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IROC Announces 1999 Drivers

5 February 1999

NASCAR, CART, AND IRL DRIVERS NAMED FOR 1999 TRUE VALUE IROC SERIES

Tinton Falls, NJ – NASCAR Winston Cup Champion Jeff Gordon, Pep Boys
Indy Racing League Champion Kenny Brack, IROC Champion/Winston Cup driver
Mark Martin, and CART’s FedEx Championship Series driver Greg Moore are
the first four drivers to accept invitations to compete in the 1999 True
Value International Race of Champions.

For the 23rd time the historic True Value IROC series will deliver 4 of
the most challenging, world class races in all of auto racing. The elite
invitational series results in twelve championship caliber drivers from
various forms of auto racing battling each other in equally prepared
IROC race cars. At the end of the 4th race the points are tallied
and an IROC Champion is crowned. All the IROC race cars are equipped
with Goodyear Eagle radial tires and specially finished with brilliant
DuPont ChromaSystem‘ colors.  

The series begins on Feb. 12 with race 1 at Daytona International
Speedway, Race 2 on April 24 at Talladega Superspeedway, Race 3 on June
12 at Michigan Speedway, and raps up on August 6 at the Indianapolis
Motor Speedway.

NASCAR Winston Cup driver Mark Martin broke his own record in 1998 by
becoming the only four-time IROC champion.  Although his dominance in
IROC alone qualifies him for the series invitation, Martin’s performance
in the1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was another testament of his
championship caliber. On his way to finishing 2nd in Winston Cup points
Martin collected a career-high seven wins. He also scored 26 top-10
finishes, 2 Busch Series wins, and two wins in IROC; California Speedway
and the historic “IROC at Indy” win.  


The 1998 Pep Boys Indy Racing League (IRL) Champion Kenny Brack has
accepted an invitation to participate in his first IROC series. The
32-year-old Brack hails from Karlstad, Sweden where he began his racing
career. He carved his way through the European landscape collecting
several wins and in 1992 captured the Renault Clio Scandinavian
Championship. Brack continued winning and added a Zerex Barber Saab Series
Championship to his achievements. In 1997 he found himself in the United
States substituting for injured driver Davy Jones with Galles Racing in
the newly formed Indy Racing League. In 1998 he switched to drive for
the legendary (2-time IROC Champion) A.J. Foyt. The results of Brack’s
1998 season with A.J. Foyt earned him his IROC invitation: He led the
IRL Series in laps completed, won 3 consecutive races at Charlotte,
Pikes Peak, and Atlanta, which ultimately lead him to earnings topping
$1.5 Million and the 1998 Pep Boys Indy Racing League Championship.

“It’s an honor, definitely,” said Greg Moore, representing CART’s
FedEx Championship Series, remarking on his first IROC invitation. The
23 year old Canadian is one of the “young guns” showing championship
prowess. In 1997 Moore, at 22 years, one month and 10 days eclipsed
Al Unser JR’s record by 19 days to become the youngest driver to win a
CART race. Victory number-two followed in seven days. Moore continued
to add wins in 1998 with a victory at Brazil and at Michigan Speedway
in the prestigious U.S. 500. Being herald as CART’s “Ovalmeister” he is
looking forward to mixing it up with the NASCAR boys.

Ironically, the number three seems to have become significant in Jeff
Gordon’s soaring career. Three Winston Cup crowns, three-time winner
of the NASCAR True Value Man of the Year Award, and in his 3rd series
attempt, Jeff Gordon won the IROC race opener at Daytona in 1998. The
NASCAR Champion, some claim by nature, keeps qualifying for IROC
invitations. His 1998 season was nothing less than spectacular. With 13
wins he tied Richard Petty’s modern-era record, not to mention 28 top-10
finishes. This will be Gordon's 5th IROC series and he his eager to add
IROC victories to his trademark Winston Cup winning streaks.

4 MORE TOP DRIVERS TO DO BATTLE FOR ’99 IROC TRUE VALUE CROWN

Tinton Falls, NJ – 1998 Indy 500 winner Eddie Cheever Jr., former IROC
and Winston Cup Champ Rusty Wallace, two-time Indy 500 winner Al Unser
Jr. and two-time Daytona 500 winner Dale Jarrett have accepted their
invitations to compete in the elite IROC series.

The 1999 True Value International Race of Champions series will challenge
twelve of the world’s best drivers to compete against each other in a
four race series. The IROC racecars are as equal as humanly possible. All
IROC racecars are equipped with Goodyear Eagle radial tires and specially
finished with brilliant DuPont ChromaSystem‘ colors.

The drivers are awarded points for each race. At the end of the fourth
race the points are tallied and an IROC Champion is crowned.


IROC XXIII begins on Feb. 12 with race 1 at Daytona International
Speedway, Race 2 on April 24 at Talladega Superspeedway, Race 3 on June
11 at Michigan Speedway, and on August 6th the Championship finale,
“IROC at INDY,” Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The European raised, American born, Eddie Cheever Jr. won the 1998
Indianapolis 500. Add to that a long impressive resume and the result æ
an invitation to race in IROC. Cheever started racing in Italy at age
13 where he became the Italian and European Go–Kart Champion. By age
19, Cheever joined the famous Ferrari racing test team. Before hitting
the United States, Cheever spent over a decade in Formula One. He has
driven more Grand Prix races than any other American, including Mario
Andretti and Dan Gurney. In 1990 Cheever moved to the Indy circuit
winning Rookie of the Year honors. In addition to his ’98 Indy 500 win,
Cheever is in the history book for having the fastest recorded race lap
in the Indianapolis 500, logging 236.103 on lap 78 in 1996.

Rusty Wallace will be making his return to IROC after a two-year
absence. This will be the eighth time the ’89 Winston Cup Champion
has appeared in the IROC series, of which he was Champion in 1991.
He has accumulated 48 career NASCAR Winston Cup victories and in 1998
finished up fourth in points with victories at Phoenix and Daytona in
the Bud Shoot-Out. The St. Louis native began his career in 1973 at 17
years old and became the Central Auto Racing Association Rookie of the
Year. In ’79 he won USAC’s Stock Car Rookie of the Year honors. In 1980
a storybook event took place: he was to compete in his first Winston
Cup race at Atlanta, driving for the renowned Roger Penske, and finished
second behind, current day buddy, Dale Earnhardt. Before going full-time
Winston Cup racing, Rusty also was the American Speed Association series
(ASA) Champion in 1983.

Al Unser Jr. of Albuquerque, New Mexico joins the pack of twelve for his
14th consecutive IROC series. That itself is a testament of greatness.
He is the IROC series all-time winningest driver with eleven victories.
The two-time Indianapolis 500 winner started racing go-karts at nine
years old. At 17 he sat on two phone books to race sprint cars. He won
two consecutive titles for Galles Racing in the ’81 Super Vees and ’82
Can-Am series. He won his first Indy car event, appropriately, on Father’s
Day in 1984. In 1986 he made his IROC debut, won two of the four events,
and became the youngest IROC Champion in the history of the series. He
went on to win two CART PPG Cup Championships in 1990 and ‘94, including
the two Indy 500 victories (’92 and ’94) for Marlboro Team Penske.

Also representing the NASCAR Winston Cup series is Hickory, North
Carolinian Dale Jarrett. Dale also grew up with a famous racing Dad,
the two-time NASCAR Champion Ned Jarrett. 1999 will be Dale’s fourth
IROC series. The multi-talented athlete elected racing over football and
golf. He became a NASCAR Winston Cup regular in 1987 and scored his first
victory at Michigan in 1991 for the legendary Wood Brothers Team. He
won his first Daytona 500 in 1993, ironically, for football great Joe
Gibbs. In 1996 he took his second Daytona 500 victory, as well as winning
the prestigious Brickyard 400 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. In 1997
he posted seven victories, finished second in Winston Cup points and was
named NASCAR True Value Man of the Year. 1998 resulted in three wins,
Darlington, Dover and Talladega. He finished third in Winston Cup points.

EARNHARDT VS EARNHARDT, FERNANDEZ AND BURTON; FINAL 4 DRIVERS FOR '99
IROC TRUE VALUE SERIES

Tinton Falls, NJ- For the first time on American asphalt, seven-time
Winston Cup Champion Dale Earnhardt, and his son, '98 Busch Series
Champion, Dale Earnhardt Jr. will compete against each other for the 1999
IROC crown. Also joining the fray is CART FedEx Championship Series star
Adrian Fernandez and NASCAR Winston Cup star Jeff Burton.

The 1999 True Value International Race of Champions series will challenge
twelve of the world's best drivers to compete against each other in a
four race series. The IROC racecars are as equal as humanly possible. All
IROC racecars are equipped with Goodyear Eagle radial tires and specially
finished with brilliant DuPont ChromaSystem colors.

IROC XXIII begins on Feb. 12, with Race one at Daytona International
Speedway, Race two on April 24, at Talladega Superspeedway, Race
three on June 11, at Michigan Speedway, and Race four, on August 6,
the Championship finale "IROC at INDY" at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The CART FedEx Champ star, Adrian Fernandez is making his debut in the
IROC series this year. Fernandez, a Native of Mexico City, drove his
first race at age 17 in the 24 hours of Mexico, in 1982. That same year
Fernandez moved to Formula Vee and won Rookie of the Year. He won the
Mexico Formula Vee Championship in 1983 and 1984. In 1985 he raced full
time in Formula K, finishing second overall. By 1987 he moved to Europe,
competing in various Formula Ford series. In 1990 he returned to Mexico
to race in the International Formula Three series, finishing second
in the championship with two wins. In 1991 he won the Formula Three
Championship. In 1992 he moved to Indy Lights and was top rookie with
four wins and third in points. He debuted in CART in 1993. Fernandez
won his first CART race in Toronto in '96. He finished fourth in PPG
Cup standings in 1998 with wins in Japan and Mid-Ohio.

The 1998 Daytona 500 winner, Dale Earnhardt, is a two-time IROC Champion,
1990 and 1995. This will be the 15th time Earnhardt has appeared in the
IROC series. The seven-time NASCAR Winston Cup Champion still holds
the record for being the only driver to win Rookie of the Year and
the series Championship in the same year (1979) on the NASCAR Winston
Cup level. His knack for acquiring championships is continuing in his
role as a team owner. Earnhardt teams won the 1998 NASCAR Busch Grand
National title with son Dale Jr. and the 1998 NASCAR Craftsman Truck
Series Championship with Ron Honaday.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. will once again be a rookie _ in the IROC series. In
1998 the NASCAR Busch Grand National Champion scored seven races on
his way to the title. But that's not all _ he also _ led the most laps
(1488), led the most races (18), led the most miles (1437.71) and won
the most poles (3). Previous to 1998, Earnhardt Jr., made eight Busch
Series starts in 1997 (one top-ten result), drove in the street division
at Concord Speedway and started racing the short tracks at age 17. He
plans to stay in the Busch Series in 1999, plus will make five Winston
Cup events in preparation for a full Winston Cup schedule in the year
2000 for his father's team.

In February of 1998 Jeff Burton was an IROC rookie; by June he was an IROC
winner, having won round three at Michigan Speedway. The South Boston,
Virginia native caught the racing-bug watching his older brother, Ward,
racing go-karts. Eventually, Jeff began racing and won two Virginia State
go-kart championships. He advanced to short-track stock cars in the South
Boston, VA. area and recorded 21 NASCAR Winston Racing Series wins. He
moved up to NASCAR's Busch Grand National Series in 1989. After five
successful seasons with four wins, 15 top-five finishes and three poles,
he moved up to the Winston Cup division. He won Winston Cup Rookie
of the Year honors in 1994.  Burton consistently and swiftly moved
up through the ranks with numerous top- five and top-ten finishes. He
nailed his first Winston Cup victory in 1997 at Texas with follow-up
wins at New Hampshire and Martinsville. Burton finished up 1998 fifth
in Winston Cup points with two victories, Richmond and New Hampshire.

These four join previously announced Mark Martin, Kenny Brack, Greg
Moore, Jeff Gordon, Eddie Cheever Jr., Rusty Wallace, Al Unser Jr.,
and Dale Jarrett in the 1999 lineup.

IROC is sponsored by True Value, Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co, and DuPont
Automotive Refinishes.