IROC (International Race of Champions) announced on Wednesday afternoon that they have partnered with True Value, which, as many recall, served as the title sponsor for the IROC Series for decades. True Value will now serve as the primary sponsorship partner for the upcoming IROC exhibition event at Lime Rock Park, scheduled for July 19-20.
“True Value and IROC are synonymous brands across racing and hardware, so it is truly incredible to be an integral part of an iconic event,” True Value CEO Chris Kempa said in a press release. “Our partnership brought joy, enthusiasm, and a deep connection to community to our stores, as we all rallied behind champions of their sport. We are thrilled to not only welcome the return of these legends, but to continue to serve as part of their legacy.”
True Value feels the IROC brand is, “essential” to its company’s history and is excited to be a part of the IROC revival.
“As True Value celebrated 75 years last year, and as we refreshed our own iconic brand this year, we reflected on legacy and the partners who have made it possible,” Kempa continued. “IROC is essential to the history of True Value, and we’re proud to be part of its future.”
The exhibition event, which was first announced back in April, will feature more than a dozen original vintage IROC Series cars with True Value branding on display at the fan-forward IROC event at Lime Rock Park. IROC also revealed a list of legendary former IROC racers, who will take part in the event as well.
Among the drivers that will be at the IROC exhibition event at Lime Rock Park will be Mark Martin, a five-time IROC Champion, Bobby Labonte, the 2001 IROC Champion, Al Unser Jr., a two-time IROC Champion, Geoff Bodine, the 1987 IROC Champion, Ken Schrader, Geoff Brabham, Davy Jones, and Greg Biffle.
IROC has also confirmed that Dale Earnhardt’s red No. 5 IROC Gen-3 Camaro, Mark Martin’s green No. 1 IROC Avenger, Dale Earnhardt’s orange No. 1 IROC Avenger, Al Unser Jr.’s yellow IROC Avenger, Danny Sullivan’s white No. 5 IROC Avenger, Jeff Gordon’s silver No. 6 IROC Firebird, and Bobby Labonte’s black No. 1 IROC Firebird will be among the historical IROC cars at the event.
Ray Evernham, along with Rob Kauffman, is a co-principal of IROC. Prior to his NASCAR Hall of Fame career as a crew chief for Jeff Gordon at Hendrick Motorsports and his stint as a NASCAR team owner, Evernham worked as a mechanic for the IROC Series.
The duo of Evernham and Kauffman announced its acquisition of the iconic IROC brand, which had laid dormant for nearly 20 years, back in January. Evernham feels the goals of this initial IROC event at Lime Rock Park are being achieved.
“The primary objective of our IROC event at Lime Rock Park was to reignite the passion and excitement racing fans have for the legendary IROC brand. With today’s announcement, we have taken that one step further by rekindling one of the most iconic partnerships in motorsports history with True Value and IROC,” said Evernham. “True Value and their customers supported IROC for many years and we are grateful to have them involved as we bring IROC back to the track.”
Drivers at the event will sport True Value Gear and several local True Value store owners will be in attendance for the event in celebration of the return of the partnership of IROC and True Value.
As of now, IROC has not announced any additional events aside from the exhibition event at Lime Rock Park scheduled for this weekend, but it appears the brand is ramping up for potentially more in the future with the addition of True Value as a sponsor.
The IROC Series held races from 1973 to 2006. Those races featured an invitational-style roster of drivers each year, and it pitted the top driver talent from different forms of motorsport against one another in identically prepared race cars.
In addition to the IROC event, the Trans-Am Series will be at Lime Rock Park this weekend as well for its SpeedTour All-Star Race. That event will feature a solid entry list of drivers including Hailie Deegan, who will pilot a Team SLR-M1 Racecars entry — in partnership with Ken Schrader.
