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.
Why does a chassis brand rise above the rest? Kyle Larson, Brad Sweet take High Limit to next level | Daily 7-2-2025
High Limit hitting the big time with first live television broadcast, the Wild West Shootout moves back to Arizona, Tuesday race results, plus we'll talk the future of crate engines and what really makes the difference between dirt late model chassis builders like Longhorn and Rocket. Let's go!
It's Wednesday, July 2nd, I'm Justin Fiedler. This is DIRTRACKR Daily presented by Kubota Genuine Parts.
If you need some go-fast parts this summer, let me help you out with some deals through JEGS. If you head over to dirtrackr.com/JEGS, you can save up to 10% off right now on products from Edelbrock, COMP Cams, TCI Automotive, and FAST Products. JEGS also has a fourth of July sale going on with all of their JEGS brand products. You can get up to $120 off with those deals. I started buying bits and pieces from JEGS 20+ years ago when I was drag racing my Chevy Malibu. Getting those JEGS catalogs in the mail was like Christmas. What fun toys can we find this time. Whether you're looking for circle track stuff, hot rod parts, safety gear, tools, and a whole lot more, visit dirtrackr.com/jegs to save some money this summer. I'll also leave the link below in the video description.
We are just a couple of weeks away from the big Kings Royal weekend at Eldora that includes the Kubota High Limit sprint cars and the Joker's Jackpot. High Limit, FloRacing and FOX Sports announced yesterday they will air a two-hour window of racing on that Thursday live on FS1. This will be a co-broadcast, so if you are a Flo subscriber, you won't miss a thing. They are just adding in this extra part where the Flo broadcast will also be shown on FS1. This will be the first time that High Limit will be seen on live television. High Limit's Chase Raudman and Tony LaPorta will be joined by Blake Anderson to call the action. Showing live dirt racing on TV is always a tricky proposition, given time windows. High Limit will be live on FS1 from 7 to 9PM eastern, and reading the release, it sounds like their plan is to show the Cs, Bs, and feature in that span. My guess is that they will try and maybe start things a bit early to ensure they can get everything completed before that 9PM stop. But there will be added pressure on High Limit and Eldora officials to keep the program moving. There is likely some flexibility on the back side of that window in case things do run a bit long, but they don't want to be in a position where they have to cut away without getting racing done. These two High Limit days at Eldora must be using a different format than last year, as the Thursday heat races in 2024 were set by Wednesday's results, and then there was only a single C and a single B before the feature. On his YouTube channel, Chase Raudman said we will get dual programs on Wednesday again, so that doesn't change. This will be a great opportunity to hopefully expose sprint car racing to some more fans, and if it's successful, I could see a situation where a few races a year get this treatment. Do I expect High Limit to get a full live-TV deal? No, absolutely not. Let's not forget that FloRacing is a streaming video company. But this works for them, because it's a good chance to also show what Flo does regularly, and maybe convert some of those FS1 viewers into Flo subscribers.
One other news item, in 2026, the Wild West Shootout is moving back to Arizona, with the early season late model week now set for Central Arizona Raceway. The event had previously been held yearly in Arizona, but moved to Vado Speedway Park in New Mexico when Arizona Speedway shut down after 2021. Central Arizona though has been on the rise, including hosting High Limit for the first time back in March. The track sits just off Interstate 10 in between Phoenix and Tucson, and they have been making some significant investments there. Royal Jones Vado track is one of the nicest facilities in the country, but drawing good crowds there has always been a challenge. We'll see if this move back to Arizona results in more packed grandstands for the late models in January. The Wild West Shootout runs January 10th through the 18th, and then the World of Outlaws season starts at Volusia on January 22nd. Remember too, the Lucas portion of speedweeks is pushed back for next season, with their racing not starting until February 18th. That could potentially mean more Lucas teams consider a trip west.
No Pennsylvania Speedweek action from last night. Grandview Speedway's stop was cancelled because of weather. Just two of five scheduled races have been completed so far; that includes a Danny Dietrich win at BAPS, and Freddie Rahmer's Lincoln score. Rahmer currently leading the weeklong standings. PA Speedweek will try again today at Port Royal where, fingers crossed, the forecast looks pretty good. After today, races at Hagerstown, Williams Grove, another Port stop, and Path Valley remain.
At the BC39, a wild night of racing culminated in a Justin Grant prelim night win. Grant battled Daison Pursley through the last ten laps, but a Kale Drake mistake ended up wiping out Pursley and Logan Seavey. JG able to hold off Gavin Miller and a hard charging Kyle Cummins at the finish. The Dirt Track at IMS had a little character last night, a little personality. $20,000 to win tonight, and several guys who will be looking for better results. That includes Jacob Denney, who crashed out right away when he hopped a wheel off Thomas Meseraull's car. Logan Seavey with those issues, Cannon McIntosh well down the order, and Pursley will want redemption.
Last night's Summer Nationals win at Benton Speedway went to Tyler Erb. He took the lead from Billy Moyer right at half way, but he had to work hard down the stretch to get the victory. Lap traffic caused him some issues, and Jason Feger was able to briefly get to the front. Terbo though driving angry late, got back around Feger with a sketchy move, and drove on to Hell Tour win number four on the season. Mark Whitener and Feger also on the podium. Chase Holland was a first time winner with the Modified Nationals. A little bit of controversy in that one too, with Holland getting the lead from Tyler Nicely on lap 15 after contact between the two sent Nicely up into the wall. Holland committed to the slider, and Nicely tried to block the move and the two came together. Holland said afterwards he has a lot of respect for Nicely, but that once he was committed, there wasn't anything he could do. The Summer Nationals head to Spoon River today.
I've got two viewer questions to answer on the show today. These are coming from Patreon and YouTube channel members. The first is from Tyler who asked about rumors concerning the end of crate engines for racing. A lot of different divisions utilize crate engines, so obviously that would be concerning. I don't know that there is much to worry about here though. Crate Insider had an interview with a manager at Chevy Performance late in 2024, and all of this was addressed. The manager, his name is James Bloss, said they are fully committed to the space, and that they will continue supporting racers and sanctioning bodies. They continue to work through supply chain challenges, but he said back then that 2025 should be better for engine and parts availability. You can see that interview for yourself over at crateinsider.com.The other question is from John. He asked quote "What's the performance difference in the Late Model chassis business? Is it engineering and design, caliber of clientele, crew chief, or is just the total package? We've seen Longhorn dominate, but as of late Rocket drivers have quietly improved and are challenging for big time wins. Thoughts on what the IT factor is?" I don't know that there is a really solid answer here. Some guys just go well in certain cars. And it might just be vibes for some of them. Jimmy Owens for example has driven multiple different brands, including one of his own design, but lately has been doing pretty well in his Rocket. Brandon Sheppard was unstoppable in the Rocket house car previously, then went to Longhorn and couldn't match the pace. Now he's back with Rocket, and still not finding speed consistently. Tim McCreadie is back in a Longhorn, and running better than we've seen in maybe two years. But while we watch Bobby Pierce and Jonathan Davenport and Ricky Thornton Jr. melt faces in Longhorns, plenty of other Longhorn drivers struggle. Skyline's Tyler Bruening and Mike Marlar went Infinity this year. Even look at Brandon Overton. A well supported team with Riggs, backed by Longhorn as the factory team, Anthony Burroughs as crew chief, and just one national tour win this season. They are certainly not bad by any stretch, but they can't match the pace right now of those top Longhorn customer teams. Consider this... After his win at Nodak the other night, Tim McCreadie thanked Matt Langston from Longhorn Dynamics for helping him get the setup going back in a good direction. But it's not like that same information isn't available to Overton's team. I do think Longhorn tries really hard to find stuff and get better. They've got a growing brain trust over there with some of the smartest guys in the sport, and they are always testing. But does that mean that Mark Richards and his group doesn't do those things, and suddenly they don't know what they're doing? Absolutely not. So much of this stuff is cyclical. I think on a nightly basis, everything has to come together just right, and that isn't chassis specific. There is never a magic bullet, but I do think a really good driver can get elevate things. It just so happens that some of the best guys are in Longhorns at the moment. But I'd bet a decent amount of money that if RTJ was suddenly in the seat of a Rocket, he could probably still go pretty fast. Thanks to both Tyler and John for their questions.
That's it for today. Hope you guys have a great Wednesday out there, we'll see you back here tomorrow!