Summit Tournament Of Champions Presented By AMSOIL
The Summit Racing Equipment Tournament of Champions is the sport’s first nationwide tournament to determine the champions in each of the premier sportsman classes in IHRA competition today. Debuting in 2009, the Summit Tournament of Champions has grown exponentially over the past few years and with the recent partnership with automotive retailer Summit Racing Equipment, the Summit Tournament of Champions will only continue to grow and hold its place as the nation’s premier sportsman event.
The rules are simple – have a good year on the track by either winning a Summit Tournament of Champions qualifying event or by finishing in the top three in your respective Summit Pro-Am division and you qualify for the year-end championship tournament. Once there, all qualified drivers in their respective classes will go head-to-head for the world championship with the winner being determined on the track and not by out-traveling the competition. This revolutionary format not only reduces costs financially for IHRA racers, but it rewards all drivers who have had a successful year with a level playing field where experience, location and finances do not matter in determining the world champions and the national top 10 in Top Sportsman, Top Dragster, Super Stock, Stock, Quick Rod, Super Rod and Hot Rod.
This format provides an incredible value for the racers who can only attend the Nitro Jam national event closest to them. It also provides opportunity for those who can run more than one event, as each Nitro Jam event becomes a new opportunity to qualify for the world championship race. Finally, the format gives regional racers an opportunity to be further rewarded for a top three finish on the Summit Pro-Am divisional level by moving on to the exclusive championship event.
By creating a tournament structure, competitors can choose one or multiple events to attempt to qualify for the world championship race without the financial commitment of maximizing claims and having to follow the tour. With the new tournament system in place, the competitors who live in areas where there is only one Nitro Jam national event close to them now have just as much of a chance at competing for the world championship as anyone else. Geography and gas prices no longer dictate who can participate in the sportsman world championship program. The tournament system also eliminates the variables such as the size of the events and the division in which an event was contested. A win is worth the same at every Summit Tournament of Champions qualifying event.
To further expand this tournament format and populate the world championship race with a true cross section of the best racers from all over North America, there will be multiple ways to qualify for the IHRA World Finals.
1) All Summit Pro-Am division champions will automatically qualify for the Summit Tournament of Champions. Summit Pro-Am division champions will also earn a first round bye in the tournament.
2) In each Summit Pro-Am division, the #2 and #3 points finishers in each class will qualify for the Summit Tournament of Champions.
3) All IHRA class winners at all Summit Tournament of Champions qualifying races will earn entry into the world championship race. This includes designated Nitro Jam events, Summit Sportsman Spectacular events and designated Summit Pro-Am divisional qualifiers.
The world championship race will consist of a true cross section of the best drivers from every region of the United States and Canada that IHRA visits. All of these winners will meet during the IHRA World Finals to battle it out in head-to-head competition. The world championship can now be decided on the track and not by where you live or the costs associated with racing.
HOW IT WORKS
1. The competitors in each class can qualify for the Summit Tournament of Champions race by winning a Nitro Jam national event, a TOC qualifying event, a Summit Pro-Am division championship or by finishing 2nd or 3rd in your Summit Pro-Am division.
2. The 1st round ladder will be generated using only the drivers that show up to compete at the IHRA World Finals (less any division champions – see below). Example: If 28 drivers show up in Hot Rod, then a 28-car ladder will be created.
3. Each class’s ladder at the Summit Tournament of Champions will be generated via reaction time from the class’s final qualifying time prior to the race. The higher qualified car has lane choice in round one. In all subsequent rounds, the best winning reaction time will have lane choice.
4. All Summit Pro-Am division champions will earn a 1st-round bye run and be inserted into the second round. The 2nd round ladder will be re-generated based on 1st round reaction time of the 1st round winners and any 1st round actual bye runs.
5. A competitor may not have more than one spot on the ladder in the same class regardless of how many events they win. For example: Competitor John Doe wins the Nitro Jam at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park in Stock and a TOC event in Stock. John Doe would only have one spot on the ladder in Stock.
6. A competitor MAY qualify for the Summit Tournament of Champions in a maximum of two different classes, but may not drive the same car in two classes during the race.
a) If a competitor was to win 3 Tournament of Champions events in 3 different classes, then the first 2 Tournament of Champions events that competitor won would determine the eligibility for the race.
b) If a competitor was to win 2 Tournament of Champions events in 2 different classes, then went on to win a division championship in a 3rd class, the eligibility for the race would become the class that the division championship was won in plus the 1st Tournament of Champions event class the competitor won.
c) Any division championship won would always become the primary class and ladder position the competitor would qualify in.
7. The final national order (World Championship through 10th place) will be determined by head-to-head racing. The winner of the race at the IHRA World Finals will be the national champion, the runner-up will be #2 nationally; the semi-finalists will be #3 and #4 nationally etc. #3 through #10 will be determined by best reaction time when the competitor is eliminated. The end of the year championship payout will be earned by the competitor’s finish during the IHRA World Finals. Ties will be broken by best package.
8. The Summit Tournament of Champions race will be contested on the 1/4 mile.
9. The Summit Tournament of Champions in Top Dragster and Top Sportsman will follow the 1/4 mile Nitro Jam format and rules (wing requirement, maximum dial requirement, etc).
WHAT IT PAYS
Top Sportsman and Top Dragster
$10,000 – World Champion (winner)
$4,000 - #2 (runner-up)
$1,500 - #3 and #4 (semifinals) Plus $300 Summit Gift Card
$750 - #5 and #6 (quarterfinals) Plus $250 Summit Gift Card
$500 - #7 and #8 Plus $200 Summit Gift Card
$250 - #9 and #10 Plus $150 Summit Gift Card
Super Stock, Stock, Quick Rod, Super Rod & Hot Rod
$10,000 – World Champion (winner)
$3,000 - #2 (runner-up)
$1,000 - #3 and #4 (semifinals) Plus $300 Summit Gift Card
$500 - #5 and #6 (quarterfinals) Plus $250 Summit Gift Card
$500 - #7 and #8 Plus $200 Summit Gift Card
$250 - #9 and #10 Plus $150 Summit Gift Card
*Frequently Asked Questions*
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2011 TOC NATIONAL TOP 10
TOP SPORTSMAN
CHAMPION: Glenn Wright
2. Al Burkett
3. Rob Harvishak
4. Robert Jones
5. Matthew Buck
6. Bill Wilson
7. Mark Payne
8. Calvin Butler
9. Rick McDonough
10. James Wyatt
TOP DRAGSTER
CHAMPION: J.B. Donati
2. Austin Cowan
3. Ed Smith
4. David Barr
5. Brett Nesbitt
6. Randy Kelley
7. Shane Maddox
8. Wesley Washington
9. Don Aydelott
10. Stacy Hall
SUPER STOCK
CHAMPION: Gianni Cantusci
2. Gilbert Johnson Jr.
3. Anthony Bertozzi
4. Pete D’Agnolo
5. Aaron Allison
6. Brien Radley
7. Brandon Peterson
8. Mark Faul
9. Donn Rhode
10. David Latino
STOCK
CHAMPION: Phil Combs
2. Brent Darroch
3. Michael Beard
4. Clint Blezien
5. Aaron Allison
6. Terry Taylor
7. B.J. Bianchi
8. Scott Richardson
9. Myron Piatek
10. Nick Folk
QUICK ROD
CHAMPION: Barry Ryan
2. Nick Folk
3. Brett Nesbitt
4. Clayton Nance
5. Allen Lowery
6. Steve Corker
7. Ed Toolis
8. Jeremy Mason
9. John Dustin
10. Tommy Cable
SUPER ROD
CHAMPION: Steve Furr
2. Donald Webb
3. Cameron Manuel
4. T.G. Paschal
5. Charlie Stewart
6. Craig Porter
7. Arlie Boggs
8. Dave Klomps
9. Ricky Bayus
10. Kip Guenzel
HOT ROD
CHAMPION: Chip Johnson
2. Donald Webb
3. Brian Crumpler
4. Jamie Goodman
5. Matthew Robinson
6. Ricky Roe
7. Andrew Stirk
8. Steve Dweck
9. Glenn Ferguson
10. Greg Fowler