Max Verstappen has become one of the biggest names in motorsports on a global scale. His dominant presence in Formula 1 makes the three-time champion the perfect driver to bring across for the new IROC event. It would be even more interesting to see how he would fair against the reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney in identical machinery.
Over the years the Dutchman has gained quite a lot of racing experience on sims such as iRacing, and there have been several occasions where fellow drivers have seen Verstappen race on Oval tracks as well. But considering the RedBull Racing driver’s comments about not wishing to race on Ovals in real life, means that IROC would have to host their event on a road course to see him compete.
But if the IROC event does happen and they do decide to bring in international drivers, their best bet would be to rope in Verstappen and field him against Blaney, along with the IndyCar, WRC, NHRA, and late model champions. Now that would be an epic event for race fans across the globe to watch.
