Drivers will all be racing on the 1/8-mile vying to win special black powder-coated IHRA Ironman trophies, big checks and a re-designed IHRA medal. Kuhnle Motorsports Park put together some index races last season which went over well so this is a natural progression. 

“Everybody has been asking for something like this,” Kuhnle Motorsports Park President Tony Trianfante said. “Everybody loves the bracket races and going to the finals, but this adds a whole new element, getting back to the old days of the IHRA.”

Trianfante is always doing his best to entertain the crowd. He even got behind the wheel of the fire-breathing Kuhnle Jet Semi truck in September to rocket down the track at 197.12 mph. He plans to do it again at the IHRA Hot Rod Classic.

Kuhnle Motorsports Park also had a great season with the IHRA Summit SuperSeries program. Bob Cireddu (Top), Robert Painter (Mod), Mike Thompson (Motorcycle) and Asher Cueni (Junior Dragster) earned track points to represent KMP at the 2023 IHRA Summit World Finals presented by Strange Engineering.

Three of those classes — Top, Mod and Junior — will be part of the IHRA Hot Rod Classic. Trianfante talked about Kuhnle Motorsports Park working with the IHRA including CEO and Owner Larry Jeffers and President Mel Roth.

“Our first year with IHRA couldn’t have went any better. Larry, Mel and those guys are fantastic,” Trianfante said. “If you’ve got any kind of question, they’re in tune with the racers. They know what we need and that’s what any good organization should have. An organization run by racers is far more efficient and that’s what we have now.”

If you have any questions about the Hot Rod Classic, please contact IHRA President Mel Roth at mel@ihra.com. Stay tuned to the IHRA website and social media pages over the coming days for more exciting announcements about these and other events.