Joe
Nitro Member
At times.
IHRA cancels some 2026 events (17 Viewers)
- Thread starter Custom Body Fan
- Start date
Joe
Nitro Member
Mcneal Freeman posted pictures of his checks on Facebook.
RebilasPhoto
Nitro Member
Sad deal is IHRA is a separate LLC with zero assets. All the equipment is owned by Darryl and Darana so that would make a lawsuit difficult to win. Each track is also its own LLC. Which was odd but makes perfect sense now...
Make of the below what you will.
From the Racing Pro Media Facebook:
"The uncertainty surrounding the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) continues to grow.
After announcing the cancellation of the remaining Outlaw Nitro Series, drag boat, and stock car events for the 2026 season, new reports suggest the organization's challenges may extend well beyond the canceled schedule.
According to multiple accounts, racers, vendors, contract workers, and former employees have alleged they are still waiting to receive purse money or payment for services rendered. Several competitors have also shared on social media that they have not received payouts they expected after competing.
It was commonly understood among those involved that IHRA contracts allowed up to 30 days for purse payments to be issued. Now that more than 30 days have reportedly passed since the final events, concerns have grown among those who say they are still awaiting payment.
One source reportedly stated:
"Now that we are past the 30 days, we have a reason to be concerned. Our calls are no longer being answered or returned."
The reports also allege that some vendors, livestream production companies, and event staff remain unpaid. While every contract, invoice, and payment agreement has not been independently verified, numerous individuals have shared similar accounts, raising concerns about the scope of the situation.
If these allegations are accurate, the impact could be significant. Racers, crews, vendors, and small businesses often invest thousands of dollars in travel, equipment, labor, and equipment with the expectation that purses and invoices will be paid in a timely manner.
The IHRA has a long and storied history in drag racing, and many throughout the motorsports community were excited about its efforts to rebuild the organization. With questions now surrounding outstanding payments and the future of the sanctioning body, many are hoping for transparency, clear communication, and a path forward that makes those affected whole.
At this time, the IHRA has not publicly responded to the reported allegations regarding unpaid purses and invoices.
What do you think the IHRA needs to do to restore confidence among racers, teams, sponsors, vendors, and fans? If you have or have not been paid over the past 30 days, let us know in the comments."
In the comments, someone who presented as a racer at the IHRA stock car race at Anderson mentioned he had not gotten paid.
Pasted in comments for the above RPM post:
From the Racing Pro Media Facebook:
"The uncertainty surrounding the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) continues to grow.
After announcing the cancellation of the remaining Outlaw Nitro Series, drag boat, and stock car events for the 2026 season, new reports suggest the organization's challenges may extend well beyond the canceled schedule.
According to multiple accounts, racers, vendors, contract workers, and former employees have alleged they are still waiting to receive purse money or payment for services rendered. Several competitors have also shared on social media that they have not received payouts they expected after competing.
It was commonly understood among those involved that IHRA contracts allowed up to 30 days for purse payments to be issued. Now that more than 30 days have reportedly passed since the final events, concerns have grown among those who say they are still awaiting payment.
One source reportedly stated:
"Now that we are past the 30 days, we have a reason to be concerned. Our calls are no longer being answered or returned."
The reports also allege that some vendors, livestream production companies, and event staff remain unpaid. While every contract, invoice, and payment agreement has not been independently verified, numerous individuals have shared similar accounts, raising concerns about the scope of the situation.
If these allegations are accurate, the impact could be significant. Racers, crews, vendors, and small businesses often invest thousands of dollars in travel, equipment, labor, and equipment with the expectation that purses and invoices will be paid in a timely manner.
The IHRA has a long and storied history in drag racing, and many throughout the motorsports community were excited about its efforts to rebuild the organization. With questions now surrounding outstanding payments and the future of the sanctioning body, many are hoping for transparency, clear communication, and a path forward that makes those affected whole.
At this time, the IHRA has not publicly responded to the reported allegations regarding unpaid purses and invoices.
What do you think the IHRA needs to do to restore confidence among racers, teams, sponsors, vendors, and fans? If you have or have not been paid over the past 30 days, let us know in the comments."
In the comments, someone who presented as a racer at the IHRA stock car race at Anderson mentioned he had not gotten paid.
Pasted in comments for the above RPM post:
Cuttell Motorsports.
Also, on Dragzine Facebook:
IHRA’s financial troubles may run deeper than first believed. New reports indicate alleged payment delays are extending beyond the canceled Outlaw Nitro Series, with racers, vendors, contract workers and others reportedly still awaiting compensation as uncertainty continues to grow around the sanctioning body’s future.
Dragzine.com
psntdrSoeola1aiiifa0ultma81f0u6amfc47ulf56087c4m04386uhf13f0 ·IHRA’s financial troubles may run deeper than first believed. New reports indicate alleged payment delays are extending beyond the canceled Outlaw Nitro Series, with racers, vendors, contract workers and others reportedly still awaiting compensation as uncertainty continues to grow around the sanctioning body’s future.
From Jody Austin who raced the series..
Good Morning America
From a Racer’s point of view: It’s day 30! The day we were all told to expect to be paid our winnings from IHRAs Triple Crown event. I have complete faith in Darryl Cuttle. His honor and integrity along with his love for the sport and the family of drag racers will result in the funding as planned .
After watching NHRA’s event in Sonoma on TV, I can fully understand Darryl’s motivation to grow and expand IHRA as quickly as possible. We can all second guess his motivation, his mistakes as IHRAs new leader or find fault. Team BushWhacker entered All 9 IHRA events in either fuel funnycar or fuel altered, winning two of them in 2026. So far Darryl has paid us in full and on time exactly as promised. Having been involved in racing for a big portion of my life, my experience with Darryl’s IHRA , his staff and race preparation was second to none. I am personally proud of everything I encountered while racing with the IHRA. Although I don’t know any of the business struggles that could have led to redirecting his approach, I still believe he has the racers best interest at heart. With NHRA not being an option for me: it saddens me to think that he might need to give up on those exciting plans to provide options for a small budget team like mine.
One thing is for sure: All of the social media bull shit being spread is not coming from racers. I guarantee you that every one of us racers are hoping Darryl is able to reset and bring everything back in the near future. There is a lot of cars just completed or nearing completion that have plans to join the Ihra and grow the sport we all love.
I don’t believe Darryl is a quitter and with his vision and mission still in place, I’m still optimistic that we will see Ihra’s Outlaw Nitro series again.
Many Thanks to Darryl Cuttle and the IHRA
Jody Austin
Team BushWhacker
AA/FC & AA/FA
Good Morning America
From a Racer’s point of view: It’s day 30! The day we were all told to expect to be paid our winnings from IHRAs Triple Crown event. I have complete faith in Darryl Cuttle. His honor and integrity along with his love for the sport and the family of drag racers will result in the funding as planned .
After watching NHRA’s event in Sonoma on TV, I can fully understand Darryl’s motivation to grow and expand IHRA as quickly as possible. We can all second guess his motivation, his mistakes as IHRAs new leader or find fault. Team BushWhacker entered All 9 IHRA events in either fuel funnycar or fuel altered, winning two of them in 2026. So far Darryl has paid us in full and on time exactly as promised. Having been involved in racing for a big portion of my life, my experience with Darryl’s IHRA , his staff and race preparation was second to none. I am personally proud of everything I encountered while racing with the IHRA. Although I don’t know any of the business struggles that could have led to redirecting his approach, I still believe he has the racers best interest at heart. With NHRA not being an option for me: it saddens me to think that he might need to give up on those exciting plans to provide options for a small budget team like mine.
One thing is for sure: All of the social media bull shit being spread is not coming from racers. I guarantee you that every one of us racers are hoping Darryl is able to reset and bring everything back in the near future. There is a lot of cars just completed or nearing completion that have plans to join the Ihra and grow the sport we all love.
I don’t believe Darryl is a quitter and with his vision and mission still in place, I’m still optimistic that we will see Ihra’s Outlaw Nitro series again.
Many Thanks to Darryl Cuttle and the IHRA
Jody Austin
Team BushWhacker
AA/FC & AA/FA
Thats funny. NHRA's success has been built over 75 years, not a few months.
Joe
Nitro Member
Did you go to any IHRA races?
No, and apparently neither did lots of other folks. I think Jody was trying to make the point that DC wanted to be like big brother NHRA. My point was a national event 3 day sellout isn't something built overnight and that should be easy to see. No amount of money thrown at it, regardless of where the money came from, will do that. And the success of the recent Sonoma event doesn't mean NHRA is all set either. There are ups and downs, and the NHRA has become good at riding that coaster!
I think folks here confuse people being skeptical of the "new" IHRA as being anti IHRA. For me at least, thats not the case. I think there's plenty of space for another sanctioning body, but it needs to be legit, or else it tarnishes the entire image of drag racing. Also, I will not go watch any 1/8 mile nitro racing, with the exception of the chaos series. Chaos has found its own niche, and is pretty cool for what it is.
I don't blame any racer for going to IHRA as the promised purses sounded pretty good. I just dont get the tribalism with it all. It like people think you have to pick one sanctioning body and stick with it. If we look back to the 80's, IHRA was pretty successful pulling big names. The same stars that ran an NHRA national the weekend before were at the IHRA natty the following weekend.
Joe
Nitro Member
Those were the drivers I really enjoyed watching. The IHRA staff were very gracious and helpful. The party at Buckeye Lake was a excellent addition. The only problem I had with IHRA was I wanted them all to win.
Alan
Nitro Member
When you see accelerated growth and spending by just about any type of entity, there is often as quick a downturn - it may take months or years, but the fall is often rapid. If you are familiar with the automotive aftermarket, First Brands group is a prime example. As I watched the IHRA scenario play out, it felt to me like a situation where there could be a quick downturn. Just way too much money being thrown around buying various series, tracks, etc.
Joe
Nitro Member
They were back for 9 races.
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