Following yesterday’s cancelation of the Mercury Racing Midwest Challenge in Sheboyan, Wis., by the International Hot Rod Association, City of Sheboygan issued a press release. The third annual event event had been slated for August 8-9.
The Mercury Racing Midwest Challenge in Sheboygan, Wis., was headed into its third year. Photo by Brad DiMaggio copyright Scrapyard Media.
According to the release, IHRA officials informed the City on July 13 that it was “unable to provide the necessary staffing and operational support required to safely and successfully host the event.”
“This is an incredibly disappointing outcome for our community, local businesses, and the many fans who look forward to this event each year, said Ryan Sorenson, the mayor of the waterfront city, in the release.
Backed by Mercury Racing in celebration of its 50th anniversary, the first two Midwest Challenge events were produced by Powerboat P1, a former race-producing organization based in London. The IHRA purchased the assets of Powerboat P1 in October 2025.
Based in Fond du Lac, Wis., Mercury Racing posted the following release yesterday afternoon on its Facebook page:
“Mercury Racing is disappointed to learn that the International Hot Rod Association has made the decision to cancel the 2026 Midwest Challenge offshore races. We sincerely appreciate the racers, teams, volunteers, sponsors, community partners and fans who planned to be part of this year’s events. Your passion and support continue to drive the offshore racing community forward. Mercury Racing remains committed to supporting the offshore community and exploring opportunities to bring high-performance racing back to Wisconsin in 2027.”
Likewise,Sheboygan is “evaluating future race partnerships and remains committed to exploring opportunities to bring the event back in the future under more favorable conditions,” according to its release.
Despite the race cancellation, the Sheboygan is “working with local partners to adjust and preserve portions of the weekend’s planned land-based activities including the Friday Block Party at City Green and King Park Bites and Brews event,” Details will be released as they become available
“We know how important this weekend is to our community and we are committed to making sure there is still plenty to celebrate along the lakefront,” said Travis Peterson, the city’s Public Works director, in the release. “Our team has been working closely with community partners to ensure the block party remains a highlight of the weekend.
“Our partners are excited to still bring the weekend events that will still give people a great reason to come out, enjoy our local parks and beaches,” he added.