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Kyle Larson Rubbishes Dirt Superiority Battle Narrative After Unexpected Truce With $144-Million Worth Rival

Published 03/26/2024, 5:25 PM EDT

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Kyle Larson’s passion for racing runs deeper than just competing in NASCAR. His affinity for sprint car racing has been no secret, and in 2023, he decided to take a big step in further expanding his passion for dirt racing. He and his partner Brad Sweet decided to take over the All-Star Circuit of Champions from Tony Stewart and rebrand it as the High Limit Sprint Car series.

However, with this adventure, Larson was directly rivaling the World of Outlaws, who have been a powerhouse in the sprint racing scene. With a flexible schedule and a proposed charter system to offer, the High Limit Series was a good counter to WoO. From the outside, it does look like Larson’s initiative is indeed a direct threat to WoO. However, the HMS driver believes that there are enough opportunities for both series to strive for the betterment of the sport. Thus putting an end to any speculation about the two series being at odds with each other.

Hight Limits Racing vs World of Outlaw is a fan-made rivalry, says Kyle Larson

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With two races themselves at the helm of a racing series, it was expected that they would deliver a good racing product. With their flexible racing schedule and lucrative offerings, they have attracted teams and drivers in just a short period. With the drivers and teams hoping to compete in both High Limits and World of Outlaw, there could be potential tension between the two competitors, but Larson is just not sold on the rival narrative between the two series.

Instead, the 2021 Cup Series champ believes that it’s the fans who have framed the two series as competitors. “I don’t think that they’ve done anything to us or we’ve done anything to them either. So we’re kind of both staying in our lanes. I think fans more read into it than what the World Racing Group or we do… We all have greater idea for the sport where we want to get so we’re both trying to move the sport in the same direction. It just looks a little differently and we’re brand new so we’re kind of finding our way a little bit and do things differently,” Larson said in an interview.

He even stated that there are enough opportunities for both series and that he respects WoO for making the sport what it is today. “World Racing Group, they’ve done amazing job to get the sport out right now. I love the World Racing group Outlaws so that’s why I’ll continue to race World Outlaw events. There’s more traveling teams than there’s been in decades and there’s way more money to race for. I don’t just see how it’s had anything negative go on right now,” he added.

While Larson might downplay any notion of a budding rivalry between the two series, his partner and former WoO race car driver has already fired warning shots.

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Brad Sweet is all for competition, despite the negativity aimed at High Limits Racing

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Brian Charter, CEO of World Racing Group, was quick to share his concern about the rise of High Limit Racing. He stated that there are limited resources to be worked around in the sprint car racing scene. Going on the offensive, he shared that there are a finite number of paychecks and fans, thus aiming a dig at the rival series. Even claiming that Brad Sweet and Larson’s brainchild are heading towards a catastrophic end.

In response, Sweet said this via Speedsport. “There’s always negativity in anything you try to do big. At the end of the day, Kyle and I are going to stay true to our goal of trying to help sprint car racing. What people aren’t realizing is the growth of streaming audience and people are fully engaged, not just at track but from afar. These resources weren’t around six or eight years ago. I think in next three to five years a lot of this will sort itself out. We’re going to pay attention because the ultimate goal is to help. We don’t think competition is bad.”

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All things considered, High Limit Racing is pushing the boundaries of the traditional approach of running a race car series. Whereas WoO is staying true to the model that has worked out for them. This competitive nature between the two has only opened the doors to new opportunities for drivers and the team, and for the time being, they are the real winners amidst the feud.

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Written by:

Chintan Devgania

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Chintan Mahesh Devgania is a NASCAR Writer at EssentiallySports. As someone who likes to dive deep into the sport, he often takes up less explored topics to eventually see them make their way into top stories. His report on Toyota’s young recruit, Jade Avedisian, sharing her thoughts on Late Model Racing, was an example of that.
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Edited by:

Shreya Singh