Lakeside and Wheatland host High Limit Racing this weekend
MOORESVILLE, N.C.—After two weeks on the sidelines, Interstate Batteries High Limit Racing fires back off this weekend with the first trip to the Midwest this season.
On Friday night, the Hasty Bake Charcoal Grills Kansas City Clash kicks off NASCAR weekend at the nearby Kansas Speedway. It’s the series’ seventh appearance at Lakeside Speedway and an important precursor before the penultimate weekend of the 2026 championship chase comes back here for the Heartland of America Showdown on October 10-11.
On Saturday night, the third annual Diamond Classic takes the High Rollers to “The Diamond of Dirt Tracks” at Lucas Oil Speedway. Also the series’ seventh trip to the Wheatland, Mo. facility, it’s another crucial preview of what’s to come later in the season when High Limit sanctions the 17th annual Jesse Hockett / Daniel McMillin Memorial for the first time on September 17-19.
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While Tanner Thorson and Aaron Reutzel continue leading the championship chase, stars like Rico Abreu, Giovanni Scelzi, Tyler Courtney, Kerry Madsen, Justin Peck, Brent Marks, Daison Pursley, and Tanner Holmes round out a stacked early-season top-10.
Let’s go ahead and look at what’s on the table this week for the High Rollers…
STREAKING SUCCESS: After the eight-race season-opening swing, only two men have finished top-10 in every feature with Interstate Batteries High Limit Racing - Tanner Thorson and Giovanni Scelzi. For both of the west coast transplants, it’s the longest streak of their respective High Limit careers.
Thorson, who has a 21-point advantage atop the championship standings, brings the Rod Gross Motorsports No. 88 back to the track as the most recent winner with the series - topping Amarillo’s Route 66 Motor Speedway on March 27. The Minden, Nev. native will put his eight-race streak to the test on Friday at Lakeside Speedway, where he has yet to finish better than 13th in five attempts at the track. After chasing his first top-10 in Kansas City, Thorson will certainly be one of the favorites on Saturday when he chases his first sprint car win at Lucas Oil Speedway - where he’s finished 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 4th, 8th in recent races.
Scelzi, who is tied for third in the early-season points (-60), is now the seventh driver in series history to piece together 10 consecutive top-10 finishes - with his streak dating back to last year’s All-In Championship Weekend at Texas Motor Speedway. Friday’s trip to Lakeside Speedway, a place where “Hot Sauce” owns High Limit and World of Outlaws wins, is perhaps the perfect place to make his maiden victory lane trip in the Spire Motorsports No. 77 - as it’s been 77 races since his last win in March 2025.
WEEKEND WINNERS: A pair of High Rollers spent their off-weekend the best way possible - by winning.
Monrovia, Ind. native Justin Peck scored his third win of the year last Friday night, topping a weekly show at Williams Grove Speedway over PA Posse stars Ryan Smith & Lance Dewease. The Rudeen Racing No. 26 team returns to High Limit competition on the heels of their first series podium this year at Amarillo’s Route 66 Motor Speedway. The second-year pairing owns top-five finishes at both venues on the slate this weekend, a potential launching pad as they eye a move up the standings - currently seventh (-100) in points.
North Port, Fla. native Danny Sams III earned his first victory of the season and the 12th of his 410 career last Friday, storming from eighth for a Gladiator Sprint Tour score at West Virginia’s Ohio Valley Speedway. The Randerson Racing No. 24D returns to tour this week with extra confidence as they eye their first High Limit top-10 of 2026 at Lakeside and Lucas Oil.
KC CONSISTENCY: When it comes to High Limit at Lakeside Speedway, six-time national champion Brad Sweet has dominated with three wins in six appearances, but he won’t be in the field this weekend. That leaves the door open for stars like Rico Abreu, Brent Marks, and Aaron Reutzel to seize control of the Hasty Bake Grills Kansas City Clash.
Abreu, the reigning champion with Interstate Batteries High Limit Racing, will return to Lakeside as the defending winner of this event. In his last five tries at Lakeside, the St. Helena, Calif. native has finished top-10 in each outing with results of 9th, 7th, 1st, 9th, and 3rd on his card. A much-needed triumph this weekend for the Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing No. 24 star would put him alongside Tanner Thorson and Aaron Reutzel as the only multi-time winners thus far in 2026.
Marks, a winner at Lakeside last fall during the Heartland of America Showdown, enters this weekend on a five-race stretch of top-10s like Abreu at the track - earning an even better average with runs of 4th, 6th, 9th, 1st, and 5th. After a bitter middle of March, the Myerstown, Penn. native has picked things up with five-straight top-10s between High Limit, World of Outlaws, and PA Posse events.
Reutzel, a former ASCS National Tour winner at the track, has yet to win a 410 show at Lakeside, but the Ridge & Sons Racing No. 87 was a contender in all three shows with High Limit last year - finishing 8th, 2nd, and 4th. The Clute, Tex. native is racing Tanner Thorson to become the first with a trio of wins on the year as they battle for early-season control of the championship points.
DELIVERING AT THE DIAMOND: Through six trips to Lucas Oil Speedway, only one driver has claimed multiple wins with Interstate Batteries High Limit Racing, and that’s Tyler Courtney. “Sunshine” has excelled in all five of his attempts at “The Diamond of Dirt Tracks” with finishes of 1st, 2nd, 16th, 2nd, and 1st. The lone outlier (16th) came following a mechanical issue after he led the opening 11 laps of that race, preventing him from a perfect five-for-five on podium results.
His 4.4 average finish is among the best at any track High Limit has contested five-plus features, and he also produced the largest margin of victory in series history (6.166-seconds) at the Wheatland, Mo. facility last summer. Looking to snap a 34-race winless spell for the Clauson-Marshall Racing No. 7BC with the series, Saturday’s Diamond Classic is just the early-season shot of momentum the Indiana-based team is looking for.
CAPITALIZING ON QUALIFYING: To the surprise of nobody, Kerry Madsen and Vermeer Motorsports have quickly established themselves as one of the best qualifying teams on tour with High Limit in 2026. Boasting an average qualifying result of 6.1 in the opening eight nights, “The Mad Man” is only outdone by Aaron Reutzel (4.7) and Rico Abreu (4.9) - the two drivers who are going back-and-forth for the honor of most QuickTimes in series history.
While their early-evening performance is dialed in, crew chief Tye Wolfgang is focused on finding more late-in-the-night speed when feature results are on the line. Interestingly enough, their six top-10 finishes are only out-ranked by Thorson, Scelzi & Reutzel, yet they are one of four full-time teams without a top-five finish (Madsen, Davis, Crouch, Sams) through the opening eight races. Lakeside Speedway on Friday may be the track that changes that as Madsen returns with a 2014 World of Outlaws win under his belt.
ROOKIES ON THE RISE: Both Rayce Rudeen Foundation Rookie of the Year contenders return to Interstate Batteries High Limit Racing competition this weekend fresh off season-best results in the last series event at Amarillo’s Route 66 Motor Speedway.
For Tanner Holmes, he finished fifth that night to claim his fifth-career top-five finish with the series and first aboard the Buch Motorsports No. 13. The Jacksonville, Ore. native carried that momentum into bye-week action by claiming another top-five run at Pennsylvania’s BAPS Motor Speedway. The 21-year-old returns to Lakeside with a top-10 finish from last year under his belt, before making his 410 debut at Lucas Oil on Saturday.
For Hank Davis, he ran up to seventh from 15th at Route 66 for his second-career top-10 finish with High Limit. The Michael Dutcher Motorsports No. 17GP found more of that speed last weekend when they were contending for a podium run with the World of Outlaws at I-55 before being caught in a late-race wreck. The Oklahoma 22-year-old is plenty familiar with both tracks this weekend - winning with ASCS at Lakeside and finishing second with POWRi at Lucas Oil last year.
Current Championship Standings (After 8/63 Races):
1 Tanner Thorson - Rod Gross Motorsports #88 (542 pts... -)
2 Aaron Reutzel - Ridge & Sons Racing #87 (521 pts... -21)
3 Rico Abreu - Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing #24 (482 pts... -60)
4 Giovanni Scelzi - Spire Motorsports #77 (482 pts... -60)
5 Tyler Courtney - Clauson-Marshall Racing #7BC (467 pts... -75)
6 Kerry Madsen - Vermeer Motorsports #55 (438 pts... -104)
7 Justin Peck - Rudeen Racing #26 (425 pts... -117)
8 Brent Marks - Brent Marks Racing #19 (392 pts... -150)
9 Daison Purlsey - Kasey Kahne Racing w/ Mike Curb #9 (391 pts... -151)
10 Tanner Holmes - Buch Motorsports #13 (388 pts... -154)
11 Sye Lynch - Mosites Lynch Racing #42 (372 pts... -170)
12 Hank Davis - Michael Dutcher Motorsports #17GP (328 pts... -214)
Chase Randall - Chase Randall Racing #9R (324 pts... -218)
13 Brenham Crouch - CJB Motorsports (312 pts... -230)
14 Danny Sams III - Randerson Racing #24D (302 pts... -240)
I
NTERSTATE BATTERIES A-MAIN WINNERS (6 Drivers):
2 Wins – Aaron Reutzel (Ridge & Sons Racing No. 87)
2 Wins – Tanner Thorson (Rod Gross Motorsports No. 88)
1 Win – Kyle Larson (Silva Motorsports No. 57)
1 Win – Corey Day (Jason Meyers Racing No. 14)
1 Win – Rico Abreu (Tony Stewart Racing No. 24)
1 Win – James McFadden (Tarlton Racing No. 21)
A-MAIN LAPS LED (8 Drivers):
75 Laps - Aaron Reutzel
59 Laps - Tanner Thorson
29 Laps - James McFadden
18 Laps - Giovanni Scelzi
17 Laps - Corey Day
12 Laps - Rico Abreu
8 Laps - Kyle Larson
2 Laps - Brad Sweet
CAPITOL CUSTOM TRAILERS QUICKTIME AWARDS (4 Drivers):
3 QuickTime – Rico Abreu
2 QuickTimes – Corey Day, Aaron Reutzel
1 QuickTime - Kerry Madsen
HEAT RACE WINNERS (16 Drivers):
3 Heat Wins - Rico Abreu, Sye Lynch, Tyler Courtney, Tanner Thorson
2 Heat Wins - Ryan Timms, Giovanni Scelzi, James McFadden, Danny Sams III, Brent Marks
1 Heat Wins - Austin McCarl, Aaron Reutzel, Kerry Madsen, Brad Sweet, Logan Seavey, Brenham Crouch, Justin Peck
FK ROD ENDS DASH APPEARANCES (20 Drivers):
7 Dashes - Rico Abreu
6 Dashes - Tanner Thorson
5 Dashes - Kerry Madsen, Aaron Reutzel
4 Dashes - Giovanni Scelzi, Brent Marks
3 Dashes - Corey Day, Kyle Larson, James McFadden, Sye Lynch, Tyler Courtney
2 Dashes - Ryan Timms, Logan Seavey, Danny Sams III
1 Dash - Austin McCarl, Brad Sweet, Brian Brown, Brenham Crouch, Justin Peck, Tanner Holmes
WINTERS PERFORMANCE B-MAIN WINS (7 Drivers):
1 B-Main Win – Tyler Courtney, Joel Myers Jr, J.J. Hickle, Justin Peck, Chase Randall, Brent Marks, Gage Pulkrabek
ROD END SUPPLY HARD CHARGER AWARDS (7 Drivers):
2 Hard Chargers - Brad Sweet
1 Hard Charger – Kyle Larson, Tanner Thorson, Justin Peck, DJ Netto, Ryan Timms, Kerry Madsen
JAKE’S GOLF CARTS FASTEST LAP AWARDS (4 Drivers):
5 Fastest Laps - Aaron Reutzel
1 Fastest Lap – Giovanni Scelzi, Brad Sweet, James McFadden
PODIUM FINISHES (12 Drivers):
5 Podiums - Aaron Reutzel
4 Podiums - Tanner Thorson
3 Podiums - Rico Abreu
2 Podiums - Corey Day, James McFadden, Giovanni Scelzi
1 Podium - Kyle Larson, Daison Pursley, Brad Sweet, Tyler Courtney, Ryan Timms, Justin Peck
TOP-FIVE FINISHES (18 Drivers):
6 Top-Fives - Tanner Thorson, Aaron Reutzel
4 Top-Fives - Tyler Courtney
3 Top-Fives - Rico Abreu, James McFadden, Giovanni Scelzi
2 Top-Fives - Corey Day, Brad Sweet, Brent Marks, Daison Pursley
1 Top-Five - Kyle Larson, Joel Myers Jr, Sye Lynch, Ryan Timms, Chase Randall, Justin Peck, Tanner Holmes
TOP-10 FINISHES (23 Drivers):
8 Top-10s - Tanner Thorson, Giovanni Scelzi
7 Top-10s - Aaron Reutzel
6 Top-10s - Rico Abreu, Tyler Courtney, Kerry Madsen
4 Top-10s - James McFadden, Ryan Timms, Daison Pursley, Brent Marks
3 Top-10s - Kyle Larson, Logan Seavey, Justin Peck
2 Top-10s - Corey Day, DJ Netto, Brad Sweet, Sye Lynch, Tanner Holmes
1 Top-10 - Austin McCarl, Joel Myers Jr, Chase Randall, Hank Davis, Sam Hafertepe Jr
2026 Interstate Batteries High Limit Racing Schedule:
Race / Day, Date / Track / Location / Winner or Event
Thursday, March 12 / Las Vegas Motor Speedway / Las Vegas, NV / Kyle Larson
Friday, March 13 / Las Vegas Motor Speedway / Las Vegas, NV / Corey Day
Saturday, March 14 / Las Vegas Motor Speedway / Las Vegas, NV / Aaron Reutzel
Thursday, March 19 / Central Arizona Raceway / Casa Grande, AZ / Rico Abreu
Friday, March 20 / Central Arizona Raceway / Casa Grande, AZ / Tanner Thorson
Saturday, March 21 / Central Arizona Raceway / Casa Grande, AZ / James McFadden
Tuesday, March 24 / Vado Speedway Park / Vado, NM / Aaron Reutzel (2)
Friday, March 27 / Route 66 Motor Speedway / Amarillo, TX / Tanner Thorson (2)
Friday, April 17 / Lakeside Speedway / Kansas City, KS / Hasty Bake Kansas City Clash
Saturday, April 18 / Lucas Oil Speedway / Wheatland, MO / Diamond Classic
Tuesday, April 21 / Eagle Raceway / Eagle Raceway / Roto-Rooter Midweek Series (FS1)
Tuesday, April 28 / Arrowhead Speedway / Colcord, OK / Roto-Rooter Midweek Series
Thursday, April 30 / Texas Motor Speedway / Fort Worth, TX / Stockyard Stampede
Saturday, May 2 / Texas Motor Speedway / Fort Worth, TX / Stockyard Stampede
Friday, May 8 / Kokomo Speedway / Kokomo, IN / Driven2SaveLives Bryan Clauson Hero Classic
Saturday, May 9 / Kokomo Speedway / Kokomo, IN / Driven2SaveLives Bryan Clauson Hero Classic
Tuesday, May 19 / Grandview Speedway / Bechtelsville, PA / Roto-Rooter Midweek Series (FS1)
Friday, May 22 / Port Royal Speedway / Port Royal, PA / Bob Weikert Memorial
Saturday, May 23 / Port Royal Speedway / Port Royal, PA / Bob Weikert Memorial
Sunday, May 24 / Port Royal Speedway / Port Royal, PA / Bob Weikert Memorial
Friday, May 29 / Lawrenceburg Speedway / Lawrenceburg, IN / Driven2SaveLives Battle at the ‘Burg
Saturday, May 30 / Butler Motor Speedway / Quincy, MI / Mace Thomas Classic
Monday, June 1 / Davenport Speedway / Davenport, IA / Roto-Rooter Midweek Series
Wednesday, June 3 / Red Cedar Speedway / Menomonie, WI / Roto-Rooter Midweek Series (FS1)
Thursday, June 4 / Gondik Law Speedway / Superior, WI / Roto-Rooter Midweek Series
Friday, June 5 / I-94 emr Speedway / Fergus Falls, MN
Saturday, June 6 / Dacotah Speedway / Mandan, ND
Tuesday, June 9 / Eagle Raceway / Eagle, NE / Eagle Nationals
Thursday, June 11 / Shelby County Speedway / Harlan, IA / Roto-Rooter Midweek Series
Friday, June 26 / Big Sky Speedway / Billings, MT / Rayce Rudeen Foundation Race
Saturday, June 27 / Big Sky Speedway / Billings, MT / Rayce Rudeen Foundation Race
Monday, July 13 / Fremont Speedway / Fremont, OH / Roto-Rooter Midweek Series
Wednesday, July 15 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH / Double Down Duel$
Thursday, July 16 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH / Joker’s Jackpot (FS1)
Tuesday, July 21 / Lernerville Speedway / Sarver, PA / Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup XXXV
Thursday, July 23 / Ransomville Speedway / Ransomville, NY / Roto-Rooter Midweek Series
Friday, July 24 / Stateline Speedway / Busti, NY
Saturday, July 25 / Port Royal Speedway / Port Royal, PA
Sunday, July 26 / Port Royal Speedway / Port Royal, PA
Tuesday, July 28 / Bridgeport Motorsports Park / Swedesboro, NJ / Roto-Rooter Midweek Series
Thursday, August 20 / Santa Maria Speedway / Santa Maria, CA / Roto-Rooter Midweek Series
Friday, August 21 / Thunderbowl Raceway / Tulare, CA
Saturday, August 22 / Placerville Speedway / Placerville, CA / 49er Gold Rush Classic
Thursday, August 27 / Silver Dollar Speedway / Chico, CA / Gold Cup Race of Champions
Friday, August 28 / Silver Dollar Speedway / Chico, CA / Gold Cup Race of Champions
Saturday, August 29 / Silver Dollar Speedway / Chico, CA / Gold Cup Race of Champions
Monday, August 31 / Douglas County Dirtrack / Roseburg, OR / SugarBee Showdown on the River
Thursday, September 3 / Skagit Speedway / Alger, WA / Skagit Nationals
Friday, September 4 / Skagit Speedway / Alger, WA / Skagit Nationals
Saturday, September 5 / Skagit Speedway / Alger, WA / Skagit Nationals
Thursday, September 10 / Port Royal Speedway / Port Royal, PA / Tuscarora 50
Friday, September 11 / Port Royal Speedway / Port Royal, PA / Tuscarora 50
Saturday, September 12 / Port Royal Speedway / Port Royal, PA / Tuscarora 50
Thursday, September 17 / Lucas Oil Speedway / Wheatland, MO / Hockett/McMillin Memorial
Friday, September 18 / Lucas Oil Speedway / Wheatland, MO / Hockett/McMillin Memorial
Saturday, September 19 / Lucas Oil Speedway / Wheatland, MO / Hockett/McMillin Memorial
Wednesday, September 23 / Kokomo Speedway / Kokomo, IN / Driven2SaveLives Midweek Mayhem (FS1)
Friday, September 25 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH / 4-Crown Nationals
Saturday, September 26 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH / 4-Crown Nationals
Friday, October 9 / Lakeside Speedway / Kansas City, KS / Heartland of America Showdown
Saturday, October 10 / Lakeside Speedway / Kansas City, KS / Heartland of America Showdown
Friday, October 16 / Texas Motor Speedway / Fort Worth, TX / All-In Championship Weekend
Saturday, October 17 / Texas Motor Speedway / Fort Worth, TX / All-In Championship Weekend
All-Time Interstate Batteries High Limit Racing Wins List (Through 117 Features):
**26 wins - Rico Abreu (St. Helena, CA)
14 wins - Brad Sweet (Grass Valley, CA)
12 wins - Corey Day (Clovis, CA)
**10 wins - Kyle Larson (Elk Grove, CA)
**9 wins - Aaron Reutzel (Clute, TX)
**8 wins - Brent Marks (Myerstown, PA)
**7 wins - Tyler Courtney (Indianapolis, IN
**4 wins - Justin Peck (Monrovia, IN)
4 wins - James McFadden (Alice Springs, NT, AUS)
**4 wins - Tanner Thorson (Minden, NV)
3 wins - Anthony Macri (Dillsburg, PA)
2 wins - David Gravel (Watertown, CT)
2 wins - Trey Starks (Puyallup, WA)
2 wins - Buddy Kofoid (Penngrove, CA)
**1 win - Giovanni Scelzi (Fresno, CA)
1 win - Jacob Allen (Hanover, PA)
1 win - Danny Dietrich (Gettysburg, PA)
1 win - Travis Arenz (Sheboygan, WI)
1 win - Cole Macedo (Lemoore, CA)
1 win - Carson Macedo (Lemoore, CA)
1 win - Justin Sanders (Aromas, CA)
1 win - Ryan Timms (Oklahoma City, OK)
**1 win - Daison Pursley (Locust Grove, OK)
**1 win - Danny Sams III (North Port, FL)
** Expected to race this week
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