IHRA Returning To Traditional Elimination-Style Racing In 2014

After four years of operating under the match race-style Nitro Jam format, traditional drag racing is back at the International Hot Rod Association, it was announced on Friday.

The IHRA, under the guidance of its new ownership group IRG Sports + Entertainment, announced that competitive, elimination-style racing will return to the longtime drag racing sanctioning bodies’ premier racing program after getting away from the traditional racing over the last four seasons and running under a more entertainment-based approach. The new ownership group and CEO Jason Rittenberry hope to combine the best of both worlds with real, honest-to-goodness drag racing while maintaining an exciting, family-friendly racing program and atmosphere.

The Nitro Jam namesake will undergo a slight rebranding, becoming the IHRA Nitro Jam Drag Racing Series, and will feature a new-look logo for the 2014 season. All of the national events on the 2014 schedule will also be rebranded as Nationals and will feature traditional qualifying and eliminations in all professional categories, as well as a full points chase and accompanying championship points fund. The series’ announcement cites the existence of “select classes” at its events in the United States and Canada, although no specific categories have been named.

“Acquiring the IHRA after the 2013 season had already began allowed us the opportunity to evaluate the Nitro Jam events this season before and see what elements we wanted to change and what was working for the series,” said Rittenberry. “This redesign of the brand is the first step in bringing more traditional professional racing back to the IHRA. We are excited to announce all of the plans for the 2014 tour next week at our World Finals in Memphis.”

The IHRA’s Nitro Jam program has seen unprecedented success with it’s entertainment format since undergoing a complete overhaul in 2010, offering an affordable show for race fans with a number of exciting categories, and that’s something that Ritternberry and the entire IHRA staff hope to continue.

“This is just a matter of listening to the customer. The Nitro Jam format was successful as evidenced by our growth since its debut three years ago. Our fans loved the show, but wanted to see more professional racing,” said Aaron Polburn, President of IHRA Motorsports. “What the end result turned out to be was a hybrid of Nitro Jam and traditional IHRA professional racing plus a greatly expanded pit experience. Add in value and I think the end product will be extremely fun to watch.”