December 12, 2024

Indianapolis, IN — Dubbed “The Authority in Crate Engines”, BluePrint Engines has announced a new Motorsports Division, with plans to launch their product into the short track market very soon.

Founded in 1982, BluePrint Engines has specialized in providing high-performance crate engines for a variety of applications, although said applications mostly fall under everyday street use.

As the years have gone on though, customers have used BluePrint Engines in more sport-based applications. Word has gotten back to BluePrint, and they intend to do something about it.

“As we’ve developed our line and our products, we have customers that are racers, so we’ve consistently been hearing that we ought to make certain motors for this category or this class,” said BluePrint Engines Sales Manager, Jason Bruce.

“A lot of our circle track customers were talking to us about getting involved,” said Bruce. “Well we already build high-performance small block Chevy 350’s, 360’s, 383’s, 400’s, so we already have the makings to do this.”

“The nice thing is that we’re a factory. We build in the neighborhood of 15,000 [engines] a year. This allows us to be able to have the scale to build good supply, and to supply at a high quality and good value.”

Despite the new Motorsports Division of BluePrint Engines fielding products for other forms of racing—drag racing, drifting, and off-roading among others—Bruce anticipates the short track focus to initially be targeted towards dirt racing.

“With circle track, you’re dealing with lots of sanctioning bodies and variability as opposed to drag racing,” said Bruce. “My guess is that dirt track is where we will start, because you don’t have as many of the SEAL-type projects. It’s a little more open, but we would be more than willing to do dirt, asphalt, or any of the configurations.”

So when can racers expect to see BluePrint Engines emerge as a serious competitor in the short track space?

“We haven’t really gotten that far. We’re starting conversations with IMCA and WISSOTA, but it’s still in the early phases. We’re hoping to get all this feedback at PRI and really start working towards being ready for basically 2026.”

“My guess would be that we’re going to have products available somewhere in April or May (of 2025), and we’re working with some of the different sanctioning bodies doing some track testing, and then from there we will be working toward getting programs together for 2026.”

So a timeline has been established, and BluePrint is a proven crate engine dealer for personal use, but why should racers choose them as an engine supplier for their high-stress racing ventures in 2026 and beyond?

“We feel we can do a good job for grassroots racers,” said Bruce. “You’re going to have quality and consistency. When you have single engines being built by a shop, generally speaking, you would have an expert building that motor. That expert is great, but their time is very expensive.”

“With a factory-type setting, we’re able to build an engine at scale so there’s a better supply, so you have availability if your engine goes down. We can supply engines much quicker, and you’re dealing with really good quality.”

“In our function, there’s all of these quality checks. We’re ISO 9001 certified, so we have quality certifications that are used for car manufacturers. That is not the case with an engine builder. We have somewhere around 2,000 checkpoints that are all dyno-tested. We have to follow these protocols, so we have to do these quality checks that an engine builder would never do.”

While still in the early stages, BluePrint Engines’s Motorsport Division engine programs will be ones to keep an eye out for in the next couple of years. Perhaps they’ll be primarily for dirt racers, but these programs and products promise to be recurring entities for racers to track and watch the development of.

You can learn more about BluePrint Engines by visiting their website here.

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Cover photo: Reid Scott