As a fan of sprint car racing, the current off-season has almost been more exciting than the previous racing season. A new contender in the High Limit Racing has taken a seat at the table looking to shake things up in 2024. Depending on who you are a fan of and what series you are following, you may feel differently about this shake up. One thing I have noticed over the past couple of weeks, as drivers and teams decide what series they wish to run, is people choosing sides over the series. People have begun to say that this is a great split in the sprint car world or that this is the beginning of the end of the World of Outlaws. I don't understand why this is the case.

Brad Sweet mentioned in a previous article for Sprintcar Unlimited that, “The goal of High Limit Racing isn't to take away from other series. There is no desire to splint or fracture the sport, but instead provide it more opportunity for growth.”

Over the past couple of years, we have seen crown jewel events try to one-up each other as they increase their prize purses as well as the World of Outlaws up their season points payout in that time frame. For almost 50 years, the World of Outlaws have been the top echelon of sprint car racing and new series trying to compete with them have come and gone. However, this time around High Limit Racing brings a lot to the table, and they don't seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. As the saying goes, “steel sharpens steel.”  This will be the case as both series compete against each other. They are going to be forced to raise the bar again and again, making one another better in the end. 

With two top level series, this gives the sport twice the races, twice the exposure, [almost] twice the amount of money on the line, which gives the drivers twice the amount of chances to leave it all on the track. This gives us fans twice the number of chances to be on the edge of our seats, and for this, I’m not going to complain at all. 

Both series schedules look familiar as they did in 2023. Eleven of the 36 tracks High Limit Racing will attend this year were on the All Stars schedule last year. The World of Outlaws schedule follows the same course around the country as it did last year, for the most part, except with new tracks thrown in. However, this isn't to say both series won’t look, sound, and feel different as drivers, staff, and even on-air talent make their own moves, but this is all alright, change is okay.  Because when the crown jewel events roll around and everyone gets together, they will feel no different. 

I don't see the need for picking sides or the "us vs them" mentality. I think if you choose to only watch one of these series and avoid the other like the plague because you see it as the foe of the series you are a fan of you are doing yourself a huge disservice. I say continue to cheer for your favorite drivers and teams no matter where they run on a certain night. Whether you're at the track or in the comfort of your home, sit back, relax, and enjoy the show.