In Scott Woodruff’s view, drag racing should be more than two cars battling down the strip. It should be a weekend that feels alive — where families gather, kids laugh, veterans are honored, and the smell of nitro mixes with funnel cakes and Ferris wheel lights.
That belief has become the driving force behind the new direction of the International Hot Rod Association. As one of IHRA’s newest executives, Woodruff has become known for his “make it happen” approach — a phrase his team says isn’t a slogan, it’s a daily expectation.
“Well, first and foremost, we’re in the entertainment business,” Woodruff said. “So it’s all about having more entertainment for people at the track and having different things that interest them and bringing that all together at one facility.”
This weekend, that philosophy will come to life as the IHRA closes its season at Darana Motorsports Park in Dunn, N.C., formerly GALOT Motorsports Park. The Outlaw Nitro Series finale is part drag race, part festival, and fully intentional — a bold example of the IHRA’s effort to reimagine what a motorsports event can be.
Saturday’s schedule includes a Veterans Appreciation Day, complete with complimentary snacks, bottled water, and a patriotic flag delivery by Team Fastrax. Veterans and active-duty military will be admitted free, a gesture that reflects the organization’s focus on family and community.
More than 500 race cars are expected to fill the property, joined by jet cars, jet trucks, and off-track attractions designed to make fans say “wow.” As Woodruff put it, “We’re here to do things differently.”
“What we’ve been able to do in a short period of time is because we’ve got a great group of people working together and all going the same direction,” Woodruff said. “When we sit down and collaborate about ideas, this is the kind of stuff that happens, a Ferris wheel, bull riding.”
“I mean, it’s pretty awesome. It’s really awesome. It’s fun,” Woodruff said. “We take a lot of input from drivers, from fans, from partners, and really just trying to exceed people’s expectations.”
“I think it’s more about family than it is about anything else,” he said. “It’s about your racing family and your biological family coming together and enjoying something together.”
“A racetrack needs to be a safe place to be on and off the track,” Woodruff said. “Nothing makes me happier at a racetrack than seeing families racing, and maybe the young kids aren’t focused on the racing. They’re focused on being kids.”
“Because of the way the racing community works,” he said, “somebody, a friend of yours, a friend of a friend or somebody always is kind of keeping an eye on the kids and what they’re doing. And I think that’s part of being a safe place on and off the racetrack.”
Woodruff’s words reflect the direction the IHRA is taking — one where community, creativity, and comfort matter just as much as competition.
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The weekend presentation follows that philosophy with deliberate attractions and cleaner, sharper venue touches. Woodruff describes the process as collaborative and direct.
“I think the Ferris wheel, I can’t remember who brought it up, whether it was D’Arcy [Gribbin] or Darrell,” he said. “It was one of the two of them.”
“And then when we started talking about it, I think Darrell just said, ‘Hey, make it happen.’ And that’s his favorite thing to say, is make it happen,” Woodruff said.
“D’Arcy did the research on it, found out what it was, found out how quick we could get one, and made it happen,” he said.
“It does,” Woodruff said when asked if that order fits his approach. “And him and I are very similar in just some of the different conversations that we’ve had. We’re both very clean freaks, neat freaks, everything’s got a place.”
“Coming with him to facilities before we have events is awesome because he points out all the things he wants gone,” Woodruff said. “He points out all the things he wants replaced. He points out all the things he wants painted.”
“And he’s assembled an incredible group of people to make it happen,” Woodruff said. “It’s a great visual at night.”
“It just kind of sets a visual tone and it’s a reminder that we’re here to do things differently,” he said. “They should expect to see a lot of cars.”
“I think we’ll have over 500 cars here on the property,” Woodruff said. “Lots of different classes, some jet cars, some jet rigs, just stuff that’s going to make you say wow, and stuff that’s going to make you want to come back and come and visit a facility like this again.”
“This is the first time I’ve been at Galot,” he continued. “And we’ve got a huge stage in the back where we could have a music festival here.”
“I’ve reached out to friends of mine that were in some of the big hair bands of the 80s and was working the phone yesterday asking them, ‘Hey, what do you think about doing a music festival here?’” he said.
“The three different people I talked to were all like, ‘Wow,’” Woodruff said. “I said, ‘We can do pavement parking. We could do motor homes. We could do an activation area. We can do all kinds of stuff.’”
“This is just, a racetrack is nothing but a blank canvas,” Woodruff said. “And how you decide to paint it is 100% up to you.”
“And we have no lines in how we need to do stuff,” he said. “When we sit down and collaborate about ideas, this is the kind of stuff that happens.”
The finale’s schedule aligns the on-track show with those broader touches. Veterans programming runs in parallel with class racing and exhibitions.
The goal is return visits and a stronger family footprint at the track. The stated ambition is not subtle and not limited to a midway.
It extends to how venues look before the first burnout. It extends to details the public notices without a program in hand.
Woodruff keeps the message consistent when asked why these elements matter at a drag race. “Well, first and foremost, we’re in the entertainment business,” he said. “So it’s all about having more entertainment for people at the track.”
That includes visible attractions such as the Ferris wheel and less visible preparation such as paint, cleanup, and layout. It includes stage capacity and parking plans for future concerts.
The intent is a self-sustaining loop where families attend, enjoy, and return. The test is the final event, and the measure is how many choose to come back.
Veterans and active military are part of the focus by design on Saturday morning. The flag delivery, hospitality, and ceremony provide a defined window for recognition.
The racing program remains the spine of the weekend. The extras are built to frame it rather than compete with it.
Woodruff’s words match the structure the IHRA is building around the finale. The execution is scheduled, visible, and public-facing.
The closing note from Woodruff is the same one he uses with his team. “Make it happen,” he said, describing Darrell Cuttell’s directive and the group’s follow-through.
The IHRA’s season finale isn’t just a finish line — it’s the first test of a new era. What happens this weekend in Dunn will help shape how the organization stages every event to come: louder, brighter, and built around people as much as performance.
For Woodruff, the measure of success won’t be found only on the scoreboard. It will show in the laughter around the midway, the veterans honored on Saturday morning, and the families already talking about their next trip before they leave the parking lot.
If that happens, he said, the IHRA will know it’s headed in the right direction. “At the end of the day, it’s about making people smile,” Woodruff said. “You do that—and everything else takes care of itself.”
