• Tomy Drissi finished third in Saturday’s IROC race from WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
  • Drissi joined NASCAR icons Kurt Busch and Jimmie Johnson on the podium
  • It was the second straight year that Drissi finished on the podium, after winning the Unser Family Cup last year

For the second year in a row, 2009 Trans Am champion Tomy Drissi earned a spot on the podium in International Race of Champions action as part of the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. After winning the Unser Family Cup in last year’s event, Drissi finished third on Saturday, joining NASCAR Cup Series champions Kurt Busch and Jimmie Johnson on the podium.

PHOTO: Tomy Drissi and Bobby Labonte fight through the Corkscrew at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca during this year’s IROC Unser Family Cup race. (Image via IROC)

Driving a Pontiac Firebird that Tony Stewart drove to the final IROC title in 2006, Drissi has regularly been a front-runner in the revived IROC series, and this weekend was no exception. He qualified third for Saturday’s race after posting top-three times in every session, and by the start of the third lap, he had worked his way around both Busch and Johnson to take the lead.

The field would strike back to briefly shuffle Drissi back to fifth, but he’d claw his way forward in the second half of the race. He worked his way around former IROC champion Bobby Labonte for fourth after using the final corner to set up a pass across the finish line, and he would trade third place with Scott Borchetta multiple times before making it stick in Turn 5 a lap later. While Busch and Johnson were out of reach in the closing laps, Drissi would remain the first driver across the line after their photo finish.

PHOTO: Drissi joined racing legends like (from left-right) Bobby Labonte, Kurt Busch, Jimmie Johnson, Dario Franchitti, Danny Sullivan, and Scott Pruett during this weekend’s IROC race.

“What an amazing experience it was to get to compete with so many racing legends in IROC at Laguna Seca,” said Drissi. “For me to be here with these elite drivers—I’m a pretty good driver, but these are the best of the best. A hand to them for being here, and all the other drivers and participants. I’m proud to be up here, thank you to Ray (Evernham) and everyone involved.

“This weekend wasn’t without drama at first. Kurt, Jimmie and I came in within one tenth of each other in the first session. Before we went back out, when we started the car, a large fire broke out under the hood from a cracked fuel fitting. The Drissi Motorsports team, Mike Seymour’s team, the IROC team, and the competitors next to us were a big time help, they all pitched in to get us back out. It was a pretty significant cleanup, and we needed new fuel lines and fittings, but everyone came together to help us get out the very next session and finish the weekend, and I can’t thank them all enough.

“It’s always an honor just to be part of this field, but to be able to join such legends as Kurt Busch and Jimmie Johnson with my second podium in two years is truly an honor. Next time we’re going to go for the top step again!”

Drissi’s sights now return to the Trans Am series, where he remains third in the TA championship with just three rounds remaining. The next of those comes at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park on Labor Day weekend, where Drissi Motorsports will return to a two-car lineup with Cole Moore partnering Drissi in his TA class debut. Tickets remain available for the event, while live streaming will be carried for free as always by Racing America.

To keep up with Tomy Drissi, follow @tomydrissi on Instagram and Facebook, and visit www.tomydrissi.com.