SRX News: Series cancels 2024 season with IROC coming back
In a surprising turn of events, SRX announced Thursday that it will be cancelling its 2024 season, after reports the IROC series might return.
The series said in a statement that the “postponement” was due to “market factors.”
“It is with deep disappointment that we announce the postponement of SRX’s fourth season,” the statement said. “We entered the next phase of our racing series with great anticipation and excitement for what was ahead. Our expectations, however, have been tempered by market factors that have proven too much to overcome.
“Time has run out to put forth the kind of events our fans, partners, drivers and tracks deserve. We’re thankful to each for their commitment, their contributions and their support as we brought a new idea to reality.
“The racing industry continues to evolve and we are actively exploring strategic options for the series’ long-term potential. We made this announcement now to allow our partners the time and flexibility to best serve their interests.”
International Race of Champions (IROC) is a North American auto racing competition, created by Les Richter, Roger Penske and Mike Phelps, promoted as an American-motorsports equivalent of an all-star game. Despite its name, IROC is primarily associated with North American oval track racing.
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 12 invited drivers. It was created and developed in 1972 by David Lockton, the developer of the Ontario Motor Speedway, 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 crash at the Osterreichring in practice for the 1975 Austrian Grand Prix. 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. IROC went on hiatus in 2007 hoping to return with a sponsor in 2008, which did not happen.
In March 2008, IROC auctioned off its tools, equipment, cars, and memorabilia, and went out of business. On January 8, 2024, Ray Evernham alongside Rob Kauffman announced the series would relaunch in 2024 with the intent of 1 race while exploring future opportunities afterwards.