The 25th anniversary season was bitter sweet due to the loss of seven-time NASCAR Winston Cup champion, Dale Earnhardt. Race 1 at Daytona International Speedway resulted in NASCAR driver, Dale Jarrett getting his first series victory, narrowly beating out his Winston Cup teammate, Ricky Rudd. Jarrett’s victory ceremony came in the wake of an on-track incident between the four-time, reigning IROC champion, Earnhardt and open-wheel ace, Eddie Cheever, Jr. When battling for the lead with two laps to go, Earnhardt and Cheever, Jr. made contact exiting the tri-oval resulting in Earnhardt taking a harrowing ride through the grass, regaining control and continuing on to a 7th place finish in his final IROC race.

Race 2 continued on the high-banks at Talladega Superspeedway where NASCAR Winston Cup champion, Bobby Labonte repeated his 2000 victory, dedicating the win to Dale Earnhardt. Open-wheel drivers, Kenny Brack and Buddy Lazier made the transition to stock cars look easy finishing second and third respectively.

Race 3 at Michigan International Speedway produced another first time series winner with a dominating run by Tony Stewart. Strong finishes abounded in the open-wheel ranks with Al Unser Jr., substituting for the injured Scott Goodyear, finishing second, followed by Kenny Brack and Eddie Cheever, Jr., third and fourth respectively.

It was a close points battle among the top six, with the possibility of winning the 25th anniversary championship stretching back to eighth position. The final run at Indianapolis Motor Speedway was evenly split among open-wheel drivers and stock car drivers. Bobby Labonte held a one-point lead over Kenny Brack, with Eddie Cheever, Jr. and Tony Stewart only five-points behind. Per the rules, the field was inverted by points, setting up a necessary run from the rear to the front by those contending for the championship, and once up front, contending with everyone for a coveted victory at Indy.

Bobby Labonte and NASCAR teammate, Tony Stewart, battled ferociously in the last stages of the race. Stewart was able to maintain second place after making contact with the wall coming off turn-four with four laps remaining. Labonte went on to secure the championship by winning the race with Brack finishing third behind Stewart. Labonte became the first driver to win at the Brickyard in two different series, having won the NASCAR Brickyard 400 in 2000.

The Labonte’s, Terry and Bobby, joined the Unser’s, Bobby and Al, as brothers who have won IROC series championships. (from IROC Website)

Final Points
IROC 25 Champion Bobby Labonte
Position	Driver/Residence/Sanction	Points	Money Earned
1	Bobby Labonte/Trinity, NC - NASCAR	68	$250,000
2	Tony Stewart/Rushville, IN - NASCAR	58	$125,000
3	Kenny Brack/Dublin, OH - CART	57	$  80,000
4	Eddie Cheever, Jr./Orlando, FL - Indy Racing League	47	$ 72,000
5	Dale Jarrett/Hichory, NC - NASCAR	47	$  70,000
6	Ricky Rudd/Cornelius, NC - NASCAR	45	$  65,000
7	Scott Goodyear/Carmel, IN - Indy Racing League	42	$  62,000
8	Jeff Burton/Huntersville, NC - NASCAR	32	$  61,000
9	Buddy Lazier/Vail, CO - /Indy Racing League	31	$  60,000
10	Jeff Green/Davidson, NC - NASCAR	28	$  60,000
11	Mark Dismore/Greenfield, IN - /Indy Racing League	25	$  60,000