IHRA owner Darryl Cuttell has claimed that Elon Musk owes around $570 million in unpaid dues to Darana Hybrid, his other business venture that helped SpaceXAI build data centers in Tennessee and Mississippi.

As reported by the Daily Memphian, Cuttell alleged that Elon Musk’s SpaceXAI owes him a whopping $570 million for the data center project construction work that Darana Hybrid, which does electro-mechanical industrial contractor work, undertook in Tennessee and Mississippi.

The $570 million figure is around 40% of the roughly $1.5 billion worth of work that Darana Hybrid did for Musk's companies. Per Competition Plus, which cited the Daily Memphian report,

"Darana Hybrid filed two mechanics’ liens last week totaling approximately $137 million, which Cuttell said represent only part of what his company claims remains unpaid from roughly $1.5 billion in work performed beginning in 2024."

Per the Daily Memphian, Cuttell further alleged that payments for the work done stopped coming after the two companies, xAI and SpaceX, amalgamated earlier this year, and have yet to pay their vendors nearly $200 million.

Cuttell and the IHRA have been under scrutiny in the last few months over the series' financial struggles. Several vendors and owners have alleged they are owed unpaid dues as the IHRA cancelled the rest of the 2026 Nitro Drag Racing season due to financial constraints.

As of now, neither Elon Musk himself nor SpaceXAI has addressed the allegations made by Darryl Cuttell.

On the IHRA front, Cuttell is facing big financial problems that have threatened the future of its racing series and an old-school NASCAR track.

Historic NASCAR track's future under threat amidst ongoing IHRA turmoil

Rockingham Speedway was purchased by IHRA owner and CEO Darryl Cuttell back in December 2025. However, since then, the series has been facing a lot of financial issues, which came to a head earlier in June.

Amidst all of this, the future of Rockingham Speedway now remains uncertain. According to The Athletic’s Jordan Bianchi, the return of the NASCAR series to the track seems uncertain for 2027. 

"Ownership instability, the same issue that has plagued Rockingham for so many years, is once again casting serious doubt on its future. Its current owner, Darryl Cuttell, is facing a financial crunch that has caused him to close down several other racetracks." Jordan Bianchi reported via The Athletic.

Rockingham Speedway has been one of NASCAR’s historic venues, which hosted Cup races from 1965 to 2004. The venue was later abandoned by the series, citing declining attendance.

In the past two years, the track hosted successful O’Reilly and Truck Series races, giving fans hopes of getting the track back on the Cup Series calendar. However, NASCAR hasn't yet addressed the potential of Rockingham hosting a race in 2027.

Written by

Chionia Libania Colaco