CONTEST PROCEDURE
1. Any puller under 18 must have written consent from a parent or guardian and prior approval
2. Contestants may be barred from pulling due to emotional or physical reasons. Ex: drinking, illness, etc.
3. Only the driver will be allowed in/on a vehicle when it is being towed or driven.
4. No riders are permitted on tow tractors or track equipment.
5. A driver must be in/on the pulling vehicle at ALL times while the engine is running.
6. Vehicle must be in neutral or park while hooking to or unhooking from the sled. Drivers is recommended to raise hands while hooking and unhooking.
7. Any driver or crew member found under the influence of drugs or using intoxicating agents in the track
area will be disqualified
8. A driver’s meeting is optional and may or may not be held before the pull starts
9. The first puller in the class will be considered the ‘Test Puller’. This ‘Test Puller’ may accept their pull
distance or choose to come back immediately or drop to ANY position in the pulling order.
a) Should the head official rule that the first puller did not make an honest attempt, or suffers
mechanical failure, the next puller in line will become the ‘test puller’ and will have all the options
available to the ‘test puller’. This process may be continued (at the option of the head official) until
the class is set.
b) The finish flag official must be informed of the ‘Test Puller’s’ decision before leaving the track. No
other contestant will be given the option of test competitor.
10. A pulling vehicle may drop to any position in the class due to mechanical breakage. This will count as the
first of two attempts for the vehicle to make a measurable distance. This dropping must be approved by
the track judge. Safety equipment does not qualify for a mechanical problem.
11. A competitor has three minutes to hook to the sled after track is ready, or if after competition director
and/or head flag calls them to the sled. Failure to do so will result in DQ with no refund of entry.
(Competitors have Three (3) Minutes to come to track and make an attempt. If they do not make a
measurable pull, then they will have the option of trying immediately or dropping. This will count as one attempt
attempt.)
12. Puller receives two attempts to move the sled. If on the first attempt, the driver lifts off the throttle before 100’ the puller will return to the start line and receive their second and final attempt. Only for mechanical breakage may the puller drop to last for their second attempt.
13. When there is a re-pull caused by a contest malfunction, the puller or pullers affected may drop to ANY
position in the class or may pull again immediately. Competitors may not move any weight.
14. Competitors may spot the sled anywhere in bounds and behind the starting line if they wish. A cone will be
provided for this purpose. This must be done while the sled is returning to the starting line. Only one sled
spotting is allowed. Once the sled has returned to the starting line and is ready the puller may NOT re-spot
the sled. Doing so will count as the pullers ‘first attempt’.
15. All pulls will start with a tight chain. No jerking of the sled. Excessive sled jerking may cause DQ.
18. Excessive loss of liquid will result in disqualification, if the vehicle is under the green flag. If a vehicle is
flagged, pull will be measured from the point of the red flag being issued. Failure to stop will be cause for
disqualification. Excessive is defined as any steady or intermittent steam equal to a spot on the track of
eight (8) inches in diameter.
16. Pulling will be over when forward motion stops. Competitors must stop immediately when RED flagged.
17. All pulls will be measured to the nearest 1/100 of a foot (two decimal places) utilizing an Agri-tronix GPS
sled measuring system or laser measuring device.
18. When possible, all contestants must drive on and off the track. Tow starting will be done as a last resort
and under tech official’s discretion
19. All competition vehicles must report to the scales full of fuel/water/ice, etc. Fuel/water/ice, etc. may not
be added once the pulling vehicle has been weighed.
20. Once a vehicle has made its measurable pull and is unhooked from the sled it must be moved from the
end of the pulling track. Vehicles cannot be parked where they may interfere with the laser measuring
device or flow of event traffic.
21. Any disqualification on the first attempt bars a second attempt unless the class is restarted.
22. The “Test Hook” puller may come back if they go out of bounds on their test hook attempt.
23. Pullers disqualified for actions on the track may still receive purse money. Should the class not be full a
disqualified puller shall receive last place purse money IF the vehicle has made a measured pull.
DISQUALIFICATIONS
1. All pulling vehicles must pass a tech inspection and meet all safety requirements before they can pull at
any event. AOPS reserves the right to fully inspect any vehicle at any time. Refusal to submit to a
complete tech inspection will result in disqualification of the vehicle.
2. The tech person or presiding official has the right to stop and disqualify any competitors or pulling vehicles they feel are unsafe.
3. Any competitors found under the influence of intoxicating agents before or during competition will be
disqualified. Any crew members under the influence of intoxicating agents who are in the staging, or track
area will be grounds to disqualify the vehicle they are attending with.
4. Official’s decisions are final. There is no appeal process. Disagreements may result in disqualification.
5. Competition Director decisions are final and unappealable on any point of controversy. Disagreement
leading to arguments can result in disqualification.
6. Any Competitors abusing an official or other AOPS pullers / personnel both verbally and/or physically, will be banned from all AOPS events and asked to leave.
7. Disqualifications may result from this list of items, but disqualification is not limited to these causes:
• Illegal fuel or illegal water
• Out of bounds - defined as any part of the vehicle touching the boundary line
• Loss of excessive liquid
• Loss of weight under the green flag
• Failure to be Tech Inspected
• Failure to be properly weighed
• Loss or failure of safety equipment under green flag
• Unsafe operation of vehicle
• Unsafe speed in the pits or leaving the track
• Unprofessional or unsportsmanlike conduct
• Illegal equipment
• Leaving the starting line under a red flag.
• Deliberate delay of event
• Attacking an official, Attacking a competitor
ENTRY/TECH PROCEDURES
1. All Competitors must be registered at least one hour prior to the pull.
2. Once a competitor arrival on grounds, they shall return to their vehicle and remain there until the vehicle is teched
3. All tech inspection will occur on the ground or on the trailer...Unless necessitated by inclement weather.
4.. On any vehicle competing in a class requiring a safety shutdown switch the driver is responsible for
installing the tie strap to the safety switch.
5. Vehicles may enter only one class but may enter only once in each class.
6. Events are ‘open to the world’ – NO memberships are required to enter and must pass tech for said class
7. Participants must be a member of AOPS in order to collect points, . Membership must be in place prior to hooking to the sled in order to collect points.
Vehicle will only be allowed to collect points in one class, this class will be determined by the class that is
chosen on their membership form.
8. Pulling order will be determined by ‘luck of the draw’ at sign-in. Numbers used may not be visible to the
pullers. When a team has two or more entries in a single class, the vehicles must be registered separately
so as to prevent the misplacing of the tractors numerically.
9. Should a competitor be forced to withdraw from a class due to breakage from a previous class, the
competitor must notify officials before class begins.
10. Once a competitor has hooked to the sled, he will not be refunded entry fee money.
11. If puller arrives late (after the class has started) the competitor may NOT compete in the class.
12. The only approved late entries accepted will be those pullers who have made prior arrangements with the registration official prior to arriving.
13. Competitors will earn NO points if entry fee is refunded. This also applies to rain-out situations.
14. Pulling vehicles may be held for post competition tech inspection. Failure to abide may result in a DQ.
FLOATING FINISH LINE
1. Floating Finish Lines will be utilized at all events for all classes unless the head official determines
that a pull off system will be used. If a pull off is to be used for a certain class, it will be announced prior to the class starting.
2. Boundary line will be 350’ long to start the pull, even though a Full Pull may only be 300’. Competitors may not touch boundary lines at any time. The Full Pull line will be established by the Head Track Official no less than 300 feet after a sled reset. The Full Pull line can be set in front of a vehicle even if the vehicle has gone past 300 feet at either 310’, 320’, or 330’. White disqualification line(s) will be 350 feet for the entire contest. If Head Track Official determines a floating finish is needed
3. If the test hook vehicle goes past 350’ on its initial run, the sled will automatically be reset. This can be
only overridden by the head track official in the case of inclement weather or other time restraints to the
event.
RULES VIOLATIONS
1. Any first-time violation will result in disqualification from that event.
2. Second time violations for the same infraction will result in a season long suspension.
5. Anyone suspended will not be allowed in the track or pit area for the duration of the suspension. If a
vehicle is sold the vehicle will be allowed to pull, but the suspended party is NOT involved with the
vehicle in any way.
Points System
1 $125.00 Buy in fee per class. Super Modified is $225.00
2 Combined distance of all the pulls. Who has the most distance at end of the season is the winner
3 Points follows the vehicle. Not the driver
4 Disorderly conduct may result in losing your distance of the pull.
5 Championship Purse breakdown 1st 50% 2nd 30% 3rd 20% of total buy in fee
RAIN-OUT SITUATIONS
1. Any event canceled outside of four (4) hours prior to the scheduled starting time is considered a
‘cancellation’ and is not to be considered as a ‘rain out’ under these rules.
2. A session of pulling will be official if one half of the advertised classes are completed. Promoter is not
required to refund gate money in this situation.
3. Any class not completed for any reason will be considered a rain out. This would include a class canceled
due to sled malfunction or electrical failure or any other unforeseen situation.
4. UNOFFICIAL CLASS: If less than 2/3 of the Competitors have hooked, the class is considered a ‘rain-out’
and rain points are awarded to all pullers in the class regardless of whether or not they have actually
hooked to the sled. No purse is paid out if less than 2/3 of the registered pullers have competed.
5. OFFICIAL CLASS: A class will be official when 2/3 of the Competitors have made a pull. The promoter
MUST pay the entire class purse in this situation. The purse is then split evenly between all entered
pullers regardless of whether or not they have actually hooked to the weight transfer machine and made a
measured pull.
6. It is a joint decision of the event official and the event promoter as to when a class or session is rained out.
PROTESTS
1. Protests are available for any violation of the rules or misapplication of the rules. These violations may be either vehicle protests or rules application protests.
2. Items that may lead to a protest must be protested by a puller. AOPS will not entertain a protested
item discovered by a puller without the necessary protest form and fee.
3. All protests must be made in writing and submitted within five minutes (5) of completion of the class
being protested. AOPS reserves the right to NOT handle a protest.
4. Protests can only be made by Current Members of AOS.
5. Official protest forms are available at the registration table and must be signed by one (1) owner/driver within the class of competition.
6. All protest fees will be accepted in cash ONLY.
a) If a protested vehicle is found legal, then the fee will be forfeited to the person found legal.
b) If a vehicle is illegal, then the vehicle is disqualified, and a fee is returned to the protester.
7. Fee for protest are as follows: $500.00
8. ANYONE causing a disruption during a protest will be disqualified.
9. The officials and the protested are the only people allowed near the vehicle during a protest.
10. If a competitor is found guilty of exceeding the cubic inch limit, they will be barred from all events for one (1) year and one day. Refusing to tear down or to be pumped will be considered exceeding the cubic inch limit.
DROP HOOK
1. All points members will receive a drop hook if their vehicle was in competion at over half of the pulls scheduled for the season. At the end of the season, every members worst distance recorded will be dropped from the overall points standings.