LAS VEGAS — After a five-month offseason, High Limit Racing finally returns to action on American soil this week at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
The series brings to town a new title sponsor and 15 full-timers as the SugarBee Blackjack Bash is officially the opening act in what is set to be the largest schedule in series history with 64 races at 34 tracks in 22 states.
Heading into the third year as a national touring series, High Limit is now charged by title sponsor Interstate Batteries and looks forward to more primetime national coverage than ever via six live broadcasts on FS1 and another three simulated to the NASCAR Channel in 2026.
Among myriad storylines entering this season is Rico Abreu’s move to Tony Stewart Racing, Tyler Courtney’s return from injury, Brad Sweet’s retirement opening the door for Daison Pursley at Kasey Kahne Racing, Giovanni Scelzi bringing Spire Motorsports and Chili’s to the series, the addition of two Rayce Rudeen Foundation Rookie of the Year contenders, and other familiar title foes returning.
MEET THE HIGH ROLLERS
First off, let’s introduce you to the 15 full-time High Rollers committed to chasing the 64-race championship from coast-to-coast this year:
Brenham Crouch (20, Lubbock, Texas) in the CJB Motorsports No. 5
Tyler Courtney (31, Indianapolis, Ind.) in the Clauson-Marshall Racing No. 7BC
Daison Pursley (21, Locust Grove, Okla.) in the Kasey Kahne Racing w/ Mike Curb No. 9
Chase Randall (21, Waco, Texas) in the Chase Randall Racing No. 9
Tanner Holmes (21, Jacksonville, Ore.) in the Buch Motorsports No. 13
Hank Davis (22, Sand Springs, Okla.) in the Michael Dutcher Motorsports No. 17GP
Brent Marks (35, Myerstown, Pa.) in the Brent Marks Racing No. 19
Rico Abreu (34, St. Helena, Calif.) in the Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing No. 24
Danny Sams III (24, North Port, Fla.) in the Randerson Racing No. 24D
Justin Peck (27, Monrovia, Ind.) in the Rudeen Racing No. 26
Sye Lynch (28, Apollo, Pa.) in the Mosites Lynch Racing No. 42
Kerry Madsen (55, St. Mary’s, Australia) in the Vermeer Motorsports No. 55
Giovanni Scelzi (24, Fresno, Calif.) in the Spire Motorsports No. 77
Aaron Reutzel (35, Clute, Texas) in the Ridge & Sons Racing No. 87
Tanner Thorson (29, Minden, Nev.) in the Rod Gross Motorsports No. 88
FAMILIAR FACES
Change is almost the only constant in sprint car racing, and there is plenty of that to take note of before the 2026 High Limit championship chase begins.
Starting at the top, a month before he clinched his first-career championship, Rico Abreu announced in September that he would join Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing and bring the nine-time World of Outlaws champions into the High Limit Room. Still donning his No. 24 and working with Rick Warner, Zack Middlebrooks, and Brady Forbrook, Rico now represents Carquest and a litany of new sponsors under the TSR umbrella.
The domino which kickstarted much of the off-season trades came at the High Limit banquet when six-time national champion Brad Sweet announced his retirement from full-time competition, opening an opportunity in the NAPA Auto Parts car with Kasey Kahne Racing w/ Mike Curb.
Remodeled the NAPA No. 9, Daison Pursley got the call to bring his seat to one of the top rides in the sport following a recent stretch where he won a USAC National Midget championship and earned Rayce Rudeen Foundation Rookie of the Year honors with High Limit.
With Pursley vacating the Buch No. 13, Tom Buch went searching for his next pilot and found his answer in a west coast kid with a giant social media following and a desire to hit the road. Oregon’s Tanner Holmes got the call and took the ride to pair himself with crew chief Sean Strausbaugh in pursuit of back-to-back Rayce Rudeen Foundation Rookie of the Year honors for the Pennsylvania based team.
Substituting for an injured Tyler Courtney in the Clauson-Marshall Racing No. 7BC, Giovanni Scelzi always knew he was keeping “Sunshine’s” spot warm and his future would have to go on somewhere else.
He found that spot in late 2025 when Spire Motorsports – famous for their NASCAR exploits – created a sprint car team and purchased a Jason Meyers Racing membership card to enter the High Roller Club.
They quickly made waves by pairing “Hot Sauce” with champion crew chief Eric Prutzman and bringing the iconic Chili’s Grill & Bar branding to the newly-formed No. 77.
DOUBLE DUTY
With this also being NASCAR weekend in “Sin City,” a trio of drivers will be competing at both the Las Vegas Motor Speedway big track and the dirt track with Interstate Batteries High Limit Racing.
Kyle Larson, the two-time and defending NASCAR Cup Series champion and 2023 Roto-Rooter Midweek Series champion, is the headliner in this category. “Yung Money” will run five races across four days while contesting all three High Limit nights in the Silva Motorsports No. 57.
The Elk Grove, Calif. native will also run Saturday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts Series event before Sunday’s Cup Series race.
Corey Day, an 11-time winner with the series and former full-time High Roller in 2024, has moved up the ranks and now competes full-time with Hendrick Motorsports in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. The 20-year-old kid they call “PayDay” will make his 2026 sprint car debut this week as Jason Meyers Racing brings the No. 14 to Vegas as the defending winners of this race one year ago. Pulling double duty on Saturday, Day is going for his fourth-consecutive top-10 on the pavement.
Ty Gibbs, fresh off back-to-back top-five finishes in the NASCAR Cup Series, will make his season debut in the sprint car as Chad Boat brings the No. 84 out to Las Vegas. He made four attempts with High Limit last year in his inaugural season attempting sprint car racing and qualified for a pair of features, including the season-opener at Vegas.
INVADING VEGAS
A handful of true outlaws from technically all across the world are coming to the city that never sleeps for High Limit action this week. Included on that list is the reigning Knoxville Nationals champion, the current Knoxville Raceway track champ, one of the best Australians in the business, and three men by the names of “Blackjack,” “Macho Man,” and “Hunter Percent.”
Ryan Timms (Oklahoma City, Okla.) is in the Liebig Motorsports No. 10
James McFadden (Northern Territory, Australia) is in the Tarlton Racing No. 21
Brian Brown (Grain Valley, Mo.) is in his own Casey’s No. 21
Brady Bacon (Broken Arrow, Okla.) is in the TKH Motorsports No. 21h
Hunter Schuerenberg (Sikeston, Mo) is in the JFM No. 73
Austin McCarl (Altoona, Iowa) is in the Country Builders Racing No. 88w
Beyond those potential winners, there’s also a strong contingent of west coast locals planning to cross into Nevada this week. California is sending several stars from Justin Sanders, Tanner Carrick, and Kaleb Montgomery to Austin Wood, D.J. Netto, and Joel Myers Jr. Also expected is Washington’s Robbie Price, Montana’s Cole Schroeder and Arizona’s Sterling Cling.
