Who is owed money by the IHRA, and more importantly… will they ever get paid?
Stay with me, because there’s a lot of new information to unpack in what has become a full-blown train wreck surrounding the International Hot Rod Association. We’re now seeing the ripple effects of what many hoped wasn’t the first domino to fall just two and a half weeks ago when the Outlaw Nitro Series was canceled.
We’ve heard from racers, vendors, track workers, and others who all claim they’re owed money. But now we’ve learned that even the greatest drag racer of all time, “Big Daddy” Don Garlits, is waiting to be paid.
The amount isn’t huge—just $5,000.
But that’s not really the point.
What’s troubling is that IHRA owner Darryl Cuttell has publicly spoken about his admiration for Don Garlits, calling him a hero and a legend. If a racing icon like Garlits can’t get a relatively small payment, what does that say about everyone else waiting in line?
Does it suggest the financial situation is even worse than people realize? Is a bankruptcy filing coming? Or is Cuttell simply following legal advice and unable to make payments?
I don’t know the answer.
What I do know is that one of the first stories I reported—that equipment from IHRA headquarters in Hamilton, Ohio, was being quietly shopped around—has now been backed up by Richard Freeman of Elite Motorsports.
Freeman recently spoke with FloRacing about his attempt to purchase the IHRA, and his comments were some of the most revealing we’ve heard yet.
According to Freeman, Darryl Cuttell told him he had no intention of making the people who are owed money whole.
That’s a stunning statement if accurate.
Freeman submitted a formal offer to purchase the IHRA before ultimately walking away from negotiations, ending what appeared to be the first serious effort by an established drag racing insider to acquire the struggling sanctioning body.
Freeman also claims Cuttell later told him everything had already been sold.
Was that actually true?
Or was it simply a negotiating tactic to gain leverage?
Only Cuttell knows.
Freeman didn’t hold back in his assessment.
“Anyone who is holding their breath for payment, thinks next year is happening, or ever thought for a second this guy was the savior we needed, has no clue.”
That’s a powerful quote, and from the outside looking in, this situation appears to involve just as much ego and attitude as it does financial trouble.
But the news didn’t stop there.
Over the weekend, Bill Bader announced that several Outlaw Nitro Series competitors would now be included in the prestigious Night Under Fire event.
Meanwhile, more IHRA Division Directors were reportedly let go, creating even more uncertainty about the future of IHRA Sportsman racing and the planned $300,000 Sportsman Spectacular Finals at GALOT Motorsports Park.
Then came another major development.
Emily Mawhinney, the general manager of Topeka’s Heartland Motorsports Park, revealed that IHRA CEO Darryl Cuttell had terminated her employment via email the previous week.
Internationally, Australian promoter Maurice Allen also announced that the planned transition involving IHRA operations in Australia has now been put on hold.
And then came one of the strangest stories of the weekend.
Social media exploded with reports from the Midwest Thunder event hosted by the Miami Valley Quarter Midget Racing Association at the facility formerly known as Kil-Kare Raceway in Ohio.
According to Racing Pro Media, roughly 300 families with young children were asked to leave the property during the second day of the event.
Many people have speculated that insurance issues may have been involved.
At this point, however, that’s only speculation.
We simply don’t know what happened.
And that’s exactly why so many people believe Darryl Cuttell needs to address the racing community directly.
Rumors are filling the void because official answers aren’t.
Here’s another developing story.
You’ll remember that Larry “Spiderman” McBride crashed during his last race.
McBride had previously helped sell the famous green motorcycle he built for Jimmy Brantley to Darryl Cuttell. Now, according to sources, he’s trying to get that motorcycle back.
And this isn’t just another race bike.
The McBride brothers reportedly spent nearly five years building it. It’s a one-of-a-kind piece of drag racing history.
Finally, all of this brings us back to Rockingham Speedway.
Taxpayer money has been invested into that facility with the expectation of major racing events.
The question now is simple.
Will those races actually happen?
Or will one of drag racing’s most historic venues sit idle while the uncertainty surrounding the IHRA continues to grow?
One thing is becoming increasingly clear.
The questions keep piling up.
The answers are becoming harder to find.
And until the IHRA leadership addresses what’s happening, the speculation—and the concern throughout the drag racing community—is only going to continue.
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