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37-472: IROC VI was the sixth year of IROC competition, which took place in 1978 and 1979. The format changed from IROC V in that three qualifying races were held for participants from NASCAR , USAC Champ Car , and Road Racing (which primarily consisted of Formula One , SCCA , and IMSA ). The top four finishers in these qualifying races then earned the chance to race in the two final races at Riverside International Raceway and Atlanta Motor Speedway . It used

74-777: A road course . Riverside held the most IROC road races, followed by Watkins Glen . Races were also contested at Mid-Ohio , the Daytona combined road course, and the Cleveland ( Burke Lakefront Airport ) CART series course. From 1992 to 2005, the IROC season was exclusively run on ovals. In 2006, road courses were reintroduced to the IROC series with the cars competing on the road course at Daytona International Speedway . Also, in 2006, two drivers shared one car in an IROC first. Grand American Road Racing drivers Max Angelelli and Wayne Taylor each drove two races in 2006, trying to win

111-418: A "tribute to IROC". In 2021, final IROC champion Tony Stewart and Ray Evernham launched Superstar Racing Experience (SRX) based on the IROC concept of identical cars and an all-star cast of drivers from different racing series. [REDACTED] Media related to International Race of Champions at Wikimedia Commons Diageo Diageo plc ( / d i ˈ æ dʒ i oʊ / dee- AJ -ee-oh )

148-807: A Guinness brewery and tourist attraction in Baltimore County, Maryland . The brewery could potentially host as many as 300,000 visitors per year. In October 2021, Diageo completed a £185m investment in Scotch whisky tourism with the royal opening by Prince Charles, Duke of Rothesay , of its centrepiece visitor centre in Edinburgh , Scotland , promoting the Johnnie Walker brand of blended Scotch whisky. In October 2021, Diageo announced plans to invest $ 500m to expand its manufacturing in Mexico for

185-456: A broad range of racing disciplines: Indy cars , NASCAR , sports car racing , and on occasion, sprint car racing . Criteria for invitation was very loose, but typically consisted of recent season champions of the respective series, and individual winners of big events ( Indy , Daytona , etc.) It was occasionally rumored that a top NHRA drag racer would be invited and compete, but none ever did. Due to its fundamental stock car formula , and

222-912: A former Guinness brewery which had closed in 2004 after producing beer since 1936. Diageo's previous head office facility had been located in Henrietta Place , in the Marylebone district of the City of Westminster in London, since 1996. In 2009, Diageo announced that it was closing the Henrietta Place facility as part of a cost reduction programme and moved its employees to the Park Royal site. Diageo operates in 180 countries across five regions: Europe , North America , Latin America ,

259-806: A major owner of hotels, owning what is now Intercontinental Hotels prior to divestment before merging into Diageo, but the company still owned the Gleneagles Hotel in Perthshire , which had hosted events including the Ryder Cup and G8 summit . In 2015 Diageo reached an agreement to sell the hotel to the Ennismore Group, already owners of The Hoxton hotels. In November 2016, Diageo announced its intention of selling at auction Sir Edwin Landseer 's iconic 1851 painting The Monarch of

296-689: A month ahead of plan after Menezes died on 7 June 2023. In May 2023, it was announced that Diageo has provided funding to establish the British Aluminium Consortium for Advance Alloys (BACALL), a collective of industry experts who will create a circular economy in the UK. In 1998, Diageo sold the John Dewar & Sons, Ltd. company including Aberfeldy , Aultmore , Craigellachie , Royal Brackla distilleries and Bombay Sapphire gin to Bacardi Limited . In 2001, Diageo acquired

333-539: A new luxury division to combine its luxury spirits and experiences, with brands like Brora , Port Ellen and the company's 15 brand homes and distiller experiences. The company said it would also help to grow Justerini & Brooks . Diageo's head office is in Great Marlborough Street , London after moving from its previous location in Park Royal , London Borough of Brent , on the site of

370-589: A number of brands, businesses, and assets which were not in the core alcoholic drinks category. The company has gradually disposed of these assets to focus on beverages as its core business. This included the sale of the Pillsbury Company to General Mills in 2000, and the 2002 sale of the Burger King fast food restaurant chain to a consortium led by US firm Texas Pacific for US$ 1.5 billion. The predecessor company Grand Metropolitan had been

407-761: A primary listing on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index . It has a secondary listing on the New York Stock Exchange . Diageo is an invented name that was created by the branding consultancy Wolff Olins in 1997. The name is composed of the Latin word diēs , meaning "day", and the Greek root geo- , meaning "earth"; and is meant to reference the company slogan "Celebrating Life, Every Day, Everywhere". Diageo

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444-477: A sponsor and postponed the first two races, at Daytona and Texas. IROC went on hiatus in 2007 hoping to return with a sponsor in 2008, which did not happen. In March 2008, IROC auctioned off its tools, equipment, cars, and memorabilia, and went out of business. On January 8, 2024, Ray Evernham alongside Rob Kauffman announced the series would relaunch in 2024 with the intent of one race while exploring future opportunities afterwards. The drivers invited were from

481-504: A £1 billion investment in Scotch whisky production over the following five years, with at least one new distillery to be constructed, several existing facilities to be expanded, and overall production capacity to be increased by 30 to 40 per cent. In December 2015, Diageo announced a US$ 10 million investment in Danish whisky brand Stauning , to facilitate expansion of production. In February 2017, Diageo announced plans to open

518-624: Is a British multinational alcoholic beverage company, with its headquarters in London , England . It operates from 132 sites around the world. It is a major distributor of Scotch whisky and other spirits. Distilleries owned by Diageo produce 40 percent of all Scotch whisky with over 24 brands, such as Johnnie Walker , J&B and Old Parr . Its leading brands outside whisky include Guinness , Smirnoff , Baileys liqueur, Captain Morgan rum and Tanqueray and Gordon's gin . Diageo has

555-512: The Chevrolet Camaro in all races. Mario Andretti won the road racing finale en route to the championship and $ 75,000. The final points standings were as follows: IROC Drivers raced 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 12 invited drivers. It was created and developed in 1972 by David Lockton ,

592-581: The Cîroc vodka brand, and this led to the joint purchase of the DeLeón Tequila brand in 2013. The partnership was terminated in 2024 after a legal dispute, leaving Diageo the sole owner of both brands. In 2007, Diageo sold the inactive Port Charlotte distillery buildings and contents to The Bruichladdich Distillery Co. Ltd. In 2010, Diageo opened Roseisle distillery at cost of £40million. In 2010, Diageo closed Port Dundas grain distillery that

629-616: The Sazerac Company for US$ 550 million, but kept the Seagram's Seven Crown brand. In September 2022, Diageo sold Archers brand to De Kuyper Royal Distillers. In November 2022, it was announced that Diageo would acquire Balcones Distilling, a whiskey distillery based in Texas . In October 2023, Diageo sold Windsor Global, which owns blended Scotch brand Windsor, to private equity firm PT W Co of South Korea , sponsored by

666-672: The Glen – which the company owned, but which has been on loan to the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh since 1999 – as it has "no direct link to our business or brands", being used on the label of rival brand Glenfiddich , owned by William Grant & Sons . Following a fundraising campaign, the painting was sold to the National Galleries of Scotland for around half its assayed value of £8 million. In 2015,

703-523: The IROC title as a team, reflecting sportscar racing as a two-man team. However, in 2007, that may not have been used, as 2006 Grand American Road Racing champion Jörg Bergmeister was a solo champion. Bergmeister had to split driving duties with various drivers because his regular co-driver was forced to sit out three races because they were raced with the Indy Racing League; Colin Braun , who

740-535: The Pine Tree Investment & Management Co. In February 2024, a report claimed Diageo was looking to sell the brands Pimm's , Safari and Pampero Rum . Both Safari and Pampero rum were sold in July 2024. In 19 March 2024, Diageo reopened Port Ellen distillery after 40 years been closed and a £185 million (US$ 235m) restoration. In November 2024, the company formed Diageo Luxury Group,

777-546: The brand after agreeing to sell Bushmills Irish whiskey to Proximo Spirits , who had since acquired Jose Cuervo, in exchange for US$ 408 million and full ownership of the tequila brand. In 2004, Diageo sold the inactive Coleburn distillery buildings and contents to the Winchester Brothers with plans to transform the distillery grounds into a whisky resort. Diageo formed a relationship with rapper Sean Combs in an "equal-share venture" in 2007 to promote

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814-425: The car kept red trim, in reflection of his IndyCar being red. If there was a numbering conflict, another number would be substituted. In most cases, for one-digit numbers, a zero would be added in front. Otherwise a historically notable number would be run. (Penske drivers, for instance, could use No.   66, owing to Mark Donohue.) From its inception to 1991, the series contested at least one race per season on

851-635: The category. Whilst Diageo did acquire South African beer producer United National Breweries (UNB) in April 2015 shortly before the Red Stripe sale was made, they divested it again in the second half of 2019. In December 2023 it was speculated in the media that Diageo would exit from the beer market entirely, potentially including the Guinness brand, but this was denied by the company. The business has grown with purchases of alcohol businesses around

888-546: The collapsed Seagram 's spirits and wine businesses which included Captain Morgan and Seagram's blended whiskey. In 2002.Diageo sold Malibu rum to Allied Domecq for £560m ($ 800m). In 2002, Diageo sold the inactive Rosebank distillery buildings and contents to British Waterways . Diageo acquired a 50% stake in Don Julio tequila through a joint venture with owner Jose Cuervo , for which they paid US$ 100 million in 2003. They later obtained full ownership of

925-461: The company made major sales in both the beer and wine categories, selling the Red Stripe beer brand, along with interests in other breweries, and the rights to Guinness in some territories to Heineken , as well as the sale of most of its wine business to Treasury Wine Estates . The separate 2019 sale of the remaining wine brands including Navarro Correas and Chalone Vineyard saw Diageo exit

962-531: The developer of the Ontario Motor Speedway , launched in 1973, with Mark Donohue being the first driver to win the championship, in 1974 . The cars used that year were Porsche Carrera RSRs . Donohue's win in the fourth and last race of that season was his last win, as he died in a Formula One crash at the Österreichring in practice for the 1975 Austrian Grand Prix . The series was not run in 1981, 1982, or 1983. In 2007, IROC could not find

999-578: The driver's colors in his regular racing series. Also, a driver's number in IROC would be his regular number. Thus, Steve Kinser would use green trim with the No.   11, and Matt Kenseth's car featured yellow trim with No.   17. The only exception to the numbering scheme involved the number 3. Following the death of Dale Earnhardt in the 2001 Daytona 500 , IROC retired the use of No.   3. Any driver with that regular number would use No.   03 instead. Hélio Castroneves raced with No.   03, but

1036-418: The history of IROC. In some years, no sports car drivers competed. Through 2003, IROC was also known for its rainbow of car colors being easily recognized from all other racing series. Car numbers were utilized for scoring purposes, but were not the primary means of identification. Instead, the driver's surname would appear on the door of the car. Exceptions were made when Mario and Michael Andretti raced in

1073-524: The majority of racing being contested on ovals , the series was often dominated by NASCAR participants (which was the major criticism of the series). Also, in the small field of about a dozen cars, the share of NASCAR invitees grew over time; from just three drivers in the first season to seven in the final season. The last non-NASCAR based champion of the series was Al Unser Jr. in 1988 . Although open wheel drivers had numerous successes, as of 2005 , drivers from road racing series had only won two races in

1110-531: The majority stake in Seedlip , a non-alcoholic spirits brand. In October 2022, it was announced Diageo had acquired the Australian cold brew coffee liqueur brand, Mr Black. In September 2024, it was announced Diageo had acquired Ritual Zero Proof a non-alcoholic spirits brand. In March 2023, it was announced that Debra Crew would succeed Sir Ivan Menezes as CEO of the company. Crew started her role

1147-482: The reverse of the points standings determined races three and four's grids. Numbers were assigned by the starting position. After the first race, the numbers were assigned based on points standings. In 2004, the alcoholic beverage company, Diageo became the series' title sponsor , utilising their Crown Royal brand whiskey, replacing True Value , and the procedure changed as well. Cars would be identically painted in white, with trim which could be changed to represent

IROC VI - Misplaced Pages Continue

1184-434: The same events. In those cases, their first name was used. The numbers would change from race to race, with the number 1 being given to the driver starting first, and so on. The colors would correspond to the numbers. Before the races, drivers were assigned via blind drawing, as was how the starting grid for the first race was determined. The finishing order of the race would be inverted for the second race's starting grid, while

1221-561: The tequila category. Construction of the new facilities in Jalisco , Mexico is expected to begin in 2021. Diageo announced plans to build a €200 million brewery in Newbridge in July 2022. In February 2024, High Court proceedings were lodged against An Bord Pleanála by an Athy resident opposing the decision to approve the project. After mediation talks with Diageo, the challenge was withdrawn in April. In August 2019, Diageo bought

1258-651: The world, including the 2011 part-ownership and 2013 full acquisition of the Chinese baijiu manufacturer Sichuan Shuijingfang Company in China. The company further acquired Turkish liquor company Mey Icki for US$ 2.1 billion in 2011, and in 2012 followed this with Brazilian cachaça manufacturer Ypióca for £300 million, and the Indian United Spirits which they acquired a majority stake for £1.28 billion. In June 2012, Diageo announced

1295-600: Was 17, could not race in those three races under MSA rulings. The International Race of Champions series was beloved by NASCAR and international fans alike, as drivers from several different disciplines could be seen competing on a level playing field. During the hiatus of motorsports due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, a group of drivers from NASCAR, NHRA , IndyCar , IMSA , Supercross , Supercars Championship , Formula One , and Rallycross competed in iRacing in dirt modifieds, GTE cars, and stock cars in an event dubbed

1332-567: Was demolished in 2011. In March 2016, the company sold Grand Marnier , a cognac and bitter orange-based liqueur, to the Italian beverage company Campari Group . In June 2017, the Casamigos tequila brand – a US-based tequila, launched in 2013 was acquired by Diageo. In November 2018, Diageo sold Seagram's whiskey brand, along with Myers's Rum , Popov vodka, Booth's Gin , Goldschläger , Yukon Jack , Sambuca , and 11 other brands to

1369-532: Was formed in 1997 from the merger of Guinness plc and Grand Metropolitan . Its creation was driven by the executives Anthony Greener and Philip Yea at Guinness, along with George Bull and John McGrath of Grand Metropolitan. Anthony Greener was the first executive chairman. Shares in Diageo began trading on the London Stock Exchange on 17 December 1997. As a legacy of the merger, Diageo owned

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