So the IHRA has announced the Sportsman Spectacular Series format and rules for 2018. The organization is going to run 20 races over the span of 10 weekends. These are bracket style races that will have two categories of competition. Box and junior dragster. There is no dedicated no-box category for footbrake racers although they will all race each other before the final footbrake car gets placed into the box eliminations to finish the event.

The idea for the series seems to be to split the difference between the big buck, big entry fee high profile bracket races across the country and the lower paying weekly series that many people compete in at their local tracks on a week in and week out basis. The below bullet points are from the IHRA website and clearly lay out the way the series will be run. Under that you will see the release from IHRA website.

TWO RACES FOR THE PRICE OF ONE!

Pre-Entries Get B.O.G.O:  Buy Saturday’s Entry and get Sunday’s Entry FREE!

• All Purses Guaranteed.  No Minimums.
• Box, No Box and Juniors Welcome
• Summit Super Series Member Benefits
• Racer Appreciation Cookout
• Golf Cart Race
• 1st, 2nd and 3rd Round Prizes
• IHRA Ironman For Event Winners
• Big Championship Checks
• All IHRA and NHRA Credentials Accepted
• Please review individual event flyer for specific payout and race format specifics as events may be different.

EVENT FORMAT

• Box and Junior Class.
• No Box racers welcome.  Will be run separate in Box class until 1 car left.  $1,000 bonus to final No Box car.
• Dragsters vs. Dragsters and Doorcars vs. Doorcars the first 4 rounds
• No double entries.  One driver can enter 2 different cars.  Two drivers can not enter the same car.
• 1/8th Mile.  No ET Breaks
• No Box vehicles must have delay box removed.  Transbrakes and automated shifters permitted.
• Box roadsters run with dragsters
• Deep staging prohibited in all classes including Juniors
• Cross talk will be on at all times in Box
• No: downtrack stutter of any kind, wheel or driveshaft counters, traction control or slew rate control, device that transmits or relays track position datato driver or crew prohibited.
• Throttle stops prohibited.
• IHRA Rulebook will be used on anything not expressly listed on this flyer

RACE ENTRIES

• All on site entries must purchase both Saturday and Sunday entries upon arrival
• IHRA Gold Cards accepted towards main event entry
• All re-entries will run each other with the winners advancing to the next round (*see specific event flyer as this may be different depending on the event)
• No refunds after 9am each day
• No refunds of pre-entry fee after 5pm EST the Monday before the event.  You will be responsible for selling your entry after that time.
• Race lottery tickets will be sold until the end of round 3.  Two tickets will be drawn during round 4 and will come to the lanes to run each other with the winner of that race advancing to round 5.
• All valid IHRA and NHRA licenses and chassis certifications accepted.  You must be legal to run the ET you are dialing.

 RACE PROCEDURES

• The race will be run separated into No Box, Box Door cars and Box Open Bodied vehicles.  No Box cars will be called first followed by Door Cars, then Open Bodied vehicles.
  1. No Box cars will run each other untill there is one No Box car remaining.  The remaining No Box car will advance into the next round of Box and be mixed in at that point.  It is possible for there to be a No Box bye and a Box bye in the same round.
  2. Box Door Cars and Box Open Bodied will run separately for the first 4 rounds.  During any round if there is one remaining Box Door Car left they will run a Box Open Bodied car in that round.
  3. The Juniors will run vehicles 11.90 and slower separate from other entries until one 11.90 vehicle remains.  Junior 11.90 and slower vehicles will have their own bye run per round until one 11.90 Junior remains and is mixed in with the rest of the vehicles left in competition.  11.90 and slower entries must dial 11.90 or slower through out the race.
• First round bye determined by random draw of tech cards.  Remaining bye runs will be determined by best reaction time of the previous round.  In teh event of a tie, the tie breaker will be closest to dial (excluding breakouts).  If there is an even number of cars the bye run has lane choice.
• Unused bye runs do not carry over but may be earned again.
• No competitor will be allowed to have multiple bye runs unless all remaining competitors have already had one.
• racers will run teh lane they select when pulling into the lanes.  When only 1 lane of vehicles remain a card pull will determine lanes for the remaining pairs and high card gets lane choice.
• If weather shortens a race, payout will be split among the winners of the last completed round.

Here’s the full release from IHRA about their 2018 Sportsman Series –

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla – With a focus on grassroots Sportsman racing, the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) has partnered with industry leader Summit Racing Equipment to produce 20 Summit Sportsman Spectacular races over 10 double-race weekends in 2018. The Summit Sportsman Spectacular was created to provide a fun double-race weekend with increased purses that are affordable for grassroots bracket-racing competitors who support their local tracks each week. “There are plenty of big-money races currently available for competitors willing to travel and spend $300 to $1,000 per weekend on entry fees,” IHRA Vice President Skooter Peaco said. “That is not the bracket-racing program we are producing. The Summit Sportsman Spectacular events are designed with the majority of drag racers in mind. Most are looking for a fun and value-oriented event with affordable entry fees and solid payouts.” IHRA and Summit Racing Equipment have continually developed Sportsman programs like the successful Summit SuperSeries that create opportunity for the masses. The new program builds on that foundation. “These new events continue that tradition and concentrate on the weekly racers who support their local tracks,” Peaco said. “We will have an entry-fee price point that is extremely affordable and offers two events during the weekend.” The biggest value comes for anyone who pre-enters for the event online at ihra.com. All pre-entered racers will get a buy one / get one free offer to help kick off our 2018 season. When you pre-enter and buy an entry for Saturday’s race, you will get a free entry for Sunday’s race. Each IHRA partner track is working on what Saturday’s purse will be for their specific event, but all the Sunday events will be at least $5,000-to-win races. In addition to having the opportunity to get two races for the price of one, the Summit Sportsman Spectacular events feature a set of unique bonus opportunities for all current IHRA Summit SuperSeries racers. There is also an event winner, runner-up and semi-finals contingency program that is available for all IHRA members who advance to the final two rounds each day. The weekend program includes a test & tune, racer appreciation cookout and a golf cart race.  The race weekend features several rounds of prizes from some of the top name manufacturers.  IHRA Ironman trophies and large championship checks for event winners will be presented Saturday and Sunday. IHRA partner Imagine That Customs will also award a custom painted one-of-a-kind trophy helmet to one competitor at each of the 10 weekends. The races will be run as one-eighth mile events and will feature a Box class and a Junior Class. No Box cars are welcome to run and will be run separately down to one remaining No Box car before joining the Box class. The final No Box car will receive a $1,000 bonus. Door Cars and Dragsters will also be run separately in Box for the first four rounds. 11.90 and slower Junior Dragsters will be run separately down to one remaining vehicle before joining the rest of the Junior category. The Summit Sportsman Spectacular is also unique in that there will be no double entries. “If a competitor has two different vehicles they are welcome to enter them both but our events won’t allow racers to enter the same car multiple times” Peaco said. “Allowing multiple entries caters to a select few to create an unfair advantage and that is not what this series is about.” “We understand the financial gain that other events receive from allowing this but our program is about creating value and opportunity for bracket racers in different geographical regions who otherwise don’t have the chance to participate. That is one reason why we will accept any valid competition license, including NHRA licenses. There are a lot of built-in benefits and bonuses for IHRA members within these races. We encourage racers to become an IHRA members, but you don’t have to be an IHRA member to participate.” The Summit Sportsman Spectacular events will be organized and administered by IHRA Division Directors Jon O’Neal, Frank Kohutek and Josh Peake while Senior Director of Racing Operations Mike Baker continues to manage technical aspects and tech administration for the new program. The IHRA divisional staff will be on hand at each of the 10 event weekends to handle IHRA membership registration and renewals, tech and race operations in conjunction with the host facility staff. The list of host tracks, event dates, rules and online pre-entry registration will be finalized by November 30th. To become an IHRA member or renew your IHRA membership visit ihra.com. # # #