Ernie Saxton | On Auto Racing
High Limit Racing, founded and owned by NASCAR champion Kyle Larson and five-time World of Outlaws champion Brad Sweet, is expanding in 2024.
The formerly named High Limit Sprint Car Series is adding events and increasing driver payouts while broadening its partnership with FloSports. The midweek race series will evolve into a 50-plus race night schedule across the country and increase driver payouts to more than $5 million.
Quite frankly, I think Larson is spreading himself thin.
He has tested an Indy car recently and did well. He will be trying to qualify for the Indy 500 in May. He is a regular on the NASCAR Cup circuit and finished second in the title battle. He will run a full schedule of Cup races this season. He will race in all the High Limit Series races that are not in conflict with Cup races, and there are 51 events on High Limit schedule with more expected. Also, he shows up at Midget and Late Model races from time to time.
That’s a tough schedule.
To support the series, High Limit Racing entered a multi-year media agreement with FloSports, which has taken a minority equity stake in the new venture and will continue to stream live race events while also producing original content on FloRacing, its Motorsports vertical.
The new season of High Limit Racing will reward drivers with unprecedented flexibility, with no restrictions on the amount of non-High Limit races they can compete in. The series also will set dedicated “off weekends” to allow teams to continue to participate in sprint car racing’s crown jewel events.
High Limit Racing will award a point fund of $1 million with the champion team and driver winning $250,000. Similar to its 2023 season, High Limit Racing will have a Midweek Money Series within the national tour awarding a separate $100,000 total point fund.
“We’re working on a diverse and efficient schedule that will maximize the travel time for our teams,” Sweet said. “With increased purses and the availability for teams to also compete in the sport’s crown jewels that may not be High Limit-sanctioned, High Limit drivers and teams have the highest revenue opportunity in sprint car history, barring The Million in 2023. We’re proud of that and see it as a launching pad for the future of sprint car racing.
“The support of Kasey (Kahne), NAPA, and everyone at Kasey Kahne Racing means a lot to me,” Sweet continued. “We’ve accomplished a lot together and now we’ll go on a new adventure and try to add a High Limit championship to our resume. They’re taking this jump with me and that shows how strong and committed this team is.”
FloSports will support the partnership with original content developed and distributed across FloRacing. The content mix will include both short-form social programming and more in-depth spotlights on the drivers and the key storylines developing throughout the season. Over the course of an 11-race season, High Limit content generated more than 8.5 million views this year with FloRacing motorsports coverage earning more than 142 million views across all branded platforms.
“FloRacing is the go-to destination for motorsports fans delivering premium event coverage and original content to viewers across the globe. The expansion of High Limit Racing and our investment in it reinforces our commitment to the growth of motorsports and delivering it authentically to audiences everywhere,” said Mark Floreani, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of FloSports.
To subscribe to FloRacing and gain access to all High Limit Racing events, archived races and content, including the High Limit Room podcast with Larson and Sweet, click here: https://flosports.link/highlimitracing.
East Bay the starting point
The High Limit Racing national tour will kick off 2024 at East Bay Raceway Park in Tampa, Fla. in February and celebrate its inaugural season championship at The Dirt Track at Texas Motor Speedway in October.
Former All-Star Circuit of Champions events including the Bob Weikert Memorial and Tuscarora 50 events at Port Royal (Pa.) Speedway, the Dean Knittel Memorial at Portsmouth (Ohio) Speedway, and the annual Rayce Rudeen Foundation race will also be on the schedule in 2024.
The prestigious Eldora Speedway will host High Limit Racing twice with a two-day midweek event in July and a return appearance in September for the 4-Crown Nationals. Eagle (Neb.) Raceway will return with the biggest Midweek Money Series purse at the Eagle Nationals.
Pair of events with NASCAR, West Coast debut
High Limit Racing will also have two events in conjunction with NASCAR, one at Texas Motor Speedway in April, and another at Lakeside Speedway, roughly eight miles from Kansas Speedway, in May.
The series will make its West Coast debut in 2024, with events including the Gold Cup Race of Champions at Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, Calif. and the Skagit Nationals at Skagit Speedway in Burlington, Wash.
The full 2024 High Limit Racing season schedule and information on the “High Rollers” team roster is forthcoming. Official sponsors for High Limit Racing will also be announced at a later date. Follow High Limit on X (formerly known as Twitter), Facebook and Instagram to stay up-to-date on all upcoming announcements.
Dale Jr.’s media journey under fire after his monetization efforts
Dirty Mo Media’s wheels set off rolling a decade ago with the combined efforts of Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Mike Davis, his long-term friend and JR Motorsports’ communication director.
Davis serves as the president of the outfit and as a co-host on the “The Dale Jr. Download” podcast. Up until 2022, Dirty Mo Media had just four shows, including “The Dale Jr. Download” and “Door Bumper Clear.” However, their partnership with leading podcast studio Cadence13 last year brought a broader expansion and vision.
Junior had said in the wake of the partnership, “The first big step was putting Mike in a position so that he could execute his vision, make important hires, and begin building new shows that he and I want to make.”
While the new dimension of Dirty Mo Media brought a host of interesting initiatives, like the “Actions Detrimental with Denny Hamlin,” it has also received a lot of flak regarding the increased advertisements that it casts. A dedicated Dale Jr. Download listener took his opinions forward on Reddit,
“Does anyone else wish DJD would go back to the old format?”
“Old format” meaning one weekly show with an in-depth guest interview. The episodes with Jeremy Mayfield and Greg Biffle were fascinating. I just feel like the episodes this season are all of over the place…a lot of Mickey Mouse content.”
Considering that Cadence13 is a company that specializes in creating and monetizing audio content, the ads make sense from a business perspective. But they do little to appeal to the massive fanbase of Dale Jr’s programs.
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Ernie Saxton is an auto racing contributor to MediaNews Group. Email him at [email protected].