2024 Kubota HLR Joker's Jackpot at Eldora Speedway

10 Favorites To Win 2024 Joker's Jackpot And Kings Royal At Eldora Speedway

10 Favorites To Win 2024 Joker's Jackpot And Kings Royal At Eldora Speedway

A list of drivers considered the favorites to win the 2024 High Limit Racing Joker's Jackpot and Kings Royal for the World of Outlaws at Eldora Speedway.

Jul 15, 2024 by Kyle McFadden
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More than $300,000 in winnings are up for grabs this week at Ohio’s Eldora Speedway, which hosts Kubota High Limit Racing’s Joker’s Jackpot on July 17-18 and the 41st Kings Royal sanctioned by the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Series on July 19-20.

With the mega week at the Big E on tap, we’ve previewed 10 favorites in alphabetical order primed to have continued success at the famed half-mile.

July 17-18’s Joker’s Wild as part of High Limit Racing will be streamed live on FloRacing, while July 19-20’s King’s Royal can be found on DIRTVision.

Rico Abreu — Rico Abreu Racing No. 24

At four wins so far this year, the St. Helena, Calif., fan favorite hasn’t performed quite like his 13-win season from 2023. That aside, Eldora Speedway traditionally brings the best out of Abreu, who boasts five wins at the half-mile over the last three seasons, including last year’s Eldora Million prelim win. He’s also fresh off July 13’s High Limit victory at Ohio’s Portsmouth Raceway Park, so momentum for he and crew chief Ricky Warner is on their side.

Tyler Courtney — Clauson-Marshall Racing No. 7BC

Winged Sprint Cars, Wingless Sprint Cars, Midget cars, Silver Crown cars, you name it, the Indianapolis, Ind., superstar has won in practically everything he’s raced at the Big E. Quite simply, the 38th Kings Royal winner loves Eldora Speedway, the half-mile that’s given him a career-best 13 triumphs at one racetrack. Courtney uncharacteristically posted an average finish of 11.6 in eight Eldora starts last year, but with nine wins this year as he gives Brad Sweet a run for his money on High Limit Racing, Courtney should return to Eldora front-running ways.

David Gravel — Big Game Motorsports No. 2

He’s won the Knoxville Nationals, the Williams Grove National Open and the $250,000 High Bank Nationals. What’s void on the Watertown, Conn., driver’s resume? An Eldora Speedway Crown Jewel. Gravel knows how to get around Eldora. In 2020, he won the Governors Reign with the All Star Circuit of Champions, good for $52,000. One of his nine wins this year is at Eldora, too. Now all that’s left for Gravel to accomplish at the Big E is capture a six-figure payday.

Kyle Larson — Paul Silva No. 57

The 2024 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year hasn’t won at Eldora Speedway in a Sprint Car since his 2021 Kings Royal triumph and his three wins in 17 Sprint Car starts this year aren’t up to his standard. But as any observer knows, the Elk Grove, Calif., superstar is a contender anywhere he goes no matter how he’s been running. A King’s Royal victory on Saturday would make him the fourth driver in the history of Sprint Car racing alongside Steve Kinser, Donny Schatz and Doug Wolfgang to win multiple Knoxville Nationals and Big E Crown Jewels.

Carson Macedo — Jason Johnson Racing No. 41

Like Rico, the Lemoore, Calif., driver has had better years coming into this week, but his steady track record at Eldora makes him a deserving favorite. The three-time winner this year has yet to win a Crown Jewel at the Big E, but his pair of Kings Royal prelim wins in 2021 and pair of top-fives in May during World of Outlaws action at Eldora shows that he’s not far off from a first big payday at the famed half-mile.

Anthony Macri — Macri Motorsports No. 39M

Is this the year that "The Concrete Kid" wins at Eldora Speedway for the first time? It could be, especially as he leads 410 Sprint Car racing with 12 wins and carries eight-straight podium finishes into this lucrative week. The Dillsburg, Pa., driver failed to qualify for both World of Outlaws features at Eldora in May, but he did finish eighth in the 2022 Kings Royal. As long as Macri qualifies well and stays out of trouble, he should be right in the mix.

Brent Marks — Murray Marks Motorsports No. 19

If anyone can sweep the week, it’s the Myerstown Missile, who in 2022 won the Historical Big One and King’s Royal in the same week. That earned the Myerstown, Pa., driver $276,125 in winnings. Marks has a chance to better that this week at Eldora, a place that’s given him four of his 53 wins since the 2020 season. This year, Marks has four wins: two with High Limit Racing, one with the World of Outlaws and another with the POWRi & Elite 410 Outlaw Sprints.

Donny Schatz — Tony Stewart Racing No. 15

The legend of Donny Schatz lived on last summer as the Fargo, N.D., veteran willed his way to a sixth career Kings Royal triumph despite only having two wins on his 2023 ledger to date. Schatz seems to be in a little better position heading into this week than this time last year, carrying three wins with him and being back in the World of Outlaws title race only 58 points behind David Gravel. A seventh Kings Royal victory would tie him with Steve Kinser for most all-time.

Logan Schuchart — Shark Racing No. 1S

With three wins over the past 17 days and with fond memories of winning the Eldora Million this time last year, the Hanover, Pa., driver has to like his chances at the Big E this week. Schuchart’s three wins over the past three weeks are all he has this year, but it’s not like he hasn’t been consistent. Actually, he rides the strength of eight-straight top-10 finishes into this week. Back in May, he finished top-five in both World of Outlaws races at Eldora.

Brad Sweet — Kasey Kahne No. 49

As one of two active drivers along with Donny Schatz to win multiple Kings Royal titles, the Big Cat’s a shoe-in at Eldora Speedway. It takes extraordinary circumstances like last year’s Kings Royal on a wet and heavy race track that featured little passing for something to go wrong for Sweet (he failed to qualify for the 40th running of the Crown Jewel). The High Limit Racing points leader finished inside the top-10 in his last feature ran at the Big E since then and is always consistently in the hunt for wins in Rossburg, Ohio.