NASCAR Legend Jeff Gordon Steps Out of Retirement to Announce Racing Return at Iconic Track
Jan 30, 2026 | 9:47 AM EST
NASCAR Legend Jeff Gordon Steps Out of Retirement to Announce Racing Return at Iconic Track
Jan 30, 2026 | 9:47 AM EST
Imago
NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Sprint Cup Series: 5-Hour Energy 500 Jun 12, 2011 Long Pond, PA, USA Sprint Cup Series driver Jeff Gordon 24 talks with Kurt Busch during driver introduction prior to the 5-Hour Energy 500 at Pocono Raceway. Long Pond Pennsylvania UNITED STATES, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xAndrewxWeber-USAxTODAYxSportsx 5368396
Imago
NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Sprint Cup Series: 5-Hour Energy 500 Jun 12, 2011 Long Pond, PA, USA Sprint Cup Series driver Jeff Gordon 24 talks with Kurt Busch during driver introduction prior to the 5-Hour Energy 500 at Pocono Raceway. Long Pond Pennsylvania UNITED STATES, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xAndrewxWeber-USAxTODAYxSportsx 5368396
There’s nothing in racing that fans crave more than seeing their retired legends get back behind the wheel once again. In the case of two veterans, that is about to happen very soon. Hendrick Motorsports veteran Jeff Gordon and the fresh Hall of Fame inductee Kurt Busch will return behind the wheel once again, this time for the International Race of Champions (IROC) series. With Gordon making a comeback after a decade and Busch coming from his 2022 upset retirement, there couldn’t be a better place to race than the heart of NASCAR.
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IROC brings NASCAR legends to the Ten Tenths Motor Club
The IROC is a unique proving ground where every driver has to use the same type of car. The series itself is returning after two decades since its last edition in 2006. In the case of Gordon and Busch, they will be racing a Chevrolet-powered car at the Ten Tenths Motor Club to prove themselves as the ultimate champions once again.
Both Gordon and Busch will join a field of legendary drivers from various motorsports disciplines. The Ten Tenths Motor Club was unveiled back in 2025 by Rick Hendrick, so it is quite fitting that the co-owner of Hendrick Motorsports would visit the automotive complex to take part in the revival of IROC. The track’s situated in Concord, North Carolina, right next to the historic Charlotte Motor Speedway.
The IROC is coming back after nearly a decade and a lot of pushback from NASCAR itself. The pinnacle of stock car racing was reportedly not appreciative of the idea and tried to shut it down completely. Talking about the track itself, Marcus Smith, president and CEO of Speedway Motorsports, said:
“There’s a growing performance car track demand and it’s a natural for us, because we’re in the race track building business and operating business. Obviously, Rick and our family (Sonic Automotive), we’re in the automotive retail business so it’s a real natural for us to be able to add this on to what we’re already doing.”
It’s not IROC without the legends. 💯
NASCAR Hall of Famers Jeff Gordon and Kurt Busch join a star-studded IROC lineup for the Heritage Invitational.
LEARN MORE 📰: https://t.co/uaJJk1PyrF pic.twitter.com/EkS8yaWIiC
— Ten Tenths Motor Club (@TenTenthsMC) January 29, 2026
Gordon himself was pretty excited about the track when it was first announced. “We see this as being able to be an extension of something we can offer within our contracts to our partners,” Gordon said. “These days, it’s not just about being on the race car. It’s the experiences that come along with it. The NASCAR track experiences as well as the visibility on TV and from the grandstands.”
The other participant, Kurt Busch, is a driver who has regularly appeared in IROC races. In fact, he was the 2003 IROC champion. And a year later, Busch would go on to win the NASCAR Cup Series title. Kurt Busch has always been excited about IROC, and it was visible in his words this time as well.
“As a kid, I was such a fan, all the candy colors of the cars and the format. It was so old-school, the guys would carry their driver’s bag out to the track no matter who they were.”
Indeed. The IROC started off as a gimmick in the 1970s and embraced the racing culture fully in the later years. It became an amalgamation of different formats and racing disciplines. They just want to answer the biggest question in motorsports: Who is the best driver among all the better ones in the sport?
Speaking about the series, Gordon and Busch are certainly not alone, as they join other veterans.
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The 2026 IROC: All you need to know about the grand race
As of January, the confirmed drivers for the 2026 International Race of Champions, except the latest joiners, are:
- Scott Pruett, five-time IMSA champion and longtime IROC standout
- Max Papis, former NASCAR and sports car winner and fan favorite
- Tommy Kendall, 1993 IMSA GTS champion and four-time Trans Am Series champion
- Tomy Drissi, Trans Am champion and veteran sports car competitor
- Bobby Labonte, NASCAR Cup Series champion
- Mark Martin, record five-time IROC champion
- Ken Schrader, versatile motorsports legend and longtime IROC competitor
The race is going to take place during the Heritage International on April 10, 2026. Al Unser Jr., who is a special guest for the Heritage Invitational, will be overseeing the event. He is a two-time CART champion, two-time Indy 500 winner, and a two-time IROC champion.
The return of IROC is something fans have been waiting for years. The latest edition will give them the emotional closure to their long wait. Once more, the race will be able to bridge the gap that differentiates champions owing to their different motorsport disciplines. So, who will you be rooting for during the IROC event in April?