Home Baseball Hockey Football Racing Basketball Events Privacy

IROC XII - 1988

iROC

The International Race of Champions was an auto racing competition, featuring identically-prepared stock cars set up by a single team of mechanics, in an effort to make the race purely a test of driver ability. It was run with a small field of invited drivers (6-12) from all the major racing series including NASCAR, SCCA, FIA and USAC. Over the years CART and the IRL drivers, among others also participated.

 

IROC - (1974-2006) Main Page
IROC - (1974-2006) Champions

IROC XII - 1988

Four drivers, representing three different types of racing, split the victory-lane honors in IROC 12, with Al Unser Jr. taking his second championship in three attempts. In the opener at Daytona, Bill Elliott led all the way to record his first-ever IROC triumph. In Round 2 at Riverside, Scott Pruett moved around fellow road racer Chip Robinson with 10 laps to go to score his initial IROC win and ended an 18-event winless streak by road racers in IROC competition. Defending series titlist Geoff Bodine took the checkered flag in Race 3 at Michigan, vaulting him from ninth to first in the point totals going into the finale at Watkins Glen. In a replay of the previous year's lineup, Bodine and Unser Jr. were on the front row, except it was "Little Al" who made the better start and led all the way. He earned an IROC record $211,900. (from IROC Website)

Final Points


IROC 12 Champion
Al Unser Jr.



Position

Driver/Residence/Sanction

Points

Money Earned

1
Al Unser Jr./Albuquerque, NM/CART
66
$211,900
2
Terry Labonte/Thomasville, NC/NASCAR
55
95,000
3
Scott Pruett/Roseville, CA/SCCA
51
72,900
4
Bill Elliott/Dawsonville, GA/NASCAR
46
58,900
5
* Dale Earnhardt/Doolie, NC/NASCAR
45
51,000
6
Geoff Bodine/Julain, NC/NASCAR
45
49,500
7
Al Holbert/Warrington, PA/FISA
39
35,000
8
Al Unser/Albuquerque, NM/CART
38
34,000
9
Chip Robinson/Oldwick, NJ/IMSA
36
38,000
10
Chris Cord/Beverly Hills, CA/IMSA 32,000
26
32,000
11
Bobby Rahal/Dublin, OH/CART
24
31,000
12
Roberto Guerrero/San Juan Capistrano, CA/CART
19
30,400
  * Tiebreaker, higher finishing position in final race 

 

Race One

 
February 12, 1988
Daytona International Speedway
Daytona Beach, Florida
2.5-mile high-banked oval, 40 laps, 100 miles

 

Finish

Start

Driver

Laps

Status

1
1
Bill Elliott
40
Running
2
6
Dale Earnhardt
40
Running
3
5
Terry Labonte
40
Running
4
9
Al Unser Jr.
40
Running
5
7
Geoff Bodine
40
Running
6
2
Al Unser
40
Running
7
8
Al Holbert
40
Running
8
11
Scott Pruett
40
Running
9
10
Chris Cord
40
Running
10
4
Bobby Rahal
39
Running
11
3
Chip Robinson
37
Running
12
DNS
Roberto Guerrero
0
Didn't start

 

Time of Race: 32 minutes, 13 seconds
Average Speed: 186.239 MPH
Margin of Victory: 2 Camaro lengths
Caution Flags : One (Robinson accident)
Lead Changes: 0
Lap Leaders: Elliott, 1-40

 

Race Two

 
June 11, 1988
Riverside International Raceway
Riverside, California
2.54-mile road course, 30 laps, 76.2 miles

 

Finish

Start

Driver

Laps

Status

1
5
Scott Pruett
30
Running
2
2
Chip Robinson
30
Running
3
9
Al Unser Jr.
30
Running
4
10
Terry Labonte
30
Running
5
6
Al Holbert
30
Running
6
7
Al Unser
30
Running
7
4
Chris Cord
30
Running
8
3
Bobby Rahal
30
Running
9
8
Geoff Bodine
29
Running
10
12
Bill Elliott
29
Running
11
1
Roberto Guerrero
10
Accident
12
11
Dale Earnhardt
10
Accident

 

Time of Race: 46 minutes, 34 seconds
Average Speed: 98.182 MPH
Margin of Victory: 2 seconds
Caution Flags: Two (Earnhardt spin; Guerrero-Earnhardt accident)
Lead Changes: 1 among 2 drivers
Lap Leaders: Robinson, 1-20; Pruett, 21-30

 

Race Three

 
August 6, 1988
Michigan International Speedway
Brooklyn, Michigan
Two-mile high banked oval, 50 laps, 100 miles

 

Finish

Start

Driver

Laps

Status

1
3
Geoff Bodine
50
Running
2
6
Dale Earnhardt
50
Running
3
8
Al Unser Jr.
50
Running
4
7
Terry Labonte
50
Running
5
4
Al Unser
50
Running
6
5
Al Holbert
50
Running
7
10
Bill Elliott
50
Running
8
2
Bobby Rahal
50
Running
9
11
Scott Pruett
50
Running
10
1
Roberto Guerrero
50
Running
11
9
Chip Robinson
50
Running
12
DNS
Chris Cord
0
Didn't start

 

Time of Race: 37 minutes, 38.01 seconds
Average Speed: 159.432 MPH
Margin of Victory: .783 seconds
Caution Flags: None
Lead Changes: 1 among 2 drivers
Lap Leaders: Guerrero, 1-4; Bodine, 5-50

 

Race Four

 
August 13, 1988
Watkins Glen International
Watkins Glen, New York
2.428-mile road course, 30 laps, 72.84 miles

 

Finish

Start

Driver

Laps

Status

1
2
Al Unser Jr.
30
Running
2
4
Terry Labonte
30
Running
3
6
Scott Pruett
30
Running
4
9
Al Holbert
30
Running
5
8
Al Unser
30
Running
6
11
Chris Cord
30
Running
7
5
Dale Earnhardt
30
Running
8
3
Bill Elliott
30
Running
9
7
Chip Robinson
29
Running
10
10
Bobby Rahal
29
Running
11
12
Roberto Guerrero
20
Running
12
1
Geoff Bodine
16
Accident

 

Time of Race: 67 minutes, 57 seconds
Average Speed: 110.924 MPH
Margin of Victory: 1.58 seconds
Caution Flags: One (Bodine accident)
Lead Changes: 0
Lap Leaders: Unser Jr., 1-30