IROC I was the inaugural International Race of Champions, which was held at two tracks over two weekends in 1973 and 1974. The first three races were held October 27 and 28, 1973 at Riverside International Raceway and the final race was held on the Daytona International Speedway road course on February 14, 1974. Champion Mark Donohue won $54000 and the championship, which was determined by prize money rather than points. The races were contested in Porsche Carrera RSR race cars. This was the only IROC to be contested entirely on road courses. Only the top 6 finishing drivers competed in all four races.

Richard Petty's Porsche Carrera from IROC I

The roster of drivers and final points standings were as follows:[1]

Rank Driver Winnings Series
1 United States Mark Donohue $54,000 SCCA Can-Am
2 United States Peter Revson $21,200 SCCA Can-Am
Formula One
3 United States Bobby Unser $19,100 USAC Champ Car
4 United States David Pearson $14,600 NASCAR Winston Cup
5 United States George Follmer $16,000 SCCA Can-Am
6 United States A. J. Foyt $9,900 USAC Champ Car
7 Brazil Emerson Fittipaldi $8,300 Formula One
8 New Zealand Denny Hulme $6,000 Formula One
9 United States Bobby Allison $5,400 NASCAR Winston Cup
10 United States Richard Petty $5,400 NASCAR Winston Cup
11 United States Gordon Johncock $5,100 USAC Champ Car
12 United States Roger McCluskey $5,000 USAC Champ Car

Note: Jackie Stewart was originally scheduled to compete but retired from racing two weeks prior to the first race. He was replaced by A.J. Foyt, who had previously declined an invitation saying the all road course format was unfair to oval racers.[2]

Race results

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Riverside International Raceway, Race One

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  1. 2- Mark Donohue
  2. 7- Bobby Unser
  3. 3- Peter Revson
  4. 4- George Follmer
  5. 6- Denis Hulme
  6. 8- A. J. Foyt
  7. 10- Richard Petty
  8. 12- Roger McCluskey
  9. 5- David Pearson
  10. 11- Gordon Johncock
  11. 9- Bobby Allison
  12. 1- Emerson Fittipaldi

Riverside International Raceway, Race Two

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  1. 4- George Follmer
  2. 9- David Pearson
  3. 12- Emerson Fittipaldi
  4. 3- Peter Revson
  5. 6- A. J. Foyt
  6. 2- Bobby Unser
  7. 11- Bobby Allison
  8. 5- Denis Hulme
  9. 10- Gordon Johncock
  10. 7- Richard Petty
  11. 8- Roger McCluskey
  12. 1- Mark Donohue

Riverside International Raceway, Race Three

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  1. 12- Mark Donohue
  2. 6- Bobby Unser
  3. 3- Emerson Fittipaldi
  4. 2- David Pearson
  5. 1- George Follmer
  6. 5- A. J. Foyt
  7. 4- Peter Revson
  8. 8- Denis Hulme
  9. 7- Bobby Allison
  10. 10- Richard Petty
  11. 9- Gordon Johncock
  12. 11- Roger McCluskey

Daytona International Speedway, Race Four

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  1. 1- Mark Donohue
  2. 2- Peter Revson
  3. 5- Bobby Unser
  4. 3- David Pearson
  5. 4- George Follmer
  6. 6- A. J. Foyt

References

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  1. ^ IROC season statistics at racing-reference.info, Retrieved March 8, 2007
  2. ^ "A.J. Foyt Enters Race of Champions". Los Angeles Times. (California). Associated Press. October 18, 1973. p. 49.