10/2/2012 - News

October Madness: Countdown to championship tournament has begun

By IHRA Media
Oct 2, 2012

2011 Hot Rod World Champion Chip Johnson is one of 162 drivers in this year's tournament

With the 2012 Summit Racing Equipment Tournament of Champions presented by AMSOIL just a few days away, hundreds of drivers from all corners of the United States and Canada are gearing up for one of the biggest and most exciting weekends in International Hot Rod Association history.

And what better way to celebrate the finale another great IHRA seasaon than with the richest sportsman weekend ever as drivers go to battle for over $200,000 in cash and prizes at the IHRA Summit Racing Equipment World Finals October 12-14 at Memphis International Raceway.

This year's class of TOC qualifiers totals 162 drivers with seven spots still available at the last-chance Summit Sportsman Spectacular. Among the field are 17 former world champions combining for 31 IHRA world championships spanning 21 years from 1990 Hot Rod champion Daryl Griffin to 2011 champions Glenn Wright (TS), Gianni Cantusci (SS), Phil Combs (ST), Steve Furr (SR) and Chip Johnson (HR).

The 2012 Summit Tournament of Champions also features a diverse group of racers from 20 states and four Canadian provinces. North Carolina has the most representatives with 33 drivers, followed by Texas with 21, Florida with 16 and the Canadian province of Alberta with 16.

The weekend will begin with the $5,000 to win, last chance TOC qualifier known as the Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Spectacular presented by AMSOIL, followed by the invitation-only Summit Tournament of Champions presented by AMSOIL and Summit SuperSeries presented by AMSOIL and Moser Engineering to close the weekend.

When all is said and done over $200,000 will be distributed and 10 drivers will walk away as the 2012 class of IHRA World Champions. Just like the famous college basketball tournament in March, IHRA’s October Madness championship tournament is just as thrilling and just as nerve-racking as all of the best racers from 2012 come together in one place to compete for the world title.

For a complete breakdown of this year’s Summit Tournament of Champions field, click on the links below. We will have an in-depth look at the Summit SuperSeries field next week.

1 World Finals