Mark Martin vs Dale Earnhardt: Who Has Won More IROC Championships?

The International Race of Champions (IROC) was an auto racing competition held between 1973 and 2007. It was created by Les Richter, Roger Penske, and Mike Phelps and promoted as an all-star series that had participants from a wide range of racing disciplines. Two drivers who were notably spectacular in this platform were Mark Martin and Dale Earnhardt Sr.

Earnhardt was a senior driver to Martin in IROC. He got his invitation to race in 1979 and won championships in 1990, 1995, 1999, and 2000. Martin, on the other hand, got his invitation in 1990. Being called in to race for the elite 12-driver series was a huge honor.

The 65-year-old remembers it in an interview from earlier this year, “It was an incredible honor to be invited, to be a part of such an incredible, worldwide group.”

He won his first championship in 1994 and followed it up with titles in 1996, 1997, 1998, and 2005. With five championships compared to the four of Earnhardt, he slightly edges out The Intimidator.

There have been a lot of contentions over the years that he would have lost the numbers battle if it hadn’t been for the untimely death of Earnhardt. But Martin is not one to entertain such possibilities.

He says, “There are detractors out there that say, ‘Well, Earnhardt would have had more if he would have lived longer.’ Whatever. Earnhardt ran more races than I did. He participated in more seasons than I did. Earnhardt was older than me. He was there way before me. So, it’s a real feather in my cap.” The icon’s achievement stands undeniably the best in IROC.

Martin isn’t fond of people calling him a driver without championships

Martin is often referred to as the best driver who never won a championship. This is owed to the several times he came frustratingly close to winning a Cup Series title only to miss out by the slightest of margins.

Although the lack of a Cup Series championship is a sore gap in his resume, he doesn’t think that he should be regarded as never having won the title.

He recently responded to a post on X that threw light on his IROC record and sarcastically wrote, “They say he never won a championship though.” 

It is apparent that he finds great solace in his career thanks to the five trophies that he has at home. He was a part of IROC’s return this year at Lime Rock Park alongside other legends like Greg Biffle and Danny Sullivan. He did not race but drove demonstration laps in IROC cars, probably reminiscing on his old days.