After losing the NHRA to Fox last year, ESPN signed a four-year revenue-sharing deal with a smaller drag racing outfit, the Int'l Hot Rod Association. The deal will put IHRA races and shoulder programming on ESPN’s digital platform, ESPN3, though IHRA execs say they hope some programming migrates to TV eventually. “We bring avids, who are not only fans, but also participants in the sport,” said Chris Lencheski, Vice Chair & CEO of IHRA parent company IRG Sports & Entertainment. “As we move into the future, the hope is that it will be TV and digital, depending on what the partners want.” The agreement begins Feb. 4-5 with the start of the IHRA drag racing season at Immokalee (Fla.) Regional Raceway. ESPN, which stopped carrying IHRA races in ’99, has committed to carry at least 240 hours of drag racing coverage each year. Pilson Communications President Neal Pilson represented the IHRA in negotiating the deal, which took a year to come together.
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ESPN3's IHRA Summit Sportsman National Championship Schedule
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DATE
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VENUE
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Feb. 4-5
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Immokalee (FL) Regional Raceway
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Feb. 11-12
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Palm Beach Int'l Raceway
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March 4-5
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State Capital Raceway (Baton Rouge)
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March 18-19
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San Antonio Raceway (Marion, TX)
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March 25-26
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Darlington (SC) Dragway
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May 6-7
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Maryland Int'l Raceway (Budds Creek, MD)
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June 3-4
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State Capital Raceway (Baton Rouge)
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June 10-11
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US 131 Motorsports Park (Martin, MI)
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June 24-25
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Piedmont Dragway (Julian, NC)
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July 8-9
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Keystone Raceway Park (New Alexandria, PA)
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Aug. 19-20
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Memphis Int'l Raceway
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Sept. 2-3
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Carolina Dragway (Aiken, SC)
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Sept. 23-24
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Dragway 42 (Salem, OH)
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