International Hot Rod Association Announces Changes to Return to Its Prime
The International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) announced today a return to the famed globed logo and the original Ironman trophy. In addition, the hashtag #IHRAReturntoGlory will be used for IHRA posts on social media and other content.
“Everywhere I go, the people I see have a love for the original IHRA and what it was all about,” IHRA President Kenny Nowling said. “We listened to our track partners, racers and fans. The desire to go back to the original logo is overwhelming.”
It is a tribute to the IHRA’s history, with the sanctioning body founded by Larry Carrier in 1970 and the first national events held in 1971. His son, Andy Carrier, was overjoyed when he heard the news the IHRA was bringing back the iconic logo.
“That’s wonderful. I’ve been watching a lot of the old IHRA races on YouTube, and the nostalgia makes you proud,” Carrier said. “I remember walking into the IHRA offices as a kid, and that logo always stood out. It was so pretty with the red, white and blue. When Bill Bader Sr. was still alive, they did a tribute to dad, and they gave us plaques with the old logo on it. That was very special to the family.”
Carrier is excited about the direction of the IHRA under new President Kenny Nowling. He also loved hearing about the return of the original Ironman trophy.
“When I read that Kenny had taken over, I thought that was awesome,” Carrier said. “I think Kenny has the will and know-how to bring the IHRA back to where it was. Having the Ironman, there are traditions in sports where if you’re changing trophies they don’t have as much meaning. You don’t see the Stanley Cup being changed. The Ironman represents IHRA racing and always has.”
For the fourth straight year, the IHRA Summit SuperSeries World Finals will return to Holly Springs Motorsports Park on Oct. 23-25, 2025.
DIVISION REALIGNMENT
The IHRA also announced a major realignment of its divisions for the 2025 season. This will provide a better and fairer format for the Summit Team Finals with a better distribution of tracks in each division.
IHRA Summit Team Finals for 2025 have been set with Division 1 Team Finals Oct. 2-5 at Darlington Dragway. Division 2 Finals will be held Oct. 9-12 at Rocket City Dragway. Division 3 Team Finals are scheduled Sept. 18-20 at Quaker City Motorsports Park.
Division 4 Team Finals will take place Sept. 11-14 at Holly Springs Motorsports Park. Southwest tracks are now going to be Division 5 with the Summit Team Finals from Sept. 25-28 at Xtreme Raceway Park.
Check out IHRA.com and the IHRA Facebook page throughout next week as the new lineups of tracks for each division are released.
This story was originally published on November 15, 2024.
The post International Hot Rod Association Announces Changes to Return to Its Prime first appeared on Drag Illustrated.
