Clevite Named Official Bearing of International Hot Rod Association

IRG Sports + Entertainment and the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) have announced a three-year partnership with the with MAHLE Aftermarket Inc. naming Clevite the Official Bearing of the IHRA.

Clevite, part of the MAHLE Aftermarket family, brings more than 95 years of customer service and experience to the IHRA as the world leader in engine bearings for racing applications. 

“We are so excited to be back involved with the IHRA through this great partnership. We loved working with IHRA several years ago and we were so excited when we heard that the IHRA was going back to what drag racing is really all about – racing,” said Bill McKnight, Training Manager at MAHLE Aftermarket Inc. “When we heard about the exciting new plans for the IHRA over the next few years, we jumped at the chance to get involved.”

In addition to being named the Official Bearing of the IHRA, Clevite will also present a special award at IHRA Nitro Jam Drag Racing Series events run in conjunction with the Summit Racing Equipment Pro-Am Tour presented by AMSOIL.

“We wanted to broaden our scope this time around by getting involved with the great sportsman racers at the IHRA,” McKnight said. “Our first involvement with the IHRA was strictly with the nitro cars, so this time we decided to get more involved with the grassroots of the sport and recognize the winners of IHRA’s seven premier sportsman classes with a cash award and a special presentation.

“We are very excited about this partnership which is why we signed a three-year deal. We are committed to making this program even more successful and growing our involvement with IHRA.”

“MAHLE Aftermarket is a quality company with great people and great product. We are very excited to team up with such an outstanding company in bringing Clevite to the IHRA family as the official bearing provider and sponsor of a great program rewarding our sportsman racers,” said John Donaldson, IHRA Senior Director of Corporate Partnerships. “This is a relationship that will only continue to grow over the next few years as Clevite continues to team up with the IHRA on a national level.”