Storylines: High Limit Racing Deuces Wild At Golden Isles Speedway
Storylines: High Limit Racing Deuces Wild At Golden Isles Speedway
The High Limit Racing Sprint Cars are heading to Golden Isles Speedway for Deuces Wild. Here are the storylines heading into the doubleheader on FloRacing.
After a successful season-opening event at Florida’s East Bay Raceway Park, High Limit Racing’s inaugural national campaign continues this week with a trip to Georgia’s Golden Isles Speedway.
Dubbed “Deuces Wild,” this three-day trip to the Waynesville, GA facility will bring fans the best of both worlds with High Limit Sprint Cars and the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series sharing the stage. It’s all High Limit on Thursday for a $10,000-to-win, $1,000-to-start prelim, then the Lucas Oil Late Models shine on Friday, and finally both series race on Saturday with the High Limit finale paying $20,000-to-win, $1,500-to-start.
Thursday, February 22 TICKETS - http://bit.ly/3wcglKM
Friday, February 23 TICKETS - http://bit.ly/49vBwWm
Saturday, February 24 TIKCETS - http://bit.ly/49Nmb3Z
As the exclusive Live Streaming Partners, FloRacing will broadcast every High Limit Racing event and every Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series event this year. You can also find hundreds of hours of original content for fans at home on the FloSports app. If you’re not a FloRacing subscriber yet, you can become one today at www.floracing.com/highlimit.
Let’s preview some of the top storylines entering this weekend:
BRAND NEW TRACK
For almost the entire field expected to compete with High Limit Racing this weekend, it will be their first race at Golden Isles Speedway. The Waynesville, GA 4/10-mile dirt track - located 30 minutes west of Brunswick, GA - has hosted many prominent Dirt Late Model races over the years, but a National Sprint Car Series has never visited the venue, until now. It will be interesting to watch as many of the best drivers and best crew chiefs in the sport try to adapt the fastest to something they’ve never seen before.
THE CALI CLIQUE
After a pair of races on the east coast, it was a pair of west coast natives who left tied for the High Limit Racing championship lead.
Corey Day, an 18-year-old native of Clovis, CA, continued to make waves as arguably the most exciting teenager in all of Sprint Car Racing right now. After a NARC championship on home turf last year, he took a leap straight out of high school to join High Limit Racing full-time and got off to a hot start in Florida. Driving the Jason Meyers Racing, Sander Engineering #14, Day finished 2nd & 6th at East Bay to leave tied atop the points.
Brad Sweet, a 38-year-old native of Grass Valley, CA, began a new journey as a High Limit Racing full-time competitor after five consecutive World of Outlaws championships. The Kasey Kahne Racing, NAPA Auto Parts #49 remains one of the most consistent teams in the history of the sport, finishing 3rd & 4th at East Bay to match Day’s 133 points.
DOUBLE DUTY
It will be an ultra-busy weekend for Kyle Larson, who will race with High Limit Racing, Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, and NASCAR Cup Series in the state of Georgia. At Golden Isles, Yung Money will drive Paul Silva’s #57 Sprint Car on Thursday, then Kevin Rumley’s #6 Late Model on Friday, and then both cars on Saturday night. Come Sunday, he’ll resume NASCAR duties at Atlanta Motor Speedway driving the Hendrick Motorsports #5.
While Larson has yet to race a Sprint Car at Golden Isles, the Elk Grove, CA native has made four attempts at the track in a Late Model. In the three races he finished, Larson excelled and ran 3rd, 3rd, 1st.
The High Limit Room Podcast discusses Lucas Oil and High Limit Racing Doubleheader
SUN IS SHINING
You could make the case that “Sunshine” Tyler Courtney is arguably the hottest Sprint Car driver in the country to kickstart 2024. The Clauson-Marshall Racing, NOS Energy Drink #7BC is on a run of 11 consecutive World of Outlaws top-10 finishes (averaging a 4.7 finish), and he was the only driver to leave Florida with a victory against both the World of Outlaws and High Limit Racing.
The Indianapolis, IN native left East Bay sitting third in the championship standings, back by only nine-points after his first trip to Whiskey Myers Victory Lane last Tuesday.
HOT START
It may have been surprising to some, but last week was all according to plan for Tanner Thorson. Expectations were wide-ranged when the Minden, NV announced he would join High Limit Racing full-time, but he came out of the gates swinging with runs of 11th and 3rd to put the Rod Gross Motorsports #88 fifth in championship points after the opening weekend.
The son-in-law of National Sprint Car Hall of Fame inductee, Stevie Smith, Thorson has a wealth of knowledge in his camp with crew members Lee Lindgren, Brinton Marvel, and Lawton Leppo on his team. They’ll look to stay hot this weekend as Thordon encounters a new venue at Golden Isles Speedway.
QUIET, BUT STRONG
Although these four left East Bay Raceway Park without a podium finish, they each quietly put together some strong season-opening results and head to Georgia sitting inside the top-five of the High Limit Racing championship standings.
Brent Marks finished 8th & 5th aboard the Murray-Marks Motorsports #19, leaving him fourth in points (-13 PTS) behind Day, Sweet & Courtney. “The Myerstown Missile” earned the first Hard Charger Award of the year in the opener when he bolted from 22nd-to-8th.
Zeb Wise’s Rudeen Racing #26 ended up 11th & 4th, slotting him sixth in points (-17 PTS) after the opening weekend. The reigning All Star Circuit of Champions titleist was a big threat for the win in Tuesday’s $15,000-to-win “Battle at the Bay” finale, briefly leading over Tyler Courtney in lap traffic.
Spencer Bayston and CJB Motorsports endured a rough opening weekend at Volusia Speedway Park and quickly turned their program around with back-to-back top-10 runs at East Bay Raceway Park. The Lebanon, IN native finished 10th and 8th, slotting the TrueTimber #5 seventh in points after two races.
Parker Price-Miller revamped his own PPM Racing program over the off-season and brought Indy Race Parts’ Bernie Stuebgen on board as crew chief, and quickly found speed out of the gate. The Kokomo, IN native followed a 14th-place finish with a 23rd-to-6th charge in the finale to put the #9P ninth in points.
NEEDING A REBOUND
It wasn’t exactly the dream outcome for a few High Rollers with high hopes, but it’s a long season with plenty of time for a comeback and they get their first shot at redemption this weekend.
Rico Abreu, who many consider a championship favorite this year, ended his East Bay trip with the #24 flipped and upside down in turn four battling for fourth as the checkered flag flew. The St. Helena, CA native ultimately finished 7th and 17th in the two races, leaving him 12th in the standings (-35 points) and eager to make up ground at Golden Isles.
Justin Peck was another star who had his opening weekend derailed by a crash while contending at the front of the field. The Monrovia, IN native was chasing Kyle Larson for the win through lap traffic when contact with a lap car sent the Buch Motorsports #13 into the wall and home with a heartbreaking DNF. They currently sit 20th in points (-59 points) and determined for a big run at Golden Isles.
Cory Eliason’s full-time campaign with Ridge & Sons Racing got off on the wrong foot with finishes of 19th and 18th, worsened after being innocently caught up in Rico Abreu’s crash on the final lap. Sitting 21st in the standings, they’ll look for a big rebound at Golden Isles this weekend before resetting in March before the season really ramps up in April.
HIGH LIMIT RACING POINT STANDINGS (2/59 Races):
Corey Day (133 PTS); 2. Brad Sweet (133 PTS); 3. Tyler Courtney (-9 PTS); 4. Brent Marks (-13 PTS); 5. Tanner Thorson (-14 PTS); 6. Zeb Wise (-17 PTS); 7. Spencer Bayston (-23 PTS); 8. Anthony Macri (-27 PTS); 9. Parker Price-Miller (-27 PTS); 10. Kyle Larson (-31 PTS).
HIGH LIMIT RACING FEATURE WINNERS 2024 (2 Drivers):
1 win - Kyle Larson (Silva Motorsports #57)
1 win - Tyler Courtney (Clauson-Marshall Racing #7BC)