The International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) has been through a lot in the last ten years, starting with an all-bracket racing format approach in 2018, then being acquired by Larry Jeffers in August of 2022. In December of 2024, the owner of Larry Jeffers Race Cars would sell the IHRA to Darryl Cuttell.
Starting in March of 2025, Cuttell and the IHRA announced that they would be acquiring seven motorsports facilities, and the list of tracks would expand to over a dozen by the summer of 2026.
When the IHRA started to cut back on events and programs within a few months of their final track acquisition, some figured the bad news might also be coming in the form of the tracks being closed or sold, with the latter meaning they could be possibly cease operating as a race track.
Now, we have further details on the fate of twelve tracks (eleven of them with a drag strip on the property), and the fate of a couple may have already been decided.
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When the news initially dropped on October 6th of 2026, a list of twelve tracks, either previously acquired, or in the process of being acquired by the IHRA, were listed for auction to the highest bidder on the Tranzon website. The auction for each track is a sealed bid design, with bids due by Tuesday, November 17th at 5 p.m. central time.
Of interesting note, the properties are also listed with ‘Subject to sale prior to the auction without notice – pre-auction offers welcomed.” And as of October 22nd, announcement have been made about two of the twelve properties having a bid, or being purchased, and remaining race tracks for 2027.
The first one to hit the news was Rockingham Speedway in Rockingham, North Carolina (not the drag strip, which was not purchased by the IHRA, and remains an operational drag strip), received a rumored ten million bid by track president Kenny Nowling. On a Facebook Live stream with Nowling, an investment group was announced as making the bid, and pending due diligence and finalization, the acquisition of the track will be complete.
Nowling has also reportedly been offered the position of Speedway president for five years by the investment company. CLICK HERE for the Tranzon listing with details of the property.
The second track was just announced a few hours ago, with several sources reporting that Piedmont Dragway in Julian, North Carolina has been purchased by Greg Loflin and Terry Ferrell, with Loflin Fabrication, Highway Attachments, MR RPM Cycle and TKM Performance along as part of the effort.
IHRA had purchased the track in August of 2025, and had started on improvements and upgrades, including the racing surface, in January, 2026, which led to the cancelation of the 2026 racing season. Now, reports state that the track will get new concrete, as well as walls, upgraded lighting, and a timing system, hopefully in time to celebrate the track’s 70th anniversary for the 2027 season.
Piedmont Dragway is supposed to have more information and details coming, and will be hosting a livestream on their Facebook page on Friday, October 23rd, 2026 at noon eastern time. CLICK HERE for the Tranzon listing with details of the property.
The seven tracks that are currently (or have been in 2026) operational:
Dragway 42 in West Salem, Ohio - CLICK HERE for the Tranzon listing with property details.
National Trail Raceway in Hebron, Ohio - CLICK HERE for the Tranzon listing with property details.
Kil Kare Raceway in Xenia, Ohio; features both a quarter-mile drag strip and a three-eighths banked oval track - CLICK HERE for the Tranzon listing with property details.
Milan Dragway in Milan, Michigan - CLICK HERE for the Tranzon listing with property details.
Empire Dragway in Leicester, New York - CLICK HERE for the Tranzon listing with property details.
Galot Motorsports Park in Benson, North Carolina - CLICK HERE for the Tranzon listing with property details.
Virginia Motorsports Park in Dinwiddie, Virginia - CLICK HERE for the Tranzon listing with property details.
The three tracks that have not been operating as a race track for at least three years are:
Atlanta Dragway in Commerce, Georgia, which has been closed since late 2021, and was acquired by the IHRA in February, 2026. CLICK HERE for the Tranzon listing with details of the property.
Memphis Motorsports Park (a.k.a. Memphis International Raceway) in Memphis, Tennessee, which was closed in June of 2022, and includes both a drag strip and an oval track. CLICK HERE for the Tranzon listing with details of the property.
Heartland Motorsports Park in Topeka, Kansas, which operated for just under 25 years, before it was closed in October of 2023 due to ‘tax assessment of the property.’ The largest property listed of the auctions, the 622-acre property that includes a drag strip and a road course, as well as nearly 289 acres that is listed as ‘undeveloped, shovel-ready acreage. CLICK HERE for the Tranzon listing with more details of the property.
As a man who is looking into keeping a race track open for the 2027 season, Tom Bailey, the creator of Sick The Magazine, provided some insight on the IHRA auctions, in one of the latest Sick The Magazine videos on YouTube below:
Written by Derek Putnam. Photos courtesy of Sick the Magazine, IHRA, Piedmont Dragway, Rockingham Speedway, Scott Russell.
If you have thoughts / feedback / ideas, please e-mail us at derek@sickthemagazine.com