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2006 IROC NEWS, LINEUP and SCHEDULE

Question: What is IROC?

Answer: International Race of Champions

The International Race of Champions is a series of four races designed to produce a winner determined solely on driver skill. As far as humanly possible, the many mechanical variables normally associated with the sport of auto racing have been eliminated. Drivers are not allowed to make changes or adjustments to the suspension, handling or any other parts of the IROC race cars, except for pedal and steering wheel adjustments, seat position and safety belts. A specially fitted seat is provided for each driver and that seat moves from car to car with him.

Official IROC Racing Site

IROC 2006 News

2007 IROC? see my 2007 IROC Page...
Truex Jr. wins IROC race at Atlanta; Stewart wins IROC championship: #8-Martin Truex Jr. won the Crown Royal IROC race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. #17-Kenseth ended up 2nd and #20-Stewart was third, clinching 2006 Crown Royal IROC Championship and the $1 million. #12-Newman was 4th, followed by #1-Musgrave, #6-Martin, #46-Kimmel, #16-Papis, #11-Kinser, #06-Hornish, #10-Taylor and #08-Sharp. More at IROCRacing.com.(10-28-2006)
IROC series season concludes at Atlanta: Crown Royal IROC XXX will conclude the 2006 season on Saturday, October 28, 2006 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The $1 million Race Four finale will be broadcast live on SPEED Channel at 3:00pm/et. The Crown Royal IROC Series returns to Atlanta Motor Speedway for the third consecutive year to award $1 million to the series’ champion. 2006 will mark IROC’s fifth appearance at AMS, having staged final events in 1979 and 1980. The 2006 championship will be decided among the top four in the current points standings: Tony Stewart, Matt Kenseth, Max Papis and Ryan Newman; all others are mathematically eliminated. The rest of the field are: Martin Truex Jr., Sam Hornish Jr., Frank Kimmel, Mark Martin, Scott Sharp, Wayne Taylor/Max Angelelli [Tatlor will run at Atlanta], Steve Kinser and Ted Musgrave. By calculation there are nearly 50-million different possible orders of finish. It will come down to bonus points and the final running order before the championship is decided. If Kenseth wins and maximizes the bonus points, as he did in the opener at Daytona, Stewart will need to finish third or better to clinch the title. Stewart was the IROC Series runner-up in 2001. A Crown Royal IROC title in 2006 would give Stewart six different series title to his collection of national championships. His five national titles include: USAC National Midget champion (1994 & ’95), USAC Sprint Car (’95), USAC Silver Crown (’95), IRL IndyCar Series (’97) and NASCAR Nextel Cup (2002 & ’05). Race bonus points in addition to winning the race in Atlanta could make Kenseth the first two-time $1 million Crown Royal IROC champion: He won the inaugural $1 million Crown Royal IROC championship in 2004. Papis and Newman are tied at 39-points. Mathematically, Papis, or Newman, could win the championship if Stewart finishes 11th or worse, Kenseth places out of the top-five, and either driver would have to win the race and collect the maximum bonus points (8). More at IROCRacing.com.(10-27-2006)
Stewart wins IROC road race at Daytona: Tony Stewart is one step closer to a Crown Royal IROC championship by taking the win on the road course at Daytona International Speedway. Stewart was dominant taking home the bonus points for most laps led with 17 (of 20) circuits at the head of the field. Road racing expert Max Papis hounded Stewart throughout the last half of the race and finished second. NASCAR Nextel Cup driver Ryan Newman finished third.(IROCRacing.com). Rounding out the top five were Papis, Ryan Newman, Scott Sharp and Scott Hornish.(DIS Site)(6-30-2006)
At Daytona Beach; Daytona International Speedway; lap length: 3.56-mile road course; race tonight (10 p.m. approximate), the lineup:
1. (1) Ted Musgrave, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
2. (11) Steve Kinser, World of Outlaws.
3. (08) Scott Sharp, IndyCar Series.
4. (16) Max Papis, Grand American Sports Car.
5. (10) Max Angelelli, Grand American Sports Car.
6. (06) Sam Hornish Jr., IndyCar Series.
7. (6) Mark Martin, NASCAR Nextel Cup Series.
8. (46) Frank Kimmel, ARCA Re/Max Series.
9. (8) Martin Truex Jr., NASCAR Busch Series.
10. (12) Ryan Newman, NASCAR Nextel Cup Series.
11. (20) Tony Stewart, NASCAR Nextel Cup Series.
12. (17) Matt Kenseth, NASCAR Nextel Cup Series.
Note: Lineup for Race 3 is by inversion of the point standings.
IROC races tonight in Daytona, on road course: The Crown Royal International Race of Champions returned to track action Wednesday for a four-hour session at Daytona International Speedway (DIS) with driver practice in preparation for the series’ road race at DIS Thursday night, June 29. Drivers getting behind the wheel for the first time were 2005 Truck Series champion Ted Musgrave along with Nextel Cup drivers Ryan Newman and Matt Kenseth. Musgrave, who is starting on the pole in the 20-lap, 71.2-mile road race, was grateful to get a few pre- practice tutored runs in a street car by David Donohue before embarking on the course in the IROC cars. Later in the day the Crown Royal IROC Series finally got a chance to test out the wet weather package after a downpour late Wednesday afternoon at DIS. IROC’s road race specialist, David Donohue strapped into the Crown Royal IROC cars, equipped with Goodyear Eagle Radial rain tires, and took to the 3.56-mile road course with headlights on, windshield wipers and defoggers going and all the creature comforts for running in wet weather. Donohue said, The Goodyear rain tires held up great. As far as I was concerned, the feel of the car remained very consistent. It's a raceable package and it was fun sliding around a little out there. They've done a lot with the racetrack in recent years with paving the infield track and the puddles that were there when I first went out receded very quickly. If we wind up running in the rain I'm confident everyone will be pretty comfortable." Race three is scheduled to start at 10:00pm/et Thursday [June 29th] night, which will be broadcast live on SPEED Channel immediately following the Grand American Brumos 250 at DIS.(IROC PR)(6-29-2006)
News on Daytona Road Race:
RACE INFO: IROC, June 29, 10 p.m., 20 laps
HISTORY: The last IROC road-course race was at Watkins Glen International in 1991. Rusty Wallace won. . . . The last road-course IROC race at DIS was Feb. 14, 1974, IROC's first season. Mark Donohue won on the 3.81-mile course.
TURNS: 14
DISTANCE: 3.56 miles
TURN NAMES:
· Turn 3 is known as the International Horseshoe
· Turn 5 is known as Pedro Rodriguez Corner, named for the Mexican road-racing legend who also was NASCAR's Latino pioneer with six races run between 1959 and 1971
· Turn 7 is NASCAR Turn 1
· Turn 8 is NASCAR Turn 2
· Turns 9, 10, 11, 12 make up the chicane
· Turn 13 is NASCAR Turn 3
· Turn 14 is NASCAR Turn 4.(Daytona Beach News Journal)(5-9-2006)
Stewart wins IROC Race at Texas: #20-Tony Stewart won the Crown Royal IROC Race at Texas Motor Speedway on Friday, with Ryan Newman finishing 2nd, followed by Martin Truex Jr., Mark Martin and Matt Kenseth. Stewart climed the flag stand after his first ever win in any series at Texas Motor Speedway. It is Stewart's third career IROC win. More info later. Kenseth's points lead is now 9 over Stewart [43-34], then Newman, Truex Jr. and Kimmel.
For results and points standings, see IROCRacing.com.(4-7-2006)
RESULTS:
1. (20) Tony Stewart, NASCAR Nextel Cup, 67 laps, 27 points.
2. (12) Ryan Newman, NASCAR Nextel Cup, 67, 18.
3. (8) Martin Truex Jr., NASCAR Busch, 67, 14.
4. (6) Mark Martin, NASCAR Nextel Cup, 67, 14.
5. (17) Matt Kenseth, NASCAR Nextel Cup, 67, 14.
6. (10) Max Angelelli, Grand American Road Racing, 67, 9.
7. (08) Scott Sharp, IndyCar Series, 67, 8.
8. (46) Frank Kimmel, ARCA, 67, 7.
9. (1) Ted Musgrave, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, 67, 6.
10. (16) Max Papis, Grand American Road Racing, 59, 5.
11. (11) Steve Kinser, World of Outlaws, 59, 4.
12. (06) Sam Hornish Jr., IndyCar Series, 47, 3.(4-8-2006)
IROC at Texas: The Crown Royal International Race of Champions team hit the pavement at Texas Motor Speedway on Saturday in preparation for round-two of the 30th Anniversary season of Crown Royal IROC racing. For the third-consecutive year “The Great American Speedway” will host the second race of the Crown Royal IROC season, which will take place on Friday, April 7 at 7:00pm/et, broadcast live on SPEED Channel and PRN Radio. Crown Royal IROC test drivers, Dave Marcis, David Donohue, Jim and Jay Sauter recently tested the cars, collecting initial test data on all of the Crown Royal IROC race cars. IROC President, Jay Signore said, “We’re off to a good start here at Texas Motor Speedway. We’re all getting re-acclimated to the racetrack and to the Goodyear Eagle Radial race tires, which is a different compound for us this year. The tires seem to have a lot of grip, especially with the track being as green as it is and out of the box the feedback on the race cars is all good. “ David Donohue is new to the IROC test team this year, and the IROC experience at Texas Motor Speedway is completely new to him. “This is my first time in the IROC cars at Texas Motor Speedway and I didn’t have any problem getting comfortable, so I would have to say it should be a comfortable situation for the drivers who don’t do this everyday.” Although new to the test team, Donohue is not new to IROC as his father, the late Mark Donohue was an integral part of the development team that created the series and also the inaugural IROC champion in 1974. For race ticket information, call the Texas Motor Speedway ticket hotline at (817) 215-8500 or log on to texasmotorspeedway.com.(IROCRacing.com)(4-7-2006)
Kenseth wins at Daytona: #17-Matt Kenseth won a wild IROC race at Daytona International Speedway with six cars left, beating #06-Sam Horish Jr. finishing 2nd, then #46-Frank Kimmel, #16-Max Papis, #8-Martin Truex Jr., and #10-Wayne Taylor. #6-Mark Martin wrecked early and finished last. #11-Steve Kinser took a wild ride after making contact with Kimmel and Papis, moving up the track into the part of #20-Tony Stewart, Kinser flipped and ended up on his roof and slid a few hundred feet on his roof, the race was red flagged as it took a while to get Kinser out of the car, but he walked away ok. #1-Musgrave and #12-Newman were also involved and exited the race. It is Kenseth's 3rd IROC win.
THE REPORT: Matt Kenseth started his night at the back of the pack, but turned in a dominating performance in the 2006 Crown Royal International Race of Champions (IROC) Series 30th anniversary season-opener at Daytona International Speedway (DIS). The 2004 Crown Royal IROC champion, who started in the 12th and final position, led 35 laps to capture his third-career IROC victory in a challenging race, which included a spectacular four-car accident with three laps remaining. “I started in the back and got lucky in the beginning by getting some good pushes from Ted Musgrave who pushed me up to the lead,” said Kenseth, who took the early lead in the Crown Royal IROC points standing, with the series shifting to Texas Motor Speedway for Race Two on April 7. “Frank (Kimmel) pushed me for a long run.” IRL IndyCar Series driver Sam Hornish, Jr. finished second, followed by ARCA RE/MAX Series driver Frank Kimmel. “Everybody wants to win, but a couple of us open-wheel guys are a little bit more content with a top three that those guys are, because they do it every day,” said Hornish. Added Kimmel: “Wow! That was pretty exciting – there was a lot of stuff going on. I was glad we got back up front. We had a lot better car than fifth or sixth, where I thought we were going to end up.” World of Outlaws driver Steve Kinser suffered the worst in the four-car accident, when contact with Kimmel and sent Kinser into Tony Stewart’s car, forcing Kinser’s car sideways and upside down. Kinser suffered minor injuries, was evaluated and released from DIS’s infield care center. Reigning NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion Ted Musgrave and IRL IndyCar Series driver Scott Sharp were also involved in the wreck, which promptly ended their night.
“I was clear against the car in front of me, getting beat on from behind, turning me sideways, it was bang, bang, bang, right down through there,” said Kinser. “That’s about all I can say. Maybe Tony (Stewart) knows what they’re talking about, too much pounding around on the back ends of them. That’s just about all I can say. That’s part of it, I guess. I was getting hammered for the last three laps, hard.” Road racing champions Max Papis and Wayne Taylor turned in strong performances by finished fourth and sixth, respectively, while NASCAR Busch Series champion Martin Truex, Jr. finished fifth. Rounding out the top 10: Kinser (seventh), Stewart (eighth), Sharp (ninth) and Musgrave (10th). “That was an awesome race,” said Papis. “I was challenging for the lead, and it was an awesome battle with Matt Kenseth.”
“It was a great, great experience,” said Taylor, about his Crown Royal IROC debut. “My car was just outstanding.” Pole winner and defending series champion Mark Martin’s day ended early when he was involved in an accident with Hornish and Ryan Newman on the front stretch on lap 10. A winner here at DIS last February, the five-time Crown Royal IROC Series winner suffered damage to the rear of his car when contact with Hornish resulted in Martin spinning and hitting the wall. Newman suffered damage to his left front side, but remained in the race until suffering a broken radiator at lap 25. “I’m not sure what happened except what is on tape,” said Martin, following his release from the infield care center. “It was a hard hit but we’re ok. It can still be done (winning championship) but it’s going to be a real challenge.”(IROC Site)(2-17-2006)

Daytona Results:

Pos.	Start	Driver	Car	Laps	Times Led	Laps Led	Bonus		Points	Status
1	12	Matt Kenseth*	#17 Yellow	40	1	35	5	3	29	Running
2	4	Sam Hornish	#06 Day-Glo	40	-	-	-	-	17	Running
3	3	Frank Kimmel	#46 Magenta	40	-	-	-	2	16	Running
4	6	Max Papis	#16 Burgundy	40	-	-	-	1	13	Running
5	11	Martin Truex Jr.	#8 Black	40	-	-	-	-	10	Running
6	9	Wayne Taylor	#10 Dk. Blue	40	-	-	-	--	9	Running
7	8	Steve Kinser	#11 Green	37					8	Accident
8	10	Tony Stewart	#20 Orange	37					7	Accident
9	2	Scott Sharp	#08 Gold	37	-	-	-	-	6	Accident
10	7	Ted Musgrave	#1 Lt. Blue	37					5	Accident
11	5	Ryan Newman	#12 Red	25	1	3	3		7	Accident
12	1	Mark Martin*	#6 Purple	10	1	2	2		5	Accident

Average Speed: 143.655
Time of Race: 41.45 (Red 52.22)
Margin of Victory: 0.168
Lead Changes: 2 among 3 drivers
Caution Periods: 3 (with Competition Yellow)
Lap Leaders: 1-2 Martin, 3-5 Newman, 6-40 Kenseth.(IROC Racing)(2-18-2006)

IROC Starting lineup at Daytona: The following is the Crown Royal IROC starting lineup for Friday’s 40-lap, 100-mile race. The start time is 6:00pm/et on Speed Channel – Live.
Starting Driver Car #/Color Representing
1 Mark Martin* 6 Purple NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series
2 Scott Sharp 08 Gold IRL IndyCar Series
3 Frank Kimmel 46 Magenta ARCA RE/MAX Series
4 Sam Hornish 06 Day-Glo IRL IndyCar Series
5 Ryan Newman 12 Red NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series
6 Max Papis 16 Burgundy Grand American Road Racing
7 Ted Musgrave 1 Lt. Blue NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
8 Steve Kinser 11 Green World of Outlaws Series
9 Wayne Taylor 10 Drk. Blue Grand American Road Racing
10 Tony Stewart 20 Orange NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series
11 Martin Truex Jr. 8 Black NASCAR Busch Series
12 Matt Kenseth* 17 Yellow NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series (IROC Racing PR)(2-16-2006)
IROC: Edwards out, Newman in; sched conflict: Crown Royal International Race of Champions (IROC) officials announced a change in the 2006 driver roster. Ryan Newman will replace Carl Edwards representing the NEXTEL Cup Series. A scheduling conflict remains unresolved involving Crown Royal IROC Race Four at Atlanta Motor Speedway and the Busch Series race in Memphis, both taking place on Saturday, October 28. Edwards will be competing full-time in the Busch Series in 2006.(IROC Racing PR)(1-24-2006)
Clarification of the Road Racing Champs: The 2005 Grand American Road Racing Champions, Wayne Taylor and Max Angelelli will share the ride with each doing two of the four races in their quest for the 2006 Crown Royal IROC Championship. The driver team approach replicates the format of the Grand American Road Racing Series. The team approach allows for the Grand American Road Racing Series to be represented despite a scheduling conflict with the Grand American event in Long Beach, Ca. and Crown Royal IROC Race Two at Texas Motor Speedway on April 7. One driver will be able to leave the Long Beach event while the other remains to handle on- track activities.(IROC PR)(1-19-2006)

2006 IROC Drivers Announced: Crown Royal International Race of Champions (IROC) officials announced today the driver field and race event schedule for the 2006 Crown Royal IROC Series. The four-race invitational all-star series, which matches 12 drivers from different disciplines of auto racing in equally prepared cars, will open its historic 30th season February 17 at Daytona International Speedway (DIS). Five-time Crown Royal IROC Series and 2005 champion Mark Martin will look to capture consecutive series crowns for the first time since Dale Earnhardt accomplished the feat in the 1999-2000 seasons. Martin won three in row from 1996-1998 and owns an IROC-record 13 checkered flags. The 2006 driver field will consist of representation from seven major racing series, including six drivers that captured their respective series championship in 2005.

The 2006 Crown Royal IROC Series drivers vying for the $1 million championship purse include:

Driver	Series Representing
Mark Martin	NASCAR NEXTEL Cup (2005 Crown Royal IROC champion)
Tony Stewart	NASCAR NEXTEL Cup (2005 Series champion)
Martin Truex Jr.	NASCAR Busch Series (2005 Series champion)
Steve Kinser	World of Outlaws (2005 Series champion)
Ted Musgrave	NASCAR Craftsman Truck (2005 Series champion)
Frank Kimmel	ARCA Re/Max Series (2005 Series champion)
Max Angelelli / Wayne Taylor	Grand American Road Racing (2005 Series champions)
Max Papis	Open-wheel and road racing disciplines
Carl Edwards	NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series
Sam Hornish, Jr.	IRL IndyCar Series
Scott Sharp	IRL IndyCar Series
Matt Kenseth	NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series

"For three decades, IROC has tried to bring together the very best champion drivers from all forms of racing disciplines," said Jay Signore, IROC President. "This year, our 30th season, is no different. We have another strong field and look forward to the competition heating up at Daytona."
The Crown Royal IROC Series will consist of four races on diverse race tracks. In an effort to return to its roots for this historic season, the Crown Royal IROC Series will compete on a road course for the first time in 14 years, when it does on the famed road course at DIS on Thursday, June 29, in conjunction with the NASCAR Cup race weekend. Sandwiched between the two DIS events will be Race Two at Texas Motor Speedway on Friday, April 7, with the season finale at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Saturday, October 28.

2006 Crown Royal IROC Series Driver Field
Mark Martin, reigning Crown Royal IROC Series champion, owns a record-best five series titles and 13-career wins. Last season, Martin placed fourth in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup final point standings with one win, 12 top-five and 19 top-10 finishes. Martin drives for Roush Racing's AAA NASCAR NEXTEL Cup team.
Tony Stewart claimed fives checkered flags, including the Brickyard 400, on his way to capturing the NASCAR NEXTEL Series title in 2005. This was Stewart's second crown (2002) in the seven seasons that he has competed in NASCAR Cup. During his first championship campaign, he captured five races, three poles and 17 top-five finishes. Stewart drives for the Home Depot team of Joe Gibbs Racing.
Two-time NASCAR Busch Series champion (2005, '04) Martin Truex Jr. returns for his second season in the Crown Royal IROC Series after finishing second in his series debut in 2005. Truex is the first driver in the 24-year history of the NBS to amass more than $3 million. Truex represents the Dale Earnhardt Incorporated Bass Pro Shop team.
Twenty-time World of Outlaws champion Steve Kinser, representing the Quaker State team, had a stellar year in 2005, highlighted by capturing the series title. Other major races won in 2005 included: his 10th Eagle Nationals, 6th Kings Royal, 12th Gold Cup Race of champion and the Eagle Short Track Nationals. Kinser's 2006 invite will be his seventh appearance in IROC.
Ted Musgrave, the 2005 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion, will make his first start in the Crown Royal IROC Series. His career earnings totaled $3,772,884 to rank the veteran competitor third all-time in the NCTS.
Frank Kimmel, the 2005 and seven-time ARCA champion, joined Richard Petty and the late Dale Earnhardt as the only drivers in the history of stock car auto racing to win seven titles on a national tour that competes on both short-tracks and super speedways. He will make his IROC debut this season.
Teammates Max Angelelli and Wayne Taylor were the 2005 Grand American Rolex Series champions, representing the Sun Trust Prototype team. Taylor was the recipient of the 2005 top driver award.
Representing road racing and open-wheel racing disciplines, Max Papis makes a return to the IROC Series after his debut in 2005. Papis earned wins in the 2005 Grand Prix of Atlanta and at Laguna Seca in the SCCA SPEED World Challenge GT class. In 2004, Papis won the Grand American Road Racing championship with teammate Scott Pruett.
Carl Edwards, who represents the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series of Roush Racing's Office Depot Team, finished third in the 2005 final points standings. In addition, Edwards claimed five checkered flags and the Raybestos Rookie of the Year award in the NASCAR Busch Series en route to a third-place series finish.
Sam Hornish Jr., a two-time IRL IndyCar Series champion (2001, '02), finished third in the series championship points for Marlboro Team Penske. Last season, he had nine top-five finishes, 12 top-10 finishes and received the Marlboro Pole Award at Motegi (Japan), Richmond and Milwaukee.
Also representing the IRL IndyCar Series is 1996 co-champion Scott Sharp, who placed fifth in the series last year with the Delphi Fernandez team. He recorded six top-five and 13 top-10 finishes, highlighted by a career-best seventh-place finish at the 89th Indianapolis 500.
Representing the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series, Matt Kenseth finished seventh in series championship points with one win, 12 top-five and 16 top-10 finishes. Kenseth is the 2003 NASCAR Cup champion and the 2004 IROC champion.
Tickets for the Crown Royal IROC Series opening race and other Daytona Speedweeks events are available online at: www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or by calling the Daytona International Speedway ticket office at (386) 253-7223.(Alan Taylor Communications/IROC Racing PR)(1-17-2006)

IROC Drivers to be announced: Crown Royal IROC Series to announce 2006 drivers on Tuesday, January 17, 2006 at Daytona Intel Speedway. The 2006 Crown Royal IROC Series will feature 12 entries from different forms of auto racing in equally prepared cars. The 2006 driver field will consist of representation from seven major racing series including seven entries that captured their respective series championship in 2005.(Alan Taylor Communications)
DRIVERS? hearing the following drivers will run IROC in 2006: Cup drivers: Mark Martin, Tony Stewart, Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth; 2005 Busch champ Martin Truex Jr., 2005 Truck Champ Ted Musgrave; Steve Kinser from WoO; ARCA Champ Frank Kimmel, Sam Hornish, Jr. and Scott Sharp from the IRL, and road racers Max Papis along with Max Angelelli and/or Wayne Taylor [not sure which one or if both and they split time?](1-16/17-2006)
No Champ Car drivers, Danica considered: Because of schedule conflicts, IRL/Indy 500 Champ Dan Wheldon and Champ Car Champ Sebastien Bourdais will not be among the drivers announced this morning for the 2006 IROC lineup. Wheldon - the 2005 Indy Racing League, Indianapolis 500 and Grand Prix of St. Petersburg champion - and Bourdais were sought by the series, which pits champions from different series in similarly prepared cars. Bourdais, the two-time defending Champ Car champion who won his first IROC race last year at Texas, has a race the day of the second IROC event. Wheldon has testing commitments with Ganassi Racing. IRL rookie of the year Danica Patrick was considered, said spokesman George Signore , but was not invited.(St Petersburg Times)(1-17-2006)
IROC Celebrates 30th Anniversary with Addition of Road Course Event: Crown Royal International Race of Champions (IROC) Series officials announced today that it will hold one of its 2006 races on a road course for the first time in 14 years. As part of its 30th anniversary season, the Crown Royal IROC Series will race on the famed road course at Daytona International Speedway (DIS) on Thursday, June 29, in conjunction with the NASCAR Cup race weekend. The Daytona road course event is Race Three of the four-race invitational all-star series, which also includes events held at one superspeedway and two intermediate tracks. The series will make return engagements to three of the tracks it competed at in 2005. The season-opener will be contested at Daytona on the 2.5-mile, high-bank tri-oval on Friday, February 17, followed by a pair of intermediate tracks: Texas Motor Speedway on Friday, April 7 and the season finale at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Saturday, October 28. Daytona and the Crown Royal IROC Series share plenty of history, with its road course being the site of the inaugural 1973-74 IROC Series season finale. Legendary open-wheel driver Mark Donohue won that race and solidified his IROC championship in its first season. A road course event was a regular stop in the series from 1973 to 1991, with NASCAR driver Rusty Wallace winning the last road course event at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) in 1991. For the third consecutive year, Crown Royal returns as series title sponsor as part of its "Be a Champion. Drink Responsibly." campaign. Last year, Crown Royal honored the first ever all-time IROC Legends of Victory Lane team as voted by the fans, which included Mario Andretti (open-wheel), the late Dale Earnhardt (stock car), Scott Pruett (road racing) and Steve Kinser (open-wheel). The 2006 driver field will be announced in mid-January in conjunction with NASCAR testing at DIS. Mark Martin captured two race victories (Daytona, Richmond) en route to winning the 2005 Crown Royal IROC Series title and $1 million first-place purse.(Alan Taylor Communications PR)(1-15-2006)
IROC adds road course...Daytona: The International Race of Champions [IROC] series will be on the road again in 2006, holding a road-course event as part of its four-race schedule for the first time in 14 years.The IROC series, sponsored by Crown Royal, will hold its third race this season on Thursday, June 29, on the road course at Daytona International Speedway. The last road-course event in IROC was at Watkins Glen International in New York in 1991, with Rusty Wallace winning. As part of its 30th anniversary season, IROC will also race Feb. 17 on the 2.5-mile oval at Daytona, on April 7 at Texas Motor Speedway and on Oct. 28 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. "We've missed the road racing element of the series over the years and I can't tell you how thrilled we are to add a road course back into the mix," said Jay Signore, IROC president and general manager. "This will be the first time the Crown Royal IROC Series will race on the Daytona road course since our inaugural season." IROC's test drivers began making laps Thursday on the 3.56-mile Daytona road course in conjunction with testing for the Rolex 24 of Daytona endurance race. The 12-driver field for this year's event is scheduled to be announced Jan. 17 in Daytona at a news conference during NASCAR's "Preseason Thunder," two weeks of testing that begins Monday.(ThatsRacin.com), the Daytona road course race takes the place of Richmond, which ran in Sept.(1-5-2006)

THE 2006 IROC LINEUP
Driver	Car #	Series From	Appearance (including 2006)	IROC Wins (including 2006)	IROC Champs
Mark Martin	6	Nextel Cup	12	13	5
Steve Kinser	11	World of Outlaws	7	1	0
Tony Stewart	20	Nextel Cup	5	1	0
Scott Sharp	08	Indy Racing League	4	0	0
Sam Hornish Jr.	06	Indy Racing League	3	0	0
Matt Kenseth	17	Nextel Cup	3	2	1
Martin Truex Jr.	8	Busch Series	2	1	0
Max Papis	16	Grand American Road Racing	2	0	0
Wayne Taylor	10	Grand American Road Racing	1	0	0
Max Angelelli	10?	Grand American Road Racing	1	0	0
Ted Musgrave	1	NASCAR Truck Series	1	0	0
Ryan Newman	12	Nextel Cup	3	1	0
Frank Kimmel	46	ARCA	1	0	0

THE 2006 IROC SCHEDULE
#	Track	Date & Time	TV	Date & Time	Laps/Miles
1	Daytona	Feb 17th	Speed Channel	2/17/05 6:00pm LIVE	40/100
2	Texas	April 7th	Speed Channel	4/7/2006 7:00pm LIVE	67/100.5
3	Daytona Road Course	June 29th	Speed Channel	TBA	21/74.76
4	Atlanta	Oct 28	Speed Channel	TBA	65/100.1

IROC TV SCHEDULE
Date, Start, Track, Network
(Please note that all dates and time are subject to change.)

none yet...

ALL TIME IROC RACE WINNERS

Mark Martin, 13
Al Unser Jr., 11
Dale Earnhardt, 11
Cale Yarborough, 5
Tony Stewart, 4
Bobby Allison, 4
Neil Bonnett , 4
Bobby Unser, 4
Rusty Wallace, 4
49 drivers have won an IROC race [thru race 4, 2006]
131 drivers have ran the series [including 2006].(10-31-2006)

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