IROC for ALL TIME

by John Dickinson
Special Photography by Albert Wong
Support Photography by Ben Kuhl

Shaun Lynn pitches a 1975 IROC Chevrolet Camaro down the Corckscrew.
Long-time Porsche wheelman Pat Long leads Ross Merrill.
Mark Marin driving his own 1995 IROC Dodge Avenger. The Avenger would only be used for two seasons of IROC competition.
Carlos de Quesada in potentially the most recognizable IROC cars of them all, the 1974 Porsche RSR.
The then Z28 of Niki Lauda chasing the then Avenger Tony Stewart, being piloted here by Pat Long and Tomy Drissi respectively.
How many wins across different forms of motorsport are contained in one photo?
Coming to green!
Its much like Pat Long to be leading a field of more capable cars in his older Z28.
Jeff Gordon driving his Firebird from back in the day was not here to mess around.
Busch vs Gordon back for another round of racing combat.
Easily the lightest of the bunch, the Porsche RSR was unique in the field of muscle cars.
Zak Brown working the wheel of the Cale Yarborough Z28.

A star-studded IROC field marked the first time all seven generations of IROC cars have competed at the same time, against each other in the extraordinary multi-year history of the International Race of Champions.

In a stunning IROC surprise at Weathertech Laguna Seca Raceway on August 16th 2025, Trans AM driver Tomy Drissi powered his 2006 Pontiac Firebird to victory in a rarest-of-rare field of authentic IROC cars and legendary IROC drivers in the IROC Series Unser Family Cup trophy race. It was an historic event made truly legendary – in the time-etched moments of August 16th 2025 that cemented this impressive win. Drissi’s accomplishment now officially resides in the racing record books for the world racing community to behold.

TOP LEFT: Winner Tomy Drissi, thrilled to beat the Pros! TOP RIGHT: On the podium (L to R) Former IndyCar champion Dario Franchitti (2nd place), Former NASCAR champion and current NASCAR driver Curt Busch (3rd place), Trans Am driver and IROC race winner Tomy Drissi (R). BOTTOM LEFT: NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon (2nd place) congratulates winner Tomy Drissi. BOTTOM RIGHT: A happy winner, Tomy Drissi gives the thumbs-up to the crowd.
TOP LEFT: Winner Tomy Drissi, thrilled to beat the Pros! TOP RIGHT: On the podium (L to R) Former IndyCar champion Dario Franchitti (2nd place), Former NASCAR champion and current NASCAR driver Curt Busch (3rd place), Trans Am driver and IROC race winner Tomy Drissi (R). BOTTOM LEFT: NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon (2nd place) congratulates winner Tomy Drissi. BOTTOM RIGHT: A happy winner, Tomy Drissi gives the thumbs-up to the crowd.
Crowded on the pre-grid and ready to race; 7 generations of 26 iconic IROC cars, driven by 26 renowned drivers.

The full IROC field for this event was a rolling museum of motorsport history, featuring champions and iconic drivers from NASCAR, INDYCAR, IMSA, F1 and more, from their respective decades of fame. The extraordinary field of drivers included such notables as four-time NASCAR Cup Champion Jeff Gordon (4th place in a 2001 IROC Pontiac Firebird), multi-year Porsche factory driver Patrick Long (6th place, 1977 IROC Chevrolet Camaro), Danny Sullivan (7th place, 1984 Dodge Avenger), Bobby Labonte in 8th place (2001 IROC Pontiac Firebird), former international Formula 1 driver Jenson Button (24th place, 1996 Pontiac Firebird), multi-year endurance driving champion Scott Pruett (11th place, 1990 Dodge Daytona) and many other notables such as: currently active driver and McLaren Formula 1 team CEO Zak Brown, former NASCAR champions Mark Martin and Bill Elliott, former IMSA driver Bruce Canepa and many other renowned competitors.

Pro drivers will be pro drivers! Less than a second of lap time difference in the top half-dozen drivers!

Christened the “IROC Series Unser Family Cup” at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, this spectacular and hard-fought race event marked the first time the International Race of Champions series has competed at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca since 2002. And it was the first-ever appearance of all seven generations of IROC cars in one field, competing head-to-head against each other!

Multiple generations of IROC super cars raced tenths of seconds apart. Here, driver Scott Borchetta (mid-2000s Dodge) leads Roger Penske Jr. in an '80s Chevy Camaro.

Tomy Drissi’s claim of the top spot on the podium was accomplished against a field of 25 other luminous drivers, fending off such fellow podium finishers as IndyCar champion Dario Franchitti in a 2006 IROC Pontiac Firebird and former NASCAR champion Kurt Busch, who notched 3rd place in a 2003 IROC Pontiac Firebird. Lap times of the first five finishers were less than a second apart!

26 IROC drivers suited up and looking forward to fast laps! All smiles and ready to rumble.

Interestingly, driver Tomy Drissi does not fit the profile of a past pro legend. After beginning his racing career in the 1990s as a self-financed sportsman-level racer, Tomy bought an operating race shop with his own funds and gradually worked his way from sportsman to professional racer over two decades, ultimately establishing himself in pro Trans Am. He accomplished this under the principal sponsorship of his own Hollywood-feature-film marketing company, having continued this path through various iterations of Trans Am throughout the 2000s. Recent successes in both TA-1 pro Trans Am and vintage sportsman Trans Am have been aided by new sponsorship with Trench Shoring Company (respected support sponsor to the Gnassi IndyCar team).

Mid-2000s Pontiac Firebird leads an original IROC Porsche 911 RSR through Weathertech Laguna Seca's sharp Turn 11.

This unique event was part of a special showcase that was organized by IROC co-owner Ray Evernham (former Rick Hendrick NASCAR team manager for Jeff Gordon), bringing together legendary racing machinery from the series’ original 1974 Porsche 911 Carrera RSR to the final Pontiac Firebird thunder-cars of the mid-2000s. Serving as event Grand Marshal was two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Al Unser Jr., whose highly accomplished racing family has deep roots in IROC history.

NASCAR legend Curt Busch leads a hungry competitor, both max-out and drifting.

On Friday August 15th, following the qualifying race, the full field of IROC cars formed a colorful serpentine parade from WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca along Monterey’s scenic public roads to The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering at The Quail Lodge, as a special presentation. “The field of drivers today was incredible,” Ray Evernham enthused. “We had Indy 500 winners and champions, Daytona 500 winners and champions, and IROC champions. IROC has been such a huge part of the history of motorsports and now to have all seven generations of these cars on track together for the first time was pure magic for fans and participants alike.”

Prepped and ready. Generations of famous IROC racecars rest quietly before exploding into raucous action!

For the full list of race results from this epic IROC event, as well as all of the weekend’s results from each and every race and race group, please visit: https://www.race-monitor.com/Results/Session/8474039. In the meantime, please enjoy the richness of the wonderful photographs that document this incredible racing event, presented here on www.racingvintagecars.com.

The green flag awaits. IROC 2025 at the Rolex Monterey Reunion at Weathertech Laguna Seca Raceway.