Already underway at multiple facilities, the $200,000 Summit SuperSeries program is the World Championship for 10,000 IHRA Sportsman racers each season. Summit Racing Equipment, the official mail order company of IHRA, sponsors this program for thousands of grassroots racers at nearly 100 IHRA-sanctioned member tracks.
Participating tracks will crown Summit SuperSeries track champions in Top (Box), Mod (No Box) and Junior divisions. Those champions, along with qualified Summit Team Finals champions from each IHRA region, are invited to compete in the IHRA Summit World Finals in Memphis, Tenn., on Oct. 18-20, 2018.
IHRA member track owners talked about what the program means to the local racers.
“It’s a big shot in the arm and it gives the guys something to shoot for,” I-64 Motorplex promoter Tim Baldridge said. “Besides the regular points program, they get to run in Memphis. I like the way that IHRA puts them upon a pedestal and puts the red carpet out for them. I think it’s very deserving.”
The Ubly Dragway in Michigan talked about the positive experience and fellowship for everyone involved. That includes the racers, the track owners and promoters and even the IHRA officials.
“Our second year in the Summit SuperSeries, our No-Box guy won the Summit World Finals,” Ubly promoter Nick Janowiak said. “To be down there and not only to represent himself, but his community, his state, his division and us as a track, as well as me being able to be down there with him, you could feel the fun, the camaraderie and it was awesome. You don’t get that anywhere else.”
The championship prize package for the Top and Mod Division World Champions is $20,000 to win, an IHRA Gold Card, a World Championship Ironman Trophy, a World Championship diamond ring and a seven-night/eight-day vacation for two to Aruba.
The rest of the points fund is as follows: $7,000 to the runner-up, sixth-round $2,000, fifth-round $1,000, fourth-round $700, third-round $600, second-round $400 and first-round $300.
The Junior Dragster payout last season included a brand-new, turn-key dragster from American Race Cars, plus $3,000 to win. The rest of the point funds is $2,000 for runner-up, sixth-round $1,000, fifth round $800, fourth-round $500, third-round $400, second-round $350 and first round $300.
There is no entry fee for any of the Summit World Finals qualifiers and every participant at the IHRA Summit World Finals gets paid.
Tom Gall (Top; Thunder Valley Dragways), Chris Black (Mod; Quaker City Motorsports Park) and Luke Schwemier (Junior; Grand Bend Motorplex) were 2017 IHRA Summit SuperSeries World Champions.
For the racer, there’s nothing quite like going from local track champion to becoming a World Champion. The prestige even outweighs the great prize packages.
“It’s incredible, a day I never thought would happen, even driving down here,” Black said after winning the Mod championship. “It’s humbling and unreal. You’ve got the best of the best here. I love all the prizes, but I’m most proud of that Ironman trophy.”
To get in on the action, competitors simply sign up for their IHRA Member Track points program while becoming a member of IHRA or simply renewing their IHRA membership. Competitors are then issued an “X” number (the second digit of the Summit SuperSeries registered numbers is an X) and that number must appear on your car during your track’s points earning events as well as on your track’s points listing on their website. For a listing of IHRA member tracks click here.
A full series flyer and complete rules on the Summit SuperSeries can be found here. To register for the program, simply contact the IHRA membership department at 561-337-3015 to renew an existing membership or visit the online IHRA Membership page to download the membership license & number application for new members.
