IHRA cancels some 2026 events (15 Viewers)

[vehdynam]

Good read…

Very . very interesting and insightful.

 

[Chili]

If you get a chance, go to YouTube and watch the WFO episode from Tuesday with Brian Lohnes. Skip to the 48 minute mark to see his thoughts on the IHRA situation. No earth shattering news but you get the perspective from someone with a lot of connections in the world of drag racing.

 

[Chili]

Plus the thoughts of Stevie Fast, Lyle and Courtney. You can jump to the 1:54 mark for their opinion.

 

[mick]

so if the money supply that was funding ihra was shut off, does anyone have any info what this money
source was? was it darana company? something else?

 

[NitroLuver]

so if the money supply that was funding ihra was shut off, does anyone have any info what this money
source was? was it darana company? something else?

Better yet, the bigger question, will any of it be coming back.

 

[Chili]

Better yet, the bigger question, will any of it be coming back.

Depends what side your on. If you’re a IHRA racer or fan they think it comes back. If you’re part of the racing media, it’s over. Rumor today was they were selling off equipment from Columbus.

 

[Ponyhntr]

so if the money supply that was funding ihra was shut off, does anyone have any info what this money
source was? was it darana company? something else?

Darana was contracted to build Elon’s XAI data center in Memphis. Somehow they lost the contract. That job alone was the source of everything IHRA.

 

[Chili]

Some insight from the Drag Illustrated crew. There was a lot going on between them and the IHRA. It’s a great listen. Pick it up at the 10 minute mark.

 

[Tybamf]

Had my buddy Claude do some checking around. For everyone saying DC is a great guy, well I think this court case shows an established pattern of the way he handles his business predating his sketchy behavior with IHRA.

1. Ramirez v. AMPS Staffing & Darana Hybrid (D. Minnesota, 2017–18) — the most striking one​

This is a Minnesota Whistleblower Act retaliation suit, and the court's April 2018 order lays out the facts in vivid detail. A crew in Elmsford, NY walked off a job. Darana VP Bart Tolleson emailed that the workers "MUST go on the never hire list" and get "not a dime," adding — in language the court quoted — that if he knew a hit man in the area "there would be some holes that needed digging real quick." CEO Darryl Cuttell then directed that the six workers not be paid for hours already worked.


The HR generalist handling payroll, Karina Ramirez, emailed Cuttell saying she wasn't comfortable withholding pay "because it is illegal (Dept. of Labor Laws)." Cuttell replied in all caps: "I DO NOT CARE WHAT YOU THINK, WE ARE NOT PAYING THEM" (the court noted the 44 exclamation points). Eighteen minutes after she raised the legality concern, Cuttell fired her — a one-word email ("termination") with a letter attached, no reason given.


The court granted Ramirez leave to add punitive damages, finding her allegations plausibly showed "deliberate disregard for the rights or safety of others." That's a meaningful ruling — courts don't allow punitive-damages claims lightly. This is a genuinely unflattering record: it's a federal judge crediting (at the pleading stage) allegations that the company's CEO ordered workers stiffed on earned wages and fired the person who flagged it as illegal.

 

[mick]

Darana was contracted to build Elon’s XAI data center in Memphis. Somehow they lost the contract. That job alone was the source of everything IHRA.

would that have been some sort of 'phase II'? as i think the first and original data center was already complete in the former electrolux
bldg. in the memphis area? that was even discussed in a thread here ..... whatever the case, thanks for the insight josh.

 

[kegs]

Had my buddy Claude do some checking around. For everyone saying DC is a great guy, well I think this court case shows an established pattern of the way he handles his business predating his sketchy behavior with IHRA.

1. Ramirez v. AMPS Staffing & Darana Hybrid (D. Minnesota, 2017–18) — the most striking one​

This is a Minnesota Whistleblower Act retaliation suit, and the court's April 2018 order lays out the facts in vivid detail. A crew in Elmsford, NY walked off a job. Darana VP Bart Tolleson emailed that the workers "MUST go on the never hire list" and get "not a dime," adding — in language the court quoted — that if he knew a hit man in the area "there would be some holes that needed digging real quick." CEO Darryl Cuttell then directed that the six workers not be paid for hours already worked.


The HR generalist handling payroll, Karina Ramirez, emailed Cuttell saying she wasn't comfortable withholding pay "because it is illegal (Dept. of Labor Laws)." Cuttell replied in all caps: "I DO NOT CARE WHAT YOU THINK, WE ARE NOT PAYING THEM" (the court noted the 44 exclamation points). Eighteen minutes after she raised the legality concern, Cuttell fired her — a one-word email ("termination") with a letter attached, no reason given.


The court granted Ramirez leave to add punitive damages, finding her allegations plausibly showed "deliberate disregard for the rights or safety of others." That's a meaningful ruling — courts don't allow punitive-damages claims lightly. This is a genuinely unflattering record: it's a federal judge crediting (at the pleading stage) allegations that the company's CEO ordered workers stiffed on earned wages and fired the person who flagged it as illegal.

Any idea what came of this?

 

[Jim]

Any idea what came of this?

https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/minnesota/mndce/0:2017cv05107/169793/52/

 

[none]

I'm not saying Darryl is a saint or even taking a side, but every large employer I know has had a labor dispute or two over the years.

Alan

 

[kegs]

The thing that bothers me the most is that he still put on a very large race knowing full well that he couldn’t pay the racers. That’s just wrong.

 

[Rasn1320]

The thing that bothers me the most is that he still put on a very large race knowing full well that he couldn’t pay the racers. That’s just wrong.

I dont think he knew until it was to late

 

[Custom Body Fan]

https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/minnesota/mndce/0:2017cv05107/169793/52/

I found this:
Final disposition

The federal docket indicates the case did not go to trial. It was ultimately dismissed after the parties reached a settlement, with the specific settlement terms not made public. As is typical, the dismissal ended the litigation without a judicial finding that either side was right or wrong.

 

[Butch]

Just read a text from a Monroe county person saying that Milan is For Sale.
Doesn't surprise me.

 

[mick]

there's a big story here, but i doubt any of us serfs will ever be privy to it. i just hope the net loss of tracks is minimal or none.
i would guess at least one or two of them will go away, not including topeka, memphis, and atlanta .....
looked up phase II and III of XAI memphis buildout. both blds. are slightly SE of phase I (former electrolux bldg).
phase II and III are two bldgs. across street from each other. one is in TN, the other in MS.

 

[aakar]

Big thank you to DI, WFO (+Lohnes), Shake and Bake and Comp Plus for excellent insightful reporting on this tragic story.
The state of Drag Racing media is strong