A while back we reported that the AHRA appeared to be in some serious financial trouble after a first event that was interrupted by wild weather and featured mostly empty stands. Well, shortly after that AHRA major domo Troy Moe granted an interview and stated that the organization was not broke and that things would go according to plan for the rest of the season. 

Well, if this is the plan, those guys are in some very big trouble.

Things have gone from bad to sublime since that first event. AHRA cancelled their second event because of “weather”. There was a minimal chance of rain in the San Antonio area (which never materialized over the scheduled race weekend). The San Antonio Raceway website went out of their way to say that the race was cancelled by the AHRA and not the track. Less than a month later San Antonio dropped their AHRA sanction and signed with the IHRA.

The following race on the “Reunion Tour” which was to showcase Top Fuel, Nitro Funny Car, and other high level classes was booked for Ohio’s Marion County Raceway. The week prior to that event, AHRA management announced that the race would only be a “big buck” bracket event, and no professional racing would take place. Ironically, AHRA had committed to their “fans” in a press release that all of their racing would be done on the quarter-mile length track. At the now gutted Marion County race, the racing was announced to be eighth-mile length. According to reports, less than 50 cars showed up to race.

The Marion county race was cancelled due to weather and it was announced the race would be run on July 2-3. The only problem with that announcement was that the AHRA had scheduled a “Reunion Tour” event in Toronto, Canada on those dates. Things were now heading toward sublime.

The next event was to be held at Race City Motorsport Park in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Roughly two weeks before that event, stories were circulating that the track and the AHRA were having contractual issues. The AHRA annonucned that the race was to be postponed until the track could upgrade it’s surface. Apparently, the AHRA had agreed to provide a substantial amount of money to allow that track to complete that procedure, but the check never came, and the event never happened. 

Next up, the Toronto, Canada event met the same fate as the others before it. No professional racing, a bracket program, and later, no mention of the AHRA or anything remotely close to a large organized event. The track eventually had an independent show of their own design. 

The next race, to be held at Ohio’s Quaker City Raceway on August 6th and 7th appears to have disappeared into the vapors. There is no mention of it on the track website and instead the track is promoting a self produced event for the following week. The track is going to exceptional lengths to distance itself from the AHRA by actually putting “This is a Quaker City Race, NOT AHRA” when speaking about their self produced show. 

Lastly, there are now reports on the internet from racers who competed in the rescheduled Marion County event and earned money who are claiming that their pay checks bounced. This is being reported by several sources, not just one disgruntled racer. 

Between bounced racer checks, entry fees and membership fees paid and not honored or used, the AHRA appears to be in a complete tailspin. It was news that came as a refreshing suprise when we learned the organization and iconic name would be coming back, but the whole thing turned bad quickly. It appears that they bit off more than they could chew with an aggressive show line-up, ambitious schedule, and increased responsibility of sanctioning race tracks.

It appears that they have lost all of their sanctioned tracks, the schedule amounted to one race, and the only time anything other than bracket cars appeared was the first event. On May 27, 2010 Troy Moe proclaimed that the “AHRA is not dead”. Well, if it wasn’t dead then, it sure as hell looks like it is now.

It’s a sad way for something a lot of racers were excited about to end up. We’ll keep you posted when more details emerge about the future of the AHRA.