The Stewart Raceway IROC Championship is a series of four events designed to produce a winner determined solely by driver abilities. As far as humanly possible, the many mechanical variables normally associated with the sport of racing have been eliminated. Drivers are not allowed to make changes or adjustments to any parts of the chosen IROC car, except for controller adjustments.
DRIVER SELECTION:
Drivers are selected and invited to compete in the International Race of Champions by the IROC series host organizers. Drivers who have actively participated in the racing throughout the current season are given primary consideration by the IROC committee.
CAR SELECTION:
Cars are selected by the hosting track Race Director and assigned to lanes with the appropriate lane color body. The cars stay with each assigned lane and the drivers rotate lanes in each segment until all drivers have completed a complete lane rotation and driven every car in each lane. Driver-provided IROC car sets are permitted with Race Director approval and must be available during each event’s morning practice session.
TRACK SELECTION
The IROC Championship will consist of four races: Two on oval courses, and two on road courses. That said, venues with both road and oval courses may mix it up and run races on both oval and road courses on the same race day event.
RACE DAY SCHEDULE
Each IROC event will include at least four races each race day event and may or may not be the same type of car but at least two different types of cars must be used in any official event. Any type of car may be chosen and run with any voltage accepted by a majority of participants. Race Directors will decide any disputes. The total points accumulated by each driver after completing a minimum of four races at each event will make up each driver’s total points going into the next event.
STARTING POSITIONS:
There will be one qualifying session in the first round of the series. The results of qualifying will determine starting positions for the first of four races of the opening round. However, the starting positions will be inverted; the fastest qualifier will start in the last starting position and the slowest qualifier will start on the pole. To reduce the urge to sandbag, points will be awarded to the top three fastest qualifiers.
At Race 2, the starting lineup is determined by the reverse of the finishing positions in the opening event. That is, the points leader after Race 1 starts last, and the driver having the least amount of points in Race 1 starts on the pole (Lane 1) in Race 2. Each driver’s heat/segment starting position will be staggered 〈separated〉 by eight (8) feet on road courses, and five (5) feet on oval courses.
Point standings following the first two events determine the starting order and positions for Race 3, with the driver having the most points starting in the last position and the driver having the least amount of points starting on the pole.
Point standings also determine the lineup for the final event. In the same fashion, the drivers start staggered in reverse order of their point totals. The driver with the most points starts last, while the driver with the fewest points starts on the pole in lane 1.
Pit Stops:
There are no scheduled maintenance pit stops in IROC events. If a driver’s car is malfunctioning or otherwise damaged, a track call should be requested and repairs will be made by a neutral party under yellow. Under normal circumstances, a driver who pits under the green flag receives no penalty, except for the time lost on the track. A driver who works on their car under a yellow caution flag, however, will be subject to a five-point deduction penalty.
Fuel Races:
Fuel racing is optional and will be decided on race days. If refueling is included in IROC races, only two fuel stops per heat/segment are permitted. If a driver refuels under yellow flag (track call) conditions that driver will be subject to a five-point deduction penalty, as assessed by the host Race Director.
Race Formats:
All heat/segments will be Race-to-the-Line format. Road course heats/segments will be 25-laps minimum. Oval course heats/segments will be 35-laps minimum. Race Directors may extend segment lengths as desired or as driver consensus dictates.
SERIES CHAMPION:
The IROC champion is the driver who has accumulated the most points after the four IROC events are completed.
TIE-BREAKER RULE:
In the event that two or more drivers are tied for bonus points, the bonus points will be awarded according to the finishing positions of the overall race. In the event that two or more drivers are tied at the finish line, the points for finishing positions will be added together and divided among the tying drivers. In the event that two or more drivers are tied in points at the end of the series, the tie will be broken by the driver who finished highest, on average, over all four events.
RACE POINTS EARNED:
| Finishing Position | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| Race Points Earned | 16 | 13 | 11 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Qualifying Points | 3 | 2 | 1 |
In addition, 5 bonus points are awarded to the driver who accumulates the most laps each race day event, 3 bonus points are awarded to the driver who accumulates the second greatest number of laps, and 2 bonus points are awarded to the driver who accumulates the third greatest number of laps. In case of a tie, the driver with the higher finishing position in that race receives the bonus.
In slot car racing, IROC racing isn’t always “international” in scope but it definitely highlights driving abilities over all else. Yes, being a great driver and a great car builder is—arguably—a greater achievement, but it is nice to just show up for an event with only your controller and just drive.
A little refresher on the history of IROC.
