The Top 50: News, notes, and thoughts from Sprint Car racing around the country

LEBANON, Pa.: Things got a little busy in Sprint Car racing over the last week with both national series in full swing.

Stout fields, some good racing, and a little controversy got people talking on social media. The issue this week was fuel, the size of tanks, and completed green and caution laps.

SprintCarUnlimited.com covers it all and keeps you updated with good performances, stats, and more from the last week in another edition of the Top 50 news, notes, and more. Enjoy.

1. This idea that the Don Kreitz Jr. entry can’t win outside of central Pennsylvania is a farce. In fact, this team can win anywhere in the country. Christopher Bell won in the car at the DIRTcar Nationals, and Daryn Pittman almost pulled it off this past weekend against High Limit in Las Vegas.

2. The reason Daryn Pittman didn’t pull off the win … fuel. His car started to sputter on Lap 23 and ran out of fuel one lap later, which handed the lead over to eventual winner Corey Day.

3. A lot has been made of Daryn Pittman, Brent Marks, Rico Abreu, and a couple of others running out of fuel. There is a lot of blame to go around, including the number of combined green and yellow laps set at 65 before fuel was needed, the size of tanks, the bladders in the tanks, and of course the perfect conditions that burn fuel.

4. It should be noted that Daryn Pittman, Brent Marks, and Rico Abreu had 28-gallon tanks on. Corey Day, Kyle Larson, and Brad Sweet use bigger tanks. Sweet routinely uses a 33-gallon tank … as does David Gravel.

5. A gallon of fuel weighs roughly 6.8 pounds according to crew chiefs. The problem is the bladders are getting thicker, and you can’t get as much fuel into the cell.

6. I was surprised that there were 38 cars checked into the High Limit season opener at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Shocked might be a better term. I expected 28, maybe 30 if they were lucky.

7. Off the track, High Limit made noise with its new franchise system. It’s a lucrative deal that rewards teams that have earned franchises. So far, Kasey Kahne Racing, Clauson-Marshall Racing, Brent Marks Racing, and Rico Abreu Racing have earned franchises. Roth Motorsports gave up its franchise by not committing to this year’s roster.

8. When I said the franchise system was lucrative, I wasn’t kidding. There is $4 million in the pot for 2026, $4.3 million in 2027, $4.6 million in 2028, and $5 million in 2029. There will be 10 franchise teams in 2026 and 2027 before expanding to 15 teams in 2028 and 2029.

9. The top team in High Limit will receive $425,000 in 2026, $500,000 in 2027, $600,000 in 2028, and $625,000 in 2029. Tenth is pretty good, as well. It’s $150,000 in 2026 and escalates to $220,000 by 2029. That’s a 46.6 increase.

10. There is also money built in over this four-year guarantee to supplement a point fund for non-franchise teams. An announcement on this fund and other contingencies will be released at a later date.

11. Franchises can be bought and sold. If a team wants to come into the series, they are allowed to buy a franchise from a team that already has one. Keep an eye on this in the future.

12. The detractors are wondering where the funding for the franchise system is coming from. Right now, it’s streaming — FloRacing — sponsorships, advertising, and things of that nature, and the pot is big.

13. Something to think about … FloSports has generated a little over $70 million from investors and has north of $100 million in annual revenue, according to reports. As of June of 2019, the company had a valuation of between $100 and $500 million. I found one report that it’s in the neighborhood of $247 million.

14. So, what does this mean for the World of Outlaws? Right now, nothing. I do not think the Outlaws is going away, but I’m sure they are looking at raising the point fund and bonus money. Stay tuned.

15. The one downside is that this could further hurt local racing, something that is on the decline anyway. Tracks are going to have to get creative with their business model — again, something they should be doing anyway.

16. Back to the racetrack … Aaron Reutzel was injured when a rock or clod of mud went through his visor during the Dash Saturday night. Reutzel suffered a broken nose and went to the hospital for stitches and to get checked out.

17. Justin Sanders jumped in Aaron Reutzel’s car for the A-Main Saturday night. He was out early, due to what the team believed was motor trouble.

18. High Limit doesn’t get much time off before the next event on the schedule. The series shifts to Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, Calif., on Wednesday night.

19. A major surprise in Texas this week. In two shows at Kennedale Speedway Park, David Gravel failed to win a race. He didn’t even lead a lap. But he did manage two top-five finishes to make it 10-straight to start the season.

20. Gio Scelzi got back on track over the weekend. After only cracking the top five once in the first eight shows, the California driver surged back to Victory Lane by taming the rubber at Kennedale Speedway Park Friday night. He followed it up with a solid third-place effort the next night.

21. Also showing improvement was Buddy Kofoid. Like Gio Scelzi, Kofoid has struggled a bit through the early part of the season. That wasn’t the case Saturday, as he chased down Sam Hafertepe Jr. and made a nifty move entering Turn 1 to take the lead and the eventual win. Again, bullring + California = victory.

22. It was a bitter-sweet night for Bryce Lucius Saturday night. He earned his first quick-time award with the Outlaws and made the Dash. Unfortunately, he biked on the cushion and got upside down. The crew worked feverishly to fix the car, but he was credited with a 26^th-place finish.

23. Conner Morrell had a good showing Saturday night with the World of Outlaws. A rookie this season with the series, Morrell made the Dash and maintained in the main event, starting sixth and finishing seventh. It was his first-career top 10 with the series.

24. After an awful start to the season, Sheldon Haudenschild and Stenhouse-Marshall Racing have picked up the pace. Haudenschild had finishes of fourth and sixth over the weekend, which gives him three-straight top-six finishes.

25. It was another consistent week for Logan Schuchart and Shark Racing. Schuchart posted finishes of sixth and fourth at Kennedale Speedway Park and is now alone in second in the Outlaws point standings. He is 62 points behind David Gravel.

26. Things haven’t been going well for Donny Schatz and the TSR team. This group has yet to finish in the top five this season and is tied for fifth in the standings with Sheldon Haudenschild. Schatz has an average finish this season of 10^th on the nose.

27. Garet Williamson had his best run of the season with the Outlaws last week at Kennedale Speedway Park. The young upstart timed third overall and finished seventh in the main event.

28. The trip to Kennedale Speedway Park got things heading in the right direction for a struggling Anthony Macri. After an average finish of 16.8 through nine races, the Central PA ace registered finishes of eighth and ninth against the World of Outlaws.

29. It was another good week in the car-count department for the World of Outlaws. Kennedale Speedway Park drew 39 cars each night, which put the series at 40.3 per night through 10 races this season.

30. David Gravel continues to lead the most laps in World of Outlaws competition with 75. Kyle Larson (51), Gio Scelzi (39), Carson Macedo 25), and Buddy Kofoid (21) complete the top five.

31. The World of Outlaws have another two-fer this weekend in the same venue. Cotton Bowl Speedway is the site of the Texas Two-Step, which wraps up the Texas swing for the series.

32. Freddie Rahmer got a much-needed victory Saturday night at Lincoln Speedway. A year ago, the Salfordville, Pa., driver could only muster two wins and was coming off a seventh and 24^th-place finish to start 2025.

33. Big surprise … Chase Dietz and Danny Dietrich were in the top five … again … at Lincoln Speedway. Dietz had a runner-up finish, with Dietrich in two. These two drivers each have a win and have been in the top five in all three Lincoln shows this season.

34. The 358 Sprint Car division kicked off its season last Saturday night at Lincoln Speedway. Frankie Herr was the winner. I was a little concerned by only having 24 cars in the pit area.

35. It wasn’t a good debut for Preston Lattomus in the Capitol Renegade No. 91. He got upside down in the main event and was credited with a 21^st-place finish.

36. Knoxville Raceway driver Kelby Watt made the long trip to central Pennsylvania last week to kick off his season at Lincoln Speedway. The Adel, IA, driver transferred to the main event through the B-Main and finished 22^nd.

37. Williams Grove Speedway was supposed to kick off its season on Sunday afternoon, but rain and wind forced the cancellation of the program. The Grove shifts to Friday night this week with a two-division show of 410 Sprints and 358 Sprints.

38. Port Royal Speedway lost its 410 Sprint Car opener to weather a couple of weeks ago. The Juniata County oval hosted the Short Track Super Series last week and will try to kick off the 410 season this Saturday at 4 p.m.

39. A.J. Flick started his season on a winning note last weekend by winning the FAST season opener at Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Motor Speedway. There were 20 cars checked into the pit area for the event.

40. Dyson Motorsport announced on March 13^th that they were exiting Speedway Racing in Australia. According to Sean and Felicity Dyson, their priorities have shifted, and they have a need for a more family-friendly environment where their kids can be more involved.

41. Carson Macedo ran a Dyson Motorsport car when he went to Australia over the winter. Sean and Felicity Dyson did indicate that Dyson Motorsport won’t cease to exist, but it will shift its focus to align with their vision for the future.

42. Lost in Corey Day’s win and all the fuel, tank, and rock screen issues was the performance of Brady Bacon. He piloted Josh Ford No. 73 to a solid fifth-place finish against a stout field.

43. Reserved for Jerry Reigle.

44. High Limit Racing is back in action on Wednesday when the series travels to Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, Calif. There was no sprint event last year, and Kyle Larson took top honors in the fall.

45. Things continue to pick up for High Limit over the weekend. The series heads to Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway on Friday before shifting to Perris Auto Speedway on Saturday night.

46. I, like many others, didn’t think Ty Gibbs would qualify for the High Limit main event in Las Vegas Saturday night. Gibbs impressed, finishing fifth in his heat race to make the transfer. Despite getting upside down in the main event and finishing 27th, he looked pretty good.

47. Rally Car and X-Game star Travis Pastrana checked off a bucket list item when he hopped behind the wheel of a Sprint Car. He drove a Ridge and Sons Racing entry and was coached by Aaron Reutzel. I don’t see him competing in an event, but hopefully it draws eyes.

48. Garet Williamson leads the way-to-early rookie point standings with the World of Outlaws. His seventh-place finish helped him to a four-point lead over Chris Windom. Hunter Schuerenberg is 24 points back with Zach Hampton 26 out of the lead. Cole Macedo is 60 points back in fifth, with Conner Morrell and Skylar Gee completing the list.

49. Things were looking rough for Justin Peck through the first seven races of the 410 Sprint Car season. On Saturday, Peck got on the right side of the ledger, charging from 22^nd to seventh to build confidence heading to California. He had a Ford motor under the hood.

50. Aaron Reutzel wasn’t the only driver hit by a rock during Saturday’s High Limit opener in Las Vegas. Brian Brown got hit in the helmet, and it knocked his tear-offs clear off. He pulled into the pit area after not being able to see.