Entering his 50th year in drag racing, industry leader Bill Bader, Jr. today announced the formation of a brand-new sanctioning organization: The Sportsman Racing League (SRL). Built entirely around the needs of track owners, operators and sportsman racers, the SRL is dedicated 100 percent to revitalizing and supporting the core foundation of the sport.
As part of this launch, the SRL has acquired the rights to all existing sanction agreements previously held by the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA). Bader emphasized that the SRL operates as a completely distinct, independent entity with no affiliation or ongoing association with the IHRA.
“Sportsman racing is the heartbeat, the backbone, and the soul of drag racing,” said Bill Bader, Jr., President of the Sportsman Racing League. “For years, track owners, operators and grassroots competitors across North America have called for stable, transparent, racer-first leadership. We are launching the SRL to deliver exactly that: an organization built and run by ‘track people’ who understand the daily realities of operating a facility, managing overhead, preparing a track surface at 2 a.m., and welcoming racers and their families at the gate.
To ensure immediate operational excellence, the SRL has assembled an executive leadership team with unmatched tenure and respect across the drag racing landscape:
- Skooter Peaco: Bringing decades of proven track-relations experience, operational oversight, and rulebook stewardship to the league’s day-to-day administration.
- Jon O’Neal: Providing technical acumen, deep operational expertise, and long-standing relationships throughout the sportsman community.
- Donna Harper: Leading competitor services and member relations, continuing 25 years of trusted service to grassroots racers.
The Sportsman Racing League is founded on three distinct operational commitments:
- Unwavering Support for Track Owners and Operators: Providing genuine collaboration, innovative event programming, direct marketing support, legislative advocacy, cost-reduction initiatives, and viable business solutions designed to ensure member facilities thrive financially.
- Respect for the Sportsman Competitor: Delivering premier, national-caliber recognition, meaningful programs, and elevated prestige tailored specifically for bracket racers.
- Direct Accountability and Accessibility: Maintaining open channels of communication, accessible leadership, transparent decision-making, and active input from participating track owners, operators and racers.
“As President of the SRL, I am humbled by the road ahead,” Bader added. “Our focus will never drift from what matters most: serving our tracks and the sportsman racers loading their trailers each weekend. This marks the start of an unprecedented era in drag racing, and we are ready to get to work.”
This story was originally published on November 11, 2026.
The post Bill Bader Jr. Launches Sportsman Racing League to Champion Track Operators and Grassroots Drag Racers first appeared on Drag Illustrated.
