[coverattach=1]When it comes to the IHRA’s Tournament of Champions one thing is certain – it truly is an assortment of the best sportsman drivers from across North America.
A grand total of 178 drivers from a remarkable 28 states and two Canadian provinces converged on Rockingham Dragway last month to take part in the inaugural Tournament of Champions, but persistent rains and cool temperatures forced the postponement of the event to a later date.
An announcement regarding the completion of the Tournament of Champions will be made in the next few days.
Still, the unfavorable conditions at Rockingham didn’t stop the nearly 400 sportsman racers on the property taking their final shot at qualifying via the Sportsman Nationals from sounding off about the incredible number of big name drivers that are a part of the IHRA’s end-of-year championship tournament and how eager they are to get this race underway.
“At first I thought the IHRA was nuts with this TOC deal, but as the season wound down I really thought this is going to be awesome,” said Hot Rod driver Chip Johnson. “If you can beat the top 30 or so racers in a ‘shootout style’ format then you truly are the champion,”
Johnson qualified for the tournament via his championship in the Raiders Division on the Summit Pro-Am Tour.
Simply put, the IHRA Tournament of Champions is a collection of all national event winners, Champion System Sportsman Nationals winners, Summit All-Star winners and all drivers who finished in the top three in their respective Summit Pro-Am Tour divisions.
A grand total of 245 spots are available for the tournament, with that number shrinking via multiple event winners and drivers who qualified in more than one class. Drivers may only fill one spot in a respective class, but multiple event winners can ultimately shrink the size of the field in their favor.
When it all adds up the most dominating drivers from a given year are put onto a ladder and are forced to battle it out to determine a true champion by doing exactly what the drivers live to do – race.
“I am very impressed with the new setup that IHRA has created to crown champions. This gives a chance for people who could not afford to chase the points and could still become a champion,” said Super Stock driver Jacques Blais.
Blais qualified thanks to a victory at the Amalie Oil North American Nationals at New England Dragway in September.
A breakdown of the drivers who attended Rockingham to participate in the Tournament of Champions shows a unique divide of exactly 71 drivers both north and south of Virginia and east of the Mississippi River. A total of 36 drivers represent states west of the Mississippi.
By state it is no surprise that North Carolina has the most drivers qualified for the Tournament of Champions with 31 participants. Texas is a distant second with 18 drivers and Ohio is just behind with 17 drivers. Virginia, Maryland and Florida also have double-digit drivers in the TOC. The remainder of the top 12 are Pennsylvania, Michigan, Louisiana, New York, Oklahoma and Illinois.
“When we were in Rockingham and we saw the level of competition that we were going to be up against, going up against all of the guys you read about all year in DRM and on the IHRA site, that would mean a lot to get a win against that group,” said Top Sportsman driver Chris Gulitti, the 2009 IHRA Sportsman Driver of the Year. “It would be an incredible accomplishment to cap our season with a championship.”
Gulitti has two national event wins this season and also garnered TOC qualifying victories at the Summit All-Star race in the spring and by finishing second in the Renegades Division on the Summit Pro-Am Tour.
Gulitti is the definition of how the Tournament of Champions can benefit a driver as he slowly whittled the Top Sportsman field down to only the elite of the class. And one of those drivers Gulitti will be facing when the event is rescheduled – his own brother.
“I think overall the TOC is a great concept. In my opinion this would have been the best sportsman race ever,” said Top Sportsman competitor Bob Gulitti. “I hope the entire group can be assembled again because, again, the best of the best were there.
“In my opinion a true champion would have been decided from this group of obviously talented racers. I am proud to have earned a spot and look forward to my opportunity.”
Bob Gulitti qualified via a third place finish in the Renegades Division.
When the Tournament of Champions was derived in 2008 there was clearly a divide among the drivers as whether or not the new format could be successful.
Fast forward nearly a year later and the mood in the pits has drastically changed.
“From talking to the drivers I have been overwhelmed by support for the format. Whether from those who couldn’t afford to travel the entire circuit or from those who traveled to Rockingham and saw the level of competition they would be up against, the mood has clearly changed,” said Skooter Peaco, VP of Race Operations. “We knew that this format would save drivers money and create an all-star tournament the likes of which drag racing has never seen, but even I was a bit overwhelmed looking in the pits and seeing all of the national winners and champions in one spot competing for a true championship.
“I never expected 100 percent of the competitors to like it, but I am shocked at all the support it got in its first year.”
As for the event itself, Peaco admits that Rockingham presented a situation that was beyond anyone’s control and that a few tough decisions had to be made to ensure the safety of the drivers and the fairness of competition.
With that in mind, the IHRA staff is working diligently to come up with a solution that will benefit the most drivers and reward a true 2009 champion in each of the seven IHRA sportsman categories.
“I wanted to take this time to apologize to the drivers for an event that clearly did not measure up to IHRA standards. There were many things that were out of our control at Rockingham and tough decisions had to be made, but we are working on a solution that will conclude the event and crown champions,” Peaco said. “We have contacted all of the drivers in the tournament and asked their opinion on how we should finish the season. We are currently going through the responses and will come up with a decision that best suites all of the parties involved.
“Sportsman racing is what the IHRA is all about and that will continue to be our focus in 2010 and beyond.”
Either way, Rockingham proved that the Tournament of Champions is one of the most exciting events in drag racing today and will continue to provide a stage for drivers of all levels to compete for national glory and a coveted IHRA Championship Ironman.
For more information about the completion of the 2009 Tournament of Champions, or to learn more about the 2010 TOC program, check back with IHRA.com for updates.
A grand total of 178 drivers from a remarkable 28 states and two Canadian provinces converged on Rockingham Dragway last month to take part in the inaugural Tournament of Champions, but persistent rains and cool temperatures forced the postponement of the event to a later date.
An announcement regarding the completion of the Tournament of Champions will be made in the next few days.
Still, the unfavorable conditions at Rockingham didn’t stop the nearly 400 sportsman racers on the property taking their final shot at qualifying via the Sportsman Nationals from sounding off about the incredible number of big name drivers that are a part of the IHRA’s end-of-year championship tournament and how eager they are to get this race underway.
“At first I thought the IHRA was nuts with this TOC deal, but as the season wound down I really thought this is going to be awesome,” said Hot Rod driver Chip Johnson. “If you can beat the top 30 or so racers in a ‘shootout style’ format then you truly are the champion,”
Johnson qualified for the tournament via his championship in the Raiders Division on the Summit Pro-Am Tour.
Simply put, the IHRA Tournament of Champions is a collection of all national event winners, Champion System Sportsman Nationals winners, Summit All-Star winners and all drivers who finished in the top three in their respective Summit Pro-Am Tour divisions.
A grand total of 245 spots are available for the tournament, with that number shrinking via multiple event winners and drivers who qualified in more than one class. Drivers may only fill one spot in a respective class, but multiple event winners can ultimately shrink the size of the field in their favor.
When it all adds up the most dominating drivers from a given year are put onto a ladder and are forced to battle it out to determine a true champion by doing exactly what the drivers live to do – race.
“I am very impressed with the new setup that IHRA has created to crown champions. This gives a chance for people who could not afford to chase the points and could still become a champion,” said Super Stock driver Jacques Blais.
Blais qualified thanks to a victory at the Amalie Oil North American Nationals at New England Dragway in September.
A breakdown of the drivers who attended Rockingham to participate in the Tournament of Champions shows a unique divide of exactly 71 drivers both north and south of Virginia and east of the Mississippi River. A total of 36 drivers represent states west of the Mississippi.
By state it is no surprise that North Carolina has the most drivers qualified for the Tournament of Champions with 31 participants. Texas is a distant second with 18 drivers and Ohio is just behind with 17 drivers. Virginia, Maryland and Florida also have double-digit drivers in the TOC. The remainder of the top 12 are Pennsylvania, Michigan, Louisiana, New York, Oklahoma and Illinois.
“When we were in Rockingham and we saw the level of competition that we were going to be up against, going up against all of the guys you read about all year in DRM and on the IHRA site, that would mean a lot to get a win against that group,” said Top Sportsman driver Chris Gulitti, the 2009 IHRA Sportsman Driver of the Year. “It would be an incredible accomplishment to cap our season with a championship.”
Gulitti has two national event wins this season and also garnered TOC qualifying victories at the Summit All-Star race in the spring and by finishing second in the Renegades Division on the Summit Pro-Am Tour.
Gulitti is the definition of how the Tournament of Champions can benefit a driver as he slowly whittled the Top Sportsman field down to only the elite of the class. And one of those drivers Gulitti will be facing when the event is rescheduled – his own brother.
“I think overall the TOC is a great concept. In my opinion this would have been the best sportsman race ever,” said Top Sportsman competitor Bob Gulitti. “I hope the entire group can be assembled again because, again, the best of the best were there.
“In my opinion a true champion would have been decided from this group of obviously talented racers. I am proud to have earned a spot and look forward to my opportunity.”
Bob Gulitti qualified via a third place finish in the Renegades Division.
When the Tournament of Champions was derived in 2008 there was clearly a divide among the drivers as whether or not the new format could be successful.
Fast forward nearly a year later and the mood in the pits has drastically changed.
“From talking to the drivers I have been overwhelmed by support for the format. Whether from those who couldn’t afford to travel the entire circuit or from those who traveled to Rockingham and saw the level of competition they would be up against, the mood has clearly changed,” said Skooter Peaco, VP of Race Operations. “We knew that this format would save drivers money and create an all-star tournament the likes of which drag racing has never seen, but even I was a bit overwhelmed looking in the pits and seeing all of the national winners and champions in one spot competing for a true championship.
“I never expected 100 percent of the competitors to like it, but I am shocked at all the support it got in its first year.”
As for the event itself, Peaco admits that Rockingham presented a situation that was beyond anyone’s control and that a few tough decisions had to be made to ensure the safety of the drivers and the fairness of competition.
With that in mind, the IHRA staff is working diligently to come up with a solution that will benefit the most drivers and reward a true 2009 champion in each of the seven IHRA sportsman categories.
“I wanted to take this time to apologize to the drivers for an event that clearly did not measure up to IHRA standards. There were many things that were out of our control at Rockingham and tough decisions had to be made, but we are working on a solution that will conclude the event and crown champions,” Peaco said. “We have contacted all of the drivers in the tournament and asked their opinion on how we should finish the season. We are currently going through the responses and will come up with a decision that best suites all of the parties involved.
“Sportsman racing is what the IHRA is all about and that will continue to be our focus in 2010 and beyond.”
Either way, Rockingham proved that the Tournament of Champions is one of the most exciting events in drag racing today and will continue to provide a stage for drivers of all levels to compete for national glory and a coveted IHRA Championship Ironman.
For more information about the completion of the 2009 Tournament of Champions, or to learn more about the 2010 TOC program, check back with IHRA.com for updates.
