IHRA Headed West

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Kevin Elzey
801-252-9557 ext.116
kelzey@rmrracing.com
www.rmrracing.com


ROCKY MOUNTAIN RACEWAYS TO BECOME NEWEST IHRA MEMBER TRACK

Salt Lake City, Utah – February 3, 2009 - Rocky Mountain Raceways has announced that they will become the next International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) member track.
The raceway moves into this relationship with IHRA after a long-standing relationship with NHRA (National Hot Rod Association).

“While the NHRA was disappointed with the move they wished us continued success in our efforts to strengthen the RMR brand,” said Doug Binstock, General Manager at Rocky Mountain Raceways.
Rocky Mountain Raceways sees this as the next step in the progression and growth of auto racing. It also sees this as the next step to bringing larger racing events to Utah with top name drivers from across the country.
“With this move Rocky Mountain Raceways is pushing the envelope. We are bringing higher quality racing events to the Utah market that will have even greater fan appeal,” Binstock said.
One of those events will be the IHRA Nitro Nationals to be held at RMR on June 26-27.

“We have wanted to come west and find a base for a long time,” said Aaron Polburn, President of IHRA. “We currently have a great event in Alberta and we needed another place in the west to act as a stronghold for IHRA.”
According to Polburn the demand for this has been growing for some time.
“We are constantly getting calls asking us when we would be moving out west. RMR is a top notch venue. We are very proud of this new association with Rocky Mountain Raceways and we know that they can be that anchor track for us in the west,” Polburn said.

Headquartered in Norwalk, Ohio, the IHRA is a division of Feld Motor Sports and promotes professional, semi-professional and local-level racing consisting of 86 sanctioned tracks. The $21.5 million IHRA Nitro Jam™ Drag Racing Series is a 10-event North American professional drag racing circuit produced by the IHRA.

“It is our overall objective that over the next few years this event at Rocky Mountain Raceways will turn into one of the IHRA Nitro Jam National events that will help determine our national title,” Polburn said.

According to Ron Craft, Drag Strip Manager at Rocky Mountain Raceways the transition to this new sanctioning body will be a smooth one for the racers and participants.
“The IHRA officials will be here for the racer meetings in March to answer questions and help our racers with the transition,” said Craft.
Rocky Mountain Raceways will continue to accept the NHRA memberships, licenses and chassis certifications from previous years until they expire. Once the old memberships, licenses and certifications expire Rocky Mountain Raceways will assist the racers to obtain them with IHRA.

In addition to drag racing, Rocky Mountain Raceways hosts oval, motorcross, monster trucks and drifting.

The IHRA is a subsidiary of Feld Entertainment Motorsports. Feld Entertainment also produces numerous live entertainment shows including Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey®, Disney On Ice, Disney Live!, Doodlebops Live! as well as Feld Entertainment Motor Sports.

 

in the late 80's and early 90's the IHRA actually seemed to care about the racers, especially on the sportsman side. now it seems they have lost interest in all of them....IHRA sucks! just my 2 cents

 

I have always wanted the IHRA to be a strong sanctioning body. One that would compete with the NHRA. Maybe with more than one big sanctioning body competing for the racers the sanctioning bodies would treat the racers better?
But without alcohol cars the IHRA might as well be the International Drifting Association- who gives a s%&$. Dave Germain

 

Yeah I know this a little off the beaten path as well, but I wish the ADRL would come to Vegas or Bakersfield some place out west here, I would love to go to an event and watch and not have to work on any thing once in a while.

 

Maybe the IHRA should take a pole with their racers and see just how far they are willing to travel to race . Have they ever cared what the racers thought in the past ? . They got rid of the af/c class ( who WANTED to race with them ) and now the p/m and p/s guys have another place to race and some of their loyal racers from the past are choosing to race elsewhere .

 

Yes, at one time they were the only sanction body who cared for the sportsman racer including ta/fc...I have been to Oklahoma,Nebraska in the far passed and the fields were pitiful..What makes them think they will do much better were they are going,other then maybe, just maybe, the first year....Hate to say it,but if you don't know it, the spectator will sit in the stands and pay for the fast ,noisy cars that they don't see on the normal weekend, when they only pay $5.00 to get in....(case in point: Pro stock truck & Comp)

 

They are headed West to gain more membership. I know that they lost some Pros but those numbers will be small when compared to all the new bracket racers that they will pick up. They have restructered so that someone out West could win one race then go to Rockingham for the champions race and become world champion after attending only 2 races if they were fortunate enough. I could be wrong but that's what I make out of it.

 

The IHRA would serve themselves well to have a blown alcohol pro comp class.

 

Blown Pro Comp Class

Maybe they could call it , hang on , maybe PRO OUTLAW !!
it would probably be very popular !!!! They had it !! , It was GREAT !!, They cancelled it !!

You must try very hard not to help those who get in their own way as one day they will run you over and tell you it's your fault .

 

Ah, ya beat me to it!