IHRA Ends Stock & Super Stock Racing
 

With the announcement today that Summit will continue to sponsor the IHRA Summit Super Series bracket program it confirms the rumor that Stock, Super Stock, Top Dragster, Quick Rod, Super Rod and Hot Rod classes that IHRA calls the Summit Sportsman National Championship has been dropped. Scooter Peaco, IHRA V.P. is quoted in an email to state that "IHRA will be an all bracket racing oriented organization".

In a phone discussion with yours truly this week he said that "We can not continue to throw money at these classes that have such low racer turnout".
This decision is something I forecast 18 months ago after discussions with several IHRA officials. I think we all knew IHRA was in deep financial trouble when they began downsizing and laying off workers as well as shutting down the Drag Review Magazine. Communications between the racers and the Association all but stopped. An occasional email and a post on their website was all that was left. Sportsman racers had one last chance this past year to prove they would support the revised points championship program sponsored by Summit Racing Equipment but failed to meet the numbers IHRA felt it needed to continue with the Summit Sportsman National Championship program.

While it is true most of the dropped Sportsman classes can switch over to run with the NHRA many Stock and Super Stock racers can not and will have no where to go but to bracket race or invest a lot more money in their race cars to be able to compete. The Crate motor combos have no where to compete with NHRA. About half the Stock field in IHRA was filled with crate motor cars.
We at the Southern Stock/ Super Stock Assn.
have been allowing crate motor cars to race with us for over 6 years and we will continue to use IHRA indexes and classes so the IHRA S/SS cars will have a place to race. I will be getting with the Presidents of other S/SS Associations to see what they can do for these guys also.

I will make another prediction that I hope doesn't come true. IHRA is on life support and has one year to live unless something or someone comes along to save them. The mother company who bought IHRA a few years ago (I will not mention their name here) is guilty of mismanagement and screw ups like letting four major tracks in Florida to go back to NHRA was typical of the body shots the IHRA took recently and just could not survive. Let me be clear, I do not blame the upper management of IHRA or Summit, I truly believe they did all they could given the hand they were dealt. This is purely result of Corporate greed and lack of racer support.

NHRA now has a lock on Drag Racing in the United States. As much as I love racing with them, it is never good for any one entity to not have any competition! Some of you may think the NHRA has been overbearing previous to this....... just wait. Jim

http://www.ihra.com/ihra-news/all-ne...racing-program


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Re: IHRA Ends Stock & Super Stock Racing
 

I'm disappointed but not surprised, I couldn't imagine how they could continue with the car counts they were having.

Re: IHRA Ends Stock & Super Stock Racing
 

So many good memories with IHRA hate to see this. Damn they fell a long way in a short time.

Re: IHRA Ends Stock & Super Stock Racing
 

As bad as it is with the demise of the IHRA Class Cars, don't forget that NMCA ran the Stock/Super Stock combos at all 6 of their Muscle Car Nationals this year. True, it still is a dial-in format, but they have provisions for the heads up runs that a lot of folks still work so hard for.
The payouts are in line with the divisionals, and there are numerous contingency sponsors. This was the first year for the NMCA supporting this venue. They allowed all the IHRA classes including the Crate Motor and Pure Stock guys. Some racers think those classes are blasphemous and heresy, but it going to take all kinds of racers for us to survive this day and time.

Re: IHRA Ends Stock & Super Stock Racing
 

"If" I was an IHRA crate motor racer, I'd be on the phone, e- mailing, or writing letters to the NMCA. They have a great Stock / Super Stock Program and race series. Good pay outs, good contingencies, and a really well run program. Promise them support and ask them to continue to allow Crate Motor Combos in their program for 2018. What the heck, it's worth a try, and it's a great place to race !!

Re: IHRA Ends Stock & Super Stock Racing
 

Truly Saddened To Hear This. I Knew With The Last Few Years Decline In Participation And Fan Turn Out That It Wouldn't Be Long. Being Paying Members( Many Of Us In Multiple Classes) We SHOULD Be Receiving A Magazine (DRAG REVIEW) Reminding Us Of Events AND BRAGGING RIGHTS When We DO APPEAR And Or PLACE...
SAD DAY. With All The Decline In NHRA As Well, They Wont Be Far Behind. Pro Stock Is Their Most Recent Cut Back What's Next?..

Re: IHRA Ends Stock & Super Stock Racing
 

Hopefully all IHRA classes will be allowed in the association's and the nmca

Re: IHRA Ends Stock & Super Stock Racing
 

Jim: I see no need for IHRA your S/SS program can provide a platform that should satisfy everyone. Matter of fact I believe organizations like yours are all that is needed.

Re: IHRA Ends Stock & Super Stock Racing
 

I can tell you this if you want to run nmca just contact them.

They are great people and truly care about their racers.

I am sure they would be happy to listen to anybody that would want to race with them.

I am not sure who moderates the nmca section here but just a simple post in that forum should get the ball rolling.

Re: IHRA Ends Stock & Super Stock Racing
 

This isn't the worst news I've heard in the last few months, but it's pretty darn close! I know I'm not the only one who thought that after this year's "no-divisional experiment" the powers that be would have realized how important the local programs were, and "tweaked" their business model to bring back the format we've all gotten used to, but sadly they've given up on "true" class racers altogether. I know I supported the IHRA when I was able to, and remained loyal through all the many changes throughout the years, but I NEVER imagined that they would give up on me (us)! Unfortunately, sadly, I can understand why these decisions always come down to money (everything revolves around it, after all!), but why are these changes only discussed in some boardroom somewhere, and then handed down like some death sentence with no hope of reprieve? Would it have been that much harder to communicate the "inevitability" of this sweeping change to the members (we are still an "association" aren't we?), instead of the way the edict came down? They owed us that much, didn't they? I truly hope that this "re-imagining" of what the IHRA is supposed to look like will be a success, if for no other reason then the welfare and livelihood of the folks who continue to run the show week in and week out.

Get out there and support your local Stock/Super Stock Assn if your program is an "IHRA only" combination, they all run a great show. The NMCA, as folks have mentioned, is another great opportunity to get yourself out in front of an appreciative audience, doing what you love! And who knows, maybe there will be other places we will be welcomed from time-to-time, after all, "Stranger Things Have Happened"!