Wonder Boy is still amazing.
Jeff Gordon drove from the back of the field twice to win the inaugural IROC event at the Freedom 250 Grand Prix weekend in Washington, D.C.
The revived all-star series brought eight of the Pontiac Trans Ams it used from 1996-2006 before it went on a two-decade hiatus.
The tube-frame chassis race cars wear fourth-generation Trans Am bodies, 500 hp V8s and four-speed manual transmissions.
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The lineup included Gordon, Kurt Busch, Tony Kanaan, Helio Castroneves, Bill Elliott, Bobby Labonte, Rusty Wallace and Tommy Kendall.
The series runs two 10-lap races and declares a winner based on the combined results. The lineup for the first race is chosen by a random draw and then the results of that race are inverted to set the grid for the second.
Gordon started in seventh for the first race, but worked his way through the field to beat Kurt Busch in a squeaker, which meant they’d start the second race from the back row.
They worked their way to the front around the seven-turn, 1.7-mile track, and pulled away from the pack by the end, but Gordon got a better handle on the car this time around and crossed the finish line with a two-second lead.
“It was nice to get this win today, so many reasons why,” Gordon said during his post-race press conference. “These cars are raw, so they’re a lot of fun to drive.” It was Gordon’s first time on a street course, which made the win that much more impressive.
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“Oh, great, rub it [in],” Kanaan joked during the press conference. “One out of one, came here, cleaned house and leave, so, you’re good, thanks.”
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