Kyle Larson Clears Air on ‘Controversial’ Rivalry Between World of Outlaws and High Limit

The High Limit Racing Series went national at the beginning of 2024 and became a core challenger to the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series. Many contended that having two marquee shows would spread the sport too thin and be detrimental to multiple parties. Further fuel was added to this conversation when High Limit co-owner Brad Sweet went vocal about a rivalry on social media.

Fans began participating in the smack talk and ended up creating a big balloon of controversy that has now caused Sweet’s partner, Kyle Larson, to intervene and clear the air. The Hendrick Motorsports star said in a recent appearance on SpeedFreaks that the competition has only been advantageous in that it has made the sport more professional and safe.

He pointed out how teams and drivers in both series pocket more money now and how tracks are more inclined to upgrade their facilities with the increasing viewership. He added, “I think competition has been good and I think you’ve seen the sport grow positively even though in the beginning a lot of people thought it was probably a negative thing happening.”

This is something that Spencer Bayston, a 25-year-old Indiana native, predicted when he moved from World of Outlaws to High Limit Racing. He told Speedsport, “There are enough professional race drivers and a good amount of team owners right now. I think it’s going to create a marketable division when High Limit drivers and Outlaw drivers will join at events.” That’s precisely what’s happening.

Is High Limit Racing more flexible than World of Outlaws?

Following the threat to its market, World of Outlaws considerably increased its payouts to teams in 2024. But Larson’s show still has some striking advantages going for it. First of them is the fact that there are no restrictions for drivers to participate in events outside of High Limit Racing. World of Outlaws restricts such appearances to four races.

Second, the number of races on High Limit’s schedule is considerably lower than that of its counterpart. This is particularly appealing for drivers like Rico Abreu who says, “More money for less races and we can still run the big shows.” Ten-time World of Outlaws champion, Donny Schatz, couldn’t be more annoyed with this contention.

“I’m tired of hearing that the new deal is good for the sport,” he said earlier this year. “That’s BS! What gets overshadowed is guys think we should all get more money. World Racing Group has already increased that and we have a lot of high-dollar events on the schedule. But only one guy can win them. It’s never going to make sense for everyone to make a lot of money.” 

With opinions differing vastly among drivers, team owners, and fans, the growth of this rivalry is inevitable. For now, both the series appear to have an impressive roster and a loyal fanbase. But the one truth that cannot be denied is that the coming of High Limit Racing has greatly increased attention towards sprint car racing in its totality.