LEBANON, Pa.: Brad Sweet and the management team at High Limit Racing have put together a system they believe will revolutionize Sprint Car racing and take the sport into the future.
It’s been a multi-step process. First, Sweet and Co. turned High Limit into a full national series. The next step was to install a franchise system with steady increases to make Sprint Car racing affordable and profitable for owners.
After two seasons, 10 teams have earned franchises. The benefits kick in next year, but High Limit isn’t stopping there. On Monday, SprintCarUnlimited.com obtained information on a non-franchise point fund that will allow new teams to come into the series and earn a franchise for 2028.
“I think the biggest thing that we’re trying to make sure of is that with the franchise system, teams on the outside don’t feel like we’re putting walls up and that it’s only for certain elite teams,” Sweet said in a phone interview with SprintCarUnlimited.com. “We want to make sure that when we put something out, there is incentive to have performance and also support teams at all levels.
“Whether you’re wanting to run with us for a year or invest long term with us, there’s something out there that shows our appreciation for the partnership. So, I think that we accomplished a lot in the first two years with our franchise system. Teams have some sort of goal and sustainability and viewpoint on what their potential earnings are going to be.
“This new document is for the teams that didn’t earn a franchise those first couple of years, and it still gives them a pathway to earn a permanent spot with us. It also showcases that even if you’re down in the field, you can still earn really good benefits with High Limit.”
High Limit will support up to eight full-time non-franchise teams with what is being called the Joker’s Fund. The potential payout for the these teams is $1.2 million in both 2026 and 2027.
The full-time non-franchise teams will receive Joker’s cards and compete with the franchise teams throughout the season. If the top Joker’s card team can win the points, they will receive $350,000. If they finish second through fourth in the overall standings, they will receive $300,000. If they finish fifth through eighth, they bank $200,000. Ninth or worse, and it’s $100,000.
The maximum the second highest Joker’s card holder, or second highest non-franchise team, can receive is $200,000 for finishing second through eighth in the standings. Ninth or worse, and it’s $100,000. The third highest Joker will receive $175,000 for finishing third through eighth and $100,000 for ninth or worse. The fourth Joker will receive $150,000 for finishing fourth through eighth and $100,000 for finishing ninth through 13th. The fifth highest Joker’s card holder will receive $140,000 for finishing fifth through eighth and $100,000 for ninth or worse. Sixth gets $100,000 if they finish sixth to 13th and $75,000 if they are 14th or worse. The seventh and eighth highest Jokers get $50,000.
For a Joker’s card team to earn a franchise for 2028, they need to have perfect attendance for both 2026 and 2027, and either finish in the top three of the 2026 or 2027-point standings or place among the top eight both seasons … that could be a tall order considering the competition already holding franchises.
“I think when you look at it, you want to reward the teams that believed in you from the start,” Sweet said. “So, if you’re going to still allow people to earn a franchise, they have to come in and beat those teams and earn their way in. We think if a team can beat the teams that we already have and bring value to the overall system, we believe it will benefit the teams that already have one.
“I think our teams see it that way, too, because of the way that we’re kind of all in this together. There’s transparency, and we grow together, and every dollar that this thing brings in through our revenues gets evenly distributed between the teams in the series. It’s tough, but there’s certainly teams out there that are capable of doing it. So, it’s just up to them if they believe in our long-term vision or if they don’t.”
Rico Abreu Racing has the top franchise thanks to a two-year average in 2024 and 2025 and received the Ace. The team will receive a hefty $425,000 in 2026. Kasey Kahne Racing was second and received the King, which is good for $350,000. Clauson-Marshall Racing holds the Queen for $300,000, with Murray-Marks Motorsports earning $280,000 for the Jack and Ridge and Sons Racing $260,000 for holding the 10.
Jason Meyers Racing (9-Card, $240,000), Buch Motorsports (8-Card, $220,000), Rudeen Racing (7-Card, $200,000), and Rod Gross Racing (6-Card, $175,000) are sixth through ninth. The 10th and final franchise is held by CJB Motorsports (5-Card) and receives $150,000.
For Sweet and the High Limit team, it wasn’t easy coming up with the non-franchise point fund. They had to put together a sizeable stipend to entice teams to come aboard while not alienating the teams that have supported High Limit Racing for the last two seasons.
“It’s all performance based, so I think it’s not like we are paying any team more money than a team that has been invested in us,” Sweet said. “They would have to come in and show their value, earn it, and commit for two full seasons to become part of the system. To me, if a team is willing to do that and believe in us and have enough performance, I think the whole group would welcome them as far as the franchise system.
“It’s a slippery slope, but when you’re being transparent with the teams and you’re sharing revenue and trying to grow something that’s good from top to bottom, I think the teams are going to be OK with more teams becoming part of the system … we all grow and if the pie gets bigger, we all share evenly, and everybody is winning.”
Non-franchise teams receive tow money every month and then the remaining point fund money in bigger increments when the season is complete. The same is being done for the franchise teams.
High Limit also announced the amounts new franchise teams will receive in 2028 and 2029. The 11th franchise will receive $180,000 in 2028 and $200,000 the following year. Twelfth is $160,000 and $180,000, 13th, is $150,000 and $160,000, and 14th is $130,000 and $150,000 in 2029. The final franchise will pay $110,000 in 2028 and $130,000 in 2029.
The reception from teams, who have inquired or received the paperwork, has been positive. No teams have committed just yet, but there are multiple driver-team combinations thinking about making the move to High Limit in the future.
“I think it’s one of those balancing acts where teams are now interested … a lot of teams,” Sweet said. “The economics of the purse money is still a big part of this, and there’s still only so much purse money that will go around, in my opinion. So, I think what you’ll see is teams sign up for ours and then teams will obviously sign with the Outlaws.
“I actually think there’s enough teams for 14 or 15 teams to be on each side. So, I think it’s just more of how the cards are going to fall. I think the interest is higher than it probably was a couple of weeks ago when nobody had the information. I do think there’s some guys who were pretty sure they were going to run with the Outlaws who are at least taking a longer look at stuff.”