ROCKINGHAM — Richmond County’s legendary oval track has one less event on its 2026 schedule.
The International Hot Rod Association announced Monday evening that it is canceling the remainder of its Stock Car Series for this year.
“This decision was not made lightly,” reads a press release on the series’ social media page. “After a thorough review of our operations, resources, and long-term objectives, IHRA believes the responsible course of action is to pause the series and dedicate our full attention to building a stronger, more sustainable Stock Car program for 2027.”
The Rock was initially scheduled to be the site of the season’s final race on Oct. 17. Other upcoming races on that schedule were: July 25 at Pulaski County Motorsports Park in Virginia; Aug. 22 at Darana-Memphis Motorsports Park in Tennessee; and Sept. 26 at Newport Speedway, also in Tennessee.
On June 23, however, IHRA announced a schedule revision that moved the Memphis date to Tri County Speedway in Granite Falls. That schedule also moved the September race to Virginia’s Lonesome Pine Raceway and the October event to Pulaski, with the Rockingham race on Nov. 14.
The rest of the cancellation announcement reads as follows:
Rather than present events that do not meet the standards our competitors, promoters, sponsors, and fans deserve, we believe it is more important to take our time and invest our resources into creating a championship-caliber series that can return with a solid foundation and a clear vision for the future.
“This is about making the right decision for the long-term health of the IHRA Stock Car Series,” said IHRA and not just a couple events in 2026. “Our responsibility is not simply to put races on the schedule, it is to provide a professional, competitive, and well-supported championship. We believe taking this time to reset and build the series properly will allow us to return in 2027 stronger than ever.”
IHRA will spend the coming months working closely with racers, track owners, promoters, and industry partners to develop a long-term plan that strengthens the Stock Car program and positions it for sustained growth.
We sincerely thank our racers, teams, sponsors, officials, track partners, and fans for their continued support and patience during this transition. We look forward to sharing our vision for 2027 in the months ahead as we work to build a stronger future for IHRA Stock Car racing.
The stock car cancellation came just three days after the IHRA announced that it was canceling the rest of its Nitro Outlaw Drag Racing Series.
On June 29, the IHRA announced a revision to its powerboat racing schedule, “as well as all other IHRA disciplines, as the organization continues making significant adjustments to budgets that were exceeded early in the season.”
However, the IHRA said on July 14 that it would not promote the Sheboygan Midwest Challenge in August, with champions being decided based on the standings following the event in mid-June.
“Our goal had been to complete the 2026 Offshore National Championship season with one final event for our racers, teams, partners, and fans,” reads a press release. “However, after a comprehensive review of our offshore operations, IHRA has determined it is unable to continue as the event promoter.”
On Dec. 31, the sanctioning body announced that it had purchased Rockingham Speedway — making it the third IHRA-owned track in North Carolina, along with Piedmont Dragway and the former GALOT Motorsports Park. The latter was renamed Darana Motorsports Park.
Mike Phillips was named general manager of the Rock in February.
The IHRA also bought: Milan Dragway in Michigan; Dragway 42, National Trail Raceway and Kil-Kare Dragway in Ohio; Heartland Motorsports Park in Kansas; Maple Grove Raceway in Pennsylvania; Virginia Motorsports Park; Empire Dragway in New York; Atlanta Dragway; and the aforementioned Memphis track.
Several motorsports media outlets recently reported that Heartland, another former NASCAR track, had been listed for sale on CBRE — the same site that listed the Rock in 2025 — as a data center site but the listing was later removed.
Competition Plus later reported that the listing was from early 2024 —before it was acquired by the IHRA.
Leadership of the IHRA has been a revolving door since the organization was bought in December 2024 by Darana Hybrid owner Darryl Cuttle.
Kenny Knowling had been named president in October of 2024, prior to the purchase by Cuttle. However, he was replaced by Rich Schaefer the following January —who was gone by April.
Based on their respective LinkedIn profiles, there appears to be a three-month gap from April to July between Schaeffer and Josh Peake.
Leah Martin made history in December 2025 as the first woman to lead a motorsports sanctioning body in the country. But her time at the top reportedly came to an abrupt end in May during a boat racing event in Florida.
At least two media outlets reported that she had been replaced by Tommy Thomassie — who reportedly resigned as executive vice president and director of powerboating the previous month.
Dustin Farthing was officially named as the new president on May 19.
In a press release, Farthing said his goal, “along with the new leadership team, is to build a sustainable foundation that allows us to grow responsibly. We remain committed to treating our racers and fans with the respect and support they deserve. That means making thoughtful decisions today that protect and strengthen the organization for the long term.”
In addition to welcoming back NASCAR for the second consecutive year, Rockingham Speedway has hosted MB Drift as well as several car and truck shows.
The only remaining events the RO is aware of for the 2026 season are MB Drift’s Summer Matsuri this weekend, the final two rounds of competition Sept. 26-27, and Halloween Havoc Oct. 24-25.
