It was just one word – five letters, and in a text no less – that resulted in one of the biggest shocks the professional drag racing world has seen in years: “FIRED.”

A few moments later, stunned International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) Chief Operating Officer Scott Woodruff took to Facebook to share that he had just been unceremoniously dumped from his role with the sanctioning body with the blunt one-word text from IHRA owner Darryl Cuttell.

Within minutes, Woodruff’s phone, text, and email overflowed from friends, drivers, team owners and business associates, all who could not believe what happened.

There was no warning, nothing that preceded Woodruff’s sacking, no controversy, nothing that was out of the ordinary, no mistakes or missteps or anything nefarious or illegal. Woodruff had been going about his role of not only bringing the seemingly semi-dormant IHRA back to prominence but also restoring credibility in the straight-line world that has been dominated for more than three decades by the rival and much larger National Hot Rod Association (NHRA).

One of the most respected veterans in drag racing, with more than 30 years of roles including prior executive positions with JEGS High Performance equipment and multi-NHRA champion Elite Motorsports, Woodruff was summarily dismissed from IHRA. There was no explanation, no phone call, no additional texts, no email, no contact from IHRA Human Resources, no intermediary stepping in – absolutely nothing other than the five-letter word that left Woodruff stunned.

Having been in his role with the IHRA for less than a year, Woodruff’s sudden firing was not an anomaly. In fact, it was the latest in a continuation of a pattern by Cuttell that does not bode well for IHRA and its growing stable of subsidiaries going forward. Since taking over the IHRA on January 1, 2025, in just over a year’s time, Cuttell has hired and then relatively quickly dismissed numerous well-respected drag racing and motorsports executives including former IHRA presidents Kenny Nowling, Rich Schaeffer and Josh Peake, PR chief and former longtime NHRA broadcaster Alan Reinhart, as well as marketing chiefs Christian Byrd and Brett Underwood, the latter who was dismissed one day after Woodruff got the axe.

At least Underwood got the courtesy of more than just a one-word text. He actually received a phone call from current IHRA president Leah Martin, who has only been on the job herself just over three months. It almost makes one wonder if the clock has already begun ticking on her future tenure with the sanctioning body, given Cuttell’s constantly spinning, revolving door on the IHRA executive suite.

Martin told drag racing website CompetitionPlus.com that Woodruff’s and Underwood’s dismissals were business decisions: “Often you don’t finish the race with the same team you start with. As IHRA continues to grow, we are building a team focused on transforming and strengthening the sport for the future.”

IHRA has gone on a massive buying spree in last six months

There’s an old saying that the quickest way for someone to become a millionaire is to start out as a billionaire – and that’s what Cuttell reportedly is, a man whose worth has 10 numbers to it. Given how he has been spending money like a drunken sailor recently, with all the acquisitions he’s made, that seems to be the case with Cuttell. Since acquiring IHRA, and particularly in the last six months, Cuttell has been on a massive spending spree.

While Cuttell has reinvigorated the IHRA with new classes and prize money that rivals – if not exceeds at times – purses from the larger and more popular NHRA, has spent millions of dollars to purchase a number of drag strips and other racing facilities, purchased a boat racing series, is starting a grassroots stock car racing series and has other growth and expansion plans waiting in the wings, the proof will soon be in the pudding if IHRA and its subsidiaries prove successful, or if Cuttell – who made his wealth in electronics – goes broke trying.

Veteran drag racer and administrator Doug Foley III has replaced Woodruff, who is in Gainesville, Florida, this weekend at the NHRA season-opening Gatornationals drag race, potentially hoping to find a new role soon to put IHRA in his rearview mirror for good.

Meanwhile, IHRA – which has converted its pro and top sportsman ranks to only one-eighth-mile races (NHRA is 1,000 foot for nitro cars like Top Fuel Dragsters and Funny Cars, and a full quarter-mile for Pro Stock, Pro Stock Motorcycle and most other sportsman classes) – kicks off its eight-race “Outlaws” season March 19-21 at Galot Motorsports Park in Benson, North Carolina.

The Outlaws series will feature the return of Top Fuel dragsters and Funny Cars to regular IHRA competition. However, the season was originally expected to be a 10-race series, but has already been cut by two events, again, another foreboding outlook on IHRA’s future.

This is the IHRA’s 55 year of existence – although it’s been a virtual non-entity in drag racing for most of the last two decades. But when Cuttell purchased the sanctioning body and promised a great deal of improvement, enhancements, and changes, longtime drag racing fans – and even racers themselves – were optimistic about a much brighter future than what had been a dismal recent past.

Cuttell’s spending spree is also interesting in the sense that it seems more than just a coincidence, potentially seeking to steal some of the NHRA’s thunder during the same racing campaign as what will be NHRA’s 75 anniversary this season this year.

EssentiallySports motorsports columnist Jerry Bonkowski has known Woodruff for over 30 years. He’s one of the most trustworthy, candid, and transparent individuals he’s ever met in drag racing. In an exclusive 20-minute phone interview Saturday afternoon, Woodruff opened up to ES about how quickly his world changed with that one-word text, what his thoughts are about IHRA going forward, as well as his own future going forward.

Here are some excerpts from that exclusive conversation:

Q. What happened? One day, things were going great and the next day, you get fired by a one-word text. How surprised were you at what happened?

Scott Woodruff: I was very honest with Darryl Cuttell and Leah Martin, in some emails along with the rest of our drag racing team, on the challenges that we had with our not being able to take care of our customers. And it was just (I) didn’t really want to be listened to. So, yes, I was very surprised. But, whatever, life goes on.

Q. Given your respect in the industry plus the great success you’ve had in your career, fans and racers alike were so optimistic you’d bring IHRA back to the prominence it used to enjoy more than two decades ago. When you saw that text come across your phone, what was your immediate reaction? Did you think maybe (Cuttell) said the wrong thing, that it was a mistake? When you see the word ‘fired’ and there is no other context or anything around it, what was your first thought? And had you anticipated it happening?

SW: I just thought, what a clown. No, (I did not anticipate something like that), not at all. But I’ve seen how he treats other people. And, you know, I really shouldn’t be surprised. He’s a guy that needs to have everybody agree with him. I’m a guy that finds solutions to problems and goes after solving problems. And that’s what I was working on. I was very, very, very excited about the opportunity because I truly know that I have the skill set, I have the relationships, I have the knowledge, I have the experience. And we were assembling a great team.

Q. Could you have foreseen anything like this happening back when you were first offered the job?

SW: I don’t want to say I’m mad at myself. I’m disappointed in myself, really, for not doing a little bit more to know more about the situation, I guess. And really just disappointed that I put a ton of work in and a lot of time and a lot of energy and a lot of sacrifice. And at the end of the day, came up at the end just like everybody else (who was previously fired).

Q. Have you heard from Darryl since that text?

SW: Absolutely not.

Q. You were hired to lead IHRA back to success. And now you’re joining the other guys that also are not there any longer. What does that mean to IHRA’s hope for success?

SW: I definitely think it’s going to hurt them in the short term and the long run. Judging by the amount of phone calls, text messages, emails, just all kinds of calls that I’ve gotten from people in the industry, whether it’s NASCAR, whether it’s IndyCar, whether it’s NHRA, I’ve heard from them all. They all have been paying attention. They all see what a joke that this situation was handled, or how it was handled, as being a joke. And honestly, for any company out there that’s considering doing something with the IHRA, I would hope that they would think for a second when they see somebody, when they see that a member of their leadership team gets fired from a text.

Q. I know you’re kind of limited in what you can say about Darrell on the record, but is there a way you can illustrate what this says about a guy like that? I mean, is the money, the power, has it kind of gotten to his head and he thinks he can just do this and he’s going to wind up making a huge mistake in the whole long run?

SW: Man, I would never want to know what goes on in that guy’s head. I mean, his motto is ‘make it happen,’ and that couldn’t be more further from the truth. You’ve got to let people do their jobs. You’ve got to let the people that have the experience, knowledge, wisdom, and relationships be the ones that are your decision makers. That’s part of what I was brought on for, I thought, was to help us as an organization make good decisions financially as well as strategically. And when he just seems to want to do everything his way, that’s great. It’s his sandbox, his country club, but this isn’t a country club. This is a f——- sport, it’s not a country club. And you’re playing with people’s lives. I really thought everything was going really well until we started adding more disciplines to racing.

After the last race for us last year on the drag racing series, we improved, we got better with each event, we ran them quicker, we ran them more efficiently. We had more people there. And then it was ‘Let’s just buy everything, let’s start this, let’s do this, let’s do that. Let’s go to PRI (the annual racing trade show in Indianapolis each December), let’s do this, let’s do that,’ you know. It was fun to be a part of the buzz, but definitely not at the cost.

Q. I’m not trying to justify what Darryl has done, but in the overall scheme of things, with all the different disciplines that you guys added – the boats, the short track racing, the improvements to IHRA on the drag strip, has he done too much in too little of a time, and he got distracted?

SW: I don’t know if he’s gotten distracted or not, or if it’s just… I really don’t know the answer to that. I don’t know the answer. Obviously, there’s more balls in the air than there were 12 months ago. And if he wasn’t good at juggling them 12 months ago, he certainly isn’t going to be any better at juggling them now. So I feel bad for really just like the people that really put their heart into it. And like myself, like Brett Underwood, like plenty of other guys before, Christian Bird. I mean, come on. These are people that have been doing this an awful long time.

Q. I understand that you feel one of the biggest high points of your tenure was when IHRA purchased what was once one of NHRA’s premier tracks, Atlanta Dragway in Commerce, Georgia. That track closed in 2021 and was rezoned for commercial and residential development. But nothing ever happened, IHRA came in and you convinced the city to rezone the property back to once again be a drag strip, and soon we’ll be back there racing under the IHRA banner.

SW: I’ve got to say my favorite point of the year was being in Atlanta and being there at the city council meeting, getting the track rezoned. That right there reminded me of why we do what we do. And I think Darryl needs a lesson in that. He needs to realize that there’s more to life than what he has in his vision. People are what make everything possible.

Q. How did your family react to the news of your firing?

SW: My wife was just like, ‘Well, wow, what a s—– way to get fired. She and my daughter were actually at a skating competition, sectionals for U.S. figure skating, out in Idaho. So when it happened, they’re out there and I’m home. But at the end of the day, I’ve obviously had a lot of friends reach out. First and foremost was Jeg Jr. (multi-NHRA Pro Stock champion Jeg Coughlin Jr.). He said, ‘Hey, man, you need to come down to Gainesville (for this weekend’s NHRA season-opening Gatornationals). If nothing else, come down here, let’s have a good time, you can hang out on my coach and sleep on the couch like old times.’ So that’s what I’m doing. I just pulled into the track here in Gainesville.

Q. You’re so respected in the business, you could potentially leave Gainesville with at least a few offers for new jobs. Gainesville sets the tone for NHRA, obviously, for the season. But there’s still a few areas with some teams (with jobs to fill), maybe even with NHRA as well, because it’s the 75th anniversary of the series. When they see a guy like you that’s suddenly available and the season’s just starting, they’d be foolish not to want to talk to you. What would be the ideal next step for you in terms of what you would want to do?

SW: Well, first off, it’s not devastating for me. It’s devastating for the IHRA. As for my ideal job, it’s having one of trust, what I had when I was at JEGS, just like I had at Elite (Motorsports). I had 100% trust. I’ve never worked in a business and never worked any place where I haven’t been trusted. I’ve always treated money as though it’s mine and made decisions as though it was my a– on the line – and it is, that’s how you’ve got to look at it.

I’m really just looking forward to hanging out in Gainesville and having fun with my friends and trying not to say anything wrong.

Q. Could anyone else be on the chopping block at IHRA and be fired soon, as well?

SW: I’m really not too sure. It’s just, you can’t make that many poor decisions and still be around. I’m thoroughly amazed at that. (Others) will have their day and I get to just watch with popcorn now, you know.

Q. The way I see it, Darryl seems to have overextended himself. I mean, he doesn’t have enough people to run IHRA in a credible manner, in addition to having all those other series or these tracks he’s bought. It seems like just days ago that there was so much optimism about the IHRA’s future and then came yours and Brett’s firings. Could it be that this is going to be a very bad year for IHRA in your opinion?

SW: It’s going to be one to watch, one for the ages. Because you’re right, there’s not enough structure. There’s not enough people. And there’s certainly not enough time to get all the stuff done that they want to get done. I mean, Memphis (Motorsports Park, which closed in 2009, but was recently purchased by IHRA and is in the process of being rebuilt), I don’t even know if they can still even build there. They got stopped during part of their demolition process. And to my knowledge, I’m not sure that they’ve been back at it. And there’s the whole deal in Rockingham with the Speedway and NASCAR. That’s a mess. That would be an interesting one to see, if that even happens this year.

Q. In conclusion, is there anything else you want to say?

SW: Well, really, the biggest thing for me is that I’m a steward of the sport. I’ve been doing this for over 30 years. Drag racing’s been very good to me. Racing’s been very good to me. Branding’s been very good to me. And let’s be honest, motorsports as a whole is not on its greatest uptick. I want to make sure that there’s another Scott Woodruff that gets to do this, that didn’t even think that he wanted to do this, and can excel at it the way that I have. That’s what’s important to me, that and the safety of it, you know.

Honestly, going over to IHRA, I really thought I looked myself in the mirror and I said, ‘Hey, that’s being a good steward of the sport. You have the opportunity to make the sport better for all, not just IHRA or NHRA, but for everybody.’

I’m a godly person, and that’s exactly what I plan on doing. And I can promise you one thing: my work is not done.