IHRA Notebook: New offices, new executive

IRG Sports + Entertainment (IRGSE) and the International Hot Rod Association have relocated to new and larger offices in West Palm Beach, Florida. The IHRA has also added a marketing and team servicing office in Indianapolis. The new office space will assist the recent and continuing growth of both companies as well as give the IHRA a presence in the Indianapolis market to assist with planning for next season and beyond.

"The move to new office space and the opening of an Indianapolis office will allow us to increase our capabilities in key areas that align with our current and future growth plans," said IRGSE vice chairman and CEO Chris Lencheski. "The new space and location will also allow us to expand our core executive teams in supporting the growth we are experiencing within the IHRA as evidenced by our larger role in Australia and pending agreements elsewhere."

The IRGSE and IHRA headquarters is located on the 11th floor of the Florida Community Bank building in West Palm Beach. The move is effective immediately and the new address is 1555 Palm Beach Lakes Blvd., West Palm Beach, Florida 33401. In addition, the new IHRA Indianapolis opened on Wednesday, August 17 and is positioned in downtown Indianapolis at 201 North Illinois Street, 16th Floor - South Tower, Indianapolis, Indiana, 46204.

IRGSE chief revenue officer Shawn Hackman and Dana Landry, IHRA director of new business & industry relations, will oversee the Indianapolis location as well as several key IHRA employees.

Speaking of Dana Landry: In just under a year, the IHRA has grown its business exponentially and furthered its reach into international markets. That growth has prompted the addition last week of veteran motorsports executive Dana Landry as the IHRA director of new business, industry and contingency relations.

He has joined the organization to further develop the IHRA's growing portfolio of national and international sponsorship partners and assist with contingency sales across all IRGSE-owned properties. He will be responsible for generating new business revenue with regional, national and international companies through the integrated packaging of IHRA and IRGSE assets. Landry is also responsible for the overall management of existing corporate partnerships including the development of new revenue opportunities, creating value added opportunities and scaling up the new sponsorship contingency plans for the IHRA as it grows.

Landry brings with him almost two decades of business experience in the motorsports industry. Prior to joining the IHRA, Landry worked at SMI-owned Bristol Motor Speedway where he worked primarily with Bristol Dragway and assisted with integrated strategy, development and execution of all Speedway and ancillary events.

In addition, his motorsports portfolio includes working with such leading brands as NASCAR, SUBWAY restaurants, PepsiCo, NAPA Auto Parts, Viacom (MTV and TNN) and he spent six years with Catalyst Public Relations managing agency account teams for multiple clients.

RIP John Furr: Three-time IHRA world champion John Furr died recently, and he is remembered with respect by IHRA Vice President Scooter Peaco: "When I started chasing points in the IHRA Hot Rod category in 2002, John was still the benchmark of the category and certainly someone I both admired and never wanted to race first round. John was one of the competitors who embodied everything that made IHRA sportsman racing great."

Furr won three world championships in the Hot Rod class (1992, 1993 and 1996), and was second in points in 2007.