I96 Speedway

MDC Modified Tour begins Inaugural Season on April 30th

The countdown has started for the inaugural Michigan Dirt Cup (MDC) Allstar Performance Modified Tour powered by Lane Automotive, Aeroquip, and ARP Fasteners race on Saturday, April 30th at the fast 3/8s (0.375) mile high-banked dirt oval of I-96 Speedway, located East of Grand Rapids and West of Lansing in Lake Odessa, Michigan.

Drivers and Teams who race in the United Midwestern Promoters (UMP) Modifieds division throughout the Great Lakes State as well as Northern Indiana and Northern Ohio have something to look forward to in 2011 with the formation of the new sanctioning body, Michigan Dirt Cup (MDC). The 2011 campaign will be the inaugural year for MDC and the pre-entry list for the inaugural race is talented from top to bottom.

An expected field of at least 40-50 Modifieds will invade Lake Odessa, Michigan for the inaugural race and try to make history by becoming the first ever winner in the brand new series. Headlining the staggering field of super stars includes 2010 UMP Modifieds State Champion as well as I-96 Speedway and Mt. Pleasant Speedway Track Champion, Rich Robinson Jr., as well as 2010 Merritt Speedway Track Champion, veteran Steven Hilliker and 2010 Thunderbird Raceway Track Champion, Andy Sprague.

More top teams expecting to compete includes Brian Ruhlman, one of the top Late Model drivers in the Midwest who also races an UMP Modified on occasion and was the winner of one of the biggest races for Dirt Modifieds in the Midwest, Extreme 100 in August 2010 at Mt. Pleasant. Zack Olger, who was the 2010 runner-up at both I-96 and Mt. Pleasant, will also be one to watch.

A slew of talented drivers who were amongst the top stars in UMP Modifieds throughout the state of Michigan in 2010 that have indicated their intentions on running the MDC Modifieds Tour includes Mark Anderson, Cody Bauer, Brennan Bowen, Todd Feutz, Josh Lolmaugh, David Mielke, Kevin Miller, Joe Rokos, Curt Spaulding, Travis Stemler, Randy Whitten, and more.

“We have a truly talented field of teams planning on running the full tour. We’re very happy with the Pre-Registration list and we’re still a month away from the opener!” MDC Co-Founder / Promoter, Bill Long stated. “We’ve got teams from several states and even a few from Canada looking to race with us. I can’t wait for the first race at I-96. We’re going to make history.” He added.

To learn more about I-96 Speedway, log onto their website at: www.i96speedway.com For more information about the inaugural 2011 racing season for the Michigan Dirt Cup Allstar Performance Modified Tour powered by Lane Automotive, Aeroquip, and ARP Fasteners, visit the tour website at: www.michigandirtcup.com

The tour will travel throughout the state of Michigan participating in a seven race schedule. In each case when the Tour comes to each facility, those events will count for not only Michigan Dirt Cup points, but for each tracks respective weekly point’s standings in addition to UMP State and National Points!

After the first race at I-96, the MDC Modified Tour will visit six other established Michigan dirt facilities beginning with race #2 at Butler Motor Speedway in Quincy, Michigan (Saturday, June 11th). From there, the Tour travel to Winston Motor Speedway in Rothbury, Michigan (Friday, June 17th), Owendale Speedway in Owendale, Michigan (Saturday, July 2nd), Cherry Speedway in Fife Lake, Michigan (Friday, July 22nd), Mt. Pleasant Speedway in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan (Sunday, August 21st), and the season finale will be at Hartford Motor Speedway in Hartford, Michigan (Saturday, October 1st).

The new tour will offer a wide array of Contingency Packages! At each Tour event, one driver from the feature starting lineup will be awarded a special contingency package with a youngster chosen from the crowd to come down on the track and draw a number from a hat. The driver who is starting the feature in the spot chosen by the fan will be awarded a product certificate package with a minimum value of $500, providing the correct decals are displayed.

These contingency certificates will be redeemable through Lane Automotive in Watervliet, Michigan. Participants in this program include Allstar Performance, Lane Automotive, ARP Fasteners, Aeroquip, and Landrum Springs. Additional manufacturer support could potentially increase the value of this package by several hundred dollars.

About All-Star Performance:

At Allstar Performance; The key to success in any car building project, whether race car, street rod, or street machine, is access to high quality, reasonably priced parts that will get the job done right – the first time. Each and every Allstar part came about as a direct result of our dedication to continuous research and development. Once a need for a particular part is established, the parts are designed and manufactured by talented craftsmen, many of whom are racers and hot rodders themselves.

Remember, many Allstar Performance parts are one-of-a-kind, you won’t find them anywhere else at any price! Stop by your local Allstar Performance dealer or visit www.allstarperformance.com for the latest product updates.

About Lane Automotive

Lane Automotive was founded in 1964 as a part-time venture in George Lane’s garage; Lane Automotive has become a speed equipment industry phenomenon. Known the world over as a premier supplier of performance parts and accessories for racers, hot rodders, truck and off-road enthusiasts, Lane serves customers around the world from a 153,000 square foot warehouse/office complex located near Watervliet, Michigan, at the intersection of Interstate 94 and Michigan 140.

Lane Automotive looks to the future, and the ever-changing challenges of meeting the needs of the traditional speed equipment market. Product lines are continually being added as new parts and accessories are developed and introduced to the public. The 21st century is here… and Lane Automotive is ready! For more information visit www.laneautomotive.com

About Aeroquip

For more than 60 years, Aeroquip® Performance Products has been the number one choice of racing enthusiasts around the world. Eaton’s Aeroquip Performance Products is the only leading performance plumbing supplier that engineers and manufactures its own hose and fittings. State-of-the-art testing capabilities and ISO 9001 and QS9000 quality certified facilities are Eaton hallmarks.

Aeroquip AQP inner tube used in the majority of their performance hoses is scientifically superior—allowing fluid and ambient temperatures of 300° F with no loss in performance and unmatched fluid compatibility. With these critical advantages, a pipeline full of new Performance Products and unmatched marketing support,

Aeroquip is ready and excited about continuing six decades of industry leadership well into the new millennium. Visit Aeroquip Performance Products for more info on the entire Aeroquip line.

About ARP

At ARP Automotive Racing Products, they say that to be successful you must identify a need and satisfy it. Back in 1968 racing enthusiast Gary Holzapfel saw that many of his friends’ broken engines were caused by fastener failure. At the time, there were no commercially available studs and bolts up to the challenge. So Holzapfel called upon his many years of fastener making experience for a leading aerospace subcontractor and founded ARP® (Automotive Racing Products).

ARP has grown from what was literally a backyard garage workshop into a highly diversified manufacturer with five operational entities in Southern California and a combined area in excess of 200,000 square feet. These include forging, machining, finishing and packaging/warehousing facilities in Santa Paula and Ventura, California.

Today, ARP’s product line contains thousands of part numbers, and has expanded to include virtually every fastener found in an engine and driveline. These range from quality high performance OEM replacement parts to exotic specialty hardware for Formula 1, IndyCar, NASCAR and NHRA drag racing and marine applications. More information about ARP can be found at www.arp-bolts.com