DIRTRACKR Daily Podcast - Episode Transcript
Dirt racing news, results, discussion, analytics. Sprint cars, late models, modifieds, you name it. From national series, to top local shows. Brought to you five days a week. Email the show at info@dirtrackr.com.
You want more dirt racing ride news? Okay, here's more dirt racing ride news | Daily 12-11-2024
Coming up we'll talk another sprint car ride and driver off the market, and what's still available out there including one to keep an eye on out west. Plus a bunch of Chili Bowl updates, including drivers in, drivers out, and just what is happening with Justin Grant. Let's go!
It's Wednesday, December 11th, I'm Justin Fiedler. This is DIRTRACKR Daily presented by Kubota Genuine Parts.
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Another open sprint car ride gets resolved and a free agent driver is off the board with TKS Motorsports announcing just a little bit ago they are hiring Cory Eliason for 2025. They'll run a pick and choose schedule next season, likely starting with the Outlaws in March. The release mentioned the deep south, so my assumption is Talladega on March 7th, and not the second Volusia weekend during Bike Week. Eliason ran World Finals with TKS, finishing 19th both Thursday and Friday, and 12th on Saturday. He got in this car after departing the Ridge and Sons eight following the end of the High Limit season. Ridge is shutting down the eight and focusing on Aaron Reutzel in 2025 out with High Limit. Eliason ended up 10th in the High Limit standings in 2024, with six top fives and 21 top tens in 51 races. He picked up a local 410 win at BAPS in March, and prelim victory at Trophy Cup in October. Eliason and RSR just never seemed to get anything going in 2024. They started the season with Tyler Swank on the wrenches, and switched to Jim Shuttlesworth, but results stayed mixed all the way to the end. TKS went through a few different drivers following the departure of Chase Randall in August. That included stints for Kelby Watt and Hunter Schuerenberg, before Eliason in November. Randall remains one of the main free agent drivers still available for next season. With this deal settled, and Kameron Key deciding to flip from McGarry to the Beaver 12X, open rides are starting to get fewer and further between. At least publicly, cars still looking for drivers include Jay Kiser's 23, the Bill Rose 6, the Premier Motorsports 70, and the Sides 7S. We also don't know plans for Rich Eichelberger's 8, the Heidbreder 19, whether or not Chris Windom is returing to the Vermeer 55, and if anything happens with the Crouch sprint car team. We know Brenham Crouch is going to the CJB 5, but there had been rumors Leighton Crouch was talking to other drivers for his equipment. Other drivers on the market besides Randall still include Parker Price Miller, Zeb Wise, Hunter Schuerenberg, and Kraig Kinser. One other sprint car ride situation to keep an eye on is the Tarlton 21 in California. We've known since August that Cole Macedo is joining TwoC for a full Outlaw run in 2025, leaving that seat open. Some interesting rumblings about that one with the names being thrown around, especially given it's a top ride out west. Macedo nearly won the NARC title, and that car has traveled in the past. Tarlton crew chief Drew Warner told me they should hopefully have something locked down soon.
Moving on, a bunch of Chili Bowl news bits for you today. First, event organizers announced yesterday that the Saturday night feature is being cut down from 55 laps, back to 40. The event was pushed to 55 in 2012 to honor Donnie Ray Crawford, but the Chili Bowl's Matt Ward and Emmett Hahn believe that 40 is right the move now with some of the track issues they've had in recent years. They will continue to honor Crawford with a 55 lapper at the Tulsa Shootout, but I think most everyone saw this news yesterday and agreed it was the right change. Even with a complete track rework, we've seen the Chili Bowl main event take rubber, which is what nobody wants to see. Knocking those final 15 laps off should help there, and I think it will create just a little bit more urgency. Guys now won't have time to ride, they will need to go, and go earlier. Kudos to these guys for being flexible and willing to make a change like this.
On the entry side, Brad Sweet was on David Gravel's livestream last night on YouTube, and he also talked about Justin Grant being out at RMS and joining Chad Boat. We talked about that story on the Monday Daily show. We are basically just waiting now for the official announcement there, but I did also get a message from Matt Estep confirming everything, and that Grant informed the team last week he was out. The Esteps and RMS are in the process of trying to figure out future plans, including what they'll do with USAC in 2025. Sweet did say that he is returning to race the Chili Bowl and will be in an Estep owned car for RMS. Brad hasn't run the event since 2022, but has had a fair amount of success in the expo center. Six main event starts in 11 tries. Every time he's made the Saturday feature, he's finished top ten, and his best finish was third in 2013. He said he's back from Australia that Sunday and will basically go straight to Chili Bowl. On the flip side, no David Gravel this year. He was a B-Main finisher at Tulsa in 2024 and said he's just going to enjoy a quiet offseason and spend some time at the Big Game shop in South Dakota.
Tanner Holmes revealed his Chili Bowl plans yesterday, announcing he's partnering up with Kyle Beilman to make his third start in Tulsa. Holmes had previously run with Chad Boat, and wasn't originally going to return in 2025. He'll be looking to go deeper into Saturday this time around. Chase Johnson was in a Beilman car this past year and was third on his prelim night and 13th in the Saturday main event.
And we talked yesterday about Christopher Bell being confirmed back. Before we get to January though, Bell shared to social media yesterday he's going to race the Junior Knepper 55 indoors at DuQuoin this coming weekend. This is a POWRi sanctioned show, featuring both midgets and non-wing micros. Looking around, I believe this will be Bell's first time back in a midget since a POWRi show at I-44 Riverside in March of 2022. This will be a good tune up for him, and there will be a number of drivers and teams there using it as a chance to get dialed in before Tulsa.
If you want some more dirt racing audio this week, Dirt Track Confessions has Ryan Flores, Hoogie's Garage has TJ Giddings and more, and there are new episodes of The Dirt Reporters, and Getting up to Speed. If you want to see all the shows and their newest episodes, visit dirtrackr.com/podcasts.
That's the show for today. Still plenty to talk about though and we'll have another full show on Thursday talking racing coming up, and some more topics that have popped up in recent days I haven't had a chance to dive into yet. So stick around...
Hope you guys have a great Wednesday out there, we'll see you back here tomorrow!