IHRA: Stars add to shine of World Series of Drag Racing

With the announcement that Del Worsham and Shirley Muldowney will be at the 63rd annual World Series of Drag Racing Presented by Sunoco and the Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau, this is a good time to take a quick look at the participating track: Memphis International Raceway.

First, a note about Shirley Muldowney, the First Lady of drag racing, who won her first national event with the IHRA in its debut season. RACER.com and several media outlets reported that she had undergone lung surgery for what was believed to be lung cancer. Fortunately, not only did she not need the entire lung removed, but Muldowney's tumor turned out to non-cancerous (albeit infected). Muldowney reported on her Facebook page that she's home and recuperating.

This event is the biggest of the year at Memphis International Raceway. Muldowney and Worsham join six-time IHRA Top Fuel world champion and local native Clay Millican; current and two-time NHRA Pro-Stock world champion and two-time K&N Horsepower Challenge winner Erica Enders-Stevens; "The King of Dragsters" Don "Big Daddy" Garlits; father-son duo Tim and Daniel Wilkerson; and three-time NHRA Top Fuel champion Larry Dixon. It's on August 26-27.

And where is it happening? Memphis International Raceway, located in Millington, Tennessee, just north of Memphis. It was formerly known as Memphis Motorsport Park, and opened in 1987 with a quarter-mile drag strip and a 1.8-mile road course. A three-quarter-mile paved oval track was added later.

The facility passed through several owners, but seems to have settled into a successful rhythm since IRG Sports + Entertainment (IRSE) acquired the track; their family of companies includes the IHRA, the International Drag Bike League and four tracks (Maryland, Memphis, Cordova and Palm Beach). NASCAR raced at the oval track for several years with the Camping World Truck and Xfinity series, but Memphis fans seem far more attuned to drag racing.

Of course, the World Series of Drag Racing isn't all that's going on at MIR. There are often as many as four events in one week. Typical is the second week in June, when there's a Test and Tune on Thursday, Match Race Mayhem on Friday, and Madness Motorcycle Grudge Fest on Satuday. There are sanctioned events like the IHRA Summit Pro Am Tour this month, and the Summit Bracket Racing Series twice in July.

Memphis International Raceway is an ideal place for the World Series of Drag Racing, but the track staff works hard to make MIR a local destination for drag racers every week. For more information, log on to RaceMIR.com.