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Tony Stewart’s Mentee Pulls Sponsor From SHR to Power His Latest New Sprint Car Team

Published 03/22/2024, 11:11 PM EDT

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Winged sprint car racing is booming, but there’s some worry about what the future holds for this slice of the racing world. With the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series now competing with High Limit Racing—the new venture led by NASCAR champ Kyle Larson and Brad Sweet—there’s a buzz that having two national series packed with big-ticket races might stretch the sport a bit too thin.

Adding to the mix, Chase Briscoe has thrown his hat into the ring, reviving his 410 sprint car team this year and flying the flag for Chase Briscoe Racing under the High Limit Racing umbrella.

Chase Briscoe is revving up his sprint car program yet again

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Stewart Haas Racing’s very own Chase Briscoe is getting back into the dirt track game this year. With backing from Dorsett Automotive and Stewart Haas Racing sponsors Mahindra Tractors, Chase Briscoe Racing is bringing back a 410 winged sprint car into the fold. Mahindra Tractors has been backing Stewart-Haas Racing since 2021 and is all set to keep the partnership rolling into 2024. They’re the main sponsor for the #14 car in the NASCAR Cup Series. And now they’d also be working with 14’s Sprint car team.

Additionally, Chase Briscoe himself will take the wheel part-time, tackling half of the team’s ambitious 35-race schedule. The other slots will be filled by the up-and-coming midget racing prodigy, Karter Sarff. Sarff, who has shown promise racing Briscoe’s midget cars, is now gearing up to prove his mettle in the adrenaline-pumping world of winged sprint car racing.

Briscoe’s move to kickstart the team isn’t just about giving young guns like the 21-year-old Sarff a shot; it’s also about tracing his roots back to the dirt track. Having grown up in the driver’s seat of 410 sprint cars—the cream of the crop in open-wheel dirt racing—Briscoe sees this as a homage to his family’s legacy. “Sprint car racing was really my first love, my grandpa, started owning them in 1976 and had many legends in the sport drive his #5 car and then my dad took over and raced for 22 years until I jumped in at the age of 13, so it’s really been there for me since the beginning,” Briscoe shared in a statement.

Kevin Briscoe, Chase Briscoe’s dad, who’s made a name for himself as a top driver and mechanic in Indiana, not to mention a former track champ at Bloomington and Haudenschild in non-wing sprint car racing, will be stepping up as the crew chief. “So excited to finally share publicly what I’ve been working on all off-season! Starting my own sprint car team team again thanks to @Mahindra_USA and @DorsettAutoSale with @FordPerformance power under the hood! Excited to get behind the wheel but also play car owner with @SarffKarter !,” Briscoe shared on his official Twitter account.

While Briscoe’s all set to lead his team in the High Limit Racing scene, he’s no stranger to both High Limit and All Stars circuits. Yet, he’s recently shared that sprint car racing helps him slow down a bit.

Tony Stewart’s #14 driver: Hopping into a sprint car feels like Cup racing for him

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Those 410 sprint cars are pretty much what you’d get if the Indy racers from the ’50s hit the gym—light, nimble, and packing a massive engine, all strapped into a roll cage with just a seat and some oversized tires for company. There’s not much to them, which means they’re pretty bare-bones on the safety front.

Yet, Briscoe’s still drawn to the dirt track. “I definitely see the value in it, and there’s a lot more that goes into it being busy and stuff like that, but I feel like it benefitted because it slows the Cup car down so much when I run a sprint car or a midget before the weekend. Hopefully adding to the schedule, the Cup side will see the benefit.”

Read More: Chase Briscoe Slaps Back at Erik Jones’ Accusations as Their Feud Reaches a Ridiculous Junction

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He described the rush of a winged Sprint car as feeling like you’re blasting through at 300 or 400 mph. Everything moves so fast, and you’ve got to think on your feet. To him, racing a winged Sprint car just makes the Cup car feel like it’s moving in slow motion.

Tony Stewart’s driver is already showing his skills at the Chili Bowl, it’ll be interesting to see how he juggles a packed schedule with more sprint car races thrown into the mix during the regular season.

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Written by:

Neha Dwivedi

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Neha Dwivedi is a NASCAR Writer at EssentiallySports. As a journalist, she religiously believes in the power of research, which allows her readers to dive deep into her stories and experience the detailed nuances of the sport like never before. Being proficient with Core Sport and Live Event Coverage, she has written multiple copies on the top entities of Stock Car Racing, like Denny Hamlin, Chase Elliott, and Tony Stewart.
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Edited by:

Shivali Nathta