Sprint Car Silly Season: Addressing the Rumors

Compared to the 2023 season, it has been an uneventful 2024 “silly” season in the 410 sprint car world. We just got some unexpected news that Chase Randall has made the decision to leave the TKS Motorsports team. The announcement clearly caught the TKS team off guard, as they were prepping to race with the World of Outlaws with Randall at Jackson this weekend. Randall’s decision tells me that he has something lined up behind the scenes, as leaving the car he has won multiple times and made the Knoxville Nationals with does not make sense.

Before I start touching on some rumors floating around, let me be clear: These are rumors and not facts.

James McFadden is Staying in Australia in 2025

I’ve heard this from a few people now, even from some folks who are close to some of the teams. McFadden has said in the past that he is not planning on being a “lifer.” He has been away from his home for a few years driving sprint cars in the States and his son is starting to get older. Add that in with the Visa issues he had at the beginning of the year and you have to wonder if it makes sense for McFadden to continue racing in the States.

Now, what does that mean for the Roth Motorsports team? They have not always fielded two national touring cars, as they usually have one on the road and one primarily in California. If McFadden is planning on racing in 2025, I don’t see why they would move on from him. He’s had some bad luck, but one could argue that he’s been the best Roth Motorsports driver over the last two months. If Roth is planning on making changes, I don’t think we will hear about them until the end of the season.

Chase Randall is Going Where?

Read the comment section on social media and you will find that Randall is going to: The 57w (already debunked, as Jock Goodyer is taking over for the next month), his family-owned 9, a Dietz no. 14 with backing from Albaugh, Roth Motorsports, the Crouch Motorsports 11, the Bill Rose 6, and every other major traveling sprint car team. Randall himself has already said that he would not be back in his family-owned car and that he didn’t know exactly when he would be back at the track but it would be “soon.”

First, let’s take a look at some of the cars that Randall has driven in the past before the 2KS. In early 2023, Randall got behind the wheel of the Beaver Racing 12X at Knoxville. That team does a limited amount of traveling and has recently put Ricky Peterson Jr in the seat for POWRi shows. Peterson is expected to be back in the 12X this weekend.

Randall also spent some time in the LA Competition no. 58 that we just saw Kaleb Johnson in at the Knoxville Nationals and Tanner Thorson for a brief stint in 2023. That is a top-notch ride, but not one we see very often and not one that Randall would be leaving for.

Toward the end of 2023, Randall teamed up with Paul Silva and the Kevin Kozlowski 57w team for the California swing. Any thoughts of Randall doing the same in 2024 were put to rest late last night when we got the news that Jock Goodyer will be piloting that car for the next 6 weeks.

Since we can rule all of those options out, what could be next for Randall? Is it going to be a “test-run” for a team looking to join one of the national touring series in 2025? I think that is the most likely answer, but we still don’t know who that team will be. I think there could be some fuel for the Dietz no. 14, but the “backing from Albaugh” is what is confusing. Albaugh has been a partner of the TKS Motorsports team since before Randall was around and it doesn’t make much sense to me why they would encourage him to move on from the team. That’s not saying it couldn’t happen while they continue supporting TKS, but it seems a bit strange.

The second rumor that I think could make sense is the Crouch Motorsports no. 11. That car ran 60+ races a season ago with Buddy Kofoid and Cory Eliason, but has not seen the track since. The CMS team has been on the road with Brenham Crouch all season long, but they do have the ability to field a second car. The CMS no. 11 would be a top-notch ride and would provide Randall with an opportunity to race a lot more outside of the Midwest. While I do think putting someone like Randall in the car who is a similar age to Brenham Crouch could lead to some controversy, I think this is an option that is not out of the question. Also, while Crouch was racing with the IRA last season, Kofoid was the original driver, so maybe hiring another young driver is very possible.

What’s Going on With the Bill Rose 6?

After abruptly parting ways with Kelby Watt, Robbie Price took over the Bill Rose no. 6 at the Knoxville Nationals. It was a less than stellar performance for Price, who nearly spun from the front of the heat race during his prelim night and then suffered engine woes during Hard Knox Friday. Price will be returning to the West Coast in preparation for the High Limit and World of Outlaw shows upcoming. He’s been enjoying a solid season in the no. 21 car, picking up a win in NARC action a few months ago.

Chase Randall would not be leaving the TKS team for a temporary ride that would be the Bill Rose car, so let’s rule that one out (although he could serve as another fill-in for some races). Historically, Rose has taken an unconventional path when choosing drivers for his team (as we saw with Kelby Watt getting a chance). A little birdie has told me that this will likely be the case again and we might be seeing a 2024 IRA Winner taking over the seat next.

Who Takes Over the TKS Motorsports Car?

Before Randall, it was Ian Madsen wheeling the no. 2KS before parting ways with the team and eventually retiring from sprint car racing. Austin McCarl has been in the seat in the past, as well as Tasker Phillips, Ryan Giles, and Chad Kemenah. While the team does do some traveling outside of Knoxville, they tend to stay local and let the national series’ come to them

After a quick glance at the Knoxville regulars, a few names make sense. Kaleb Johnson, Dusty Zomer, Jake Bubak, JJ Hickle and Kelby Watt are definitely potential candidates. Still, with the Randall announcement coming unexpectedly, the TKS team will likely be answering a lot of phone calls and taking their time making a decision.