2024 BG Products Platinum 44k Southern Sprint Car Series

NOTIFICATION:  The Southern Sprint Car Series is a private entity and reserves the right to refuse entry or rights to competition to anyone being driver, car owner, family or crew members at ANY GIVEN TIME without notice.

Presented by Southern Race Fuels, Sunoco, Dayton Andrews Dodge,  Signs Fast Superstore, United Speedworld and Race Car Engineering.  

Rules and Regulations

The purpose of the Southern Sprintcar Shootout Series is to promote and conduct sprint car races and other racing oriented events. In this pursuit, the series has formulated and adopted the General Safety, Competition, and Technical rules contained herein. These rules will become effective and enforceable as of the date of this publication and will constitute the rules and regulations that shall govern the conduct of all racing events sanctioned by the series. All car owners, drivers, sponsors, crew members, and all persons involved in any way in any series sanctioned racing events, shall be deemed to have read, understood, and agreed to comply with these rules and any and all amendments, supplements, and/or revisions that may be implemented. It is, therefore, recommended that all of the above listed entities read the rule book carefully to assure familiarity with the rules and regulations contained herein. The rules and regulations as set forth herein are intended to establish minimum acceptable standards and requirements for all racing events. No expressed or implied warranties of safety shall result from the publication of or compliance with these rules and regulations. They are intended as a guide for conduct of the sport and are in no way a guarantee against injury or death to participants, spectators, or others.

IMPORTANT NOTICE

The Series Rule Book is not the only authority governing the actions and activities of the individuals who participate in a series sanctioned racing event. We remind all participants that each race track where a SERIES sanctioned event is held is located within the boundaries of a particular city, county and state and is, therefore, within the jurisdiction of all the law enforcement agencies operating and having authority within these areas. Thus, all laws and statutes applicable to these areas are enforceable at each racetrack where SERIES sanctioned events are held and all violations will be dealt with accordingly by the various law enforcement agencies.

I…..CONDUCT

A. Social Media

A.1. All competitors, crew members and owners agree to act in a professional manner as determined by The BG Products Southern Sprint Car Series Officials.

A.2. The professional manner includes, but is not limited to verbal representation, written representation, electronic representation, social media and/or any representation that may represent the BG Products Southern Sprint Car Series, the sport of Sprint Car racing and/or motorsports in general and/or any of our affiliates (ie. sponsors, competitors, tracks or officials)

B. General

B.I. The series expects and requires all participants in a series sanctioned event to conduct themselves in a respectable manner and to display proper sportsmanship. Any race team’s authorized spokesman or unauthorized person making an abusive or unpleasant statement to an official may result in the race team being fined as follows:

First offense $50.00

Second offense $250.00

Third offense Two (2) race suspension.

Fighting will NOT be tolerated. Anyone involved may be immediately suspended.

B.II. The car owner/driver shall be responsible for the actions of the pit crew while at any series sanctioned race. In addition, each pit crew member is equally responsible for his or her actions. The driver and one other designated person shall be the only spokesman for their particular crew.

B.III. No member shall enter the judge’s tower or approach the starter’s stand for the purpose of lodging a complaint or disputing a decision.

B.IV. No member shall use abusive language or threaten bodily harm or equipment damage when addressing another member, club officer, or track official or subject such persons to unwarranted physical contact, any unwarranted physical contact with a series official will result in DQ for the night with loss of point and money earned and subject to fines and suspensions.

B.V. No driver or pit crew member shall drink intoxicants or use narcotics during any racing event. Any driver or pit crew member, who arrives at a racing event and, in the opinion of the SERIES officers, pit steward, or race director, is under the influence of intoxicants or narcotics will be denied participation in that event.

B.VI. When a car is started in the pit area, it is required that the driver be wearing his driving suit, seat belt, harness, and helmet properly fastened.

B.VII. No speeding or unsafe driving will be allowed in the pit area. 5 MPH speed limit at all times in the pits at all tracks.

B.VIII. Any driver, while racing, who commits unnecessary contact or harassment or uses any driving tactic, whether intentional or not, that is considered dangerous by the starter, pit steward, or race director, will be deemed to be rough driving and subject to disqualification, suspension at future races and/or loss of points as determined by the officials.

II…..RULES OF PROCEDURE

A. The interpretation and application of all rules contained herein as well as all amendments, supplements, and revisions that may be implemented, shall be at the sole discretion of the series officers and race director.

B. All cars are subject to inspection by the technical inspector and race director or their designee at any sanctioned event.

C. All cars, driver, and owners must be registered with the Southern Sprintcar Shootout Series with dues current and in good standing to compete in any series events to receive points

D. Rookie Drivers.

D.1- Any first time driver who has never raced a Sprint Car will be considered rookies and may be required to start a minimum of two race meets in the “scratch position”. This procedure may be used for each rookie driver’s first five (5) race meets.  Any driver who continually gets into trouble on the speedway without good cause or appears unable to safely handle his/her car will be counseled at the direction of the pit steward or race director and allowed to compete at a level and in a manner determined by the pit steward or race director.  Rookie drivers must be a minimum of 18 years of age, or if is a minor and allowed to race under said tracks insurance, they must have a signed and notarized permission statement from both parents or legal guardian, have ALL speedway required minor’s release forms completed and prove the ability to handle a sprint car as judged by drivers and series officials, said minor may be required to purchase an additional insurance policy.  Rookie status for seasoned driver’s from other sprint car associations will be determined by the Director of Competition for purpose of line-ups.

E. All drivers shall use diligent effort to be ready to compete and have their cars ready and in line promptly when called.

F. No car will enter the track without permission of an official.

G. Pit crew members will not be allowed on the track unless permission has been granted by an official.

H. No repairs will be made on the track. Any car that pulls off the track during a restart situation will automatically restart at the end of the lap they were running on. In the event that more than one car pulls off, the last to return will start last on the lap they were running on and the others will line up in the order they return to the track on the end of the lap they were running on. Any car stopping on the track for other than a red flag situation will be placed at the rear of the lap on which they were running. Any car committing a 360 degree spin that results in a Yellow flag will be placed at the rear of the lap they were running on.

I. Any car that cuts a tire during the 4 wide salutes will be allowed to change the tire and resume its original starting position.

J. The starter or race director has complete charge of the track. Drivers shall immediately comply with the starter’s commands, whether given verbally, by hand, or by flag.

K. The number of cars starting any race shall be determined by the race director. In addition to those who have qualified, a bubble car may start and go out for the feature. When the “one lap to start” is given by the starter, the bubble car shall pull in if the correct number of cars is running on the track.  If the line-up is short, the bubble car may remain on the track and compete from the scratch position.

L. All original starts will be double file and restarts will be double file at the designated point in turn 4.

L.1 If the leader(s) of the race, fire prior to the designated starting point this will be considered a false start and the yellow will be displayed to do a complete restart, if the leader(s) causes a second false start they will be placed on the rear of the field.

M. If there is an accident before the first lap is official, the field will be completely restarted double file with the cars bringing about the restart going to the rear of the field.

M.1 All original starts and restarts will be double file

M.2 The leader of the race on all starts and restarts will have the option of choosing the inside or outside row.  When given the one to go he/she must make a clear choice of which lane he/she is choosing. Third place will then line-up inside row 2, 4th outside row 2, etc.

M.3 Leader of the race must maintain a consistent pace as set by the pace vehicle.  If no pace vehicle is available the leader must set a consistent pace.

M.4 On all restarts the LEADER of the race is the control car.

M.4-1 It is the leaders (control car) option to fire anywhere in the restart zone.

M.4-2 The lead car (control car) must be the 1st car to break stride on all restarts.

M.5 Any car passing prior to the drop of the green flag will be placed at the end of the lap he/she was running on. A second infraction of this type will result in the disqualification of the car for the event.

N. You MUST take the checkered flag to win the race.

O. The technical inspector or race director will enforce the rules and shall have the authority to deny car permission to race based on their judgment or its condition relative to such rules.

P. All racing must occur on the racing surface of the track as defined by the race director. Intentional passing under the yellow line or apron of the track will result in the driver/car being penalized to the rear of the lap they are running on. This is to be enforced on the next yellow flag, red flag or after the race at payoff whichever occurs first.

Q. The race director will enforce the rules of procedure and will conduct and determine sanctions as they deem most appropriate. The penalty may be loss of points, fine or disqualification or a combination of such. The race team will be notified verbally, with a letter following as soon as possible, as to the penalties/fines to the race team(s).

R. Any rule or specification may be altered, deleted, or added at any time. The new or revised rule or specifications shall be explained at the driver’s meeting.

S. Space must be made available on both sides of top wings for displaying decals of SERIES sponsors. Anyone that has not displayed the decals will not receive said awards. Series sponsor decals are mandatory.

T. Swerving to clean and/or heat tires during push offs of double file line-up will not be allowed. Swerving will be allowed only during the one to go caution lap.  A violation will result in being directed to the rear of the field.

U. Cars will be given a maximum of three (3) hot laps prior to heats, B-Main and A-Mains at the race director’s discretion.

V. Hot laps. Any obvious problems during warm-ups (motor doesn’t fire, flat tire, etc.) The car will be allowed to go out in the next session of warm-ups.

W. Each car will receive one (1) push off. If a car requires a second push off, it will go to the rear of the field. The only exception to this is:

W.1 – Red Flag

W.2 – As outlined in sub-paragraph “I” of this article regarding the 4-abreast.

W.3 – A safety stop.  The driver can have a safety stop if his/her belts come loose.  The driver must stop in front of a series official so that the loose belt condition can be verified.  If a series official stops a car to check a condition such as leaking oil, parts falling off or any other obvious malady, the car can return to its position provided no work is done on the car including removal of loose parts

X. When a car is being pushed or pulled by anything except people power, a competent person must be in the seat controlling that racecar and no one is to ride on the nerf bars while it is in motion.

Y. If a yellow flag is displayed lapped cars will drop to the rear of the field for the restart,

Y.1  If a car is a lap down and is advancing his/her position thru the field (ie: passing lead lap cars) in attempt to regain their lost lap, that car will be allowed to maintain his/her track position at the time of the yellow flag.

Y.2  If there is a yellow flag with 5 laps or less remaining in the A-Main ALL lapped cars will drop to the rear of the field in the order they were running for the restart.

III. RULES OF SANCTION

A. All participants are subject to the rules of the Series.

B. All participants must obey any order of the Series officials that pertains to the operation of the racing event.

C. A violation of any rule or order is subject to a warning and/or fine. The whole race team is responsible for any violation. In the event of continued occurrences, the team may be suspended or fined $50.00 to $500.00 to be determined by the series officers.

D. A violation of any rule relating to abusive conduct, intoxicants, narcotics, or unauthorized contact with track or series officials may be subject to immediate suspension/fines without warning.

E. A driver determined to be rough driving may be immediately suspended from the event and subject to loss of points for the event and/or fined to be determined by the series officers and the Director of competition.

F. Any rough driving or unsportsmanlike conduct at ANY time during a series event may result in the driver and car being black-flagged, disqualified for the night and removed from the racetrack. The driver MAY receive up to a ten (10) event suspension and a fine of $500.00. The driver will be placed on probation for one year.  The driver’s second offense may carry an indefinite suspension, not to be less than one (1) year from the date it was committed and fined $1,000.00.

G. Any car failing to meet technical standards before the race can be denied permission to start the event. After a warning by series officials of an infraction prior to the feature event and the infraction is not corrected, the owner and driver will be subject to penalties from the event. Any car that becomes unsafe or a hazard while on the track will be removed from the race.

H. Any driver causing excessive delays in a race, such as multiple spins on his own or violating any rules procedures will be disqualified at the race directors discretion. Any car that spins out twice (2) will be sent to the pits or the infield for the remainder of that event. This rule only applies to unassisted spins as determined by series officials.

I. When a car gets pushed off for any race during the event, whether it is time trials/heats, B-Main or A-Main race, the car and driver qualify as a one unit. If for any reason either one cannot continue, both car and driver are finished for that race. No driver or car changes will be allowed after the initial push off for that race.

J. Any car that tries to get his position back or goes to anywhere but the tail of the field after a second push off is immediately black flagged from the event and will be paid and receive points for the last position running at the time of his/her infraction.

K. On-Track Incident Procedure -In a continued effort to evolve the safety of our sport and drivers, the series will address on-track incidents as part of its race procedures and are effective immediately. This is for all yellow or red flag conditions.

K.1 – During an Event, if a racecar is involved in an on-track incident and/or is stopped on or near the racing surface and unable to continue to make forward progress, unless extenuating emergency conditions exist with the racecar (i.e. fire, smoke in cockpit, flip etc.) the driver should take the following steps:
a. Do not loosen, disconnect or remove any driver personal safety equipment until directed to do so by Speedway safety personnel or a series official.
b. After being directed to exit the racecar, the driver should proceed to either the ambulance, other vehicle, or as otherwise directed by safety personnel or a series official.
c. At no time should a driver or crew member(s) approach any portion of the racing surface or apron.
d. At no time should a driver or crew member(s) approach another moving vehicle

K.2 – All vehicles not involved in the incident or that are able to continue afterwards should slow down to a cautious speed, use extreme care as they approach an incident scene, and follow any directions given by safety personnel or series officials. Cars in line behind the safety car should not weave or otherwise stray from the line in the vicinity of the incident.

K.3 – If a driver exits his/her race car prior to safety personal getting to the incident, the event will be red flagged and all drivers MUST stop as soon and safely as possible, failure not to stop may result in a DQ.

  1. The following penalties may be issued:
  2. Driver will be DQ’d for that night’s event.
  3. Driver will lose all points and winnings for that event
  4. possible one (1) week suspension.
  5. The above are a minimum and not limited too.

FLAGS:
GREEN: Start / restart race
BLUE w/ YELLOW STRIPE: Passing or move over. This will be displayed to cars that are being lapped.
YELLOW: Caution, pace lap speed, single file. Hold position,  no passing.
RED: Danger, race is stopped immediately.
BLACK: Pull off track for consultation.
WHITE: One lap to go.
CHECKERED: End of race.
1. On a red flag, cars must stop as soon and safely as possible.  Any cars not confirming to the red flag are subject to DQ.  Cars that enter the pits will go to the rear of the field when racing resumes.
2. Cars do not race back to the caution, if the white flag has been displayed you will come to a checkered as long as the leaders can get back to the checkered flag, If the yellow is needed to be displayed on the white, we will restart with a Green/White/Checkered.  We will make ONE attempt at the Green/White/Checkered.
3. If a caution occurs, the order in which the car crosses the start/finish line on the last completed lap will set the restart line-up.  If there is a yellow before the first lap is completed, there will be one attempt at a complete restart with all cars returning to their original starting position unless a second push-off is required,(exception is a safety stop at an official or directed over race-ceiver to stop at an official) this is at discretion of series management.
4. Any driver that refuses to go to the rear or change any position as directed will be penalized one lap.
5. Any car receiving the black flag will immediately exit the track. If this car does not exit after two laps, any further laps made will not be scored until the black flag is acknowledged

IV… Pre/Post Season Awards

You must be present to receive any Pre/Post season Trophies.  Any Pre/Post cash awards are void after 90 days.

V…. Membership

Registration fee is required to be eligible for any Bounce Money.  (Membership is NOT required)

V-1: Fees

  1. Owner/Drivers Combo(where owner and driver are the same person) $100
  2. Owner (individual) $50.
  3. Driver (individual) $50.
  4. Franchise Fee (optional program offered to points finishers from the previous season) $350.00

A. Definitions (Registered Eligibility)

  1. CAR-Any Sprint Car meeting Southern Sprintcar Shootout specifications.
  2. OWNER: Any person actually having or possessing and interest in an eligible car.
  3. DRIVER: Any person considered and experienced driver by the pit steward or race director.
  4. CREW: Any person actually assigned a repair or maintenance function of an eligible car.
  5. ASSOCIATE: Any person who is accepted as an Associate Member and pays dues that remains in good standings.
  6. SPONSORS: Any persons or company contributing in some monetary way to the maintenance or financial effort of the Southern Sprintcar Shootout Series or an eligible car.
  7. OFFICIALS: The Race Director, Pit Steward, Technical Inspector, Coordinator of Competition, Speedway Starter, Scorer and Southern Sprintcar Shootout Series Officials.  Any questions during the running of the show will be directed to the director of competition or head official that night that is in complete charge of the show.
  8. EVENT: Driver or car owner must race in heat race and the “B” Main or Feature.

B. Membership application for membership has been filed with the Southern Sprintcar Shootout Series, the appropriate dues paid for in one of the four (4) classifications, and the application is approved by the Series, said applicant will be considered registered and permitted to participate in all sanctioned Southern Sprintcar Shootout events and any earned racing points will be awarded from this point forward for that current racing season.