Another Eldora Kings Royal is in the books, and a 42nd King has been crowned. So, let’s get into some of the storylines from the last week and developments that have occurred since the checkers waved on Saturday night.
High Limit Racing injuries
When the High Limit Racing series hits the track at Lernerville on Tuesday night, they’ll be without their top three drivers in points. Brad Sweet, Tyler Courtney, and Aaron Reutzel were all injured to various degrees in accidents throughout the week at Eldora.
Brad Sweet, current High Limit points leader, was injured in a scary crash during the first heat race for the Kings Royal on Saturday night. Sweet was checked and released the same night from a local hospital but is at home in California due to soreness and a concussion suffered in the accident. Kasey Kahne Racing has requested a medical provisional to cover the absence.
Aaron Reutzel was involved in a crash during Friday night’s Knight Before preliminary event and was diagnosed with a broken right foot. No timetable was given for his return, and the Ridge & Sons Racing team has also requested a medical provisional for his absence.
Tyler Courtney was injured in a huge crash on the first lap of Thursday night’s Joker’s Jackpot. Very little has been publicly shared about the extent of his injuries, but we do know that he underwent surgery and will be out for the remainder of the season. Clauson-Marshall Racing has announced that Cole Duncan will fill in at Lernersville and then Gio Scelzi will race the #7BC for the remainder of 2025.
The first question you may have is, what is a medical clearance? I’ll admit I had to do some reading to get what I hope is a full understanding of how it works with High Limit. I have also quoted the rule below so you can read for yourself. But, in short, the teams will skip the event and in exchange will be given points based on their average finishing position +5 spots. The provisional is good for ten days initially, and can be extended once, for a total of 20 days. Based on this calculation, Sweet would get 51 points per event and Reutzel would get 49. Luckily, the series only races one time during that 20-day window; however, that’s still going to hurt in what has been a tight points race in 2025. That’s also assuming both drivers are good to go by the time the series races again on August 15th.
From the High Limit Rule Book: Medical provisionals will be granted to a Driver that has an accident with injuries needing some extra
days to heal. These provisionals will be granted in a 10-day period and that Driver and or car will receive
points for their average finishing position +5 positions. The driver must have gone to a reputable doctor
in the 10-day period approved by High Limit Officials. If the Owner would like to race with a different
driver during this time, they can but will not receive the guaranteed points. The Owner will receive
points for their finishing position on that night. After 10 days, the Driver may be granted one extension
if needed and approved by High Limit Officials. The first two weekends will not be eligible for Medical
provisionals in 2025. After those weekends, a finishing position average can be calculated. The two
weekends will apply to new teams in following years. Returning cars will receive their average finish
from the year prior if needed in the first two weekends.
Scelzi out at KCP, subbing for Courtney at Clauson-Marshall
One of the wildest stories from last week was the sudden decision, seemingly by Geio Scelzi himself, to leave the KCP Racing team. The announcement came via a social media post just hours after Wednesday night’s Double Down Duels, an event in which Scelzi finished 19th after a scary flip. I have read that Scelzi may have been unhappy for a while and just had enough Thursday night. Several rumors were afoot, including one that had him replacing Spencer Baston in the #14 at CJB Motorsports.
If you read above, we now know that Scelzi will finish out 2025 filling in for Tyler Courtney at Clauson-Marshall, which will give him some time to figure out his future for 2026.
Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series @ Husets
The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series spent two nights at Huset’s Speedway for the Silver Dollar Nationals. Jonathan Davenport won night 1, and Hudson O’Neal won a rain-shortened night 2 to win a sweet $75,000. Following the event, Davenport now holds a 15-point advantage over Ricky Thornton Jr. in the season standings. Beyond RTJ, it’s 275 points back to 3rd.
Image Sourced via Tyler Courtney FB Page