After nearly three decades of championship racing, the International Race of Champions (IROC) and title sponsor Crown Royal made history today by announcing its first ever all-time IROC team dubbed the “Crown Royal IROC Legends of Victory Lane.” Mario Andretti, the late Dale Earnhardt, Scott Pruett and Steve Kinser were named to the all-time team and were honored in a ceremony held at the year’s final IROC race weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
The all-time IROC team represents the three main racing disciplines – open-wheel, stock car and road racing. Andretti (open-wheel), Earnhardt (stock car) and Pruett (road racing) garnered the most fan votes to win their respective categories, while Kinser (open-wheel) earned the fans’ wild card selection by amassing the most votes among all categories outside of the three winners. Nearly a quarter-million votes were cast during the five-month voting period.
The four members of the Legends of Victory Lane team were presented with a custom crystal trophy by IROC Series President Jay Signore and Crown Royal Senior Brand Manager James Lorenz. Fans voted for the Legends team from a list of 12 finalists selected by a veteran, three-person media panel, which has covered motorsports for a combined 100-plus years. Finalists were determined by panel nominations based primarily on drivers’ IROC career performance and included: Andretti, Kinser, Al Unser Jr. and Bobby Unser (open-wheel); Earnhardt, Bobby Labonte, Mark Martin and Cale Yarborough (stock car); and Pruett, Hurley Haywood, Tom Kendall and Mark Donohue (road racing). From April to September, fans 21 years of age and older had the opportunity to vote for one driver in each of three categories by visiting kiosks stationed at the Crown Royal Experience at NASCAR events or via the Internet at www.crownroyalracing.com.
In its second year as title sponsor, Crown Royal continues to promote responsible drinking with its “Be a Champion. Drink Responsibly.” campaign. At the conclusion of the Atlanta race, the IROC champion is awarded a $1 million first-place purse from Crown Royal. Mark Martin, winner of the season-opening race at Daytona International Speedway in February and IROC Race #3 at Richmond International Raceway in September, leads the current Crown Royal IROC points standings. Champ Car World Series driver Sebastien Bourdais claimed Race #2 at Texas Motor Speedway in April.(Alan Taylor Communications)(10-28-2005)
