DIRTRACKR Daily Podcast - Episode Transcript
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Who wins first, championship spoilers, a big question, best field ever? | Daily 7-10-2025
On this Thursday, we'll hurt some feelings and talk who the two best sprint car drivers in the country are. That's part of a five-pack of storylines we'll get into coming out of the summer break, which also includes a look at the High Limit title fight, and who do you think wins a race first, Tanner Thorson or Donny Schatz? Let's go!
It's Thursday, July 10th, I'm Justin Fiedler. This is DIRTRACKR Daily presented by Kubota Genuine Parts.
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The sprint car summer break is over, with both the World of Outlaws and High Limit returning to action this weekend after extended time off for the fourth of July holiday. The Outlaws are at Deer Creek and Wilmot, while High Limit has Florence on the schedule. The national touring regulars were mostly on the shelf over the past ten days or so. We did see Brent Marks race a little bit, Logan Schuchart, and some drivers tested at Knoxville. And Garet Williamson got in a midget this week with USAC. But for the most part, there were very few appearances. With this break over, and speedweeks done like Ohio and PA, the national tours will be back at the forefront. Things will start to ramp up hard with the Kings Royal looming, the Knoxville Nationals in a month, High Limit will be on live TV, and a lot of money on the line. Next week we've got High Limit on Fremont on Monday, the Brad Doty Classic Tuesday, then four nights at Eldora.
I've got five sprint car storylines for you today that will be top of mind for the remainder of the summer. The first is going to hurt some feelings, especially in this ongoing High Limit vs. World of Outlaws debate. But the two best drivers in the country right now are both Outlaw guys. Over their last 24 appearances, Buddy Kofoid and David Gravel have the exact same average finish: 4.17. Gravel has five wins, Kofoid has five wins. Kofoid's bank account looks a lot better, given his nearly half a million dollar stretch, but nobody else has come close to what these two drivers have done. Each with only a single finish outside the top ten. Gravel will be a heavy favorite next week at Eldora, and I think the big track stuff is really the big question mark for Kofoid over the next several weeks. He hasn't found a ton of success at Eldora or Knoxville in his young career, but a podium finish last time out at Knoxville might be an encouraging sign. These two the best right now, and it's not really close.
My next storyline to follow is sprint car silly season. Or really, the lack of one so far. There have been a few smaller moves, some regional stuff, but no surprise changes anywhere near the top. Will this trend continue, or are there drivers and car owners who will start getting itchy if things don't go their way during the most lucrative part of the season. We've seen plenty of deals go south after the Kings Royal, after the Knoxville Nationals. And regardless of whether there are changes or not, half way through 2025, everyone will start thinking about and talking about their 2026 plans. You can't wait until World Finals or after in the game of musical chairs, and as we've seen the past two years, series choices will again be something to follow. High Limit struck early with their franchise news earlier this year, and we've yet to see any sort of response from World Racing Group and the Outlaws. Will they up the ante also, or do they think status quo is good enough.
Storyline number three is this High Limit championship battle. With Gravel running away with things on the Outlaw side, there isn't really much to talk about. But with High Limit, five drivers are still very much in contention. Aaron Reutzel, Brad Sweet, Tyler Courtney, Rico Abreu, and Brent Marks are all separated by just 47 points. Reutzel has rebounded from having to miss that Las Vegas race due to injury, and he's overtaken Sweet at the top. Courtney and Marks have plodded along quietly racking up a bunch of top tens, even though it hasn't been flashy. And Rico leads all drivers with six High Limit wins. Sweet's experience and consistency certainly make him the favorite, but the margin is much smaller than it has been in the past. There are still 30 races nights left, so a lot can and will happen before the finale at Texas in October. Of the five, I think the most likely scenario is a continued battle between Sweet and Reutzel. Reutzel has the right combination of race winning pace and consistency to keep the pressure on. I think Marks and Sunshine need to figure out a way to win more if they want to stay up front, and Rico's battle will be consistency. He and Ricky Warner can win any night out, but can they avoid the bad nights. You can't be finishing outside the top ten and expect to beat Brad Sweet.
My next item on the list is really a question. Who wins a national touring sprint car race first, Donny Schatz or Tanner Thorson. Both are winless on tour in 2025, and each is in a very different place. Schatz is one of the greatest sprint car drivers of all time, but is having a historically bad season. He's only led laps one time in an Outlaw race this season, and his winless streak stretches back to Lincoln last October. He's got just six Outlaw top fives, and hasn't been on a podium since Red River Valley at the end of May. We've talked a lot about all of the changes to that team in 2025, but can they turn it around after this summer break, or will it be more of the same. I'm not convinced there will be a second half turnaround, and there is something that just isn't working right now with the 15 bunch. On the flip side, Tanner Thorson and Stevie Smith have been finding speed with that coilover setup, and it feels like it's only a matter of time before they put a full night together. Seven straight top six finishes with High Limit, laps led at Wheatland, and four podium runs. If I was a betting man, I'd probably lay some cash on a Thorson victory soon.
Finally, the Knoxville Nationals always garners all the attention, and for good reason. It's the biggest sprint car race on the calendar. But this season, don't sleep on the 360 Nationals the week before. Knoxville released another look at the pre-entry list yesterday, and it's grown to 58 cars. Looking at it though, if you took the 360 logos off, you might think it was the 410 list. Kyle Larson, Brad Sweet, Tyler Courtney, Aaron Reutzel, Kerry Madsen, Justin Peck, Rico Abreu, Chase Dietz, Brian Brown, Ryan Timms, Chase Randall, Kasey Kahne, James McFadden. We are still several weeks away, and I think this could be the toughest field at the 360 Nationals we've seen in recent memory. Sweet's addition to the event means we'll see the High Limit series owner at the 360 Nationals for the first time since 2013. In four previous starts, his best finish was third. I know there are some sprint car fans out there who don't love 360 racing, but I wouldn't sleep on these three days.
Besides these five storylines, drop me a comment and let me know what you are looking forward to seeing over the second half of 2025. And also what you think of the storylines I've mentioned here.
Winners from Wednesday included Drake Edwards in USAC midget competition. He topped Cannon McIntosh for his first ever series win. The midget teams are off today, with racing resuming Friday and Saturday at Jefferson County. Cory Overton was a Summer Nationals winner at Montpelier. He went sixth to the lead on a late restart and held on to the end. Some controversy in that race as well, with leader Tyler Erb getting in an incident with a lap car and spinning out. Some folks there angry he didn't get the lead back. Tyler Nicely the night's modified winner.
Looking ahead, a lot of dirt racing to come over the next few days. I mentioned the big sprint car stuff earlier. Lucas is at 34 Raceway and Wheatland, the Outlaw late models hit Sharon. You've got NARC sprint cars, Southern Nationals, USAC midgets, the end of the Summer Nationals, and plenty of other options. Make sure to hit up dirtrackr.com/watchtonight to get a full picture of your streaming options for the weekend.
That is the Daily show for this week. Thanks as always for tuning in and the support.
Hope you guys have a great Thursday out there, we'll see you back here on Sunday.