High Limit Racing: Impressive start is a shot across USAC’s bow (4th Update)

Former NASCAR Truck Series driver Tanner Thorson is set to join Kyle Larson’s Sprint Car Series, High Limit Racing, on full-time basis in the upcoming season.

Tanner Thorson, who drove in the Truck Series in 2018, has become the 14th addition to Kyle Larson’s sprint series’ driver line-up for the 2024 season. The former NASCAR driver joins the list of multiple racing stars such as Kasey Kahne and Brad Sweet to feature in the series. He will drive the No. 88 Winged Sprint car.

Kyle Larson talks his High Limit Racing Series

“I’m on the High Limit side so I’m going to say it’s going to be much better than where we currently sat a few months ago,” Larson told Flo Racing of dirt sprint car racing.

“I think the fans that voiced their displeasure about two national series, I think just don’t understand the big picture. Also, our charter system.”

“Why would race fans not want a team owner to be able to make money with his race team. That’s a crazy way to think negatively about what we’re trying to do.”

“Excited to prove to people that we are good. And, what the Outlaws do going forward. Because I’m sure they’ll have to change their business model a little bit to continue to be the premier series, like they are.”

“It’s fun to be a part of it.

“We’ve learned a lot from the late model side. We’ve got a close relationship with Rick Schwallie, who’s an incredible, smart, humble human being. A great person to have on our side, just to bounce ideas off of.”

“We listen to him about what’s worked and what hasn’t worked. Having us to be able to work together, is big. In my opinion, Lucas Oil is definitely the top series of late models.”

“Excited to see how the sport grows. Because I know it will grow. Over time, the fans will appreciate what we’re doing.”

Add another big name to jump ship and join the High Limit series. The latest to announce a full-time commitment to the series is Sprint Car racing hotshot of the past three years, Brent Marks.

Marks will be another prominent figure in Brad Sweet’s and Kyle Larson’s racing series, which has set the grassroots dirt racing scene ablaze since its debut in 2023. Other leading names include Rico Abreu, Kasey Kahne, Brad Sweet, and Kyle Larson himself, amongst others.

Marks announced his participation this week on Thursday with the winged Sprint Car Series. Often referred to as ‘The Myerstown Missile’ in the dirt racing scene, the 32-year-old has won 45 races in the past three years, with 13 victories to his name in 2023 alone.

Before joining Kyle Larson’s racing series, Brent Marks had experience with World of Outlaws, another premier Sprint Car racing series. Used to the demands of racing on a national level and traveling across the country, the Myerstown native also has 11 wins in the All-Star Circuit of Champions to his name.

High-Limit Racing will push USAC, and maybe even the World of Outlaws, out of Sprint Car business, with bigger purses and a charter system.

The FloSports-backed sprint car series High Limit Racing is creating a NASCAR-style charter system that aims to be fully functioning by 2026, seeking a model to bring long-term value to its team owners, reports Adam Stern of the Sports Business Journal.

High Limit says it’s offering bigger purses to drivers and being transparent about its finances, with $5 million set to be doled out to drivers in 2024. As a result, and with the big names involved, it’s starting to attract some of the more talented drivers to compete with the property full time.

In High Limit’s version, the series will award 10 charters total over the next two seasons (2024 and 2025), with the first batch going to the top five full-time teams in the year-end points championship of 2024. The five that get awarded after the 2025 season will go to the highest finishing teams that didn’t already have a charter, based on their average year-end points totals from the 2024 and 2025 seasons. Media revenue distribution will then start in 2026. The chartered teams will get 50% of High Limit’s digital streaming revenue annually. Those teams must compete in every race, under the terms of the system that High Limit is drawing up.

Another big name Sprint Car driver has thrown their hat in the ring with the High Limit Racing Series.

It seems the biggest question of the Sprint Car off-season has been where will Rico Abreu take his talents in 2024. Today, we got that answer. He’s all in with High Limit Racing.

One of the biggest superstars in the sport off the track and one of the most talented drivers behind the wheel, Abreu’s addition to High Limit Racing is monumental in many ways. He’s the seventh driver to publicly commit to chasing the 2024 championship — following Brad Sweet (KKR No. 49), Kasey Kahne (KKR No. 9), Jacob Allen (Shark No. 1S), Zeb Wise (Rudeen No. 26), Cory Eliason (RSR No. 8) and Brenham Crouch (Crouch Motorsports No. 1).

High Limit Racing launched in 2023 with a 12-race season calendar and now in 2024 expands to 60 events in 19 states, highlighted by Three Crown Jewel Events Paying $100,000-to-Win; Midweek Money Series 11-Race Schedule Featuring a $50,000-to-Win Event

–by Mark Cipolloni–

High Limit was started by NASCAR star Kyle Larson and Brad Sweet, whose sister is married to Larson.  They even bought Tony Stewart’s All-Star Race of Champions.  The series has support and live-streaming coverage provided by FloRacing.

FloRacing, a premiere live streaming platform for motorsports and short track racing, is providing live streaming coverage of the High Limit Sprint Car Series, which competes at dirt track venues across the United States on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday nights. FloRacing is part of FloSports, a leading live sports streaming and original content platform featuring over 25 vertical sports categories.

The slate is highlighted by marquee events including the $100,000-to-win Joker’s Jackpot at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio, the $100,070-to-win Gold Cup Race of Champions at Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, Calif., the $100,000-to-win Skagit Nationals at Skagit Speedway in Burlington, Wash., and the $57,000-to-win Tuscarora 50 at Port Royal (Penn.) Speedway.

Other major events, paying more than $20,000-to-win, include the $50,000-to-win Commonwealth Clash at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Penn., the $50,000-to-win Heartland of America Showdown at Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City, the $25,554-to-win Dean Knittel Memorial at Portsmouth (Ohio) Raceway Park, the $26,000-to-win Rayce Rudeen Foundation Race at I-70 Motorsports Park in Odessa, Mo., the $29,000-to-win Bob Weikert Memorial at Port Royal Speedway, a single-night $25,000-to-win race at Tulare (Calif.) Thunderbowl Speedway, and the $25,000-to-win Diamond Classic at Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Mo.

High Limit Racing will also have two events in conjunction with NASCAR, one at Texas Motor Speedway in April, and the aforementioned Heartland of America Showdown at Lakeside Speedway, roughly eight miles from Kansas Speedway, in May.

High Limit Racing will award a point fund of $1 million with the champion team and driver winning $250,000.

Five-time World of Outlaws champion Brad Sweet will compete in the full High Limit Racing tour, while co-owner and founder NASCAR champion Kyle Larson will compete full-time in the Midweek Money Series, plus additional events to be announced. And now it’s official that Sweet’s boss Kasey Kahne is bringing the #9 to join him in the High Limit room.

After building a World of Outlaws dynasty with 200+ wins and six championships over the last 15+ years, Kasey Kahne Racing will move not one but both teams to High Limit Racing in 2024.

A very impressive start for a young series, and it is a shot across the bow of USAC Sprint Cars and World of Outlaws (WoO).

Will all three survive? USAC is the weakest of the three and could fall first given the purse payouts from High Limit Racing and WoO. Drivers will gravitate to where the money is putting USAC’s Sprint Car schedule in jeopardy.