Devon HenryFor the first time in half a dozen years, a national winged sprint car tour will visit the Grand Canyon State with mud flying and engines revving in Casa Grande for a doubleheader weekend.
Central Arizona Raceway hosts the High Limit Racing Sprint Car Series in their first-ever visit to Arizona on Friday, March 28, and Saturday, March 29, for two full nights of racing. The series is co-owned by 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Champion Kyle Larson, and his brother-in-law, five-time World of Outlaws Champion and defending High Limits Champion Brad Sweet.
The 410 sprint car series will mark the first major winged sprint car event in Arizona since the Wild Wing Shootout at the now-defunct Arizona Speedway in January of 2021. The last national series to visit Arizona was the World of Outlaws in April 2019, at Arizona Speedway and now-defunct USA Raceway in Tucson.
“I think for us, booking a race in Arizona – the weather, number one – and then, two, I think because it has been starved of sprint car racing for the past handful of years, especially a national tour,” Larson told Sports360AZ. “I know the fans have been itching to see a national tour roll through Arizona.”
The third-year national touring series wraps up a West Coast Swing that started at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, raced through California, and now arrives in Casa Grande before the swing concludes next week in New Mexico. Central Arizona Raceway features local racing nearly every weekend with non-wing sprint cars, hobby stocks, IMCA modifieds, late models, and more.
The High Limit Racing national tour features some of the best drivers in the country and some of the highest-paying races in all of sprint car racing. This weekend marks the fifth and sixth races of the 59-race season, spanning nearly 20 states. The series has witnessed four different winners in the first four races of the season, with Sweet leading the points as he looks to defend his title.
Over the past four years, dirt racing in Arizona has taken massive hits with tracks across the state being eradicated. Arizona Speedway in San Tan Valley shut its doors in November 2021 after a decade of racing. Canyon Speedway Park hosted racing in Peoria since 1981 but closed in December 2022. A southwest favorite, Cocopah Speedway in Yuma was indefinitely closed in November 2024. USA Raceway in Tucson closed a handful of years ago after a rollercoaster history.
“Arizona’s a great racing scene but unfortunately, a lot of the tracks are shut down,” Larson said. “It’s cool that we get to bring winged sprint car racing back to Central Arizona and go to Casa Grande. I know they pumped a lot of money into the facility, adding grandstands and stuff.”
Since the 2009 demolition of legendary Manzantia Speedway in Phoenix, the dirt racing community in Arizona has battled to survive. A visit from a group like High Limit means wonders to the fans eager to see more top-tier racing in Arizona. Central Arizona Raceway and Mohave Valley Raceway have recently led the charge in maintaining dirt racing in Arizona. The renamed Deuce of Clubs Thunder Raceway in Showlow was recently revived and plans to race this year. And the small Adobe Mountain Speedway in Glendale has been a great platform for racers old and young.
𝟰 races ✖️ 𝟰 different winners
🏁 @Corey_Day_ (@JMRacing14)
🏁 @KyleLarsonRacin (@Paul_Silva57)
🏁 @BradSweetRacing (@KKRDirt)
🏁 Aaron Reutzel (@RidgeSonsRacing)Who’s next with @Kubota_USA High Limit Racing? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/Xmd0tjMJw3
— High Limit Racing (@HighLimitRacing) March 23, 2025
While Larson will be unable to attend the race weekend due to his NASCAR duties in Martinsville, Virginia, the series will be led by full-timers such as Sweet, Tyler Courtney, Rico Abreu, and former NASCAR driver Kasey Kahne. Multiple Arizona natives are expected to compete to protect their home turf, such as Sterling Cling and Ashton Torgerson, who participated in the season opener.
The High Limit Sprint Cars aren’t the only headliner dirt racing series making camp in Arizona in 2025. The USAC National Sprint Car Series will bring their non-wing tour back to Arizona this year as they crown their season champion at Central Arizona Raceway on October 24 and 25.
Racing action begins on Friday, March 28, with another full night of racing on Saturday, March 29. On both days, pit gates open at 2:00 p.m., front gates open at 4:00 p.m., and hot laps begin at 5:45 p.m. Reserved seating is nearly sold out for the event, but general admission seating will be available and is available for purchase online as well as in-person at the gate on race day.
If you can’t make it to the event, both nights of racing will be live and on-demand on FloRacing with a subscription.
