IROC History Celebrated at Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion

By Zach Evans, RacingAmerica.com, Aug. 17, 2025 //

Some of the greatest drivers in NASCAR and IROC history gathered at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca as part of the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, competing in past IROC machines for the Unser Family Cup.

It proved to be a special weekend for everyone involved. Fans got to enjoy seeing the incredible machines that were piloted by the likes of Mario Andretti, A.J. Foyt, Niki Lauda, Cale Yarborough, and countless other legends of motorsports between 1973 and 2006 as part of the original International Race of Champions.

However, the gathering proved just as special to the drivers who attended, several of whom were past IROC competitors who climbed back behind the wheel of cars they had driven in the series themselves. Jeff Gordon, Kurt Busch, Bobby Labonte, Bill Elliott, Mark Martin, Ken Schrader, Danny Sullivan and Scott Pruett were among those who took part in the event.

Busch's machine for the event was the same Pontiac Firebird he drove in the 2003 IROC finale en route to the series championship that year. Between that and the corps of drivers surrounding him, the weekend was truly a blast from the past for the Las Vegas, Nevada native.

"This has been phenomenal," said Busch during a pre-race interview. "Just, congratulations to Ray Evernham, Rob Kauffman, the whole IROC group. The fraternity of drivers that showed up, I'm just a kid pinching myself. This is way cool. It's the cars that I used to watch as a kid, and I'm out here racing. It's been fun."

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