IROC IX

1985 International Race of Champions

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Harry Gant, the IROC IX champion

IROC IX was the ninth year of IROC competition, which took place in 1985. It saw the use of the Chevrolet Camaro in all races, was the second straight season that television coverage was on CBS, and continued the format introduced in IROC VIII. Race one took place on the Daytona International Speedway, race two took place at Mid-Ohio, race three was rained out at Talladega Superspeedway, and race four concluded the year at Michigan International Speedway. Harry Gant won the championship and $158,200 in a tie-breaker with Darrell Waltrip.

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

Rank	Driver	Points	Winnings	Series
1	Harry Gant 1	45	$158,200	NASCAR Winston Cup Series 2nd in 1984 Winston Cup points
2	Darrell Waltrip 1	45	$80,400	NASCAR Winston Cup Series 5th in 1984 Winston Cup points
3	Bobby Rahal	40	$55,100	CART PPG IndyCar World Series 3rd in 1984 IndyCar points
4	Tom Sneva	32	$43,000	CART PPG IndyCar World Series 2nd in 1984 IndyCar points
5	Terry Labonte 2	31	$39,300	NASCAR Winston Cup Series 1984 Winston Cup Champion
6	Derek Bell 2	31	$30,000	World Endurance Championship 4th in 1984 World Sportscar Championship
7	John Watson	30	$29,000	FIA Formula One World Championship World Endurance Championship Winner of the 1984 Fuji 1000KM
8	Cale Yarborough	29	$27,400	NASCAR Winston Cup Series Defending IROC Champion 1984 Daytona 500 winner
9	A. J. Foyt	28	$29,500	CART PPG IndyCar World Series IROC III & IROC IV Champion
10	Jochen Mass	27	$23,000	World Endurance Championship 2nd in 1984 World Sportscar Championship
11	Mario Andretti 3	25	$26,700	CART PPG IndyCar World Series 1984 IndyCar Champion IROC VI champion
12	Tom Gloy	13	$20,000	SCCA Trans-Am Series 1984 Trans-Am Champion

Race results

Race One, Daytona International Speedway

Friday, February 15, 1985

Finish	Grid	Car no.	Driver	Car Make	Car Color	Laps	Status	Laps Led	Points
1	11	5	Darrell Waltrip	Chevrolet Camaro	Light Blue	40	0:32:55	1	23 (2)
2	6	1	Tom Sneva	Chevrolet Camaro	White	40	Flagged		17
3	9	4	A. J. Foyt	Chevrolet Camaro	Cream	40	Flagged	35	19 (5)
4	4	8	Derek Bell	Chevrolet Camaro	Orange	40	Flagged		12
5	12	7	Harry Gant	Chevrolet Camaro	Blue	40	Flagged		10
6	7	3	Cale Yarborough	Chevrolet Camaro	Pink	40	Flagged	4	12 (3)
7	8	17	Jochen Mass	Chevrolet Camaro	Silver	40	Flagged		8
8	1	2	John Watson	Chevrolet Camaro	Dark Blue	40	Flagged		7
9	3	12	Bobby Rahal	Chevrolet Camaro	Red	39	Crash		6
10	5	6	Terry Labonte	Chevrolet Camaro	Yellow	39	Flagged		5
11	10	11	Tom Gloy	Chevrolet Camaro	Black	15	Crash		4
12	2	9	Mario Andretti	Chevrolet Camaro	Orange Yellow	5	Mechanical		3

(5) Indicates 5 bonus points added to normal race points scored for leading the most laps.
(3) Indicates 3 bonus points added to normal race points scored for leading the 2nd most laps
(2) Indicates 2 bonus points added to normal race points scored for leading the 3rd most laps.

Average speed: 182.278 mph (293.348 km/h)
Cautions: 1 (Lap 15, Tom Gloy accident in the tri-oval.)
Margin of victory: 3 sec
Lead changes: 3

Race Two, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course

Mario Andretti in IROC race at Mid-Ohio (1985)

Friday, June 8, 1985

Finish	Grid	Car no.	Driver	Car Make	Car Color	Laps	Status	Laps Led	Points
1	4	17	Bobby Rahal	Chevrolet Camaro	Silver	29	0:49:30	2	24 (3)
2	5	7	John Watson	Chevrolet Camaro	Blue	29	Flagged		17
3	1	3	Mario Andretti	Chevrolet Camaro	Pink	29	Flagged	27	19 (5)
4	6	8	Jochen Mass	Chevrolet Camaro	Orange	29	Flagged		12
5	9	2	Derek Bell	Chevrolet Camaro	Dark Blue	29	Flagged		10
6	8	1	Harry Gant	Chevrolet Camaro	White	29	Flagged		9
7	12	6	Darrell Waltrip	Chevrolet Camaro	Yellow	29	Flagged		8
8	11	11	Tom Sneva	Chevrolet Camaro	Black	29	Flagged		7
9	3	5	Terry Labonte	Chevrolet Camaro	Powder Blue	29	Flagged		6
10	10	10	A. J. Foyt	Chevrolet Camaro	Red	29	Flagged		5
11	2	18	Tom Gloy	Chevrolet Camaro	Light Blue	29	Flagged		4
12	7	12	Cale Yarborough	Chevrolet Camaro	Dark Red	29	Flagged		3

(5) Indicates 5 bonus points added to normal race points scored for leading the most laps.
(3) Indicates 3 bonus points added to normal race points scored for leading the 2nd most laps
(2) Indicates 2 bonus points added to normal race points scored for leading the 3rd most laps (Did not occur in this race so not awarded).

Average speed: 84.363 mph (135.769 km/h)
Cautions: none
Margin of victory: 2.4 sec
Lead changes: 1

Race Three, Talladega Superspeedway

This race was scheduled for Saturday July 27th, 1985 but was canceled due to rain

Race Four, Michigan International Speedway

Saturday, August 10, 1985

Finish	Grid	Car no.	Driver	Car Make	Car Color	Laps	Status	Laps Led	Points
1	8	18	Harry Gant	Chevrolet Camaro	Light Blue	50	0:39:09	33	26 (5)
2	10	5	Terry Labonte	Chevrolet Camaro	Powder Blue	50	Flagged	13	20 (3)
3	9	12	Cale Yarborough	Chevrolet Camaro	Dark Red	50	Flagged		14
4	1	2	Darrell Waltrip	Chevrolet Camaro	Dark Blue	50	Flagged	4	14 (2)
5	2	1	Bobby Rahal	Chevrolet Camaro	White	50	Flagged		10
6	6	11	Derek Bell	Chevrolet Camaro	Black	50	Flagged		9
7	3	6	Tom Sneva	Chevrolet Camaro	Yellow	50	Flagged		8
8	7	17	Jochen Mass	Chevrolet Camaro	Silver	50	Flagged		7
9	4	8	John Watson	Chevrolet Camaro	Orange	50	Flagged		6
10	11	3	Tom Gloy	Chevrolet Camaro	Pink	49	Flagged		5
11	5	7	A. J. Foyt	Chevrolet Camaro	Blue	27	Mechanical		4
12	X	X	Mario Andretti 3	Chevrolet Camaro	Not Assigned	0	Did Not Start, Injured		3

(5) Indicates 5 bonus points added to normal race points scored for leading the most laps.
(3) Indicates 3 bonus points added to normal race points scored for leading the 2nd most laps
(2) Indicates 2 bonus points added to normal race points scored for leading the 3rd most laps.

Average speed: 153.257 mph (246.643 km/h)
Cautions: none
Margin of victory: 4 feet
Lead changes: 8

Notes

1. Harry Gant and Darrell Waltrip tied for the championship, but Gant was awarded the title due to a higher finishing position in the final race.
2. Terry Labonte and Derek Bell tied for fifth place, but Labonte was awarded the position due a higher finish in the final race.
3. Mario Andretti did not compete in the final race due to injury.

External links

• IROC IX History - IROC Website