If you drop a rock in the United States, there’s a good chance it will drop on a NASCAR fan. The iconic stock racing series is the premier motorsports division of the United States. No other racing series has managed to beat NASCAR when it comes to popularity and sheer scale of the audience. But the NASCAR management doesn’t run on fame and support alone. It also has an aggressive strategy towards competition.

The fans may attribute NASCAR’s dominance to the quality of racing and the way it has framed the sport. But it should be noted that NASCAR is particularly hostile towards competition. The best example of this was seen in the recent charter lawsuit, where the trial exposed NASCAR’s increasingly hostile stance toward Tony Stewart’s SRX and other rival series. Now, one of the NASCAR veterans, Mark Martin, came forward to reveal a similar ugly truth behind the business policies of the France family’s monopoly.

Mark Martin discusses NASCAR’s aggressive blowback policy against other competitions

There’s a good chance you remember the International Race of Champions–Richard Petty racing in a Porsche against legendary drivers of the same caliber. For the fans, the IROC offered something fresh and raw. It was completely random and featured equally competitive machinery for every driver. In theory, it was a raw proving ground. There were no ifs and buts involved, and every driver had an equal chance to win the race.

Ray Evernham had the brilliant idea to revive the IROC. That means our favorite champions would race once again on the same track, leading to some amazing moments of racing action between generations. Unfortunately, it would also mean that NASCAR’s viewership would come under pressure.

As Mark Martin says in the latest episode of Racers Unchained, “They tried to do that IROC event last year that they did up at Limerock. They wanted to do it at Charlotte at the Roval. NASCAR squashed that. Yeah. They don’t want anybody; they don’t want any competition. They don’t want anything. So, that’s really sad.

“I would love to see the IROC series get a four-race thing going again as they did back in the day, but they’re really fighting an uphill battle because, most team owners outside of NASCAR for sure would not allow them to go drive any brand…And I just wish we hadn’t got away from that. But things are really complicated. It’ll be a real challenge for Ray to get the series back up and going and have it really thrive…”

Also, nowadays, motorsports is more than racing. It’s also about ‘brand identity.’ The outrageous sponsorship money that teams and drivers receive prompts them to stick with one manufacturer or one particular color scheme. As such, if any current champion were to participate in this race, they would immediately end up in legal trouble with their sponsors. So the premise of champion drivers going toe to toe in the same cars was once again left unfinished.

The recent leakage of the dedicated audience has prompted some former racers to create their own racing series. Tony Stewart is one of them. Tony Stewart and Ray Evernham joined hands to create Superstar Racing Experience (SRX). The series was mostly run on short tracks using stock cars that were identical for most competitors. However, as a result of its premise and its choice, it drew direct heat from NASCAR. The two series often clashed, and NASCAR did not accept its existence as a separate stock car racing series.

The first season of the series included appearances from Tony Stewart, Bobby Labonte, Bill Elliott, Michael Waltrip, Chase Elliott, Greg Biffle, and Kyle Busch. These people are not just racers; they are legends with a dedicated fan following. It was natural that their fans would follow along and try to watch SRX. Ultimately, NASCAR’s harsh policies ensured the steady decline and complete shutdown of SRX.

However, the monopolistic dominance of NASCAR and the France family brings us to another question…

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Is there a new challenger waiting to clash with NASCAR in the upcoming years?

If you are a dedicated motorsports fan in America, chances are that you already know what is brewing behind the scenes. There is a certain series that has started gaining attention among fans and businesses alike. It recently acquired one of the classic tracks that NASCAR abandoned, but fans wanted to see back in action.

Yes, we are talking about the International Hot Rod Association. The IHRA recently bought out the Rockingham ‘The Rock’ Speedway. But what’s more important in this case is not the buyout itself. It is the fact that they snatched the track right under the nose of NASCAR.

The Rockingham oval was once abandoned by NASCAR, but the recent developments on track prompted the series to return with Xfinity (O’Reilly Auto Parts) and Truck series events on the track.

While fans were wondering if there would be a Cup Series race at The Rock, IHRA swooped in and took over the ownership of the circuit. This news comes in after they take control of the Memphis and Heartland speedways as well. It’s clear that they are onto something. And what about fans?

The fans are equally ecstatic about the same. They are wholeheartedly supporting IHRA as a competition against NASCAR. Their latest track is an oval, which prompts us to ponder–will IHRA launch its own stock car racing division soon? Give us your opinion regarding the same.