BRANDON, S.D. — The Summer of Money starts now, and it starts in a big way.
The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars are rolling toward Huset’s Speedway, and teams are ready to build their bank accounts. This week, The Greatest Show on Dirt will tackle four consecutive nights of action at the Brandon, S.D. oval for two events in one.
First up is the Huset’s Hustle (June 19-20). Wednesday’s $20,000-to-win prelim will set the stage for Thursday’s $100,000-to-win main event. Then, the third BillionAuto.com Huset’s High Bank Nationals takes center stage, June 21-22. Like the Hustle, the opener offers up a $20,000 payday, but the stakes are raised for Saturday’s finale when drivers will fight for a huge $250,000 check, equaling the biggest winner’s share in World of Outlaws history.
Overall, the Bank of Huset’s Speedway is offering up more than $800,000 in purse money over four nights of racing. That kind of cash has lured a large and talented roster to South Dakota. This year’s edition again features a unique format guaranteeing fans a thrilling program from start to finish every night.
This week begins a three-month stretch of big money races for the World of Outlaws. From June 19 to September 21, the series will take on 17 nights that feature a winner’s share of at least $15,000 with 14 of them offering at least $20,000.
Let’s look at the weekend’s top storylines:
BIG GAME GROUNDS
This week is a special one for David Gravel, Tod Quiring and all of Big Game Motorsports.
Quiring – owner of Huset’s Speedway and the Big Game team – has invested so much in the sport of sprint car racing and he’s continuing to develop this week into more and more of a marquee event in only its third edition.
Gravel rolls into Huset’s as the defending winner of the event, topping last year’s finale for the $250,000 prize, which is still the highest in series history. He’s already driven to victory lane nine times in 2024 including one last weekend at Knoxville. A win during any of the four nights of racing ahead this week would mark his fifth season of reaching at least 10 victories.
ROTH REDEMPTION
While Gravel celebrated at the conclusion of last year’s High Bank Nationals, another driver was dealt a devastating defeat.
Michael “Buddy” Kofoid teamed with Roth Motorsports heading into Huset’s. Podium finishes on the second and third nights set them up strong for the finale. Kofoid grabbed the pole for the 40-lap feature and looked to be on his way to winning a quarter of a million dollars. But engine troubles with only 10 laps remaining slowed the No. 83 and ended his hopes.
Now, Kofoid is a full-timer on the World of Outlaws tour with Dennis and Teresa Roth and ready to seek redemption this week. Huset’s is home to his first career series win in June of 2022. He also won a pair of USAC National Midget races at the South Dakota oval that year. It’s been a productive rookie season so far for the Californian with 24 top 10s in 29 races highlighted by an Attica (Ohio) victory.
HAUD HEROICS
The inaugural High Bank Nationals in 2022 allowed Sheldon Haudenschild to give perhaps the best example of the magic he’s capable of behind the wheel of a sprint car.
With four laps remaining, Haudenschild sat in sixth place needing a heroic effort to win, and that’s exactly what he delivered. He went to the top of the track where he’s made a name for himself and passed two cars to move to fourth with three circuits remaining. A lap later he was third. And then, as the white flag waved, he blasted from third to first on the final lap to bank $100,000.
The Wooster, Ohio native owns one other win at Huset’s, driving the Stenhouse Jr.-Marshall Racing No. 17 to victory lane in 2020. He’s already put seven tallies in the “W” column in 2024 heading to Huset’s.
SIX-FIGURE STUD
It’s rare that sprint cars race for a pair of six-figure paydays in the same week. There have only been 50 races in the sport’s history where the winner earned at least $100,000. And the man who has built his bank account most often is Donny Schatz.
The 10-time World of Outlaws champion has his name on 13 of the 50 six-figure checks handed out in sprint car history. That’s the most and nine more than the second highest total. He’s collected 11 of them at Knoxville Raceway and a pair at Eldora Speedway.
If he can deposit either Thursday’s $100,000 or Saturday’s $250,000, he’ll achieve something no Sprint Car driver has done before. Schatz would become the first to win a six-figure payday at three different racetracks. The Fargo, N.D. driver owns four Huset’s victories with The Greatest Show on Dirt, topping trips in 2001, 2007, 2015, and 2016.
Other six-figure sprint car winners expected to be in attendance this week are Kraig Kinser, Brad Sweet, David Gravel, Tyler Courtney, Kyle Larson, Sheldon Haudenschild and Logan Schuchart.
SO MANY STARS
The cast of full-time World of Outlaws drivers will be joined by many more talented gassers to create a huge field of competitors.
The country’s second winningest 410 sprint car driver this year – Anthony Macri – intends to make his High Bank Nationals debut. The Dillsburg, Pa. native has won eight times in 2024 including a local Huset’s race on June 2.
Last year, Kyle Larson was two spots away from Huset’s High Bank Nationals glory, and the Elk Grove, Calif. driver is on the entry list for the 2024 edition. “Yung Money” owns a pair of Huset’s victories with the World of Outlaws, driving the Silva Motorsports to wins in 2020 and during last year’s opening prelim. Like Schatz, Larson could also become the first driver with six-figure paydays at three different tracks.
The man who finished a spot ahead of Larson last year was fellow Californian Rico Abreu, and he intends to be back to chase the major money on the line. Abreu has collected 16 410 sprint car victories over the last year and a half.
One of the country’s top young talents Ryan Timms has the Hustle and High Bank Nationals on his calendar. He’ll roll into the week as the most recent Huset’s winner after winning their local race on Sunday, June 16. In addition to the Huset’s win, the versatile driver out of Oklahoma City, Okla. has also collected a trio of 360 sprint car victories this year and three Midget wins including a pair with the Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series.
Also expected to fill the roster are many of Huset’s regular competitors including the likes of Mark Dobmeier (Grand Forks, N.D.), Kaleb Johnson (Sioux Falls, S.D.), Dusty Zomer (Brookings, S.D.), Justin Henderson (Sioux Falls, S.D.) and many more.