Marty Gordon
[email protected]
In July, the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) made the difficult decision not to proceed with the remaining 2026 IHRA Stock Car Series.
The stoppage has affected a lot of racers’ plans, even leaving questions about what happens next.
In a statement, the IHRA said “This decision was not made lightly. After a thorough review of our operations, resources, and long-term objectives, IHRA believes the responsible course of action is to pause the series and dedicate our full attention to building a stronger, more sustainable Stock Car program for 2027.”
The national series had completed three different events before shutting down.
“This is about making the right decision for the long-term health of the IHRA Stock Car Series,” said IHRA and not just a couple events in 2026. “Our responsibility is not simply to put races on the schedule, it is to provide a professional, competitive, and well-supported championship. We believe taking this time to reset and build the series properly will allow us to return in 2027 stronger than ever.”
IHRA said it will spend the coming months working closely with racers, track owners, promoters, and industry partners to develop a long-term plan that strengthens the Stock Car program and positions it for sustained growth.
At the heart of the problem according to onlookers is the much larger business deals of Darryl Cuttrell, the major investor in the racing series. His company is involved with multiple lawsuits with SpaceXAI, an Elon Musk company.
Darana Hybrid claims that SpaceXAI owes a total over $430 million after they helped to build Memphis, Tennessee-area data centers. In turn, SpaceXAI is countersuing DH.
SpaceXAI is a product of earlier this year. Cuttrell said his company’s working relationship with xAI was solid until the merger. After that, he said, his invoices stopped getting paid. Cuttrell was the major bank for the IHRA.
In July, IHRA officially shut down what was left of its 2026 Nitro Drag Racing Series. Thirty days prior, the IHRA cut its powerboat racing schedule to one event.
The International Hot Rod Association governs elite motorsports competition across drag racing, offshore, pulling, stock car and snowmobile.
The shutdown included massive layoffs by IHRA. But the organization is using words like “strategic refocus”.
IHRA President Dustin Farthing said by strengthening their foundation first, IHRA will build a stronger future for its racers, tracks, sponsors, and fans.
IHRA says it will spend the coming months working closely with racers, track owners, promoters, and industry partners to develop a long-term plan that strengthens the Stock Car program and positions it for sustained growth.
One of those racers left out in the cold is Christiansburg’s Derrick Lancaster, who had bet on the Stock Car series. Now, he has parked his race car and is sitting on the sidelines.
While he wouldn’t admit that he was disappointed in the whole situation, it has left him scratching his head about the IHRA.
“We had spent $50,000 to $60,000 to run in the series and sold almost all our other stuff,” he said. This included motors and car bodies for the lower divisions.
Now, Lancaster has thought about running a Late Model race at Martinsville and then maybe picking up the last few months at Motorsports Park. “It’s hard to make that type of turnaround. You have to get the motor, then get it inspected before you can even run a race.” Lancaster had moved to number two on the series top 10 and had been pushing his way to the front.
“I really haven’t decided what we are going to do,” he said.
When the IHRA announced the national stock car series, there was plenty of excitement.
IHRA owner Darryl Cuttrell said the stock car series was designed to avoid the high-cost equipment wars common in many modern series.
“We’re bringing stock car racing back to its roots,” Cuttrell said at the start of the year. “This is racing that rewards driver skill, smart setups, and teamwork — not massive budgets. It’s exactly the kind of competition fans love, and competitors deserve.”
The national series has not affected local racing at Pulaski’s Motorsports racetrack, which recently jumpstarted an adjacent drag strip.
Stacy Compton, a former NASCAR driver, is Motorsport’s general manager. He said the local races will continue.
Lancaster has been racing for the last 18 years, and this year has left him wondering what the future holds. With him running some local races, he spells trouble for the competitors.
He also is sitting and wondering what not only his future, but what lies ahead for the IHRA, who says they will rebuild from the ground up. Again, local racing at Pulaski Motorsports will continue through the fall and is not affected by the overall IHRA series being shut down.
