NASCAR fans largely remember the Memphis Motorsports Park in Tennessee as a true spectacle for motorsports. From a drag strip with an adjacent road course, along with dirt and go-kart tracks, the D-oval had everything. NASCAR held its two races there while NHRA hosted its drag racing. Unfortunately, both sports stopped hosting those events after 2009, leaving the track sitting idle for years. Until now.

Heading into 2026, NASCAR seems to be developing a new rival in stock racing, which has now purchased the track in its goal to promote its own stock racing.

Memphis Motorsports Park could witness a new stock car racing series

Earlier this year, the International Hot Rod Association announced its stock car racing series with a $2,000,000 purse. The series will be focused on grassroots levels of racing, giving upcoming drivers exposure to short-track racing. Following this, the IHRA gave itself a Christmas present, acquiring the Memphis Motorsports Park.

But the park is no stranger to the series. The IHRA raced here for over a decade, between 2011 and 2022. In fact, it was one of the remaining major series that had any interest racing on the track, and was the last-ever series to have raced here. The track has been abandoned since 2022, with no events scheduled.

However, it is planned to be reopened in 2026, with the IHRA returning, understandably, with their new stock racing program.

“This facility aligns with IHRA’s racer-first vision and our commitment to grassroots motorsports, while also allowing the property to support diverse uses that strengthen its year-round impact,” IHRA President Leah Martin said.

This will be the first time since NASCAR left the track 16 years ago that stock car racing will return at Memphis, but, organized by the IHRA. The new racing series is expected to provide ample opportunities to the younger drivers, but are they a threat to NASCAR?

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Should NASCAR be prepared for a one-to-one competition with the IHRA?

NASCAR is the largest association running stock car racing in the USA. They expanded massively after acquiring the ARCA Menards Series in 2018, making it a ladder for the upcoming drivers to advance to their premier series.

But, with the IHRA expanding its stock racing operations, should the authorities be worried about competition?

The answer is not quite simple. There are some things to understand, and the first one is the level of racing the IHRA is looking forward to targeting. The Cup, O’Reilly Auto Parts, and the Truck Series are premier stock car racing series in the US. Meanwhile, the IHRA is more focused on grassroots levels of stock racing. Meaning it will simply be an opportunity for teams with lower budgets to focus on. 

At the same time, it will allow for new drivers to gain exposure before looking forward to options like the Cup Series or the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. One could argue that the ARCA Series doesn’t provide similar exposure. It does, but there is a massive difference.

Getting into the ARCA also requires major financial backing. It is anything but cheap. Moreover, the competition is quite fierce, as everyone is battling to the top to get into NASCAR. Meanwhile, getting into the IHRA stock racing series is expected to be easy on the finances, providing opportunities to a wide range of drivers.

Although the IHRA might not be a sudden rival to the host of the premier stock car racing series, its acquisition of the Memphis Motorsports Park speaks volumes about its expansion into stock racing.