Before we knew anything about the High Limit national schedule or the WoO 2024 schedule, a sense of panic set in for local teams and racers in Ohio and Pennsylvania about a potential void that could be created. The void would certainly be most evident in Ohio, where you can find over 100 410 sprint cars racing locally every Saturday night. The local Pennsylvania tracks seem to do a much better job at maintaining steady, respectable purses compared to Ohio. Still, the politics going on between High Limit and the WoO at the moment are creating a trickle down effect to the local sprint car scene across the country.
Once we got confirmation about the FAST Series taking over Ohio Sprint Speedweek, there were still many questions and concerns about tracks working together and the purses being sufficient. Most of those concerns were put on hold when the schedule was released and it was evident that promoters, streaming services and tracks would be working together. With the loss of the All Stars, Ohio will see their “national” race schedule go from 27 races in 2023 to 19 races in 2024. According to Ohio Dirt Track Stats, despite the loss of races, the total start money in 2024 from the WoO and High Limit series will be roughly $32,154, a number that will increase from $25,054 in 2023.
While we don’t know the payout details of Ohio Sprint Speedweek yet, the schedule of nine races in nine nights at nine different tracks is certainly promising. FAST announced that they would be increasing their standard purse to $4,000 to win and $400 to start, so we can assume that speedweek will be no less than that. With the help of High Limit, streaming partners and other sponsors, Ohio Sprint Speedweek should easily be able to create a race purse similar to what the All Stars had.
Shortly after the Ohio Sprint Speedweek schedule announcement, we got the dates of Western PA Speedweek. The mini-series will hit five different tracks in five days. They will pay a minimum of $3,500 to win and $300 to win each night. Additional points fund money and contingency awards will also be awarded. Western PA Speedweek is a lesser-known event, but provides a nice bonus for race teams on the border of Eastern Ohio and Pennsylvania. Those teams usually have to do a good amount of traveling to race each weekend if the likes of Sharon and Lernerville are not running 410s.
Then, last night, we got the grand daddy of them all. Pennsylvania Sprint Speedweek dropped their schedule and it is impressive. The schedule includes 10 nights of racing at six different tracks. Each race will pay a minimum of $10,000 to win, with Lincoln Speedway paying $25,000 to win on 6/29 and Williams Grove paying $20,000 to win on 7/5. Other details such as start money and points fund money were not released, but one would hope that the start money is no less than $400.
If you look at the WoO and High Limit schedules, they will not be able to invade the majority of these races. Some would argue that this is bad for car counts and fan turnout, but I would argue that this is good that the money will be staying local. The $25,000 to win race at Lincoln on 6/29 will go to a driver who is not committed to a national series. However, both the WoO and High Limit series are off from 6/30 – 7/12, making an invasion for the remainder of PA Speedweek very possible.
Any driver attempting to run this full schedule might as well commit to a national series, as the travel expenses would be through the roof. But it is not unrealistic for some teams to be able to attend a good chunk of these races and compete for the increased payouts. With $125,000 on the line in winners payouts during PA Speedweek, I would be circling those dates on my calendar. Honestly, the PA Speedweek payout might be enough to convince a team like Anthony Macri’s to stay more local instead of heading out on the road.
In a sprint car world where the offseason has been filled with negativity, you cannot argue that things are not looking up. The Speedweek announcements have been nothing but good news for all local teams and drivers. If we can get some clarity on start money, teams could feel comfortable unloading with the feeling that they could at least break even for the night. These are the things that will keep the local scene steady and it looks like the right people are starting to recognize this.
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