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IROC: Pre-Race Facts, IROC at Indy, 2000

2 August 2000

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
WHAT: The 24th running of the True Value IROC series, race four finale

WHERE: Indianapolis Motor Speedway, 2.5-mile oval

WHEN: Friday, August 4, 2:45 p.m. (local time)

BROADCAST: ABC Sports, August 5, 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time (immediately following Brickyard 400)

WHO: 12 drivers, competing at the invitation of True Value IROC race organizers.

TRUE VALUE IROC XXIV DRIVERS

NAME: REPRESENTING:

  • Jeff Burton NASCAR Winston Cup Series
  • Eddie Cheever Jr. Indy Racing Northern Light Series
  • Mark Dismore Indy Racing Northern Light Series
  • Dale Earnhardt NASCAR Winston Cup Series
  • Dale Earnhardt Jr. NASCAR BUSCH Grand National Series
  • Jeff Gordon NASCAR Winston Cup Series
  • Dale Jarrett NASCAR Winston Cup Series
  • Bobby Labonte NASCAR Winston Cup Series
  • Mark Martin NASCAR Winston Cup Series
  • Greg Ray Indy Racing Northern Light Series
  • Tony Stewart NASCAR Winston Cup Series
  • Rusty Wallace NASCAR Winston Cup Series

DISTANCE: 100 Miles, 40 laps (Yellow flag laps do not count.) No pit stop required.

PURSE: Total $760,000 with $225,000 awarded to the Championship based on points standings.

LINE UP: Starting order determined by reverse of point standings (see grid at end)

Car Colors are assigned by random draw. Car numbers reflect driver's current position in points.

CARS: Pontiac Firebird Trans Am, equally prepared by IROC, equipped with Goodyear Eagle radial tires and specially finished with brilliant DuPont ChromaSystem Colors.

Last Year: Mark Martin won the race and Dale Earnhardt won the championship. Martin saw himself as a long shot for the 1999 championship. To win the championship Martin had to win the race, gain five bonus points for leading most laps, and hope Earnhardt wouldn't finish higher than ninth. Martin pulled off an impossible feat; he won the race and led the most laps. Dale Earnhardt also did what he had to do- finishing eighth he won the championship by one point.

True Value IROC at Indy Fast Facts:

8/4/2000 will be the 96th IROC Event & 3rd IROC Indy race

Most Wins - Mark Martin has won both True Value IROC races at Indy.

Winners, From Pole Position: None

Winners, Leading Start-To-Finish: None

Winners, Starting From Last (12th Position): None

Wins By Division: (of 2 wins) 2 - Stock Car

INDY Race Record: 156.386 mph (Mark Martin, True Value IROC 22, 7/31/98) 38 minutes, 22 seconds

Race Lead Change Record: 2 among 3 drivers, True Value IROC 22, 7/31/98

Margin of Victory: 0.247 Second - Mark Martin over Al Unser, Jr., True Value IROC 22, 7/31/98

What if:

If Eddie Cheever, Jr. wins the True Value IROC race, he will become the first driver to have won in both Indy cars and stock cars at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

If a past Brickyard 400 winner (Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt, Dale Jarrett) wins the True Value IROC race, he will become the first driver to have won in two separate stock car series' at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

If a NASCAR driver sweeps the True Value IROC race on Friday and the Brickyard 400 on Saturday, he will become the first driver to win in two separate series' in one weekend at Indy.

Text provided by George J. Signore

Editors Note: To view hundreds of hot racing photos and art, visit The Racing Photo Museum and the Visions of Speed Art Gallery.