Stellar Entry List Includes Eight NASCAR Series Champions
Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA) announced today that former NASCAR stars Jack Sprague and Steve Park have completed the field for the September 22 “American Racing Legends Charity Pro-Am Presented By RACER Magazine.” Sprague, who won three NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championships, joins seven other NASCAR champions on an entry list of 18 that includes champions from an array of series, including two-time Indy 500 winner and Indy car champion Al Unser, Jr. The entry list with pro-am driver pairings is attached.
“I am blown away by the support we have received from the racing community,” said SVRA CEO Tony Parella. “This is a first step toward building a series we are calling VROC, for Vintage Race Of Champions. This is inspired by the old IROC series from years ago.”
Among the top NASCAR drivers in the impressive field are Bill Elliott, Bobby Labonte, Ward Burton, Greg Biffle, Ron Hornaday, Todd Bodine, and Mike Skinner. Evernham will serve as the SVRA grand marshal for the weekend. Cumulative career highlights for the pros is the stuff of legend. Combined, they have 10 championships and 320 race wins across NASCAR’s top three series. That includes 92 Cup wins, 63 in Xfinity, and 165 in the Trucks. In Trucks alone, we have champions who account for 12 championships. There are two Cup champions in the field, as well as two Daytona 500 winners and two Xfinity Series champions.
Highlights from other series include two Indianapolis 500 wins, 37 IndyCar victories, and two IndyCar championships. Trans Am is also well represented with three championships and 66 race victories. The field achieved numerous sports car accomplishments including a Can-Am championship as well as four overall Daytona 24 wins and a GT class victory at Le Mans. The drivers represent a diverse array of racing disciplines from Formula One to modified stock cars on dirt. Everyone in the field has competed in NASCAR at the Cup level, amassing 3,965 starts in that level of auto racing.
Sprague competed in all three of NASCAR’s top divisions but is best known for his tremendous success in the Camping World Truck Series. There he won three championships for Hendrick Motorsports in 1997, 1999, and 2001. In the process, he scored 28 race wins, 192 top tens, and 32 poles. He added to his victory total by taking a Busch (now Xfinity) Series win at Nashville in 2002. Sprague also scored 24 top tens and a pole in that series. The Daytona 500 veteran quickly established himself early in his career with track championships at Thunderbird Raceway and Winston Raceway. Sprague was a prolific Late Model winner, with 30 race victories to go with championships in the Winston Racing Series in Charlotte and the Big Ten Championship at Concord Motorsports Park.
Park has not only competed in all three of NASCAR’s top series but scored race wins in all of them as well. At the Cup level, he has two victories, 35 top tens, and four poles – all for Dale Earnhardt, Sr.’s team, DEI. Park’s wins came at Watkins Glen and Rockingham. He also won three Busch Series races for DEI in 1997 when he finished third in that championship and was awarded their Rookie-Of-The-Year honors. Park also has 29 top tens and one pole in the Busch Series to his credit. His Truck Series victory came at Auto Club Speedway in 2005. Park was also a force in the K&N Pro Series East and the Whelen Modified Tour. In K&N Pro he brought home three first-place trophies. Park also won 16 Whelen Modified races.
In addition to the new Pro-Am, the professional Trans Am Series Presented by Pirelli Series will join SVRA at VIR. Trans Am and SVRA continue to leverage growth for both series by sharing the track at eight event weekends in 2018. This approach delivers a motorsports festival atmosphere. Fans can expect more of the Hagerty Insurance “show and shine” car corrals and a marketplace of accessory, memorabilia, art, and apparel vendors. The event includes an entire weekend of racing with hundreds of vintage cars competing in a variety of classifications.
The VIR event will benefit IGNITE – the Autism Society of North Carolina’s community center for young adults with high-functioning autism or Asperger’s syndrome. IGNITE was founded by The Evernham Family Racing for a Reason Foundation – a nonprofit established by legendary NASCAR crew chief Ray Evernham and his family. Evernham will compete in the race as an amateur.
Entry list – SVRA American Racing Legends Charity Pro-Am Presented By RACER Magazine
|
Pro |
Amateur |
Model |
Year |
Class |
|
Johnny Benson |
Paul Johnson |
Mustang |
1970 |
BP |
|
Greg Biffle |
Scott Hackenson |
Mustang |
1967 |
BP |
|
Todd Bodine |
Mark Hilderbrand |
Corvette |
1972 |
AP |
|
Jeb Burton |
Debbie Cloud |
Camaro |
1969 |
BP |
|
Ward Burton |
Clair Schwendeman |
Corvette |
1968 |
AP |
|
Wally Dallenbach |
John Cloud |
Mustang |
1970 |
BP |
|
Bill Elliott |
Dennis Olthoff |
Mustang |
1970 |
BP |
|
Ron Fellows |
Dave Roberts |
Camaro |
1969 |
BP |
|
Ron Hornaday |
Bob Lima |
Corvette |
1969 |
AP |
|
Bobby Labonte |
Dave Handy |
Mustang |
1965 |
AP |
|
Max Papis |
Curt Vogt |
Mustang |
1966 |
BP |
|
Steve Park |
James Heck |
Corvette |
1964 |
BP |
|
Willy T. Ribbs |
Jay Carley |
Camaro |
1969 |
AP |
|
Boris Said |
Ray Evernham |
Corvette |
1965 |
AP |
|
Dorsey Schroeder |
Frank Marcum |
Ford Falcon |
1964 |
BP |
|
Mike Skinner |
Sam Lecomte |
Corvette |
1966 |
AP |
|
Jack Sprague |
John Atwell |
Camaro |
1971 |
BP |
|
Al Unser, Jr. |
Peter Klutt |
Corvette |
1969 |
AP |