IROC XXVII

IROC XXVII

The 25th season of the Crown Royal International Race of Champions began on Friday, February 14, 2003 at Daytona International Speedway. The roster included 12 drivers from five separate racing leagues. The first race saw Mark Martin tie an IROC record 11 career wins, tying him with Al Unser, Jr. and the late great Dale Earnhardt. Rookie Kurt Busch won in only his second start in race 2 after finishing second at Daytona. At Chicagoland, Mike Bliss became the first driver representing the Craftsman Truck Series to win a race in IROC competition. Jimmie Johnson won the final race of the year for his first career IROC victory. Busch clinched the title with his fourth-place showing in the race, as Mark Martin and Mike Bliss, his closest competitors, finished fifth and tenth, respectively.

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

Position Driver Points Series
1 Kurt Busch 69 NASCAR Winston Cup
2 Mark Martin 58 NASCAR Winston Cup
3 Jimmie Johnson 56 NASCAR Winston Cup
4 Mike Bliss 54 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
5 Kevin Harvick 48 NASCAR Winston Cup
6 Ryan Newman 48 NASCAR Winston Cup
7 Greg Biffle 41 NASCAR Busch Series
8 Sam Hornish, Jr. 30 Indy Racing League
9 Danny Lasoski 27 World of Outlaws
10 Felipe Giaffone/ Scott Sharp 24 Indy Racing League
11 Steve Kinser 24 World of Outlaws
12 Helio Castroneves 23 Indy Racing League

Read more about IROC XXVII:  Race One (Daytona International Speedway), Race Two (Talladega Superspeedway), Race Three (Chicagoland Speedway), Race Four (Indianapolis Motor Speedway)