IRGSE’s Chris Lencheski has a vision for growing and improving the IHRA. The people around him, including new IHRA president Mike Dunn, seem to have bought into Lencheski’s vision and I hope the IRGSE team is able to achieve the lofty goals they have set. If it happens, Mr. Lencheski will be seen as a visionary and the savior of the IHRA.

That being said, the IRGSE decision to move the World Series of Drag Racing to Memphis after 60 years at Cordova Dragway and their seemingly total lack of regard for and alienation of the racers, sponsors and fans of Cordova is incomprehensible. IRGSE policies have virtually destroyed one of the most legendary, popular and profitable events and tracks in the Midwest. No matter what happens in the future, the IRGSE and Mr. Lencheski will not be popular with fans, sponsors and racers in the Quad Cities area of the Midwest.

Auto racing and especially drag racing doesn’t offer its less financially well off fans bargain priced seats at its national events. In fact, almost all if not all seats at NHRA national events are reserved seats. One reason for no bargain seats at the drags is that there really aren’t better or worse sight lines; for the most part every seat at a drag race offers basically the same view of the race. So, other than those few luxury boxes most tracks now have, there isn’t a great deal of difference in sight or service at most NHRA tracks. Some tracks charge more money for a section of seats closest to the starting line, but the fact is the seats in the next section down are just as good when it comes to watching the racing. In my opinion one thing the tracks and NHRA could do is to allocate about 10% of their stands as cheaper seating.

At almost every NHRA/IHRA national event I’ve attended in the last 3-4 years not one has actually sold out of seats, expensive or otherwise. Isn’t filling the seats with fans at a lower ticket price more profitable and fan friendly than overpriced empty seats and fewer fans?

From what I’ve heard and seen myself, I think that IRGSE has already written off the 2016 IHRA season whether the IHRA makes money or not. It would appear the idea is to get the current IHRA through the 2016 season and then in 2017 roll out Mr. Lenchenski’s vision of an IHRA, which would include the possible re-introduction of the Top Fuel class.

Race·ism ˈrāˌsizəm/noun

(1) The belief that all members of each race class possess characteristics or abilities specific to that race class, especially so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to other racers or race classes.

(2) Prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race class based on the belief that one's own race class is superior.

If someone were to ask me to define a Pro Mod today I couldn’t do it! I could have 20 years ago when the cars and class were unique and generally raced under a single set of IHRA rules. These days Pro Mods are ubiquitous and generally not unique.

Currently we have the NHRA, IHRA, PDRA, NMCA and “Reality TV” Street Outlaws all racing what could be Pro Mods. Almost all of these series have different rules for their “Pro Mods” with many different and unique engine combinations, power adders, tire size and minimum weights.

NHRA recently added a Pro Mod index class identified as Top Sportsman but the cars are basically just a slow versions of the RPM/NHRA Pro Mods.

The PDRA is the big time for eighth-mile Pro Mod racing series and they too have three or four different classes and varieties of Pro Mod.

I think the attraction the class had for racers and especially fans was its uniqueness. What was invented in the mid 1980’s has been diluted by the mindset of racers/promoters today. It’s almost like every Pro Mod is a class unto itself. It kind of reminds me of NHRA’s Stock/Super Stock classes. Pro Mod cars used to be unique and had superstars like Scotty Cannon, Bill Kuhlmann, Fred Hahn, and Robbie Vandergriff, and everyone in drag racing knew the cars and stars of the class.

Today the most bankable name in Pro Mod racing is ”Big Chief,” one of the guys from the Street Outlaws reality show -- and he is barred from NHRA tracks.