IHRA Ends Stock & Super Stock Racing

Jim Wahl · 10-07-2017, 07:24 PM

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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10-07-2017, 07:24 PM	#1
Jim Wahl Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Central Florida Posts: 5,841 Likes: 626 Liked 672 Times in 121 Posts	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 . __________________ Jim Wahl....NHRA #2239 S/SS - IHRA # 8 Stock, D2 Stock Champion (forever I guess) 2019 Baby Gators Stock Champion 2009 D2 National Open Stock Champion 1981 D2 West Palm Beach LDRS SS Runner Up Past President, Southern Stock / Super Stock Association. SSSSA Forum Moderator Last edited by Jim Wahl; 10-09-2017 at 01:14 PM.