Unser Gets the Victory, Martin Gets IROC Payoff

Mark Martin wasn’t concerned that Al Unser Jr. was charging ahead of him Saturday at the conclusion of the 18th International Race of Champions at Michigan International Speedway.

Martin knew that a second-place finish would earn him the $200,000 IROC champion’s bonus, so he held his line and let Unser win a record eighth IROC race. Martin finished .347 seconds behind.

“I knew if I tried to pass Al and something would have happened, it could have been ugly,” Martin said. “Rusty (Wallace) could have gone on and gotten the win if I’d messed up.”

Wallace, who picked up up bonus points for leading 22 laps of the 50-lap race, finished third, followed by Winston Cup champion Dale Earnhardt and three sports car drivers--Tom Kendall, Jack Baldwin and Geoff Brabham.