Kyle Larson and Brad Sweet, co-owners of the High Limit Racing Series, previously revealed they were working on a charter system for their racing series. Ahead of the season-opener in Las Vegas, they gathered the press to reveal the results of their work. The first details of the landmark ‘Franchise System’ have left motorsports fans in awe.
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Ten High Limit Racing Series owners will be a part of the franchise system. The promotion will distribute $18 million in value across the next four years. It will be a lot like NASCAR’s charter system, but the franchises are a permanent deal to the team owners. They will create long-term value and can be sold or transferred at will.
Veteran reporter Jeff Gluck announced news of the press conference on his X handle and generated a tide of responses from fans. One fan wrote, “This very much feels like a stab at the charter system… for some reason…” NASCAR had been fighting tooth and nail with its team owners about permanent charters.
While it won that fight and made a majority of the team owners sign the new charter agreement, 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports have gone to the courts trying to seek justice. Perhaps Larson and Sweet did learn a valuable lesson from NASCAR’s destructive reluctance to make charters permanent.
Another fan aimed a sarcastic jibe at the financial model of NASCAR by asking, “Why would any racing body try to do business smartly? This is anarchy!” One more fan quipped, “nascar gonna be livid seeing larson call them “franchises” lmfao.” The alternate branding was a wise decision, considering how negative the whole charter discussion got at the end.
The five highest finishers of the 2024 High Limit Racing Series will receive the first five franchises. The other five franchises will be given out at the end of the 2025 season. They will be secured based on the average points finishes from 2024 and 2025. A comment rightly declared, “He and Brad are smart. Larson planning for the future.”
The annual franchise rankings will be determined by the two-year average points finishes. It will be possible for five additional franchises to be given out in 2026-2027, bringing the number of franchises up to 15.
When the system comes into effect in 2026, it will pay $4 million, which will include $2.6 million to the ten franchises. By 2029, it is expected that the system’s pay will grow above $5 million, with up to $4.5 million going to future franchises.
