The IHRA may be best known for its drag racing sanctioning, but it has now entered oval-track racing with its IHRA Stock Car Series. The goal? To provide tours for the Saturday-night racer who competes in late model sportsman and pro late model sportsman.
The Time and Money
“We will give the racers who can’t budget $600,000 a year [a] top tier series,” IHRA Stock Car Series Assistant Director Daniel Horton said. “Drivers have been spending $3000 to $4000 racing for $1000 to $1500 to win. Our payout to start will cover their tire and fuel bill for the night.”
In addition, the series announced a $2 million purse for its points leaders at the end of next season. To keep costs down, the tour will race once a month, with 8 events in total. Late model sportsman will run 150 laps, the pro late model sportsman 100.
“Every race will be a one-day event, focusing on racers, fans and their families,” Horton said. “It will be a fun environment. For example, we will have concerts, real cowboys riding real bulls, and Ferris wheel rides.”
The Rules
Both divisions will run on American Racer AR 153 rubber, costing $750 a set. The series will restrict the number of tires used.
“There will be one set of tires for practice, one to race on,” Horton said. “If a race set only has a few laps on it, it can be used as practice tires the next race. Racers can purchase one set of tires per race or two sets.”
IHRA will permit three engine packages for the late model sportsman: Chevrolet CT525, Ford D347SR and HMS Enforcer. For the pro late model sportsman class, the Chevrolet 604 and its Ford equivalent.
No bump stops. No coil-binding. Maximum MSRP on brakes and transmissions. For shocks, four choices for the front, four the rear, all from Afco for around $390 apiece. Compression will be preset, but rebound will be adjustable. Horton says they will test the shocks of the top finishers after every race.
“No more pull-down rigs will be needed,” Horton said. “Spring smashers are not necessary to be competitive.”
The IHRA Stock Car Series has posted a full set of rules.
The Genesis of the IHRA Stock Car Series
While IHRA made its mark in drag racing, this fall it has acquired Powerboat P1 USA/P1 Offshore and announced an alliance between the Outlaw Truck and Tractor Pulling Association and Hot Shot’s Secret Pro Pulling League.
“The entry into stock car racing was Darryl’s idea,” Horton said, referring to owner Darryl Cuttell. “We [the Hortons] presented the overall budget to Darryl, showing what it would cost to do this series and do it well. Darryl said, ‘Let’s make it happen.’ We’re doing just that.”
The Hortons understand oval-track racing. Daniel Horton’s father, Tim, serves as the IHRA Stock Car Series Director. He worked for teams in NASCAR, including for Wayne Day Enterprises, Sadler Racing, Bobby Hamilton Racing and Baker-Curb Racing. The father-and-son duo work for Cuttell’s company in Smyrna, Tennessee, Darana Hybrid.
Some speculated that IHRA might be looking to compete against series such as CARS Tour. Horton quickly quelled that assertion.
“We are not a direct competitor of CARS,” Horton said. “CARS does a phenomenal job at what they do. We believe we are serving a different market. CARS has great drivers who race with them as a steppingstone to NASCAR.”
The Outlook
Newport Speedway will host the IHRA Stock Car Series twice next year in addition to a $50,000-to-win ASA race and a CARS Tour stop. Newport Speedway owner Chuck Ward is excited about the IHRA visit.
“It is great for the sport — competition between series can be good and bad, but this won’t hurt the sport,” Ward said.
Once again Horton stressed that they built the series for the Saturday-night weekend warrior.
“A lot of racers will be with us because they love racing, they enjoy it as a hobby,” Horton said. “They work full-time jobs and race in their free time. [The IHRA Stock Car Series] is a great option for racers who do not have a large budget [but] want to travel, be in big events.”
2026 IHRA Stock Car Series Schedule
March 21: Pulaski Motorsports Park
April 18: Cordele Speedway
May 30: Newport Speedway
June 27: Anderson Motor Speedway
July 25: Pulaski Motorsports Park
August 22: Salem Speedway
September 26: Newport Speedway
October 17: Memphis Motorsports Park
Mike Adaskaveg has written hundreds of stories since the website’s inception. This year marks his 54th year of covering auto racing. Adaskaveg got his start working for track photographer Lloyd Burnham at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway in 1970. Since then, he’s been a columnist, writer, and photographer, in racing and in mainstream media, for several outlets, including the Journal Inquirer, Boston Herald, Stock Car Racing, and Speedway Illustrated. Among Adaskaveg’s many awards are the 1992 Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) Ace Lane Photographer of the Year and the 2019 National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) George Cunningham Writer of the Year.
