Michigan Dirt Cup Modified Tour to begin Inaugural Season THIS Saturday

Michigan Dirt Cup Modified Tour to begin Inaugural Season THIS Saturday, April 30th at I-96 Speedway

Novi, Michigan (Friday, April 29th, 2011): The preliminaries are all done, paperwork is filled out, sponsors are fired up, cars are lettered, final preparations have been made and the countdown is almost over 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 paved 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 Midwest Promoters (UMP) Modifieds division throughout the Great Lakes State as well as Northern Indiana and Northern Ohio and even in Canada 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 staggering.

An expected field in excess of 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, and Muskegon area ace, John McCaul will also be ones to watch.

In addition to Robinson Jr., and Olger, more I-96 regulars looking to hold off the traveling invaders includes; Two-Time Track Champion Todd Feutz, as well as former track champions and brothers, Ryan and Shannon Fisk. In addition, the Father-Son team of Tim and Travis Stemler, as well as Mark Anderson, and many more will look to fend off the onslaught of top notch traveling stars.

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 Cody Bauer, Brennan Bowen, Roger Flinn III, Andy Galgoci, Josh Lolmaugh, David Mielke, Kevin Miller, Jacob Poel, Joe Rokos, Curt Spaulding, Chad Spencer, Randy Whitten, and many more.

"We have a truly talented field of teams planning on running the full tour. We're very happy with the Pre-Registration list!" MDC Co-Founder / Promoter, Bill Long stated. "We've got teams from several states and quite 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.

The MDC 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 travels 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 first six events will pay $1,500 to win while the season finale at Hartford will pay a whopping $5,000 to the winner!

Lane Automotive, in conjunction with several other racing part manufacturers, has offered MDC Modifieds Tour members a lucrative contingency award for each event on the 2011 schedule. At each tour event, one MDC member driver from the feature starting lineup will be awarded a special contingency product certificate package with a minimum value of $650, providing the car has the proper decals affixed.

The contingency winning number will be drawn by a youngster chosen from the crowd. The driver whose scheduled A-Feature starting position matches the number drawn will be awarded the package. Contingency certificates will be redeemable through Lane Automotive in Watervliet, Michigan. Participants in this program include Allstar Performance, Lane Automotive, ARP Fasteners, Aeroquip, Mr. Gasket, Landrum Springs, and QA-1. In addition, the participating manufacturers will also award product certificates at the MDCMT awards banquet.

Michigan Dirt Cup, Dart Heads and Lane Automotive are pleased to announce an exciting new program for drivers competing in the tour during the 2011 season. Dart will award a set of cylinder heads valued up to $1000 to the driver who gains the most overall positions in the seven A-Feature events in 2011.

One point will be awarded for each position gained from a driver's initial feature starting spot in each MDC A-Feature event. Points will then be tabulated throughout the season, and the driver with the highest point total at season's end will be awarded the certificate which can be redeemed for the cylinder heads through Lane Automotive in Watervliet, Michigan. The only requirements are that drivers must be Michigan Dirt Cup Members and both Dart and Lane decals must be displayed on both sides of the car.

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