Larson Banks $100,000 & Wins Another Joker's Jackpot

Kyle Larson eggs on the fans after winning Thursday night at Eldora Speedway. (High Limit Racing photo)

By Jacob Seelman, SWN News Editor

ROSSBURG, Ohio (July 16, 2026) – After an early part of the week to forget in the state of Ohio, Kyle Larson proved he’s still very much the dominant force fans have come to know and love (or hate) Thursday night during the Joker’s Jackpot.

Despite losing the lead to friend and longtime rival Rico Abreu on the initial start of the 35-lap feature at famed Eldora Speedway, dropping as far back as fourth place at one point, Larson rallied back into a fierce battle with Abreu down the stretch before taking control on lap 23.

From there, Larson drove away from all challenges in slower traffic, winning for the sixth time on the year with Interstate Batteries High Limit Racing and pocketing a $100,000 check in the process.

It marked the Elk Grove, Calif., driver’s 15th career High Limit score and his second straight in the Joker’s Jackpot.

“It’s just sketchy, man. It’s so hard to build your confidence [at Eldora],” said Larson in victory lane. “The fastest lane around here is against the fence. I was just trying to run as hard as I could. I tried to stay patient early. My car just wouldn’t launch on the starts and got swallowed up there. But it did come to me. I just had to stay patient and let the race come to me. I felt good in traffic there, but it got tough battling. … Just a fun race.

“I’ve watched a lot of video of Rico, obviously. He’s up front here all the time, and I study him a lot, and you learn a lot to where you can almost read him like a book in a way. So that made it good tonight, where I was just kind of able to get him racing,” Larson added. “Instead of looking out in front of him, he was racing behind himself, and that just allowed me to create runs and ultimately time it just right to get by him.”

Due to his NASCAR Cup Series obligations with Hendrick Motorsports, Larson will be unable to continue his roll during the Kings Royal half of the weekend at Eldora on Friday and Saturday.

However, that didn’t stop him from egging on a few boos from the fans during his victory celebration atop the Silva Motorsports No. 57 and enjoying the moment.

“This is one of the top facilities, so to get to host a High Limit race [live] on FS1 and get the series out there in front of the world is pretty neat. Then, to put on an exciting race like that with only one caution is pretty amazing, so just a great night all around.”

Abreu cut through the middle three-wide on the initial start to assume control and led the first 22 laps around the half-mile Eldora dirt track Thursday, carrying a retro look and his team owner Tony Stewart’s iconic No. 14 aboard his ride for Kings Royal week at the boss’s facility.

All the while, he had consistent pressure from Corey Day and the Jason Meyers Racing No. 14M, as well as Larson once the latter got back into a podium place on the 12th rotation.

However, a caution right at the halfway point changed the entire complexion of the race.

It was at that point where – in a barnburner battle for second between Day and Larson – Day threw a divebomb slider on Larson in turn three to try and secure the position after a back-and-forth fight.

He overestimated the move, however, sliding up and over the cushion in turn four and into the outside wall as a result. It damaged Day’s car enough to eliminate him, leaving the battle to be settled between Abreu and Larson.

Abreu got the initial jump on the lap-19 restart that followed, but Larson tossed move after move at his counterpart, taking the lead briefly twice before the final inside lunge stuck on lap 23 in turn two.

Larson drove off after that by 1.480 seconds, leaving Abreu to settle for runner-up honors. Shark Racing’s Logan Schuchart completed the podium as the highest-finishing World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series regular in the field.

Another Outlaws driver in Carson Macedo was fourth, again repping a Paul Kistler-prepared Ford engine aboard his Jason Johnson Racing No. 41, with Brent Marks crossing fifth.

Tyler Courtney, 18th-starting Spencer Bayston, Sheldon Haudenschild, Brady Bacon, and James McFadden closed the top 10.

The most bizarre incident of the night came before the second B-Main, when a push truck that was pushing off the No. 2C of Cole Macedo ramped the left-rear tire and drove over the left side of the younger Macedo’s sprint car.

It caused terminal frame damage that eliminated Macedo from contention before he was ever able to turn a lap. Macedo was later compensated $4,000 – the equivalent of start money in the A-Main – by High Limit Racing officials.

Sprint car action at Eldora continues Friday night as the World of Outlaws move into the spotlight with the annual Knight Before The Kings Royal. Abreu is the defending winner of that event.

The finish:

Interstate Batteries A Feature (35 laps): 1. 57-Kyle Larson [1]; 2. 14-Rico Abreu [3]; 3. 1S-Logan Schuchart [6]; 4. 41-Carson Macedo [8]; 5. 19-Brent Marks [5]; 6. 7BC-Tyler Courtney [4]; 7. 17-Spencer Bayston [18]; 8. 18-Sheldon Haudenschild [9]; 9. 21H-Brady Bacon [12]; 10. 21-James McFadden [14]; 11. 26-Justin Peck [7]; 12. 71-Parker Price Miller [11]; 13. 77-Giovanni Scelzi [10]; 14. 87-Aaron Reutzel [15]; 15. 15-Donny Schatz [22]; 16. 2-David Gravel [23]; 17. 94-Brad Sweet [24]; 18. 83-Michael Kofoid [21]; 19. 9-Daison Pursley [17]; 20. 55-Kerry Madsen [19]; 21. 39M-Anthony Macri [13]; 22. 27-Emerson Axsom [16]; 23. 14M-Corey Day [2]; 24. 23D-Chase Dietz [20].

Lap Leader(s): Rico Abreu 1-22, Kyle Larson 23-35.

Hard Charger: 17-Spencer Bayston (+11)