Racers Enjoying Time at IHRA SuperSeries World Finals

STEELE, Ala. — Racers are competing for the most prestigious championship in bracket racing this weekend at the IHRA SuperSeries World Finals at Alabama International Dragway.

Drivers and riders will vie for IHRA SuperSeries World Championships in five classes — Top (Box), Mod (No Box), Sportsman, Motorcycle and Junior Dragster.

Racers qualified through the IHRA SuperSeries points at their home track, some through the IHRA Team Finals and others by winning their class at an IHRA Sportsman Spectacular. There are also former 2024 IHRA SuperSeries World Champions, such as Wesley Lockhart.

We caught up with a few of the competitors, including Lockhart, during eliminations for Friday’s Race of Champions. They were thrilled to be part of the World Finals weekend and praised IHRA owner Darryl Cuttell for hosting the prestigious event.

“It’s good to be back. I’ve been to the World Finals a few years in a row,” Lockhart said. “All of them have been good, but I think Darryl is in it for the long haul. The race track is great, as smooth as glass, just been hard for me to find the tree today.”

Van Greer, the son of former IHRA Funny Car winner Shirl Greer, qualified through the IHRA Division 8 (South) Team Finals at Rocket City Dragway. Van, a longtime competitor himself who’s won his share of big races, talked about what it meant to be at the World Finals.

“It means so much because you race all the champions, the bracket final winners,” Greer said. “You had to win something big to get here. There are no easy rounds at these races. I’m glad to see IHRA back. Darryl is doing a great job.”

Bailey Pichette made his way to the World Finals by winning the track championship at the historic Great Lakes Dragaway in Wisconsin. Pichette is the driver of a specially designed 1965 Ford Falcon with a stock block 521 engine to honor Vietnam Veterans.

He praised his home track for the 2025 season as well as Alabama International Dragway as the host facility for the World Finals.

“This year, it means more to me than ever. It’s my first time back in four years with a new car,” Pichette said. “Everything just clicked perfectly. To race at Great Lakes, I haven’t found any place better than that. We love the people there, and everyone is family. This track is amazing too. It bites hard, is smooth like glass, and we have a great pit area.”

Roger Spencer was the IHRA SuperSeries track champion at Elk Creek Dragway in Virginia. Now in his 50s, he started racing when he was 10 years old. To participate in the IHRA World Finals is the highlight of his long racing career.

“This is awesome, a great feeling to be a part of it,” Spencer said. “There’s a lot of competition at Elk Creek so that helps where you’re racing here against all these drivers.”

In addition to Friday’s Race of Champions, the fun-filled weekend included Thursday’s special golf cart races. Caden Richards beat Joseph Barney in the final round. Gerald Enox and Adam Rodgers reached the semifinals.

Keep checking out IHRA.com and our social media pages throughout the weekend for more action from the IHRA SuperSeries World Finals.