The International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) signed a multi-year title sponsorship agreement with Darana Hybrid at the PRI trade show as a partner to bring back Nitro Jam. It will also mean dramatic purse increases for the racers at the IHRA Summit Team and Summit SuperSeries World Finals events.
IHRA has also partnered with Speed Sport 1, one of motorsports’ leading news organizations, with its content to be aired on the live racing network. Speed Sport1, a F.A.S.T. channel with direct-to-consumer delivery, is on every streaming platform, including Amazon Prime, Pluto, Roku, Fubo and Sling.
Darana Hybrid, which first joined IHRA as a major marketing partner in May 2023, is a subcontractor for some of the most iconic brands on the planet, including Amazon, FedEx, UPS, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Kraft, Target and Walmart.
“These are huge steps in our goal with the #IHRAReturntoGlory,” IHRA President Kenny Nowling said. “We are building strategic partnerships for the long term. This is a monumental day for IHRA, our racers and track partners as we move into an exciting future.”
Three IHRA Nitro Jam events will take place in 2025, headlined by Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Mod and Mountain Motor Pro Stock classes, with zero entry fees for all of the classes. The locations and dates to be announced at a later time. For the Sportsman racers, this is also huge news with different class names moving forward.
Super Pro and Pro (former Top and Mod) winners at the IHRA World Finals will now receive $25,000. The payout for Sportsman, Motorcycle and Junior Dragster will be $12,500. Even more exciting for the Junior racers, they will now be split up into three classes — Beginner, Advanced and Master — with each winner receiving a $12,500 payout.
The winners’ purses at the IHRA Team Finals have tripled in the Super Pro and Pro classes, which now pay $7,500. The Sportsman, Motorcycle and all three Junior winners will receive $2,500. A complete list of payouts will be available later at ihraracer.com.
“We’re extremely excited to take our partnership with IHRA to the next level,” said Darryl Cuttell, Darana Hybrid CEO. “We love working with the IHRA staff and share their passion for drag racing. We also share their vision of providing incredible championship events that are second to none.”
The Speed Sport 1 announcement means IHRA content will be available to over 200 million consumers on mainstream platforms and 300 million users on every major mobile platform.
“We are extremely excited that SPEED SPORT 1 will be the television home for IHRA in 2025 and beyond,” said Joe Tripp, SPEED SPORT CEO. “IHRA is a world class series with tremendous competition — but more importantly — IHRA and its teams, tracks, sponsors and leadership all have tremendous stories to share. As America’s oldest motorsports media brand, we’ve been telling the stories of racing since 1934 and can’t wait to be part of a new era for IHRA — sharing its story with the world.”
Keep tuned into IHRA.com and our Facebook page for more exciting news coming soon.
This story was originally published on December 16, 2024. 
The post IHRA Partnerships with Darana Hybrid, Speed Sport 1 to Provide Racers Increased Purses and Opportunities to Showcase Talent first appeared on Drag Illustrated.
