Owner/promoter Tim Dibble has announced that SOD will return to Hartford Speedway where SOD first raced in 1995, for two dates in 2016.

While the track may have formally become a race track in 1931, there are records of racing there dating back twenty years earlier. A YouTube circa early 1950s video titled “Building Hartford Motor Speedway” shows the beginning of the transition from the Van Buren County Fair race track to Hartford Speedway stating that Hartford Motor Speedway was born from a vision by a woman! Her name was Betty Lue Cross, now Betty Lue Burton. The speedway started as a dirt track, was eventually paved, and then converted back to its current dirt surface.

Promoters Tim and Leah Dibble were quite familiar with Michigan’s largest and fastest dirt track when they took the reins of the speedway in 2014. Tim raced factory stocks at the speedway for several years prior to taking over its operation in 2014. Under their ownership, the speedway has seen numerous improvements and in 2016 will see the track racing surface widened to 120 feet in the turns.

Hartford Speedway, home of the wicked fast half mile, 2016 dates for the ever-popular Engine Pro Sprints On Dirt presented by ARP races are Friday, May 20th and Friday, September 2nd.

The sun and surf of the West Coast of Michigan, that is.  After a two year absence, SOD will race at Winston Speedway in Rothbury, Michigan, again in 2016 on July 15^th.

SOD first raced at Winston Speedway on May 24, 1981; Ron Semelka was the feature winner.  SOD has made several appearances at the 3/8 mile track over the years.  In one feature, the leader slowed down after taking the white flag and was passed on the last lap; he thought it was the checkered flag.  On another occasion, the leader made contract with the front stretch wall at the white flag and also failed to win.

Track manager Dan Dykman is no stranger to dirt track racing himself.  He is the owner of Dykman Motorsports; the team raced 2 cars in 2015.  Dykman drove a Pro Stock and Steve McClees was behind the wheel of a Michigan Dirt Mod.  McClees won the first time driving for Dykman Motorsports.

The July 15^th SOD race will be the first race of a two-day weekend for SOD with Crystal Motor Speedway on the schedule for the following night.

K2W Precision, Inc. is located in a small Dutch rooted community which is spread across the flat rich farmland plains, of Northwest Iowa. “Keizer,” a Dutch word, with a translated meaning of “Emperor” or “Empire,” was chosen to distinguish its presence in the racing wheel industry based on performance and engineering, and backed by service. K2W Precision is and will continue to be the “Keizer” of the custom racing wheel industry.

K2W Precision has partnered with Engine Pro Sprints On Dirt presented by ARP to display the new 2016 SOD spec tires mounted on Keizer Sprint Wheels at the 2015 Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Trade Show in Indianapolis, December 10-12. Stop by booth 2801 to see the new SOD tires and the full line of K2W Precision and Keizer Racing Wheels products.

For more information or to connect with SOD at the PRI show, call or text 734-309-RACE (7223).

Merritt Speedway owner/promoter Mike Blackmer is no stranger to oval track racing as former promoter of Berlin Speedway in Marne, Michigan.  In addition, Blackmer and his Boyne Machine Racing Team raced in the 2014 ARCA/CRA Super Series with Ross Kenseth, the son of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series star and 2003 Champion, Matt Kenseth.

Blackmer’s purchase of Merritt Speedway, however, presented him with the challenges of operating a dirt track, far different from the venues he was accustomed to.  Blackmer learned quickly, working endlessly throughout the 2015 season to make the speedway a great place for spectators to experience action-packed family entertainment.

Engine Pro Sprints On Dirt presented by ARP raced at Merritt Speedway in SOD’s first season of competition, 1980.  The speedway, built in 1968, was operated by various promoters prior to Blackmer purchasing the track.  Blackmer has made the race surface conducive to competitive racing as apparent when Dan McCarron drove from his sixth place starting position to win the final, exciting SOD feature at Merritt in August.  For 2016, the entire racing surface has already been resurfaced and groomed to be better than ever.

Engine Pro Sprints On Dirt presented by ARP is proud to return to Merritt Speedway in 2016 on the same weekends as 2015.  The first date is June 18^th and the 2^nd date is August 20^th.

Crystal Motor Speedway has a unique place in the history of Engine Pro Sprints On Dirt presented by ARP.  Crystal had already been in operation for 28 years when SOD was created and in its early days, well known sprint car legends like Rick Ferkel and Bobby Allen raced at Crystal.

Current owner/promoter Ron Flinn has continued the long-time partnership between Crystal and SOD, leasing the track in 1989, then purchasing it in 1990.  Ron stands tall among our partner promoters, both literally and figuratively.  Ron is 6’8” tall, or as he describes it, 5’ 20”, and is an outstanding basketball player even at 73 years old!  As a longtime, very successful promoter, Ron is recognized as a well-respected leader and innovator among his fellow promoters.

The Crystal/SOD tradition will continue in 2016 when the Engine Pro Sprints On Dirt presented by ARP will once again appear at Crystal Motor Speedway on three dates,  April 30th, July 16th, and September 3^rd.  The July 16^th race will be the annual Mike Olrich Memorial.  Mike was a SOD staff member and also served as series director at one time.  The family tradition continues as Mike’s daughter Taylor works with SOD now.