The High Limit Sprint Car Series delivered another action-packed night at Tulare Thunderbowl Raceway, but in the end, it was a familiar face standing in Victory Lane—Kyle Larson. After an eventful night of qualifying, heat races, and early feature incidents, Larson powered past Rico Abreu and Brad Sweet to take a commanding victory, nearly lapping up to the top 10 in the process.
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Quick Time & Heat Race Action
The night kicked off with Aaron Reutzel setting the tone early, clocking the fastest time in hot laps before laying down a blistering 13.194-second lap in qualifying to claim quick time honors. Kyle Larson, on the other hand, had a shaky start, bouncing through hot laps before dialing it in during his first qualifying lap in Group B, posting a 13.249. However, on his second lap, he drove it in too hard, nearly flipping in Turns 1 and 2.
The heat races offered a mix of domination and drama:
• Heat 1: Brad Sweet started on pole and was gone from the drop of the green, cruising to an easy win while Tanner Holmes followed in second.
• Heat 2: Sye Lynch got a great jump from second, quickly distancing himself from Brent Marks, who started on pole but had no answer for Lynch’s speed.
• Heat 3: The biggest show came from Kasey Kahne, who started fifth and sliced through the field like he was in a different gear, picking up an impressive heat race win. Austin McCarl held onto second, while Dominic Scelzi, who started from the pole, struggled and faded back to seventh.
• Heat 4: Tyler Courtney looked strong, grabbing the win from second. Rico Abreu, also showing good speed, charged from fourth to finish runner-up. Kaleb Montgomery, who started on the pole, had his hands full all race and fell to fifth.
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Dash Drama & Larson’s Penalty
The Dash draw created some unexpected shake-ups, and a spin of the double-zero put Rico Abreu on pole, with Brad Sweet lining up second. The two battled early, but Sweet found another gear late, overtaking Rico to win the Dash and claim the pole for the A-Main.
Meanwhile, Kyle Larson found himself in trouble before the race even started. He was supposed to roll off from third, but a staging miscue led to a penalty, forcing him to start dead last in the Dash. Despite the setback, Larson still managed to climb to sixth, passing Sye Lynch and Aaron Reutzel in the process.
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A-Main: Larson’s Takeover & Wild Wrecks
The A-Main got off to a chaotic start, with a scary flip involving Justin Sanders. His car ended up on top of Daison Pursley’s nose wing, leaving both drivers unable to continue.
After a short run, the second major caution struck when Colby Thornhill’s right front wheel came off, sending him sliding across the track. As he fought to control his car, Tanner Thorson and Justin Peck had nowhere to go and were collected in the wreck. Thornhill’s night was over, and Thorson’s heavily damaged car limped home in 21st, while Peck made quick repairs and salvaged an 18th-place finish after taking a provisional.
Once the dust settled, the real battle began up front. Rico Abreu and Brad Sweet waged a tight duel for the lead, testing different lines. But just as the fight heated up, Larson entered the picture. After starting sixth, he carved through the leaders, taking the top spot and never looking back. In dominant fashion, Larson stretched his lead and nearly lapped into the top 10 before the checkered flag fell.
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Final Results & Hard Chargers
• 1st – Kyle Larson (Started 6th) – Charged to the lead and dominated the second half of the race.
• 2nd – Rico Abreu (Started 2nd) – Battled hard but couldn’t hold off Larson.
• 3rd – Brad Sweet (Started 1st) – Led early but had no answer for Larson’s late-race speed.
• 4th – Corey Day (Started 21st) – HUGE Hard Charger of the night, gaining 17 positions!
• 5th – Tanner Holmes (Started 9th) – A solid top-five run to cap off the night.
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Final Thoughts
Are we surprised by this podium? Not really. It’s the same top three from last year, just with Sweet and Abreu swapping spots.
The biggest storyline, aside from Larson’s dominance, was Corey Day’s massive charge from 21st to 4th. The young California driver continues to impress.
Despite taking a brutal hit from a rock or dirt clod at Las Vegas, which left him with stitches and bruised eyes, Aaron Reutzel showed incredible resilience at Tulare. Instead of sitting out, he came back stronger, laying down quick time in qualifying with a 13.194. Fighting through the pain, he held his own in the A-Main, bringing home a solid 8th-place finish when many thought he’d be sidelined for weeks. A true display of toughness and determination.
However, track conditions and early wrecks played a big role in shaking up the field. The opening laps were full of chaos, and it’s a reminder that Tulare can be unforgiving. With so much action already in the books, the High Limit Sprint Car Series is just heating up—and if the first few races are any indication, it’s going to be an insane season!
