Daytona to Dirt: Kyle Larson Secures High Limit Title, Austin Self Nears His Own

NASCAR representation on dirt was greatly reduced this weekend due to heavy rainfall over the weekend on the East Coast, but that didn’t stop its drivers from contending for titles and hardware wherever they went.

Kasey Kahne

The former Cup Series regular contested the weekend’s lone World of Outlaws sprint car feature Saturday night (Oct. 14) at Lakeside Speedway in Kansas after Friday night’s program was canceled due to high winds. 

Tonight’s race at @81_speedway has been canceled.

Dangerous winds consistently above 20 mph and gusting over 40 mph creating hazardous racing conditions forced the cancelation.

The decision comes after consulting with race teams.

𝗠𝗢𝗥𝗘:https://t.co/67fsyUJ4G0

— World of Outlaws (@WorldofOutlaws) October 13, 2023

The delay paid off for Kahne though, as he shrugged off a recent trend of losing spots in his heat race. Holding onto third place through his heat, Kahne easily qualified for Saturday’s A-main and ended up scoring a ninth-place finish in the feature, his first top 10 in a 410 sprint car race since the Skagit Nationals over Labor Day weekend.

This Weekend in Dirt: Brad Sweet Wins Skagit Nationals, Haudenschild Steals the Show

Kyle Larson

The Cup Series regular took a major step forward towards a second Cup title with his victory at Las Vegas this weekend, but even before that happened Larson locked up his first points championship of the season Tuesday night.

Scoring a heat race win, Larson came through with a clutch seventh-third run in the High Limit Racing Series season finale at Lincoln Park Speedway in Indiana Tuesday night, giving him enough cushion over race winner Rico Abreu to win the inaugural title of his self-owned racing series. Being the boss, however, didn’t stop Larson from receiving a flawed trophy commemorating his title (look closely).

Congratulations to @KyleLarsonRacin on winning the inaugural @HighLimitRacing title. pic.twitter.com/dUPfhBmAk7

— Hendrick Motorsports (@TeamHendrick) October 11, 2023

The Larson-promoted tour had a banner season in 2023, even if the tour’s owner won quite a lion’s share of the races and winnings.

$𝟭,𝟭𝟲𝟳,𝟵𝟭𝟰 injected into the sport. 💰

After 11 midweek races, the inaugural High Limit Sprint Car Series campaign paid out more than $1.1 million dollars through purse money, points fund, and bonuses to almost 200 teams who competed. pic.twitter.com/IU65kUwMaE

— High Limit Racing (@HighLimitRacing) October 12, 2023

Ken Schrader

The former Cup Series regular hauled his modified to Batesville Motor Speedway in Arkansas for a three-night racing program culminating in the Race for Hope 71 Saturday night. 

Schrader went three for three in qualifying for features on the weekend, finishing 11th on Thursday, fifth on Friday and eighth in the finale feature Saturday night. Schrader also scored a heat race win Friday evening.

Austin Wayne Self

The former Truck Series regular continued his strong “playoff” performance with the American Racer Modified tour Saturday night at Ultimate Motorsports Park in North Carolina, scoring a second-place finish that left him in control of the points lead on the tour with one race left to go in the season.