The rumor had it that IHRA would book in eight
Top Fuel, Pro Mod, Pro Stock and Funny Car teams,
with the plan of having a four-hour show like
the Monster Truck and Moto-cross shows that
CCE puts on around the country.
When Aaron Polburn spoke with some professional
class racers concerning what they would charge
to make laps at one of the "Night of Fire" extravaganza's
IHRA is putting into smaller tracks, the racers
added two and two together and decided Polburn
was doing research for a national event "booked-in
show."
Then, two or three weeks ago the rumor mill
had Bill Bader retiring or being forced out
by Clear Channel. I could find nothing to indicate
that was the case, but the rumor got so strong
that Bader and Clear Channel's Charlie Mancuso
issued a press release expressing support for
Bill Bader and IHRA. Unfortunately, the release
read like one of those that professional sports
teams release just before they fire a manager.
At the Virginia IHRA national event, IHRA director
of competition Skooter Peaco had an impromptu
conversation with Bruce Biegler, Bobby Bennett
and myself in which he said
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the
tracks weren't attracting enough spectators
on Fridays and Sundays, mentioned the possibility
of fewer qualifying sessions and the possibility
of shortening the number of days that Sportsman
racers would be at the tracks, and hinted pretty
strongly that changes were coming at IHRA.
That same day Bill Bader did an interview with
Bennett in which he spoke in corporate tongue,
answering none of Bennett's questions. Then,
Bader disappeared for the rest of the race weekend.
A lot of racers took all of that information,
processed it and came to the conclusion that
next year IHRA national events would be a one-
or two-day event with booked in professional
classes. How they got that conclusion I don't
know.
On the Monday after that race I got many phone
calls and emails from racers, sponsors and some
manufacturers asking me if the rumors were true.
I told them that I had no idea. Now, however,
after doing some research on this issue for
the past few weeks, I'm going to give you my
opinion about the IHRA situation.
I do think Bill Bader is delegating some of
his responsibilities, but I don't think he will
be leaving IHRA anytime soon. I believe that
IHRA/Clear Channel is convinced that the IHRA
professional classes alone aren't enough to
fill the stands, so I do think that you are
going to see more of the IHRA national events
presented more like the Monster Truck shows
with "hip" track announcers, Hooters girls,
fireworks, and "freak show" entertainment. Not
that they don't do that already.
I think you could see many, but not all, IHRA
national events reduced to two-day events with
qualifying on Friday and eliminations on Saturday
night, with Sunday used as a rain date.
I think two qualifying runs for Pro classes
is a real possibility. Hey, they get one shot
to qualify for the Indy 500 and two laps to
qualify for the Daytona 500. Professional teams
can practice all they want at almost any track
to be ready for those two laps.
I don't think that IHRA's track owners will
allow IHRA/Clear Channel to implement a format
change that will lessen their Sportsman car
count. The track operators won't give up that
back gate money. The companies that support
IHRA's Manufacturer's Midway and the contingency
program simply wouldn't allow that to happen.
I could be wrong about all of this. The NHRA
could announce they signed a five-year deal
for the new "O" Mod program tomorrow. IHRA could
move their events indoors and change everything
to eighth-mile, Bill Bader could announce his
decision to retire to Idaho and start raising
chincillas in the morning, but the facts and
history just don't indicate that any of the
rumors we have been hearing are going to morph
into reality soon. But stay tuned. 
What do
you think? Send your email to response@dragracingonline.com.
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