Labor Day weekend signals that the racing season is nearing a conclusion. With that in mind, it’s time for our weekly Friday morning tour around the racing world. From hot laps to the main event, here’s what’s on our mind this week.
Hot Laps: Big Money
Two paydays of $100,000 or more will be rewarded to sprint car racers this weekend.
The Sage Fruit Nationals sanctioned by High Limit Racing at Washington’s Skagit Speedway will pay $102,626.26-to-win Saturday night, while the World of Outlaws will distribute $100,000 to the winner of Sunday night’s High Bank Nationals finale at South Dakota’s Huset’s Speedway.
Qualifying: Every Picture
Ken Simon contributed photos to National Speed Sport News and SPEED SPORT Magazine for more than four decades. Simon died this week after a long health battle. The longtime school teacher was 79. Rest in peace, Ken.
First Heat: Highway 14
Looks like Highway 14 from Knoxville, Iowa, to Newton, Iowa, may get a bigger work out than normal next Aug. 2-3.
The second stop of the NASCAR Cup Series at Iowa Speedway will coincide with the 360 Knoxville Nationals at Knoxville Raceway. The two tracks are separated by approximately 35 miles on Highway 14.
The NASCAR Xfinity Series runs at Iowa Speedway the same day as the 360 Nationals finale, while the Cup Series race at the seven-eighths-mile paved track coincides with the annual Capitani Classic that kicks off Knoxville Nationals week at Knoxville Raceway.
Second Heat: World Finals Boost
There may be even greater interest in the 2025 edition of the World of Outlaws World Finals at The Dirt Track at Charlotte.
With the NASCAR Cup Series schedule ending Nov. 2 at Phoenix Raceway, it may free up drivers, teams and fans to attend the season-ender one week later in the shadows of Charlotte Motor Speedway.
That could mean participation by Kyle Larson, Ricky Stenhouse and other NASCAR regulars.
Third Heat: Rockingham
If Rockingham Speedway was an animal, it would be a cat. The one-mile track that opened on Oct. 31, 1965 as North Carolina Motor Speedway and hosted the NASCAR Cup Series for three decades has opened and closed multiple times since its last Cup Series run in 2004.
Thanks to Bob Sargant and Track Enterprises the track will be back on the NASCAR schedule next season, hosting a Craftsman Truck Series and Xfinity Series doubleheader on Easter weekend, April 18-19.
C Main: Watch The Super Nationals
The IMCA Super Nationals has already surpassed 1,000 entries for the annual event at Iowa’s Boone Speedway. Action kicks off with Saturday’s Prelude event, but things begin in earnest on Labor Day Monday. Entries have been received from 29 states, Canada and Australia.
Watch all the action in the modified, late model, stock car, Northern sportmod, hobby stock, mod lite and Sport Compact divisions on IMCA.tv.
Dash: No Americans
With Dalton Sargeant losing his Formula 1 ride with Williams this week, there is once again no American driver competing in the world’s most popular racing series.
B Main: Hot Start
It’s always nice when a local racer and beat up on the traveling professionals. Trey Starks has certainly done that through two nights of action with the High Limit Racing national tour, but two more nights are on tap during the Sage Fruit Nationals at Washington’s Skagit Speedway with more than $100,000 on the line in Saturday’s finale.
Starks is second in the 410 points at the three-tenths-mile track and leads the 360 sprint car standings there. Prior to committing to a local schedule several years ago, the 28-year-old has also found success at faraway places such as Williams Grove Speedway and Knoxville Raceway.
Feature: Milwaukee Mile
The Milwaukee Mile at the Wisconsin State Fairgrounds is enjoying one of the busiest racing weeks in its history.
The historic track, which ran its first auto race in 1903, has been in and out of the picture for hosting major racing series in recent seasons. However, the current eight-day stretch kicked off with the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and ARCA Menards Series in action on Aug. 25 and will conclude with an NTT IndyCar Series doubleheader this weekend (Aug. 31-Sept. 1).
The Saturday and Sunday races represent two of the final three events of the IndyCar season, with the finale scheduled Sept. 15 at Nashville Superspeedway.
The success of the event, which is modeled after the summer doubleheader at Iowa Speedway, will certainly determine if the series returns next season. The Milwaukee Mile will not be on the Truck Series calendar next year.