International Race of Champions, better known as IROC, was an auto racing competition, promoted as an equivalent of an All-Star Game or The Masters. Drivers raced identically-prepared stock cars set up by a single team of mechanics in an effort to make the race purely a test of driver ability. It was run with a small field of invited drivers (6-12). It was created and developed in 1972 by David Lockton, the developer of the Ontario Motor Speedway, and launched in 1973 with Mark Donohue being the first driver to win the championship, in 1974. The cars used that year were Porsche Carrera RSRs. Donohue's win in the fourth and last race of that season was his last win as he died in a Formula One practice the next season. The series was not run in 1981, 1982, or 1983.

In 2007, IROC could not find a sponsor and postponed the first two races at Daytona and Texas.[1] IROC went on hiatus for 2007 hoping to return with sponsor in 2008. In March 2008, IROC auctioned off its tools, equipment, cars, and memorabilia, and went out of business.[2]

[edit] Drivers
The drivers invited were from a broad range of racing disciplines: NASCAR, Indy cars, sports car racing, and on rare occasions, WoO, and drag racing. Criteria for invitation was very loose, but typically consisted of recent season champions of the respective series, and individual winners of big events (Indy, Daytona, etc.)

Due to its fundamental stock car formula, and the majority of racing being contested on ovals, the series was often dominated by NASCAR participants. The last non-NASCAR champion of the series was Al Unser, Jr. in 1988. Although open wheel drivers have had successes, as of 2005[update], drivers from road racing series had only won two races in the history of IROC. Despite its name, the IROC was closely associated with North American racing culture; its appeal to drivers from international series like Formula One was negligible, especially in more recent editions.