Spokane County Raceway has announced it will switch governing bodies starting next year in a move that’s expected to bring at least one nationally televised drag race event to the track.

With the switch, Spokane County Raceway will be the first International Hot Rod Association-member track among West Coast states, the IHRA says.

Craig Smith, Spokane County Raceway general manager, says he expects the IHRA schedule will have events similar to those scheduled through the track’s current sanctioning body, the National Hot Rod Association, although some IHRA events such as the Nitro Jam Drag Racing Series will have a comparatively higher profile.

“The Nitro Jam is a major event with national TV coverage,” Smith says. “We don’t get that now.”

IHRA says in a press release that the 2015 Nitro Jam Drag Racing Series is expected to include the best racers in the Nitro Funny Car, Nitro Harley, Pro Stock, and Top Fuel categories.

The 315-acre facility in Airway Heights features a quarter-mile drag strip, a road course, mud drags, and a paved oval track with a seating capacity of 5,000.

Smith says that bringing the Nitro Jam to Spokane is a big step forward for the track, which the county bought out of receivership in 2008. He also asserts the IHRA’s Summit sportsman program will provide more racer-friendly competition at all skill levels, from local weekend racers to national-level drag racers.

IHRA says Spokane County Raceway will be an important hub for the association as it looks to expand its presence for the first time in the western U.S.

The 43-year-old Norwalk, Ohio-based organization manages two national touring series, the Nitro Jam Drag Racing Series and the Thunder Jam Series. 

IHRA sanctions more than 100 motorsports facilities in the U.S. and Canada and has a membership of more than 12,000 racers.