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Introducing the impressive IROC field for Washington D.C. race
From NASCAR champions to Indy 500 legends, IROC will take over the streets of Washington D.C. on Saturday
Nick DeGroot
Edited: Aug 22, 2026, 3:46 AM
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Jeff Gordon, Hendrick Motorsports
Photo by: James Gilbert / Getty Images
As part of the Freedom 250 Grand Prix weekend with IndyCar, the revived IROC Series (International Race of Champions) will be on track as well, taking on the 1.7-mile street course with the U.S. Capitol Building serving as a backdrop.
There are two 20-minute races planned for Saturday, with Race #1 at 3pm EST and Race #2 immediately following 4pm EST.
The field of eight drivers is star-studded, featuring legendary names from the motorsports world. Here's a look at the full field:
Jeff Gordon -- 4x NASCAR Cup Series champion and 3x Daytona 500 winner
Currently working as the right-hand to Rick Hendrick as the vice chairman of Hendrick Motorsports, Gordon's NASCAR career spanned 25 years with 805 Cup starts and 93 wins (third on all-time wins list), including three in the Daytona 500 and at least three victories in each of the four crown jewel events on the schedule. Gordon won the Cup Series title in 1995, 1997, 1998, and 2001. Beyond NASCAR, Gordon earned an overall win in the 2017 Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona, and was a USAC Silver Crown and USAC National Midget Series champion earlier in his career.
Helio Castroneves -- 4x Indianapolis 500 winner and 3x Rolex 24 winner
Castroneves started nearly 400 races between IndyCar and CART, winning 31 races. He is tied for the most Indy 500 wins all-time, winning the prestigious race in 2001, 2002, 2009, and 2021. He also secured the overall win in the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona in three consecutive years, and even became an IMSA champion in 2020. His sports car racing triumphs don't end there, with back-to-back wins in Peit Le Mans and several other IMSA victories as well. Just before his 50th birthday, he made his Daytona 500 debut in 2025.
Kurt Busch -- NASCAR Cup Series champion and Daytona 500 winner
The elder brother of Kyle, Kurt Busch started 776 NASCAR Cup races, winning 34 races in his career. He became a NASCAR Cup Series champion in 2004, and won the Daytona 500 in 2017. Busch also attempted the Indy-Charlotte Double in 2014, earning a sixth-place finish in his Indy 500 debut. Additionally, Busch is a true IROC champion, earning the crown in 2003.
Tony Kanaan -- IndyCar champion and Indy 500 winner
Now serving the team principal for the Arrow McLaren IndyCar team, TK ran nearly 400 races between IndyCar and CART in a career spanning over two decades. He won 17 races between the two series, including the 2013 Indianapolis 500. He also won the 2004 IndyCar title, and beyond the open-wheel world, snagged an overall win the 2015 Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona.
Bill Elliott -- NASCAR Cup Series champion and 2x Daytona 500 winner
Elliott holds the record for the fastest qualifying lap in NASCAR history, lapping Talladega Superspeedway at 212.809mph in 1987. He started 828 Cup races in his career, earning 44 wins that included victories in the 1985 and 1987 Daytona 500. He won the Southern 500 three times in his career, as well as the Brickyard 400 in 2002. Elliott's time at the top level of the sport spanned 38 years.
Bobby Labonte -- NASCAR Cup Series champion
Labonte started 729 Cup races in his career, earning 21 career wins and the 2000 Cup title over Dale Earnhardt. He earned victories in the Southern 500, Coca-Cola 600, and Brickyard 400. Notably, he is the oldest driver to ever win a Superstar Racing Experience event at the age of 58. Labonte also won a NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series title (then known as the Busch Series) in 1991. Like Kurt Busch, he is even a former IROC champion, earning the crown in 2001.
Tommy Kendall -- IMSA champion and 4x Trans-Am champion
Stepping in for IndyCar legend Dario Franchitti after he had to pull out of the event, Kendall had quite an interesting career as well. He was an IMSA GTS champion in 1993, but most of his success came in the Trans-Am Series, where he earned the title in 1990, 1995, 1996, and 1997.
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