A recent tweet by motorsports journalist Jeff Gluck drew attention to Ty Gibbs’ strong performance against Kyle Larson during a High Limit Racing event at Texas Motor Speedway’s dirt track. He posted about Gibbs winning a heat race over Larson and making the A-Main for the second time in his 410 Sprint Car career.
Ty Gibbs outpaced Kyle Larson, securing a place in the main event of the Kubota High Limit Racing Stockyard Stampede. This marks Gibbs’ only second ever appearance in a 410 Sprint Car event, and yet he managed to beat Larson—who is not only a co-founder of the High Limit series but also one of the most accomplished dirt racers in the country. In just two Sprint Car outings, Gibbs is 2-for-2 in making the A-Main, an impressive feat given the field. Jeff Gluck wrote in his tweet,
“So @TyGibbs just made the A-Main of a High Limit race AGAIN and beat Kyle Larson in the heat race while doing so. Gibbs is 2-for-2 in making features in his 410 sprint car career.”
Larson has already won a High Limit race this season and finished runner-up in another. He was piloting the powerful No. 57 car for Silva Motorsports, the same team with which he’s had three World of Outlaws wins this year. In eight Sprint Car starts in 2025, Kyle Larson hadn’t finished worse than third—until this heat race.
Four NASCAR Cup Series drivers—Larson, Ty Gibbs, Christopher Bell, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr.—were in the lineup at the dirt track in Texas. While Gibbs made headlines with his heat win, Bell was attempting to debut in High Limit Racing, driving the Kreitz Racing No. 69K. Meanwhile, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was making his third Sprint Car start of the year. The field also featured veterans and stars of the dirt track scene, such as Brad Sweet, Tyler Courtney, and Rico Abreu.
Other familiar names on track, included Kasey Kahne and Corey Day, both of whom have cross-series racing experience. Gibbs previously qualified for the main event in his Sprint Car debut at Las Vegas earlier this year. He crashed in that race and finished 27th.
“Thank you to Kyle Larson” – Zilisch praises Kyle Larson for filling in at Texas
Kyle Larson’s appearance at Texas Motor Speedway this weekend isn’t limited to dirt. Notably, he also stepped in as a substitute driver in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, replacing Connor Zilisch in the No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet. Zilisch, 18, had to withdraw from the race after suffering a back injury during a crash at Talladega. He acknowledged Larson’s help publicly via a tweet that he postef on April 30, writing:
“Thank you to @KyleLarsonRacin for stepping up for me this weekend and everyone who has helped me through this process. Doing everything I can to be back as soon as possible❤️”
Zilisch’s message was a repost of JR Motorsports’ official announcement that confirmed Larson as the temporary replacement. Despite clear X-rays after the crash, the team decided Zilisch should sit out the Texas race for recovery. His crash occurred on the final lap at Talladega after contact with Jesse Love sent him into the inside wall. Initially aiming to race in Texas, Zilisch ultimately prioritized recovery.
Zilisch is out of racing at the moment. It’s not yet confirmed whether his team will request a playoff waiver for when a driver misses a race because of medical reasons. With a win at Circuit of the Americas and multiple top-10 finishes this season, Zilisch is currently in the top six in points and is in contention for Rookie of the Year.
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Edited by Pratham K Sharma
