The Summit Super Series, IHRA’s largest and most prestigious program for weekly bracket racers, has taken the next step in the evolution of the series.  Beginning in 2016, the Summit Super Series track champions of each IHRA member track will win the right to compete in the Summit World Finals held at Memphis International Raceway on October 14-16, 2016. 

This change eliminates the traditional run-off of Summit track champions at each of the Summit Team Finals events.  It also eliminates the variations of filling a 16 car field that the series has struggled with formatting that worked for everyone.  Additionally, champions from each of the Summit Team Finals main events will be invited to the Summit World Finals to compete in the Summit Super Series World Championship race.

“Even though the IHRA team has done a great job of growing the Summit Super Series program to over 7,000 participants at nearly 100 member tracks, we tend to focus on what we can improve on, instead of what a great job we have done.  With that in mind, I gathered all the division directors in a room during the rain shortened day at this year’s Summit World Finals and we talked about the two overwhelming issues with the Summit Super Series program,” said IHRA Vice President Skooter Peaco.  “The first big problem is that the Summit Super Series field has always been tied to the track champion run-off at each of the Summit Team Finals.  This year we had three Summit Team Finals events rain out and had barely any prospects for determining a winner in each division before the World Finals.  We certainly can’t postpone the World Finals, so this year we were forced to bring the track champions in on a separate weekend in D3 and during the weekday in D1 and D9 to run those races.  Fortunately everyone was able to make it to those run-off events, but losing or postponing Summit Team Finals events severely impacts a whole bunch of people that raced all year long to win the Summit Super Series at their track.  We had to find a way to eliminate or minimize that component. 

The second major problem was that the addition or subtraction of Summit Team Finals events has always had an impact on what method we use to fill the final 8 spots in the 16 car field.  The number of open positions was constantly changing as we had to split some divisions to manage the growing number of member tracks and car counts participating at the Summit Team Finals events.  Our member track count has gone from 60 to 100 during the last several years and the Summit Super Series final spots was always a moving target based on the number of Summit Team Finals events in a given year” said Peaco.   “We had to come up with a system that would remain consistent no matter what happened at the Summit Team Finals level.”

“When we came back to the track the following day, IHRA division director Frank Kohutek pitched me an idea to simply eliminate the race at the Summit Team Finals and make one big race at the Summit World Finals.  This World Finals event would be a true gathering of the best IHRA bracket racers that we have ever seen in one place.  Each IHRA member track would be able to place its Summit Super Series champions in the running for the World Championship, which makes it more exciting and prestigious to win the Summit Super Series at your home track,” Peaco stated.  “The idea to create one big race was a fantastic idea that got all the division directors excited about the magnitude of the race.  It also solved the issues I mentioned earlier.  Since this is now a much bigger race, the twist we added was aimed at making winning the Summit Team Finals more prestigious.  To do that, we are inviting each of the Summit Team Finals main event champions to participate in the Summit Super Series World Championship race.  The only thing we are going to require of the Summit Team Finals main event champions is that they were an IHRA member with a Summit Super Series X number registration on file no later than May 1st of 2016 and valid through the Summit Team Finals in order to be eligible.  We think it is only right that all the racers competing in the Summit Super Series World Championship in Memphis were all in the program during the entire season.  If a racer doesn’t want to join the program until later in the year when they see if they are going to make their track’s Team Finals roster, then that’s still fine and they can compete at the Team Finals.  If they win the event they just won’t be eligible to come to Memphis to race in the Summit Super Series.”

“The rules package will remain the same as will the 1/8th mile format in 2016,” concluded Peaco.  A new flyer is currently in the works that will be distributed to all member tracks and posted on ihra.com along with all the Summit Super Series program details in the coming weeks.  

Summit SuperSeries Presented By AMSOIL 

This $240,000 program is the World Championship for IHRA member track sportsman racers. Summit Racing Equipment, the Official Mail Order Company of IHRA, along with AMSOIL, sponsor this revolutionary program for IHRA's thousands of grassroots racers. Providing the base for the Summit SuperSeries are the more than 100 IHRA member tracks within regional IHRA divisions. The competition is populated by Sportsman competitors, or ET Bracket Racers, who are the backbone of grassroots drag racing. The two tiers comprising the Summit SuperSeries are the Summit SuperSeries World Championship presented by AMSOIL and the Summit Team Finals.

SUMMIT SUPERSERIES WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

This program will crown a true Top (Box), Mod (No Box) and Junior Dragster World Champion.  There are two ways to gain entry into the Summit SuperSeries World Championship race.  You can qualify for the Summit SuperSeries World Championship by either winning the Summit Super Series track championship at your participating IHRA member track OR by winning the Summit Team Finals main event in your division.

1)  WIN THE SUMMIT SUPERSERIES AT YOUR PARTICIPATING IHRA TRACK.  Each track will crown a Summit SuperSeries track champion who will then move on to race at the IHRA Summit World Finals for the Summit SuperSeries World Championship presented by AMSOIL.  The Summit SuperSeries World Championship will take place October 14-16, 2016 at Memphis International Raceway.

How it works…

Summit SuperSeries Step #1

* Join the IHRA Summit SuperSeries for Top and Mod and Juniors which includes IHRA membership benefits, Summit SuperSeries license, then request a special registration number (commonly called the X Number). The second digit of the number will be the letter X. On Junior Dragsters it is the last digit. This competition membership will allow you to participate in the Summit SuperSeries at your home track.

* If you are running a car in Top (Box) and another car in Mod (No Box), you must register and get X numbers for both vehicles.

* If you have a full membership in IHRA that will be current through the 2016 season already, simply call and register for your competition or X number for $10.

 Summit SuperSeries Step #2

* Sign up for the track points at your participating IHRA Summit SuperSeries track.

Summit SuperSeries Step #3

* Race at your local IHRA track while running your Summit SuperSeries X number. Your Summit SuperSeries eligibility does not begin until you register with IHRA and run the X number as your car number at your home track. Your X number must show up on your home track points page all year long. Failure to run the X number on your car or failure of your number appearing on your home tracks point page will make you ineligible for the Summit SuperSeries even if you have a registered X number on file with IHRA. Failure to maintain a current membership all season will result in a deduction in points for the events your membership was expired.

Summit SuperSeries Step #4

* Become the Summit SuperSeries Champion as determined by your track (see your home track for details on the method they use to determine the championship as each track may be different). You will then be eligible to participate at the Summit SuperSeries World Championships during the Summit World Finals at Memphis International Raceway.

2)  WIN THE SUMMIT TEAM FINALS MAIN EVENT CHAMPIONSHIP.  Each region will host a Summit Team Finals event for every IHRA division.  Any Summit SuperSeries competitor that has an IHRA membership and “X” number registered and valid according to IHRA records from at least May 1, 2016 through your division’s Summit Team Finals event and can win the Summit Team Finals main event championship in their division will become eligible for the Summit SuperSeries World Championship race. 

To be considered eligible after winning the Summit Team Finals main event, a competitor will be verified by IHRA as having met Step #1 through Step #3 above, no different than the Summit SuperSeries track champion had to have met in order to be eligible.  A 14 day renewal grace period will be granted for X number registrations that expire between May 1st and your Summit Team Finals event.  If your registration is not renewed within a 14 day period from the expiration date you will not be eligible for the Summit Super Series World Championship should you win the Summit Team Finals. 

Participant Guidelines

1) Summit SuperSeries points will not begin until you are registered with BOTH IHRA and your local track and running your X number on your vehicle with it appearing on your home tracks points page.

2) Racers in Top, Mod, Street, Bike and Junior Dragster are eligible.

3) Participants may NOT change car number or class after running their first SSS event.

4) A racer may compete for the Summit SuperSeries track championship at more than one track. Should one racer win the SSS championship at two different tracks, they will have to declare the track they will represent prior to the Summit Team Finals. Once the track has been selected, the remaining tracks will be able to submit their next highest eligible SSS competitor as their representative at the Team Finals. A racer may only represent one track at one Team Finals with regard to the SSS championship run-off.

5)  There are no substitutions for a Summit SuperSeries track champion or for a Summit Team Finals champion if that competitor chooses not to attend the Summit World Finals. The only way a track could replace their Summit SuperSeries track champion is based on the criteria of Participant Guideline #4 (above)

6) The race for the World Championship will be run on an 1/8 mile format. Crosstalk will be used and will always be active in Top. The use of trans brakes, two steps and automated shifters in the Mod category is permitted. The use of Delay boxes is prohibited in Mod. Throttle stops are not permitted in either class. The use of nitrous is permitted in both the Top and Mod classes. If a bike or sled wins they will run against cars.

7) The competitors will be run on a random pull card system until a ladder is generated at 16 cars.  If there is a bye run it will go to the best reaction time from qualifying (if for 1st round) or from the previous elimination round during eliminations. Lane choice will be determined from the lane you choose or if there are only one lane of cars left by an IHRA official card pull.

8) IHRA Motorsports employees, team members, staff and IHRA track owners/operators/ managers are not eligible.

9) 2015 IHRA TOC World Champions and NHRA World Champions are not eligible.

10) “Gifted Rounds” are not permitted. Racers receiving 'dives' or 'gifted' rounds as determined solely by IHRA will be disqualified. To take advantage of the Summit SuperSeries program, please see the track manager of your local IHRA track for complete registration details.