500 Sprint Car Tour Announces Competition Rule Changes for 2024
500 Sprint Car Tour Announces Competition Rule Changes for 2024
By: 500 Sprint Car Tour Media Kelland Sloan
The 500 Sprint Car Tour has recently announced new changes to their rulebook for the 2024 season. Each rule change was made to make the race day experience better for fans and for drivers. Rule changes were made to the qualifying format on race day and to the work area that allow competitors to work on their cars during the race.
The first rule change that fans and competitors will notice is a change to the order in which cars will qualify on race day. In previous years, the qualifying order was determined by a random draw before the practice session. The random draw would determine the practice groups and qualifying order. New for 2024, the qualifying order will be determined by final practice times. Drivers will qualify in reverse order from their final practice times with the intent of having qualifying speeds climb over the course of the session. This change will provide more excitement and drama for the fans and be a true platform for competitors to showcase their speed.
The next change will also come to the qualifying format and will happen after all cars have completed an official qualifying lap. The official starting lineup for 500 Sprint Car Tour events has traditionally been set with an inversion of zero, four, six, or eight with the initial draw coming from the fast qualifier/pole sitter. In 2024, the series will set their lineups with an inversion re-draw. This will take place on the front stretch of each track for the fans to view.
The amount of cars being placed in the re-draw will be determined by the initial pole sitter’s draw after qualifying. For example, if the initial draw is a six, then the top six competitors will go to the front stretch and do their re-draw to determine their official starting spot. Series officials determined that the change was necessary to add another level of excitement for both fans and competitors. The change also gives the fans a chance to be involved in the qualifying and lineup process.
Series officials also made a change to the use of a “work area” during race days that was underutilized over the past two seasons. In 2024 500 Sprint Car Tour officials removed the work area to help run a timely race program. Not all of the tracks the series attends allows for the work area to be in front of the fans to add to their experience, so it was in the best interest of all included to eliminate the work area from all events. This will not, in any way, take away from the quality of show the 500 Sprint Car Tour puts on track, but will help run a clean and efficient program with respect to the spectators time and helping to get them on the road at a decent time each race night.
The rule changes made to the 2024 rulebook were made with the intention of creating a more exciting and efficient race day experience for the fans and the competitors. As the 500 Sprint Car Tour continues to grow, the series will continually find new ways to make the racing product more exciting for fans while also keeping it competitive for the drivers. The new rules will go in effect when the series heads to Anderson Speedway on April 6th for the 24th Running of the Glen Niebel Classic.
The 2024 500 Sprint Car Tour season will see nine points earning events across a ten race schedule from early April to mid October. The 76th Annual Little 500 will once again be a non-points earning event for the series, filling out the ten race schedule in its traditional Memorial Day Weekend slot. For more information on the 500 Sprint Car Tour visit: 500sprintcartour.com and be sure to follow on social media (Facebook: 500 Sprint Car Tour | Twitter (X): @500SprintTour | Instagram: @500sprintcartour).
2024 500 Sprint Car Tour Schedule:
April 6 - Anderson Speedway | Anderson, Indiana | 24th Running of the Glen Niebel Classic
May 22-25 - Anderson Speedway | Anderson, Indiana | 76th Annual Little 500
June 8 - Berlin Raceway | Marne, Michigan
June 28 - Toledo Speedway | Toledo, Ohio
July 13 - Anderson Speedway | Anderson, Indiana | 3rd Annual Gene Nolen Classic
August 23 - Kalamazoo Speedway | Kalamazoo, Michigan
August 24 - Berlin Raceway | Marne, Michigan
September 7 - Salem Speedway | Salem, Indiana | 65th Running of the Joe James/Pat O’Connor Memorial
October 5 - Anderson Speedway | Anderson, Indiana | 9th Annual Tony Elliott Classic
October 19 - Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park | Brownsburg, Indiana | Championship Saturday
