The Real Power Struggle in Sprint Car Racing

Are we about to witness a power struggle at the top of 410 sprint car racing? Is the power struggle actually between the World of Outlaws and High Limit Racing? Or is it actually between their respective streaming partners, DirtVision and FloRacing?

DirtVision and the World of Outlaws have been partnered for years (WRG owns both the Outlaws and DirtVision) and have been the premier streaming service for sprint car fans across the country. Their product and platform is elite and easy to use for any race fan. Their rights to all World of Outlaw events, including the Knoxville Nationals, is something will constantly keep fans subscribing to a monthly or annual membership. As a race fan myself, there is no denying that DirtVision holds a lot of power at the highest levels of dirt racing.

In 2023, we saw the formation of the High Limit Series and a partnership form with FloRacing. Flo provides a streaming platform to fans of more than just racing, but wrestling, hockey, and other lesser known televised sports. FloRacing was the official streaming partner of both the High Limit Series and the All Star Circuit of Champions in 2023. With High Limit’s acquisition of the All Stars, it was hard to gloss over the fact that FloRacing is playing a very large part in this. It was announced that FloRacing now holds a stake in High Limit Racing and that they will be the official streaming partner for all High Limit content.

This got me thinking about where the real power struggle is here. Are we about to see FloRacing come in and take over the dirt racing streaming market? Is DirtVision limiting the tracks that the High Limit Series can attend based off of partnerships? It is all an assumption at this point, but it’s hard to ignore the facts that are already coming out.

It is important to note that DirtVision is owned by WRG (the owners of the World of Outlaws). DirtVision advertises on their website that they offer exclusive access to multiple dirt tracks. Some of the tracks include Knoxville, Huset’s, Attica, Jackson Motoplex, Jacksonville, Volusia, Sharon and Williams Grove. So why is this already coming into play?

Historically, the All Stars joined the Outlaws at Volusia (a track owned by WRG) to kick off the start of the season. This will not be the case with High Limit. Instead, High Limit it opening their season at East Bay. While this could just be something High Limit is doing to separate themselves, that’s just the beginning.

It was confirmed that no High Limit Racing events would take place at Knoxville or Huset’s in 2024. It was also confirmed that Huset’s would become more of a factor on the World of Outlaws schedule with additional high paying races added. Huset’s was part of the midweek High Limit Series in 2023, so something must have changed behind the scenes. Knoxville, the sprint car capital of the world, has pledged their allegiance to WRG. Rumors are also circulating that the Jackson Nationals will become an even bigger event for the Outlaws (Jackson and Huset’s are owned by the same entity). This likely rules out a High Limit visit to Jackson Motoplex.

Additionally, concerns from local teams and drivers in Ohio that High Limit would not be making as many appearances as the All Stars traditionally did might be coming to fruition. If DirtVision has the rights to Sharon and Attica, then we can probably rule those tracks out from the High Limit schedule. There is a chance that the Outlaws add events at those tracks to fill the void, but that has yet to be announced.

So many things have yet to be announced, but a clearer picture is already being painted. Will we see Flo begin to advertise exclusive tracks as part of their racing package? Will tracks show their loyalty to High Limit and remove the Outlaws from the picture?

I can’t help but think that this isn’t good for the fans or the drivers. No one is expecting the two series and streaming platforms to work together, but exiling a series from racing at a track only hurts the teams and drivers. When a touring series comes to town, it’s a chance for more exposure and profit for a local team if you have a good night. Tracks should be welcoming high paying events, not ignoring them. We will see how this all truly plays out.