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2005
International Race of Champions
Series (IROC)
- ALL STAR SERIES:
- WINNER'S
PRIZE: $1 MILLION
- Inaugural IROC
season: 1973
- SPONSOR: CROWN
ROYAL
- 4 ROUND CHAMPIONSHIP
- 12 DRIVERS FROM
DIFFERENT SERIES
- RACE FORMAT: 100
mile race in 12 identical cars
- PREVIOUS IROC DRIVERS
INCLUDE:
Mario Andretti, Emerson Fittipaldi, Bobby and Al Unser, Gordon
Johncock, Bobby Rahal, A.J. Foyt, Danny Sullivan and Al Unser Jr.
- Record 11 race
wins in IROC: Dale Earnhardt , Mark Martin , Al Unser Jr.
2005
IROC DRIVERS:
- Matt Kenseth (NASCAR
NEXTEL) *** 2004 IROC WINNER ***
- Kurt Busch (NASCAR
NEXTEL)
- Mark Martin (NASCAR
NEXTEL) *** 4 time IROC WINNER ***
- Buddy Rice (IndyCar)
- Helio Castroneves
(IndyCar)
- Sebastien Bourdais
(Champcar)
- Steve Kinser (World
of Outlaws)
- Danny Lasoski
(World of Outlaws)
- Bobby Hamilton(NASCAR
Craftsman Truck)
- Martin Truex Jr.
(NASCAR Busch)
- Max Papis (Grand
American Road Racing)
- Scott Pruett (Grand
American Road Racing)
2005
IROC RESULT & SCHEDULE:
R1:
Feb. 18 at Daytona International Speedway
- RESULT:
1 Mark Martin
- 2 Martin Truex
Jr.
- 3 Bobby Hamilton
- 4 Matt Kenseth
5 Buddy Rice 6 Max Papis 7 Danny Lasoski 8
- DNF: Castroneves,
Busch, Pruett, Kinser, Bourdais
- GRID: 1
Sebastien Bourdais "It's all new to me, and, like everybody,
I want to do well. The spotlight is now going to be on me and I don't
want to look ridiculous ... The draft is obviously very important in
this series . The key will be getting other drivers to work with you.
There are more open-wheel drivers in the field this year so hopefully
that will bring more options for drafting partners. For sure the NASCAR
drivers have more experience with these types of cars and tracks but
Jay Signore, Jay Sauter and everyone has been so helpful in getting
everyone comfortable that it's going to be a fun race. It's been a great
experience so far and I hope I can bring a good result and represent
the Champ Car series and fans well on Friday night."
2 Kurt Busch 3 Max Papis 4 Martin Truex Jr.
R2:
April 15 at Texas Motor Speedway
- RESULT:
1 Sebastien Bourdais, Champ Car
- 2 Mark Martin ,
NASCAR
- GRID: 1
Sebastien Bourdais, Champ Car
"This is my first time here at Texas. For me it's a bit
like a mini-Daytona, it's quite fun and a pretty smooth race track.
It's going to be quite a challenge to work with two grooves. We did
that a little, some side-by-side racing with Buddy (Rice) and it was
enjoyable"
- 2 Steve Kinser,
World of Outlaws
- 3 Scott Pruett
, Grand American Road Racing
- 4 Kurt Busch, NASCAR;
5 Helio Castroneves IRL ; 6 Danny Lasoski World of Outlaws
RACE REVIEW:
CHAMP CAR POINTS LEADER SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS SCORES VICTORY IN INTERNATIONAL
RACE OF CHAMPIONS EVENT IN TEXAS (APR 15, 2005)
- Bourdais became
the first Champ Car driver in 10 years to win a race in International
Race of Champions (IROC) competition, storming to the lead early and
holding off a fierce challenge from IROC's all-time leading race winner
Mark Martin in the final laps to take the victory at Texas Motor Speedway
on Friday.
"I knew it was going to be a tough fight in those last laps,"
Bourdais said. "I knew I had to try and keep the car low on the
track but I was having a little trouble that made it tougher. It's a
great feeling to win here. Thanks to the IROC people for letting me
come here and compete with these guys. This is a great series."
- The Champ Car World
Series points leader had just one day of IROC practice leading up to
Friday's race, owing to the fact that he had to travel cross-country
to run in Champ Car testing Wednesday and Thursday in Portland. Despite
the lack of seat time, the Frenchman dominated the event in becoming
the first foreign-born driver since 1992 to win an IROC race. The victory,
along with the bonus points earned for leading the most laps and for
leading at the halfway group boosts Bourdais into second in the 2005
IROC standings, just 10 points behind Martin.
- Bourdais started
from the pole Friday afternoon, a spot he inherited after a wreck not
of his making in the Daytona IROC opener left him last in the Round
1 results. He put that spot to good use, shoulder World of Outlaws legend
Steve Kinser aside on Lap 7 to take a lead he would hold for the next
30 trips around the 1.5-mile oval.
- He fell behind
reigning Nextel Cup champion Kurt Busch on a lap 37 restart brought
on by Danny Lasoski's brush with the wall, but took the lead again on
Lap 46 when Busch cut a tire and hit the wall. He led easily for the
next few laps until Martin tracked him down with five laps to go. The
NASCAR veteran tried to find a way around on the final orbits of the
Texas track but could not find an opening as Bourdais punched his ticket
to Victory Lane.
- "Sebastien
did a fabulous job," Martin said after Bourdais became the 47th
driver ever to win an IROC event. "I thought I was going to be
able to race him for it but he did a good job holding me off. He was
fast."
R3:
Sept. 8 at Richmond International Raceway
R4:
Oct. 29 at Atlanta Motor Speedway
PRE
SEASON QUOTES:
-
SEBASTIEN
BOURDAIS (CHAMPCAR):
"... I am very honored that I was chosen to compete in the IROC
series ... It will be a great opportunity to discover something new;
new tracks, different cars and a different form of racing. I am looking
forward to the experience and I will try to represent the Champ Car
World Series as best I can."
-
MAX PAPIS
(GRAND AM): "... I'm really proud to be here and representing
Grand American ... It's going to be very exciting. I always like driving
NASCAR-type cars, and I'm proud to be racing with these champions.
To get a chance at a $1 million check is pretty good too."
-
SCOTT
PRUETT (GRAND AM):
"... It's obviously a great honor for me to be invited back to
the IROC Series ... I've had some luck in the past with the series
and won a couple races at Riverside and Daytona, so I'm very much
looking forward to competing again this year. I'll do my best to represent
the Rolex Series as the Daytona Prototype champion, along with CompUSA
Chip Ganassi Racing. It should be fun."
-
BUDDY
RICE (INDYCAR): "... It's going to be exciting ... It
will definitely be something different, and I'm looking forward to
the experience. I drove a Craftsman Truck late in 2003, and to drive
something similar to a (NEXTEL) Cup car or a Busch car will be exciting.
To be running with all those guys on those tracks is a bonus."
-
CASTRONEVES
(INDYCAR): "... The environment is again going to be
difficult. It's my fourth year, so I know I have to do better because
I have no excuses now. I'm just really, really pumped to start the
first race at Daytona. But most of all, I'm just very honored to be
among the champions."
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