Two NASCAR veterans well known for road racing accomplishments — Wally Dallenbach, Jr. and Boris Said — have entered the Sportscar Vintage Racing Association’s Vintage Race of Champions Charity Pro-Am presented by Chopard Watch at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The VROC Pro-Am race will be run this Saturday as part of the sixth SVRA Brickyard Invitational, now a classic on the American vintage racing calendar.

“Wally and Boris are great friends to SVRA,” said SVRA President and CEO Tony Parella. “Look for them to run up front. Boris was the overall winner at our charity pro-am last September at Virginia International Raceway (VIR).”

Boris Said. Image by Trienitz/LAT

Said’s wide-ranging accomplishments began in 1987 when he was the SCCA Rookie of the Year. The SCCA national champion in 1989, ’90, and ’91, he was soon prominent in IMSA sports car racing, taking GT class wins in the ’97 and ’98 24 Hours of Daytona as well as the ’98 12 Hours of Sebring also in 1998.

In 2004, Said was crowned the Rolex Sports Car Series GT champion and followed that up by becoming the first American to score a 24 Hours of Nurburgring victory in 2005. His prowess as a road racer attracted the attention of several NASCAR teams, and in 1995 he began racing in the Truck series, notching a victory at Sonoma in ’98. He raced in all three major NASCAR series, scoring eight top 10s and two poles in Cup competition; a win in the 2010 Montreal round of the Xfinity series; plus nine top 10s and three poles in Trucks, to go along with his Sonoma win.

A versatile talent, Said has also competed in the Australian V8 Supercar series and even the X Games in 2007 and 2015.

Wally Dallenbach Jr.

Dallenbach Jr. launched his professional racing career in the Trans Am series in 1984. He was immediately successful, winning the Rookie-of-the-Year title. The following year, he won the championship for Jack Roush’s Mercury Capri team to make him, at 22, the series’ youngest champion. He repeated as champion again in 1986 for the Protofab Camaro team. These championships earned him an invitation to the elite IROC invitational series in 1987.

Other outstanding accomplishments include four class wins in the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring. Dallenbach began an 11-year NASCAR Cup Series career in 1991, scoring 23 top 10s — two coming in the Daytona 500 — in 226 races.

In addition to NASCAR Cup and Trans Am, the versatile Dallenbach has competed in NASCAR Truck, Xfinity, IndyCar, IMSA Camel GT, and a win in the open-wheel division at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. He extended his career by becoming a motorsports commentator for TNT and NBC. Dallenbach has also served as a chief steward with the Trans Am Series Presented by Pirelli.

In addition to Dallenbach, there are seven other drivers in the VROC field with IROC on their resumes: Johnny Rutherford, Bobby Labonte, Geoff Brabham, Davy Jones, Roberto Guerrero, Johnny Benson, and Mark Dismore.

The VROC Charity Pro-Am presented by Chopard Watch is a Saturday feature event at the Brickyard Invitational. The cars are 1963 to 1972 vintage Corvettes, Camaros, and Mustangs of SVRA “Group 6” A and B Production. The professionals will be paired with amateur drivers who will start the race and be required to drive a maximum of seven laps.

The IMS Brickyard Invitational VROC Charity Pro-Am will benefit the Morgan Adams Foundation which supports laboratory and clinical research in the area of pediatric cancer, with an emphasis on tumors on the brain, spine, and central nervous system. Morgan Adams was a five-year-old girl who lost her battle with brain cancer in 1997. The foundation has a history of working with vintage racers to support their cause.

In addition to the Pro-Am, there will be a full slate of other activities at the Brickyard Invitational, including professional Trans Am by Pirelli series races on Saturday and Sunday. The weekend also presents the Hagerty Insurance “cars & caffeine” car corral, and 300+ vintage racers ranging over 100 years of automotive history racing in SVRA Groups 1 through 12.