Jeff Gordon Sweeps IROC Showcase at Freedom 250 Grand Prix

With a sweep of the IROC presented by Chevrolet races on Saturday at the Freedom 250 Grand Prix on the streets of Washington, D.C., Jeff Gordon claimed the 2026 IROC championship.

Gordon scored the victory in both races for the IROC machines on Saturday, taking part in the event celebrating the United States of America's 250th anniversary.

It was a unique and memorable occasion, and one Gordon will forever be able to remember alongside an IROC championship. Charging from the back row in both races, Gordon was unstoppable on the streets of Washington, D.C.

"This is so special," said Gordon. "Of course, I ran the IROC series back in the day. I've run a few of these with Ray and Rob Kauffman, big thanks to them. They put a lot of effort into this series and these cars. I had a sponsor, Hendrick Cars, thank you HendrickCars.com. It's Rick's car, so I've got to thank him for loaning it to me, and we tuned it up a little bit.

"Just being out here, being a part of this special event. The fans are everywhere, celebrating 250 years of this great country. This is super special. I want to shout out Kyle Busch's family, nice to have that sticker on all the cars. I'm excited about what's going to happen, you know, in Bristol and some other things I think NASCAR and the teams have planned."

In both races, Gordon battled Kyle's brother, Kurt Busch, for the victory. The two drivers have done battle plenty of times in their illustrious careers, including in recent IROC contests such as the one during the Heritage Invitational at the Ten Tenths Motor Club.

"He's so good, especially in these cars. I've raced against him my whole career," said Gordon about Busch. "He's so good. I could not give him an inch. I took an opportunity in turn one. I'm like, alright, I've just got to keep my eye on him."

After a pair of runner-up finishes, Busch soaked in the moment of racing in the nation's capital and battling an old friend and competitor.

"It's just a kid in a candy store moment all weekend. To see the cars, the colors, all the excitement. I didn't see an empty seat when we were out on track at 11 a.m. practicing. It had that old school vibe, what's going on, this is the place to be.

"To race with Jeff, I mean, the dog's still got some bite in him. It was fun, because my car, I felt like, was good from two to five. I really enjoyed that switchback six and seven. He could outdo me in a few areas of the track. Maybe do some shock changes and try to keep up, but it's so much fun with the guys. It's like an old frat house again."

Bill Elliott was credited with third place in the championship points from the two-race event on a tiebreaker with Bobby Labonte. Helio Castroneves rounded out the top five.

-Photo credit: IROC