Future of IHRA...in general. (1 Viewer)

Wes

Nitro Member
Disclaimer: The ideas and concepts expressed forthwith are in no means meant to discredit nor impune the current IHRA ownership, management, or support network.

What if IHRA and the new ownership team of Feld Entertainment decides to take a new direction with the company beginning with the 2009 season. There are already tremors preceeding the impending earthquake that will be the loss (dropping) of the Funny Car class. If their existence is 100% contingent on sponsor-funding, then you might wonder how tenuous the funding for Top Fuel might also be...along with Pro Stock. Pro Mod, in my opinion, IS the cornerstone of the IHRA line-up. While IHRA Top Fuel has produced star drivers (Clay, Bruce, Foley, Herbert, et. al.) and star performances (the 4.99, the second 300, etc.) it has been, for the most part, devoid of long-term history and tradition. Funny Car, as we've seen, has been a come-and-go experiment for IHRA. Pro Stock has become nothing more than a heads-up "sportsman" class that has little or no factory backing...or major corporate sponsorship. You mention IHRA to the common race fan and they immediately think of Pro Mod.

Given that perception and recent developments in our economy, the atmosphere of uncertainty with class funding, and a growing chasm between the "Big-Two" sanctioning bodies, could the IHRA survive and thrive by taking a drastic step into the future by dropping not just Funny Car, but Top Fuel and Pro Stock, too?

Let's get one thing straight-Nitro Sells Tickets. But IHRA has not relied on the household nitro names to sell those ticket over the years. Without names like Force, Bernstein, Schumacher, Scelzi, Fuller, Kalitta (even though they've played in their sandbox a few times in the last decade), Capps, and the rest, IHRA has been able to draw ticket buyers in. While they have cultivated new names like Millican, Hagan, Litton, and Creasy they've not had to promote the names as hard as the fuel.

What if IHRA replaced Top Fuel and Funny Car (oh, AND Alky Funny Car) with A-Fuel Dragster and A-Fuel Funny Car? What if, at the same time, they replaced the 16-car Pro Mod field with a 32-car show after dropping Pro Stock? Reduce the number of professional classes from 5 to 3. Take the purse budgets from Pro Stock and A/FC and build/bolster the remaining Pro Classes. I believe IHRA could make all three classes virtual payout clones of each other since the cost-of-operation for the three types of cars are eerily similar. While restructuring their Pro Classes, IHRA could also do more to expand the participation levels at the sportsman level-both at the national and divisional level.

IHRA could blaze some trails with this type of event line-up by taking their show to a wider variety of facilities...both traditional 1320/1000 footers along with TRUE 1/8 mile tracks. Pro teams that choose to committ to the IHRA series could end up having more national events that under the current format. It would also bring large-scope events to smaller markets that traditionally jam-pack their local drag strips when Pro Mods or anything with nitro are in the house.

There are many in the industry that believe IHRA will shift their focus back to the "sportsman" racer in the near future. While that type of focus is admirable and very beneficial for the non-touring-pro, it bears little profit potential for a sanctioning body. IHRA would still need a big show to sell tickets...and a 3-class format using Pro Mod and two injected nitro categories could be the ticket.

Thoughts?
 
Thoughts? you ask? IHRA will be just fine. Dropping Nitro F/C, is not the end of the earth. IHRA dropped TF for several years and didn't collapse. Not to worry sir enjoy the races.
 
I'm holding out hope that Feld entertainment doesn't want to be in the real racing buisness and might shop the IHRA around. Hopefully a group who rely on racing (Aftermarket manufacturers?) might buy it up to keep the series alive. On the other hand Feld might think the IHRA could bring some legitimacy to their motorsports program and support the series. I would really hate to see the IHRA turned into monster truck shows or closed down completley. Another alternative would be to replace the Nitro classes with Nostalgia diggers and funnies, seems to be a quickly growing number of competitors there. Best case, things stay as they were last year, at New England we enjoyed the best fuel car racing we've seen in years.:D
 
Like Paul said IHRA did without T/F for a while (early eighties I think).Dropping FC is not a biggie at this point in time. Feld needs to remain status quo right now. Wes.... just keep beating on yourself.:D
 
Iust got in form the strip .. ok.. bout and hour ago...lol.. but one thing is for sure,... if the new owners aren't impressed with the turn out for the Finials something is wrong... turn out seems to be very good for the compeditors side... and more coming in as i left.

Zizzo, Noveli (sp), Litton, McMillian, Team Creasy, Hagan, Wyatt, Kelly, Gilby .. a who's who of the TF and FC teams....

Normal suspects in PS and Pm also...

Sportsman pits a filling in nicely as well....

This should show the guys from Feld Ent. that there is nothing wrong wiht the show as far as class changes are needed.. just a little direction and sponsorship should go a long way......

Billy
 
Feld bought Baders 20% also along with all the debt. Funny Car is a definate done deal gone for next year and there are some major changes in the works for the sportsman classes that in my opinion will kill the whole deal. This is not feld doing the changes it is the same group within IHRA that is. Basicly they are going to do away with the entire points structure and if you don't win a national, or win your division you cannot even go to the world finals because all those winners will be there racing in a one race deal for a world championship.

Bader does not want IHRA back, why would he? We have a organization that is barely holding on due to weather, fuel cost, the economy, ****ty sponsors that dont hold up there end of the deal and so on and so forth.

Just my .02 worth and I am just curious as to what is gonna happen, however I do know that IHRA is already for sale for $6.5 million because Feld does not want it, he only wanted the monster truck side.
 
Basicly they are going to do away with the entire points structure and if you don't win a national, or win your division you cannot even go to the world finals because all those winners will be there racing in a one race deal for a world championship.

.

I know...and I just can't GET it into my head how THAT will be good.

OK let's say a driver goes to 6-7 national events....goes to the finals EVERY TIME and only gets RU...(hey it could happen....lol)....but then isn't even a contender for a Championship!?!?! But a driver who shows up....at one race....wins it....could end up being the WC. :rolleyes:

Hey anybody can have a good day....in my book it's putting a whole GOOD SEASON together that makes championships.

I have really tried to be openminded to this.....and sigh...I just can't. I feel it punishes those who race the whole season...and supports many races and rewards the casual IHRA racer.


:(
 
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