Breaking Down the Remaining Unconfirmed Drivers & Teams

As of 12/23, 25 drivers and teams have announced their plans to run either the World of Outlaws or High Limit Racing national tours. It is hard to say how many more will commit to one, but the number seems to be on the rise. The peaked interest in High Limit has potentially left some teams who were considered locks to go WoO racing in 2024 undecided. Additionally, the High Limit roster is becoming crowded, and teams that were not even considering running a national tour might be thinking a WoO schedule is possible.

Even drivers who had already made announcements about their 2024 schedule have changed their plans, leaving the door open for more possible surprises. Bill Balog comes to mind, as it was mentioned on DIRTRAKR that Balog was not originally expected to run a national tour. Drivers like Chase Randall and Brian Brown, who indicated that they would be running similar schedules to what they did in 2023, could change their plans. At this point, we can’t really rule anything out.

Using data from the 2023 season, these are the best drivers that have yet to announce plans, or have announced plans but could change their decision. For the purpose of this article, I have ignored some regional drivers that have made it clear they will not be committing to a national series.

*Disclaimer – some of these drivers might already have plans that are yet to be announced. This list does not mean they will be running a national series in 2024.

James McFadden – TBA
Tyler Courtney – Clauson Marshall Racing
Brian Brown – Brian Brown Inc.
Buddy Kofoid – Roth Motorsports
Anthony Macri – Macri Motorsports
Cap Henry – Marc Dailey / Jeffrey Ward / TBA
Kerry Madsen – TBA
Devon Borden – Shuttlesworth-Stehman Racing
Chase Randall – TKS Motorsports / Jon Randall
Justin Sanders – Mittry 2X Racing / TBA
Hunter Schuerenberg – TBA
Kyle Reinhardt – Kyle Reinhardt / TBA
Austin McCarl – Country Builders Construction
Mark Dobmeier – Mark Dobmeier Racing
Brandon Spithaler – Brandon Spithaler Racing / TBA
Cole Macedo – Tarlton Racing
Sam Hafertepe Jr – Hills Racing
Ayrton Gennetten – Hayward Motorsports
Sye Lynch – Sye Lynch Racing
Tanner Holmes – Tanner Holmes Racing
Skylar Gee – Logan Fenton Racing
Blake Hahn – Blake Hahn Racing
Ryan Timms – Western Flyer XPress
Dusty Zomer – Jeremiah Jordahl Racing
Riley Goodno – Goodno Promotions LLC

Based on that list, I only see two drivers that are a “lock” to commit to one of the series. They are Tyler Courtney and Buddy Kofoid. An announcement from Roth Motorsports is supposed to be happening any day now, but it is still unclear whether or not that includes one or two cars. It does sound like there is a chance that both James McFadden and Kofoid return in 2024.

Potential Open Seats

These teams might already have established plans, but have not publicly announced anything.

Crouch Motorsports no. 11
Roth Motorsports no. 83JR
Lane Racing no. 4
Grove Racing no. 45
Premier Motorsports no. 70
Marc Dailey no. 2MD

If there is going to be a second Roth Motorsports ride and it’s not going to be James McFadden, the only other driver who currently makes sense is Justin Sanders. There is a California connection there and Sanders put on a good showing in the Macri no. 39M during the second half of 2023. Sanders is absolutely one of the best “free agents” on the market right now, along with McFadden, Kerry Madsen, Hunter Schuerenberg and Cap Henry.

As for the other open seats, the Crouch Motorsports no. 11 is the only one who is equipped to run a full national schedule. If we were to see any of those other rides, they would need additional sponsorship and crew help. Again, James McFadden and Justin Sanders makes the most sense for the Crouch Motorsports car, but we have not heard anything from the team about their 2024 plans.

What is interesting is that the High Limit roster currently sits at 13, and the new number being thrown around for full-time teams is now 16-18. Tyler Courtney would make 14, leaving two to four other drivers/teams considering the schedule.

National Tour Locks

Tyler Courtney – Brad Sweet might have already leaked the news that Sunshine is expected to join the High Limit series full-time in 2024. The Clauson Marshall Racing team will already be involved with Corey Day, so it would make the most sense for them to have Courtney on the same schedule. Plus, Courtney has a great relationship with Kyle Larson.

Buddy Kofoid – Kofoid and his Toyota backing make sense for the Roth Motorsports team in 2024. With the $83,000 to win Dennis Roth Classic part of the Outlaws schedule and the longstanding history that the team has with the WoO, it would be hard to believe that they would go another direction. I expect Kofoid and one of the Roth cars to be a full-time Outlaw.

National Tour Maybes

Anthony Macri – I think Macri is a target for both series looking to add to their roster. The team did a lot more traveling in 2023 with Macri and Justin Sanders, but they still have not experienced a national schedule. Macri took time off last year due to being burnt out, but that is now irrelevant for 2024. Nothing would shock me with this team, whether that is full-time Outlaw/High Limit or sticking to a similar schedule as last season.

Brian Brown – Brian Brown is an interesting one, as he already indicated that he would be sticking to his usual schedule centered around Knoxville and other Crown Jewels. But it was reported that Brown inquired about the High Limit series, likely due to wanting to know more about the charters and revenue sharing. It remains to be seen if this was a serious inquiry or just wanting more information. I think he sticks to his usual plan, but “Blackjack” does sound pretty good running the full High Limit schedule.

Devon Borden – This one might surprise some people, as Borden primarily stayed local in Pennsylvania for most of 2023. However, the team had a ton of success and stated that they have “big plans” for 2024. Borden has said that he expected a similar schedule, but wouldn’t rule out some more traveling. While I don’t necessarily think we will see Borden commit to one of the series, I definitely can’t rule it out right now. Running the High Limit midweek schedule seems more realistic right now, but again, the charters and revenue sharing might have these teams looking at a bigger picture.

Cole Macedo – I think there is real potential for Cole to commit to one of the series. It all comes down to what the plans are for the Tarlton no. 21 and if they would need additional support to make it happen. That additional support could come from the Dietz no. 14 that we occasionally see. If the two sides team up to support Cole, a national schedule absolutely makes sense.

Chase Randall – Randall already indicated that he would be behind the wheel of the TKS Motorsports car and chasing a Knoxville championship in 2024. He still has his family-owned no. 9 and will more than likely be chasing the High Limit midweek schedule. He is another name that could change his mind, but all signs are indicating to a similar schedule as last season.

Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Hafertepe usually runs an aggressive, “true outlaw” style schedule. I only include him because he has the resources to run a national schedule and he did have one of his better seasons behind the wheel of a 410 in 2023. Hafertepe ran nearly 90 races in 2023 between the 410 and the 360. While I would be a little surprised to see him go national, it’s not something that can be ruled out right now.

Blake Hahn – Hahn is another interesting one that could be on the fence. I am not sure if he has the support to go national, but we do see him do a fair amount of traveling during the season. I expect him to stick to a similar schedule to what he ran in 2023, but he is still another one I am not willing to rule out.

Ryan Timms – If Timms did not have a potential KKM Midget commitment with Toyota, then I would have him as a lock to go national. I don’t know if that is with the Outlaws or High Limit, but he clearly has the resources to make it happen. Timms has already won races in his young career, and he could be one of the “young talents” that FloRacing and High Limit are looking to showcase.

Crouch Motorsports 11 – Again, this team is equipped to run a national schedule and they are already going to be on the road with Brenham Crouch and High Limit. If they do find a driver to go national, High Limit makes sense, but I could also see this team scale back and only hit the Crown Jewels with a driver TBA.

Roth Motorsports 83JR – If this car is going to be running like it did last year with Kofoid, I could see them going full-time with the Outlaws. I wouldn’t necessarily rule out a split like Shark Racing is doing, but the fact that a driver has not been announced yet leaves me to believe that we might only see this car for the Crown Jewels and some races in California.

National Tour Doubtful’s

Cap Henry – Henry had an impressive 2023 primarily racing locally in Ohio. He spent some time away from home behind the wheel of the Marc Dailey Racing no. 2MD and looked pretty strong in that ride. We haven’t heard much from either side, but I don’t expect Henry or that car to have the resources to go national.

Dusty Zomer – Zomer ran the full High Limit midweek schedule in 2023. That did require him to do a lot of traveling, but it was only for 11 races. An additional 49 races seems like a stretch for this team. I wouldn’t rule out another midweek run, but I think we see Zomer sticking around Knoxville and Huset’s in 2024.

Lane Racing 4 – This team has traditionally run with the All Stars, most recently with Cap Henry and Chris Windom. I think in order to see this team expand nationally, a driver would have to sign on and bring some sponsorship money or other resources. Kyle Reinhardt comes to mind and is absolutely deserving, but I just don’t think the necessary funding will be there. I expect to see this team running locally with Maverick/FAST/AFCS with someone like Hunter Schuerenberg, Reinhardt or Brandon Spithaler.

Austin McCarl – McCarl does do some traveling during his season, but nothing on a national scale. For this reason, he can’t totally be ruled out, but it would shock me to see his name pop up on an announcement from either series. In my eyes, it will be another year of McCarl battling for the Knoxville championship.

Ayrton Gennetten – I almost had Gennetten on the “maybe” list, but I just don’t think the resources are there at the moment. He ran 64 races in 2023, collecting 5 wins, but most of that came in regional action with POWRi. I expect more of the same in 2024, with the potential to run the High Limit midweek series and hit more Crown Jewels.

Kerry Madsen – Madsen is a name that is absolutely being overlooked. He has all of the experience in the world racing with the best competition, and quietly enjoyed a great season in 2023. We know that he will not be returning to the Vermeer no. 55, but could he be back with the Guy Forbrook machine for weekly Knoxville competition? That makes the most sense at the moment.

Mark Dobmeier – Dobmeier had a dominating season primarily in NOSA competition in 2023. He won 11 races in 41 starts, but struggled against national competition. We don’t see Dobmeier travel far from the Dakota’s and Iowa too often, and I wouldn’t expect that to change in 2024. He might have the funding, but seems to have more success competition locally.

Skylar Gee – Gee is another guy who does include a lot of traveling his schedule. He had one of his better seasons in 2023, winning three races in 60 starts. While it does appear that Gee’s team is well-funded, a full national schedule doesn’t seem to fit the bill. I expect to see a lot of Gee in Maverick/FAST competition in 2024.

Sye Lynch – Lynch bounced around from his family car to the McCandless no. 29 and then back to his family car in 2023. If it is going to be the family-owned no. 42 for 2024, then I expect Lynch to stay local in Western PA / Ohio. With the increased speedweek payouts, Lynch is prime candidate to tackle one or two of those entire schedules.