What impeccable timing for Ray Evernham to chat with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio about the IROC’s comeback, just an hour after the SRX Series dropped the bomb about its 2024 season being put on ice. On one side of the coin, we have the SRX series, previously under Evernham’s wing, hitting a pause for the foreseeable future, apparently due to “market factors.” On the flip side, there’s a word about the IROC Series gearing up for a grand return.

In his conversation with SiriusXM Radio, Ray Evernham gave a sneak peek into the anticipated timeline for IROC historic cars to roar back onto the track. While he kept the details on racetracks and drivers under wraps, it seems like the series is revving up to make a splash this year itself.

Ray Evernham planning to revive IROC’s glory days with a vintage car

The International Race of Champions (IROC) series used to be the talk of the town, a spectacle where the world’s top drivers from various disciplines clashed in 12 identically prepped stock cars. Spanning from 1973 to 2006, it boasted its use of Chevy Camaros, Pontiac Firebirds, and Dodge Avengers. Legends like Dale Earnhardt, Mark Martin, Tony Stewart, Al Unser Jr, A.J. Foyt, and Mario Andretti were a part of the series.

Fast forward to now, Ray Evernham and Rob Kauffman are revving up to bring IROC back to life after a 17-year halt. They’re chomping at the bit to roll these iconic cars back onto the track. Sharing his vision, Evernham said, “Rob Kauffman and I are both racers and we both really love motorsports and history. So, we had an opportunity to get this IROC brand. And the plan right now is to put on a vintage type of race event reunion here before the end of the year, we’re really, really early in the planning stages.”

“Just to get that IROC brand out get people to know a little bit about what it is, and put on some demonstrations and try and get some of these IROC cars out of the garage and back onto the racetrack.”

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Previously, tracks like the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Watkins Glen, Talladega, and Riverside were the battlegrounds of the past. Mark Donohue clinched the first championship back in ’73, with Tony Stewart claiming the last in 2006.

And the closest we’ve gotten to an IROC-style race recently was through iRacing during the pandemic. Tony Stewart’s SRX Series mirrored IROC’s style but didn’t feature the crème de la crème of drivers together. Meanwhile, speculatively, SRX has put its 2024 season on hold for the time being because of the IROC series coming to the forefront.

SRX takes a pit stop for the 2024 season

With IROC gearing up for a comeback, the SRX series has surprisingly hit the brakes on its 2024 season. This comes off the back of a strong performance in 2023. An official tweet from SRX has confirmed that the series is taking a detour this season.

Even with a leap from network to cable TV, SRX managed to keep its spot as one of ESPN’s prime attractions on race days, even seeing a boost in key viewer demographics. The series was firing on all cylinders, with four sell-out races and three smashing track attendance records.

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But, following the curveball of Ray Evernham snapping up the IROC, SRX suddenly pumped the brakes, shifting into an indefinite pause. We’re curious to hear your take and what you’re hoping to see from IROC 2.0. Drop your thoughts in the comments below!