First 2003 IROC Driver’s Announced: Two champions representing the Pennzoil World of Outlaws sprint car series, Steve Kinser and Danny Lasoski, have accepted invitations to compete in the 2003 True Value International Race of Champions [IROC]. 2003 will mark the first time that two World of Outlaws representatives have competed in the same season. The 2002 champion, Steve Kinser, collected 20 “A” Feature wins on his way to capturing his 17th WoO title. Kinser’s initial IROC invitation came in 1994. He was the first driver to be invited as a representative of short track racing, which proved positive when he astonished the racing world with a win in only his third start at Talladega Superspeedway. Kinser returned to IROC competition in 1995 and 1996, with 1995 producing his best result of eighth in the final points standing. Despite missing five World of Outlaws events due to severe injuries, the 2001 WoO champion, Danny Lasoski managed to finish second to Steve Kinser in the 2002 title chase. The injuries also caused Lasoski to miss out on competing at the Brickyard in the True Value IROC finale. The traditional season opener will take place at Daytona International Speedway on Friday, Feb. 14, 2003. As previously announced, race-two will return the series to Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday, April 5. The schedule for race-three and four will be confirmed within the next week. The True Value IROC team is scheduled to test at Daytona International Speedway on Tuesday, Nov. 19 through Thursday, Nov. 21 in preparation for the 2003 season. Veteran True Value IROC test drivers, Dave Marcis, Jim Sauter and Andy Hillenburg, along with 2003 competitors, Steve Kinser and Danny Lasoski are scheduled to attend. The True Value IROC Series matches 12 drivers from different forms of auto racing in equally prepared cars, on Goodyear Eagle radial racing tires. The goal is to eliminate the mechanical advantages and to produce a winner determined solely on driver skill. The series consists of four 100-mile races at different racetracks with points awarded for finishing positions. At the end of the fourth race, the points are tallied and a champion of champions is named.(IROC PR), also I hear that due to the timing of Pontiac’s departure from the series, the IROC cars will remain unchanged in 2003 and that IROC is actively pursuing a model change for 2004. See my 2002 IROC page for more info and links o the series.(11-15-2002)
