Maple Grove- IHRA (8 Viewers)

[ironpony]

Some of the answers I have read here are EXACTLY the reason younger guys walk away from this sport.
I have been at events and a young guy shows up with his 13 second car and the "Big Dogs" rag on him for only having a 13 second car instead of welcoming them with open arms and trying to teach them, show them the ropes.
Then the kid never comes back and they stand around saying how come we can not get any new blood in this sport.
I have seen it in many competitive sports I have been involved in.

IHRA is providing a source for many people to participate in drag racing. Some may actually make it to the big show someday using IHRA as a stepping stone, Clay Millican ring a bell ?? I am more pro active right now because I can walk to National Trail and watch IHRA racing, used to be NHRA and JEGS.

 

[GumbyWVU]

I submit this move by Maple Grove will have a more negative impact on future NHRA TV exposure. With Englishtown and now Maple Grove no longer in the NHRA stable, that's the biggest TV market with a void (my definition here for market being a 2-hour radius from the track).

Epping can't compensate due to its remoteness and size, and MIR is probably only going to absorb a smaller portion, with it picking up the slack from Richmond.

Not having that NYC/NJ/Conn TV market I think will make it more difficult moving forward.

I feel bad for the Maple Grove faithful, I loved my two visits there. But at least you'll have IHRA. When NHRA moved the Columbus event to Norwalk, I hated it. Still don't like it.

 

[GumbyWVU]

I doubt very much they could have easily bought Maple Grove even if they had wanted to. NHRA is very lucky to have survived the Covid era without going bankrupt. They sold their long-ago paid-for corporate headquarters in Glendora, CA just to help them stay afloat.

Might not have mattered anyhow, they owned National Trail and voluntarily gave that event to Norwalk.

And I don't think the Covid shutdowns of 2020 were what caused NHRA's financial problems.

 

[GumbyWVU]

This is not the 1st time NHRA has lost a major track. Back in the early 70's the AHRA stole OCIR and as I remember got it back about 5 years later. However those were different days and the sactioning body was less important than the actual track management. I have been a drag racing fan with some very limited driving since the early 60's. If I lived on the east coast this news would REALLY upset me for a couple of reasons. The main one would be chance of it becoming an 1/8 mile track with the probability of not seeing the top rank fuel cars. However since I live in California the concern I have is that the NHRA has really failed over this just as it has started loosing its connections with racers and fans. Examples the issue with racers over thethers, with the fans I have to get ACCURATE qualifying reports from Summit racing and accurate ladders that print well Drag Racing Bracket Bonanza. We need racers running the show before it is too late.

Some could say that NHRA "stole" Norwalk and Bristol (and maybe another one I can't remember) from IHRA, to knee-cap their sanctioning competitor.

 

[Mike]

Some could say that NHRA "stole" Norwalk and Bristol (and maybe another one I can't remember) from IHRA, to knee-cap their sanctioning competitor.

Neither NHRA or IHRA owned the tracks

 

[none]

I'm not really sure what this news is being so negatively responded to. I can see it being a place for some independents to run and when they get a chance, run the "big Show" if and when it comes to the area. Even if they never run the big show, it gives more people a chance to run a nitro car. You know there are some cars sitting idle that could run IHRA. I don't see that as a bad thing.

 

[65 Goatboy]

Everyone is up in arms about Nhra losing the Keystone Nats. This is day two, a weekend and no one has announced anything yet. Below is a quote from Larry Morgan in the Comp. Plus article. Seems to me it's very possible that Nhra could be there in 2026, sounds like it's up to them. After that who knows.

Morgan said Maple Grove’s future schedule remains flexible.
“I can’t answer you if it’s going to be one of the TBA races in the fall, because we have two other places,” Morgan said. “But I will tell you this — this track will be open to NHRA if they want to use it. We don’t want to take their schedule away.”

 

[z28]

Everyone is up in arms about Nhra losing the Keystone Nats. This is day two, a weekend and no one has announced anything yet. Below is a quote from Larry Morgan in the Comp. Plus article. Seems to me it's very possible that Nhra could be there in 2026, sounds like it's up to them. After that who knows.

Morgan said Maple Grove’s future schedule remains flexible.
“I can’t answer you if it’s going to be one of the TBA races in the fall, because we have two other places,” Morgan said. “But I will tell you this — this track will be open to NHRA if they want to use it. We don’t want to take their schedule away.”

Mighty Mack said NHRA pulled the pre-race sale tickets availability from their website. I suppose they need to talk it over.

 

[stitcherbob]

 

[Paul]

That guy is a clown.

 

[Under_Pressure]

"Business relationships with Elon Musk" people say stuff like that but what does it mean? Does anyone think Elon Musk has any clue who Darrell Cuttell is? Tesla/SpaceX/etc have thousands of vendors, that means nothing. Same for Amazon and all the other big name companies Darana lists on their website. Nothing wrong with doing it, but that alone says nothing about a company's performance.

Darana is a contractor. Plenty of others do what they do. Basic economics says that they can only have a certain level of profitability. They aren't that big or well-known. Owners of much larger and more established businesses couldn't dream of doing what Cuttell is, at least if they wanted to have anything left to live on. I obviously hope everything works out, but to accept this requires a complete suspension of belief in everything we know about business principles.

 

[CS]

I have been quietly watching the development of the IHRA and everything that Darryl Cuttell and his team are doing. I feel I must comment on the purchase of Maple Grove. It’s been almost nine years since the famed Old Bridge Township Raceway Park aka E-Town closed. Now another icon, Maple Grove, is no longer with the NHRA. I fear the worst not only for Maple Grove but all the tracks Darryl Cuttel and IHRA are purchasing. Permit me to explain that yes Darryl Cuttel owns Darana Hybrid but its annual revenue is 100 Million dollars, how much is left after paying operating costs, expenses, and taxes? Where and how much money is there to support all the different organizations he is dipping into not only IHRA but offshore powerboat racing, stock car racing, tractor pulling, and other emerging motorsports platforms. Then he appoints Leah Martin as President who has no drag racing experience and who’s claim to fame is leading non-profits! Next year NHRA will be celebrating 75 years having been run by one board/group that has evolved over time. Darryl Cuttell is the eight owner of IHRA in only 55 years! IHRA has a history of imploding and rebirth. I’m afraid if IHRA implodes under Darryl Cuttell ownership that we will lose several iconic tracks to housing developers. I pray I'm wrong.