DIRTRACKR Daily Podcast - Episode Transcript

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The Outlaws add money to point fund, Kyle Larson returns, Ian Madsen an unexpected free agent | Daily 11-24-2025

A certain past event winner has registered for that indoor race in January, Brian Carter talks World of Outlaws point fund additions and a lot more in a 40 minute interview, and Ian Madsen found out yesterday he's a sprint car free agent. We'll talk about all of that and more. Let's go!

It's Monday, November 24th, I'm Justin Fiedler. This is DIRTRACKR Daily presented by Kubota Genuine Parts.

If you like to play those pickem pools, or participate in Dirt Draft, or maybe bet USAC or High Limit or the Outlaws, or you're just a stat nerd like me, check out the analytics section at dirtrackr.com. We track both World of Outlaws series, Lucas, High Limit, USAC, the Chili Bowl, Eldora late model events, Xtreme Outlaw midgets and more. The database is now north of 2500 races worth of results, stats, and analysis. In there, you can find a ton of information for free, including full race results, driver pages, and stat breakdowns. But if you want access to even more, grab a subscription to DIRTRACKR Plus. $4.99 a month, or $49.99 a year. The year subscription gets you two months free effectively. And you can cancel any time very easily. Signing up gets you access to the Plus Dashboard which has added stat tools and visualizations. Unlock more than 25 extra features, including exclusive insights not found anywhere else. Whether you're a race fan, member of the media, or work for a series or track, DIRTRACKR Plus is the perfect resource. You can see everything Plus has to offer and sign up for a subscription over at dirtrackr.com/getplus.

Chili Bowl entries continue to roll in, and a very notable one was added in recent days. The list is currently at 120 cars, and right there near the top is three time and defending winner Kyle Larson. Yung Money didn't run the event in 2023, instead choosing to run a dirt late model at the Wild West Shootout. He ran the Wild West Shootout again in 2024, but attempted to fly back and forth to run Chili Bowl after a late call to Keith Kunz. That attempt went sideways though with a crash on his prelim night. Last year though, no Wild West Shootout, and he was back in his own car. A prelim night win, and a fantastic battle with Daison Pursley to grab his third driller. He and Pursley were at the top of the headlines not long ago, after a late race incident left Larson turned over and Pursley headed to the Hangtown 100 win. This could potentially be a busy few weeks for Larson, as he's set to race with High Limit in Australia when they have their second international event December 28th through 30th. His kids are likely then racing the Tulsa Shootout, I see daughter Audrey already entered, and that runs December 29th through January 3rd. I'd assume he'd want to be there for at least some of it. Then the Chili Bowl kicks off January 12th, with practice the day before on the 11th. I'll be curious as well to see if Larson runs either of these last two USAC midget events in California. Last year he ran both Bakersfield and Turkey Night, but this season he is not present on the pre-entry lists released for Kern and Ventura. Going back to 2011, Larson has raced Turkey Night every year except 2013 and 2020, and I don't think the event was held in 2020 if I remember correctly because covid. Unless he is involved in the event though, like with High Limit or the promotion deal at Placerville, it's pretty common to see Larson not on pre-entry lists.

Moving on, earlier today DIRTVision released a 40 minute sit down interview with World Racing Group CEO Brian Carter. DIRTVision's Connor Wade was asking the questions, and the interview is available on DIRTVision, but also DV's YouTube and Facebook pages. It's worth your time, as they talk a bunch of different topics, including the schedule, cost control, High Limit, and more. The big takeaway for me was Carter confirming one of the rumors I'd heard at World Finals about the Outlaws' compensation package for 2026. We've seen the High Limit numbers, and while we don't quite yet have specifics, Carter did say WRG is adding $400,000 to the point fund. That's the number I'd heard a few weeks ago, and Carter said that money will be spread through the top ten. According to the estimates I have and what we've shared on the show, that doesn't get the Outlaws 100% in line with High Limit's setup for 2026, but it gets it close. The one area we don't have any insight on, that Carter also alluded to was some of the other things the Outlaws pay teams for, like iRacing royalties, social media promotions, and things like the trading card program. That may bring things a bit closer to even. The big question going forward will be if WRG keeps pace with the High Limit increases, and if they think that makes sense. Carter also talked about safety stuff, and he mentioned the data recorders we did a deep dive about here on the show. I'll be curious to see what comes out of that program. I also thought it was interesting he said quote "Rule changes don't ever save anyone any money." He mentioned having tried to do it in the past, and the teams just spent that money elsewhere. On the topic of FloRacing, he also casually dropped the same rumor a lot of us have heard, that maybe Flo has a stake in the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series already. I do think that's a story to follow in the coming years for sure. It's a solid 40 minutes though, and definitely worth your time if you are a sprint car and dirt racing fan, which I'd assume you are given you are watching this show right now. On a related note, I didn't know this Carter interview was coming, but tonight I did an hour long interview with High Limit's Brad Sweet. This was setup previously just for full disclosure. So later this week you can hear a bit from the other side. Me and Brad talked his retirement, his potential schedule for next year, what the current relationship looks like between the Outlaws and High Limit, sprint car rules including tire stuff, and a lot more. That will likely debut across the various DIRTRACKR channels on Thursday. Sort of a little Thanksgiving treat for you.

Yesterday on the show we talked about TKS Motorsports hiring Carson McCarl for 2026 to tackle Knoxville weekly and scattered other midwest shows. The team apparently didn't like that I talked about Danny Sams being rumored as a possible driver here in recent weeks, as they shared in a now deleted Facebook comment that I should have checked with them before saying anything. As I replied to them though, it was something I'd heard, but didn't follow up on as I figured I'd just wait to see what the team announced. What's funny, is the team acknowledged they'd heard the rumors as well, because they admitted to a phone conversation with Sams in the midst of them. I like sharing that stuff when we talk about these stories, because it adds flavor and context to offseason moves, and shows how fluid these situations can be. And it wouldn't have been outside the realm of possibility, given that Sams had driven for TKS previously. All sorts of things get discussed and explored, but just because they don't happen or aren't ultimately true, doesn't mean there isn't value in sharing them. What isn't a rumor though, is that the driver TKS finished 2025 with is now on the hunt for something new. Ian Madsen closed out the year with TKS against High Limit at Lakeside, and was 15th on the final night. He also ran with High Limit at Texas, plus the Short Track Nationals and POWRi at Texas in the 2B owned by Brett Becker. He was third in the STN finale, and had finishes of 9th and 4th with POWRi at Texas. In a post to Substack yesterday, Madsen shared quote "I returned to Australia immediately after the conclusion of the USA racing season, to tend to my father and his worsening health problems. I woke up this morning to learn of the 2026 TKS Motorsports plans" unquote. So as we were learning about McCarl's hiring, so was Madsen. In the piece on Substack, he thanked Troy and Tammy Renfro of TKS for the opportunity, and went on to say quote "After a two-year sabbatical from racing, I am in the healthiest shape of my racing career, and with a burning desire to compete at sprintcar racings highest level. I eagerly look forward to updating my racing fans and friends with my 2026 plans as I learn of them" unquote. So add Madsen to the list of free agents looking for a new sprint car deal.

In Sunday racing action, Casey Roberts topped a light field of 15 super late models at Lavonia to win the Carolina Clash season finale. He led all 40 laps to bag the $5000 over Devon Morgan and Tucker Anderson. Ben Watkins ended up 10th after a spin while battling towards the front, which was good enough for him to clinch the season title. It was his third career Carolina Clash championship. Later this week, there is scattered crate and limited action, and supers at Duck River.

That's the Daily for today. If you've gotten all the way to this point in the episode, and you don't already subscribe to the show, maybe consider hitting that button. You can subscribe for free on YouTube and the podcast places, and like and follow on Facebook. New shows are posted five days a week to those platforms, plus dirtrackr.com. At last check we needed about 90 new subscribers to hit 48,000 on YouTube, and we're just a bit more than 100 away from 58,000 on Facebook, so jump in with us.

Hope you guys have a great Monday out there, we'll see you back here tomorrow!