For more than three decades, Australian sprint car drivers have sought fortune and fame in America. 

With High Limit Racing International, the tables have been turned. 

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This weekend, Perth Motorplex is hosting 38 of the top sprint car drivers from the U.S. and Australia, with the winner claiming $100,000—the largest prize ever for a dirt track race Down Under.

“Australians have always been a little bit behind in the sprint car scene,” said Maddington Toyota Sprintcar Series defending champion Dayne Kingshott. “When I say ‘behind,’ our best guys can do it, but our best guys—there are not a lot of them. 

“The level of competition in Australia has definitely risen. The competition is getting stronger and stronger, and it shows over in the States now as well. There are more Australians going. There are more Australians running good.”

If there’s a driver in the field with an advantage on the .31-mile clay oval, it would be Kingshott. This season alone, he has three wins at Perth, 10 in his career. 

But the Bunbury, Western Australia native is pragmatic enough to realize he’ll have to race through Brad Sweet and Kyle Larson first.

“It’s huge to win any event, but to win against Brad, obviously we all know how good Brad is,” said Kingshott, who fell to fifth in Saturday’s High Limit feature after suffering a flat tire. “He has been the most consistent guy in a sprint car for the last five or six years. Kyle, even though he doesn’t run sprints full-time, he’s the fastest guy in the world in a sprint car—then there are all of his other accomplishments in a lot of different divisions.

“So for an Aussie to win such a big race against the Americans it would be good for the whole of Australian sprint car racing, because it would prove that we’re on the arc—and our stuff is getting better and our competition is getting tougher for Americans to come here and win—which is really what we want.”

Kerry Madsen was little more than a club driver when he first started racing around Sydney. The 53-year-old moved to the U.S. in the early 1990s and now calls Knoxville, Iowa home. Madsen faced a steep competition curve as he transitioned to American-style dirt racing.

“In the ‘90s and ‘80s the Americans were on a completely different level—it wasn’t even close,” Madsen said. “Over the years, the Australians got their equipment closer to the U.S. Now, they’re competing more than they ever did. Honestly, the level here in Australia is just as high as it is in America. And it’s easier for Australians to make the move. 

“But there’s definitely a rivalry. If you’re an Australian, you will definitely take offense if you get beat by an American in Australia. So, absolutely, you’re going to try harder.”

While Madsen has no plans to leave the sprint car capital of the world, James McFadden has decided to split his time between countries. After four years in the States, the Alice Springs, Northern Territory native found the competition—and the compensation—attractive enough to return home and race during the American summer with the No. 21 Tarlton Motorsports team.

“It’s great to have High Limit here and the caliber of drivers that are here to race against on our home turf,” McFadden said. “A lot of us go over to America to race each year and race in foreign cars on foreign tracks. But it’s kind of more foreign for the Americans to come and race over here.

“I’m excited to showcase how good we are over here. It’s going to be a battle for sure.”

J-Mac scored his 11th feature victory at Perth on Saturday night—scoring one for the Aussies. Entering the weekend, he wasn’t overly confident after signing on with a new team. 

“I enjoy the fact that this is on the map for Americans to come and compete against us and come on our side of the country,” McFadden said. “But the local guys—even for me, it’s tough. They race here every weekend. It’s going to be tough for the out-of-state guys as well as the overseas guys to beat them.”

Perhaps McFadden was sandbagging. Certainly, second-place Callum Williamson from Geraldton, W.A., showed his hand in the dash after leaving the field in his dust. The 2021 and 2022 Maddington Toyota Sprintcar Series and defending USA v WA Speedweek champion is grateful that Madsen and McFadden carved a path for future generations of Aussies and Kiwis to race on both continents.

“As time has gone on, us guys are buying cars, parts, engines just like the Americans—right down to having American engines in our cars,” Williamson said. “We have definitely caught up. 

And the best part about our series is getting the opportunity to bring over Americans who have raced in the Outlaw shows, that have raced in High Limit shows and they get to race with us. We have to pace ourselves to run with them. 

“Kerry didn’t have that luxury that we get to enjoy now. We’re racing some of the best with some of the equipment we can get.”

With $100,000 at stake for Monday’s High Limit International winner, Williamson realizes there are bragging rights at stake. However, the opportunity for a young Australian driver to prove his potential against a field of top sprint car racers is priceless.

“Bragging rights are great, but if a W.A. local wins, that’s just going to make the Americans want to come back again and try and beat us.

“There’s a lot of respect for every American in the pits just for the fact that they’re bringing a lot of eyes from America on us. We treat them all with a lot of respect, but at the end of the day, we want to grab that $100,000 because they’re on our turf. We’ll race them as hard as they can race us but hopefully one of the W.A. locals can take home the win.”

Californian Cory Eliason has competed in Australia for the last four seasons. Initially, the Aussie hospitality was abundant, but there has been a sea change over the past two years. Now, Eliason feels like an Outlaw heading into Central Pennsylvania. 

“They pick their sides now,” Eliason said. “They have their local boys that they love and you can hear their airhorns, their bells and their whistles, cheering every night when their guys come out—and it starts with engine heats. From the minute we fire off, you’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, they’re already wound up and ready to go.’ You can hear the fans over the cars.

“They have quite a few locals who have stepped up a bit over the last few years and that’s help to sell the product and the show. It has definitely turned into more of a Pennsylvania posse style out here, but it’s always cool to have a rivalry.”