IROC Drivers? UPDATE 3: hearing the following will be the 2001 lineup of IROC drivers: From NASCAR Winston Cup: already announced Dale Earnhardt, Ricky Rudd, Jeff Burton along with Dale Jarrett and Bobby Labonte. From the IRL: already announced Eddie Cheever Jr, Scott Goodyear, Buddy Lazier along with Mark Dismore. From CART: Gil de Ferran and Kenny Brack. From the Busch Series: Jeff Green. For more info on the series, see my IROC 2001 page(1-3-2001) UPDATE add Green: Jeff Green is the latest driver named to the 2001 12-driver IROC field. He joins fellow NASCAR drivers Jeff Burton, Dale Earnhardt and Ricky Rudd who compete in the Winston Cup Series. Open-wheel veterans Eddie Cheever, Buddy Lazier and Scott Goodyear will also compete in IROC XXV(Talladega PR)(1-4-2001) UPDATE 2: add Jarrett and Labonte – The last two NASCAR Winston Cup champions Bobby Labonte (2000) and Dale Jarrett (1999) will join four-time and defending IROC champion Dale Earnhardt in the 2001 line-up. The three top-ranking stock car aces join the seven previously announced invitees: Buddy Lazier, Scott Goodyear, Eddie Cheever Jr., and Mark Dismore from the Indy Racing Northern Lights Series; Winston Cup stars Jeff Burton and Ricky Rudd; and Busch champion Jeff Green. Who will get the other two seats? Four-time IROC champion Mark Martin, plus a number of CART FedEx Championship Series drivers are possibilities(SpeedVision) AND It’s apparent that IROC wants to diversify its lineup. Bobby Labonte and Dale Jarrett likely are in, meaning only last year’s top-5 made the cut. Among the notables left out: Tony Stewart, Mark Martin, Jeff Gordon, Rusty Wallace and Dale Earnhardt Jr. CART Indycar champion Gil de Ferran likely will be invited, along with CART star Kenny Brack. That’s a 6-6 split between stock car and open-wheel drivers, a far cry from recent years when NASCAR drivers dominated the lineups.(Daily Press)(1-5-2001) UPDATE 3: The 2000 CART FedEx Series Champion, Gil de Ferran and The 2000 CART FedEx Rookie of the Year, Kenny Brack will participate in the 25th running of the True Value IROC series. de Ferran and Brack’s invitation acceptance brings the field of 12 to six open wheel drivers versus six stock car veterans. They join previously announced IRL drivers, Buddy Lazier, Scott Goodyear, Eddie Cheever, Jr., and Mark Dismore. Also previously announced were NASCAR Cup drivers, Bobby Labonte, Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Burton, Dale Jarrett, Ricky Rudd and NASCAR BGN, Jeff Green. 2001 will mark de Ferran’s first True Value IROC series. Brack was unable to compete in the 2000 True Value IROC series due to scheduling conflicts. Brack’s True Value IROC debut came in 1999 for his IRL Championship. The 25th anniversary season of the True Value IROC series begins on February 16 with race one at Daytona International Speedway. The race will be broadcast on ESPN Sunday, February 18 at 5:00pm/et(IROC PR)(1-17-2001) (1-16-2001)
