This week was arguably one of the most exciting weeks in sprint car off-season history. We got driver announcements, safety innovations, High Limit charter updates, good news for Ohio Speedweek and so much more. The driver rosters for the World of Outlaws and High Limit sprint car series are starting to take shape and some more rumors are starting to pop up. Plus, an update on some 410 racing in Australia and New Zealand. Let’s go!
Winners
Lachlan McHugh won the USC-QLD Round 3 A-Main at Hi-Tec Oils Speedway on Saturday night in Australia. McHugh was followed by Jy Corbet, Luke Oldfield, Michael Stewart and Nicholas Whell.
Mitchell Wormall won round 4 of the RBH Group SAWA Sprintcar Series A-Main at Geraldton Speedway. He was followed by Matt Watkins and Jeremy Warren.
Brendan Quinn won the MDD All Star Series round 2 A-Main at Timmis Speedway. Quinn was followed by Chad Ely, Rusty Hickman, Paul Solomon and Keke Falland.
Connor Rangi won at Nelson Speedway on Friday in New Zealand over Jamie Duff, Max Guilford, Joel Myers Jr, and Corey McQuillan.
Steve Duff Jr. won at Nelson Speedway on Saturday in New Zealand over Joel Myers Jr., Caleb Baughan, Connor Rangi, and Max Guilford.
Joel Myers Jr. won on Saturday at Nelson Speedway in New Zealand over Connor Rangi, Max Guilford, Jamie Duff and Caleb Baughan.
Full Australia Schedule:
Safety Innovations
Like every season, sprint car safety is a big topic that is constantly being discussed. We saw some scary crashes involving fire with Carson Macedo and Zeb Wise last season and many were left wondering if there was anything that could be done to prevent it from happening in the future. The World of Outlaws mandated an in-car fire suppression system, but there were mixed feelings and reviews about how effective it could be. In a couple instances, we saw the system discharge from the car during the wreck.
In an interview with FloRacing’s Chet Christner, USAC driver Kevin Thomas Jr. discussed his new product called Inferno Armor. It is a spray-on solution that drivers can apply to their suits and cockpit before going out on the track. The idea is that the product prevents a flame and heat transfer during a fire in the car. I think this is a great product that every driver should have, as it will certainly give drivers more time to exit their cars in the event of a fire. See the video below for more details.
Speedweeks!
Last night, we got an update on Ohio Speedweek and what it will look like for the 2024 season. Contrary to all of the noise, it looks like we got cooperation from tracks, promoters, streaming services and everyone else involved. It could not be a bigger win for an area that was potentially going to be impacted the most by the absence of the All Stars. Purses and points fund info has not been released, but we got a schedule and the list of tracks in impressive! Bravo for the FAST Series, High Limit, FloRacing, DIRTVision, the tracks and all other parties involved for making this happen.
- 6/7 Attica Raceway Park
- 6/8 Fremont Speedway
- 6/9 Waynesfield Raceway Park
- 6/10 Wayne County Speedway
- 6/11 Hilltop Speedway
- 6/12 Sharon Speedway
- 6/13 Muskingum County Speedway
- 6/14 Millstream Speedway
- 6/15 Atomic Speedway
In other speedweek news, Western PA Speedweek released their schedule and dates for 2024. Every race will pay a minimum of $3,500 to win and $300 to start. The series will visit five tracks on five consecutive nights.
FloRacing Got Their Wish
During the original High Limit press conference, FloRacing was pretty adamant about wanting the High Limit series to find young talent that they could showcase. First, it was IRA Champion Brenham Crouch who announced his plans to join the series full-time in 2024. Then, in a surprise announcement, Corey Day went from committing to a midweek schedule only to going full-time. This was a massive win for High Limit and for FloRacing. We got a glimpse of what Day can do behind the wheel last season, but a full 60-race schedule against some of the best talent in the sport is going to be awesome to watch. The High Limit roster is shaping up to be a great mix of veterans, fan-favorites, and rising stars.
Rumors
As more driver confirmations were released, there are still a handful of drivers that have not made an announcement yet. I think there could be a few reasons behind this. First, I think teams wanted to know more about High Limit’s plans for revenue sharing and charter systems before they made a decision. Now, with more of that information public, teams will have a tough decision to make. The streaming numbers are not made public, but for High Limit to legitimately propose this idea to teams and for teams to be signing on, it is safe to say that the numbers are impressive.
One of the drivers who has not made a decision yet is Carson Macedo. He will be back in the JJR no. 41, and many expected him to rejoin the Outlaws and battle David Gravel for the championship. It is somewhat surprising that Macedo has not announced his plans, and his posts on social media suggest that it could be true that he is actually thinking about making a switch to High Limit. I do expect Macedo to be an Outlaw in 2024, especially with the Jason Johnson Classic being apart of the schedule, but I would not be surprised if this team is eyeing one of those 10 charters that High Limit is offering.
In what may not be a rumor anymore, it appears that James McFadden is unsure of his plans for 2024. While no official news has been announced, McFadden is currently racing in Australia and Nick Hoffman and Hannah Newhouse reported on DIRTVision that McFadden is not confirmed to be driving the Roth Motorsports no. 83 next year. The current rumor is that it will just be Buddy Kofoid next season and that he will join the Outlaws and compete for the rookie of the year honors.
James McFadden is too talented not to be racing a sprint car in the United States. I don’t think it would be hard for him to find a ride for a pick and choose schedule over the summer, but I hope it is with the Crouch Motorsports no. 11 team. That team has not announced any plans, but McFadden is absolutely the best driver available if the rumors are true.
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