ERIE, MI (January 18, 2019) – As the 2019 Sprints On Dirt season is fast approaching, there have been questions and rumors regarding SOD rules. A quick answer to what has changed is: “not much.” Below are key rules we have been asked about regarding cars.

TIRES – Unchanged. Right Rear Tire: Hoosier Racing Tire 100/13.0-15, medium compound. Left Rear Tire: Hoosier Racing Tire 92/12.5-15, D15 compound. Front Tires: Hoosier Racing Tires only.

ENGINE – Unchanged. No restrictions. Engines may be pumped for the purpose of evaluating the effectiveness of SOD rules. Any competitor who refuses to have their engine pumped when directed to do so will be disqualified and lose all points and money for the race program.

WEIGHT – Unchanged. Cars are weighed for the purpose of evaluating car safety (see section 2.1) and the effectiveness of SOD rules. Any competitor who refuses to have their car weighed when directed to do so will be disqualified, will lose all points and money for the race program, and the car may be banned.

MUFFLERS – Unchanged. Unaltered mufflers or inserts are required at all tracks.

FRAME – Cage support bars are STRONGLY RECOMMENDED for 2019 and will be mandatory for 2020. See rule book for details.

ELECTRONIC DEVICES – Unchanged. See rule book for approved devices. Other devices are not allowed unless prior written approval has been given. Unapproved devices will be confiscated. This includes all devices that use any power such as batteries, internal power supplies, wind-up, etc.

TOP WING – Unchanged. No wicker bill permitted on center foil unless center foil is totally flat. If flat, a one-inch wicker bill is allowed.

We have also been asked about some procedural rules.

STARTS/RESTARTS – All starts and restarts are at the turn 4 cone as utilized at the end of last season. See rule book for details.

ROOKIES OF THE YEAR – Series Rookie of the Year candidates are drivers who have competed in no more than a total of six previous SOD points races. The rookie driver who finishes highest in total points will determine the SOD Series Rookie of the Year. Sprint Car Rookie of the Year candidates are drivers who have competed in no more than a total of six previous full-size sprint car races anywhere. The rookie driver who finishes highest in total points will determine the SOD Sprint Car Rookie of the Year.

YEAR-END PAYOUT – Points won as a SOD member who has not missed more than 3 points races will determine eligibility for year-end points payouts, awards, and contingencies at the season banquet. Driver must attend banquet.

The full 2019 Sprints On Dirt Rule Book is available under the Competitor Info tab at www.SprintsOnDirt.com. Questions and comments should be emailed to director@sprintsondirt.com.

ERIE, MI (December 18, 2018) – Baer Field Motorsports Park promoter Dave Muzzillo announced that Sprints On Dirt will headline the Jim Lipkey Memorial race as dirt track racing returns for one event on the 1/4 mile track in 2019 on Saturday, September 28.

Late Baer Field owner William James “Jim” Lipkey, 69,
Kokomo, died October 14, 2018, after losing his battle with mesothelioma
cancer. Jim joined the Army’s war effort in Vietnam and honed his sign painting
artistry as the base sign painter, pin striping and air brushing flight crews’
helmets as well as recording “kill counts” on their helicopters and planes!

On returning from the war, he opened Lipkey’s Sign Service andfor the next 40 years became known statewide as the man who could hand paintthe best signs on buildings, race cars, trucks and everything else his customersasked for. He even pinstriped his father’s and brother’s caskets!

The Lipkey family, Bill and sons Victor and Jim, promoted
auto racing at Kokomo, Lafayette and Fort Wayne – both indoors at the Fort
Wayne Coliseum and later at Baer Field Race Track, now known as Baer Field
Motorsports Park.  When Jim’s father Bill
Lipkey died in 1999, Jim took over as owner of the Baer Field property

The first race on the Baer Field Motorsports Park new ¼ mile
track was originally scheduled for Saturday, May 20, 2017.  Unfortunately, very heavy rains turned the
track into something more like “Baer Lake,” but the track crew wouldn’t give up
and surprisingly was able to get the track in shape for the Sunday rain date.  Shawn Valenti, in his Log Cabin Tavern /
Triple X Chassis entry, held off Joe Swanson to take home the win.  Swanson settled for second and Landon Simon
was third.

Full details about the Jim Lipkey Memorial Race will be released
later.

Visit Baer Field Motorsports Park at www.baerfieldmotorpark.com
and on Facebook.  Sprints On Dirt can be
found at www.sprintsondirt.com
and Facebook also.

December 10, 2018 (ERIE, MI) – With PRI 2018 now a wrap, it was a great show, visiting many old friends and thanking our 2018 Engine Pro Sprints On Dirt presented by ARP marketing partners.

SOD title sponsors Engine Pro and ARP were visited, then it was on to our friends Hoosier Racing Tire, Hoosier Tire Midwest, COMP Performance Group, King Engine Bearings, MAHLE Motorsports, MSD Performance, Rod End Supply, ATL Racing Fuel Cells, Simpson Performance Products, King Racing Products, Allstar Performance, Motor State Distributing, Keizer Aluminum Wheels, Walker Performance Filtration, Shirt Works Racewear, DMI Racing Components, Ti22 Performance, Engler Machine & Tool, Maxim Racing, KSE Racing Products, Racing Optics, Schoenfeld Headers, Hepfner Racing Products, and Radical Race Gear.

Again, we thank all of our 2018 marketing partners and we will continue to work hard for our partners next year through a variety of continued programs and innovative new ideas, giving them the kind of vigorous marketing partnerships they have come to expect from SOD.

Safety was a major topic at PRI and the incorporation of additional cage support was first. Sprints On Dirt strongly recommends additional cage bracing in 2019 and it will be mandatory in 2020. For anyone interested in having the bars installed, contact SOD partner Benic Enterprises at 765-573-5199.

The 2019 SOD schedule is a work in progress and, as everyone knows, SOD announces ONLY confirmed dates. Current 2019 dates are:
4/27 – Crystal Motor Speedway
5/04 – Crystal Motor Speedway (4/27 rain date)
5/11 – Butler Speedway
5/17 – Hartford Speedway
6/15 – Butler Speedway
6/28 – Hartford Speedway
7/06 – Butler Speedway
7/13 – Crystal Motor Speedway
7/26 – Hartford Speedway
7/27 – Plymouth Speedway
8/03 – Butler Speedway
8/30 – Hartford Speedway
8/31 – Crystal Speedway
9/21 – Plymouth Speedway

As we continue to work on 2019, additional speedways and race dates will be announced as they are confirmed.

The 2019 SOD rule book will be posted on the SOD website later this week. There are very few changes for 2019, the most notable is that the single-cone start/restart procedure tried at the end of 2018 will be permanent.

To learn more about Engine Pro, go to www.enginepro.com. For more information about ARP, go to www.arp-bolts.com. Follow SOD at www.sprintsondirt.com and the Sprints On Dirt Facebook page at www.facebook.com/sprintsondirt/.

Erie, MI (December 3, 2018) – Engine Pro Sprints On Dirt presented by ARP returns to the always exciting Hartford Speedway for four Friday races in 2019. The first SOD race at Hartford is on May 17, followed by June 28, July 26, and August 30.

The SOD races at Hartford Speedway have been a big hit for years. Speedway owner/promoter Tim Dibble’s reconfiguration of the track before the 2017 season has proven to be popular with competitors and fans, proving to be a perfect match for SOD’s “beyond limits” format.

After suffering two rain outs to start the 2018 Hartford King Engine Bearings King of Michigan series first race was finally run on July 6 with Ryan Ruhl (Coldwater, MI) taking the win over 2018 SOD Champ Chad Blonde (Litchfield, MI) and Gregg Dalman (Bellevue, MI). Blonde won on July 13 over 2017 SOD Champ Steve Irwin (Fenton, MI) and Shawn Valenti (Fostoria, OH). Blonde also picked up the win over Chase Ridenour (Perry, MI) and Gregg Dalman on July 27. Following a third rain out on August 10, the King Engine Bearings KoM Championship was run on August 31. Blonde continued his mastery of the speedway, winning over Ryan Ruhl by 0.177 seconds with Quentin Blonde (Litchfield, MI) finishing third.

For the second consecutive year, Chad Blonde drove Sean Robinson’s Krieger-powered Maxim to the Engine Pro Sprints On Dirt presented by ARP King Engine Bearings King of Michigan championship over Shawn Valenti, Jay Steinebach (Hudsonville, MI), Dustin Shriver (Niles, MI), and Ricky Ferkel (Mt. Pleasant, MI).

Check out Hartford Speedway on Facebook at https://goo.gl/hktj3Sand its website at www.hartfordspeedway.net.

To learn more about Engine Pro, go to www.enginepro.com. For more information about ARP, go to www.arp-bolts.com. Follow SOD at www.sprintsondirt.com and the Sprints On Dirt Facebook page at www.facebook.com/sprintsondirt/.

ERIE, MI (November 28, 2018) – The Playground of Power,
Plymouth Speedway, will host Engine Pro Sprints On Dirt presented by ARP for
two races in 2019.  SOD will take on the
3/8 mile speedway on Saturday, July 27^th and a second date to be
announced later.

Under owner Ed Kennedy, dirt track racing has returned to
Northern Indiana in a big way with a state-of-the-art racing entertainment facility.  Opening as a paved track in 1952, the
speedway started its transition to dirt with a ¼ mile dirt oval created inside
the 3/8 mile paved track in 2012.  The current
3/8 mile dirt track replaced the paved oval in 2013.  In 2016, new seating was constructed to
enhance the fan experience.

SOD raced at Plymouth from 2012 through 2015, giving SOD
competitors some familiarity with the track. 
In addition, several Plymouth (crate) Pro Sprint drivers also raced with
SOD, so they will be right at home.

More information about the 2019 Engine Pro Sprints On Dirt
presented by ARP schedule will be released in upcoming announcements.

Get to know Plymouth Speedway at www.plymouthspeedway.net  and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PlymouthSpeedway.

To learn more about Engine Pro, go to www.enginepro.com.  For more information about ARP, go to www.arp-bolts.com.  Follow SOD at www.sprintsondirt.com
and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/sprintsondirt.