Soon after Bill Bader took control of IHRA late in 1998, its headquarters were moved from Bristol, TN, to Norwalk, OH, and Baker moved, too. Consequently, Baker has been instrumental in developing the racing product that now competes on IHRA tracks at every level. Here Baker explains some of the challenges of his job and the thought process that he puts into IHRA rule making.

DRO: WHAT DOES YOUR JOB WITH IHRA PRIMARILY ENTAIL?

Baker: My current responsibilities are very diverse. Without getting into great detail, my duties range from event planning to responding to daily questions on competition or technical issues from our customers, racing enthusiasts, sponsors, and track operators. Most of my days are spent responding to questions and clarifying current guidelines to all involved parties.

Additionally, I concentrate on developing short- and long-term programs that will benefit our competitors, track operators, and manufacturers.

DRO: HOW HAVE YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES CHANGED AS YOUR JOB DEVELOPED?

Baker: With the growth of IHRA over the past few years everything has changed. To cite one example, when I first started with IHRA we had one regional division with about 10 events; now we have six divisions consisting of 36 regionals, as well as 12 national events.

The organizational and staffing demands proportionally increased as well. As far as events go, I am responsible for national and divisional event racing operations as well as staffing and travel.

In house, my responsibilities range from class and eliminator adjustments, inventory control for the various divisional trailers, to providing guidance to our sanctioned track operators.

DRO: IN ADDITION TO NATIONAL EVENTS, HOW MANY DIVISIONAL RACES DO YOU ATTEND EACH SEASON?

Baker: Last year, I went to 18 of the 30 Holley divisional events we contested in 2001. On average, I have maybe four or five weekends off a year once the season starts. And as we continue to grow, the off season gets shorter every year.

DRO: WHAT PART OF YOUR JOB BRINGS YOU THE GREATEST SATISFACTION?

Baker: I would have to say it is seeing something you have developed in theory, work well in practice. This may range from competition adjustments to safety or technological advancements. My job is to protect the interests of our competitors, along with providing safety considerations as well. Sometimes, I have to protect them from themselves.

I have implemented technological advancements into our racing programs that were at first very unpopular with our racers. An example that rings a bell was the addition of engine containment devices on our mountain-motor Pro Stock entries. The teams thought I had lost my mind. A few events after the rule was mandated we had two drivers lose a motor while side by side. The "diaper" did its job and the competitors, even though they blew the motors, still had a car to put their back-up engine into. I feel the outcome would have been a little different the previous season. Later, they both personally thanked me for the rule. This, for the most part, makes all the criticisms and related headaches worthwhile.

DRO: ON THE OTHER HAND, WHAT IS THE TOUGHEST PART OF YOUR JOB?

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