Kurt Busch had already experienced IROC glory once as he won the prestigious championship in his first season in 2003. More than two decades later, he’s still on top of his game in delivering a clutch win. At WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Busch found himself racing another NASCAR champion, Jimmie Johnson, in a frantic battle that came down to a photo finish.

IROC race for the Unser Family Cup delivered exactly the kind of drama fans had hoped for at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion. Kurt Busch and Jimmie Johnson spent the 15-minutes trading the lead at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Neither NASCAR champion was willing to give the other much breathing room.

That set up a spectacular final lap. As the pair entered the final corner, Busch pulled alongside Johnson. From there, the race became a straight-line drag race to the checkered flag.

The two remained side-by-side all the way to the finish. Kurt Busch ultimately had just enough to beat Johnson, crossing the line 0.002 seconds ahead of the seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion.

Johnson appeared to take the result in stride, later sharing his reaction on X with a video of him and Busch together. “I CANT STOP SMILING. what a finish”, he wrote. The post perfectly captured just how close the battle had been and how much fun the two champions had put on for the fans.

The significance went beyond the result itself. The cars Busch and Johnson were driving represented the machinery used by IROC during its original run from 1973 through 2006.

The series began with Porsche before moving through Chevrolet Camaros, Dodge Daytonas, Dodge Avengers and eventually Pontiac Firebird Trans Ams. The Firebird became the final IROC platform, running from 1996 through the series’ conclusion in 2006.

That history made the Laguna Seca showdown particularly fitting for Busch. He won the 2003 IROC championship in the Pontiac Firebird era, finishing ahead of Mark Martin and Jimmie Johnson in the final standings.

Busch remained competitive when he returned to IROC in the following seasons. In 2004, he finished fifth in the championship as Matt Kenseth claimed the title. Busch then returned for the 2005 season, where he finished sixth.

Now, the revived IROC concept has given Busch another chance to revisit that chapter of his career. And this time, he did more than simply recreate the memories. He added another victory to them with the Unser Family Cup.

The Unser Family Cup is a premier racing event of the newly revived International Race of Champions (IROC) series. Named in honor of the legendary Unser racing dynasty (one of the most successful families in IROC history), the race pits motorsport icons from different eras and disciplines against each other in identical, vintage IROC race cars.

Kurt Busch will get another opportunity to take part in another IROC event as IROC Presented by Chevrolet will return to the track in just one week in Washington, D.C. The series will compete alongside the NTT IndyCar Series during the Freedom 250 Grand Prix weekend on the city’s streets.

Kurt Busch is expected to be part of that event, among other legendary NASCAR stars like Bill Elliott, Bobby Labonte, and Rusty Wallace. It will give fans another chance to watch the former NASCAR greats chase IROC glory in machinery that helped define an earlier chapter of their careers.