A tumultuous inaugural season has come to a premature end for the IHRA Stock Car Series.
The series announced the cancelation of the remainder of its races late Monday night, just days after the IHRA pulled the plug on its Nitro Outlaw Drag Racing Series. The series says it is focused on ‘building a stronger, more sustainable Stock Car program for 2027’ but there is no shortage of skepticism from even their most loyal racers.
“This is about making the right decision for the long-term health of the IHRA Stock Car Series,” IHRA said in a press release. “Our responsibility is not simply to put races on the schedule, it is to provide a professional, competitive, and well-supported championship. We believe taking this time to reset and build the series properly will allow us to return in 2027 stronger than ever.”
In the past year, the IHRA has undergone an aggressive expansion, acquiring several racetracks across the country, including Rockingham Speedway in North Carolina and the lease to Pulaski County Motorsports Park, formerly known as Motor Mile Speedway. However, the series’ growing pains have been quite notable, with high staff turnaround.
Multiple IHRA staff members were laid off last week following the cancellation of its professional drag racing series. On the drag racing side, IHRA’s nationwide bracket racing program, which operates similarly to the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Local Racing Series, remains intact.
On June 23, the IHRA Stock Car Series announced a revised schedule for the remainder of the season, and was scheduled to race at Pulaski County on July 25 – an event that would’ve gone head-to-head with the Hampton Heat 200 at Langley Speedway. Races were also scheduled for Tri County Motor Speedway, Lonesome Pine Raceway, and Rockingham Speedway.
The IHRA, much like the CARS Tour, was running two divisions – Pro Late Models and Limited Late Models. Its most recent race, and final race of 2026, was held at Anderson Motor Speedway in South Carolina on June 27. Jimmy Renfrew, Jr. and Neil Meredith scored victories that night.
Numerous racers have told Short Track Scene that they have not yet been paid for Anderson. Short Track Scene has also reached out to the leadership team of the series for additional comment and will follow up as more information becomes available.
IHRA had no comment in response to Short Track Scene’s request.
The full announcement from IHRA can be seen below:
The International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) has made the difficult decision not to proceed with the remaining 2026 IHRA Stock Car Series.
This decision was not made lightly. After a thorough review of our operations, resources, and long-term objectives, IHRA believes the responsible course of action is to pause the series and dedicate our full attention to building a stronger, more sustainable Stock Car program for 2027.
Rather than present events that do not meet the standards our competitors, promoters, sponsors, and fans deserve, we believe it is more important to take our time and invest our resources into creating a championship-caliber series that can return with a solid foundation and a clear vision for the future.
“This is about making the right decision for the long-term health of the IHRA Stock Car Series,” said IHRA and not just a couple events in 2026. “Our responsibility is not simply to put races on the schedule, it is to provide a professional, competitive, and well-supported championship. We believe taking this time to reset and build the series properly will allow us to return in 2027 stronger than ever.”
IHRA will spend the coming months working closely with racers, track owners, promoters, and industry partners to develop a long-term plan that strengthens the Stock Car program and positions it for sustained growth.
We sincerely thank our racers, teams, sponsors, officials, track partners, and fans for their continued support and patience during this transition. We look forward to sharing our vision for 2027 in the months ahead as we work to build a stronger future for IHRA Stock Car racing.
