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This year’s edition of Sprint Car silly season has been well underway for what seems like months now.  
From Giovanni Scelzi’s abrupt departure of the KCP Racing team during Kings Royal week to Donny Schatz’s release from Tony Stewart Racing after the Knoxville Nationals, plenty of shockwaves have been sent throughout the industry as summer winds down.
Considering the influx of news and amount of developments that are TBD, we’ve rounded up everything you need to know in this Sprint Car Silly Season News Tracker.
Below you’ll find a list of stories that have already been announced, along with notable drivers on the market for the 2026 season and noteworthy developments worth knowing and/or worth monitoring throughout the rest of 2025.
Even at 45 years old and amid a winless season, the 11-time Knoxville Nationals winner and 10-time World of Outlaws champ might just be the most sought-after free agent in Sprint Car racing history. But the question still remains: Where will he end up? There aren’t many turnkey touring rides out there. Should Schatz replace someone on an established team, it might make silly season even sillier before too long. 
Though Donny Schatz might be the most sought-after driver in this free agency class, the 23-year-old Scelzi is — in stick-and-ball parlance — a franchise player that any team desires to build their foundation around. At least for Scelzi, he’s locked in with Clauson-Marshall Racing through the end of 2025 and perhaps the start of next season should Tyler Courtney need more time to heal. Where Scelzi ends up long-term remains TBD.
Navigating free agency can’t be easier competing with Schatz and Scelzi on the market. Bright side is at 26 years old, there’s plenty of prime years ahead of him. His strong showing in High Limit’s California swing (runner-up, two fifth-place finishes and a seventh) aboard the Paul Silva-prepared, Kevin Kozlowski-owned No. W has to only improve his stock. Sure, he would’ve liked to win with Silva on the wrenches, but Bayston reinforced he’s still a threat to win wherever he might land.
The 22-year-old of Angola, Ind., has been a free agent for 10 months now, since last October’s end to the High Limit season. Simply put, Wise seems content with taking a break, whether for a year or more, from racing. He texted FloRacing that he’s “not seeking any rides currently, but my phone is always on.” The former All Star Circuit of Champions title winner is young enough he can take a year (or more) off from racing, wait for the right opportunity to open up, and still enjoy a successful Sprint Car career if he chooses.
The driver fifth all-time in USAC National Sprint Car wins has bounced around in the winged world, most recently parting ways with Heidbreider Motorsports following the Knoxville Nationals. Though he only has one winged 410 victory (Sept. 2023 with POWRi at Lake Ozark), the 34-year-old hopes to still carve out a career beyond his impressive wingless track record. Thomas told FloRacing he’s currently looking for rides, “but it has to be the right deal.”
WATCH: Kasey Kahne talks about recent crew changes within his Sprint Car program and what his future racing plans could look like.
Jason Meyers Racing announced Aug. 26 it’ll employ a multi-driver lineup to finish out the 2025 Kubota High Limit Racing season, a rotation that’ll feature former World of Outlaws champion Daryn Pittman and West Coast stalwarts Justin Sanders and Trey Starks alongside the team’s primary driver, Corey Day.
In a span of 13 days following Aug. 12’s release from Tony Stewart Racing, Donny Schatz struck part-time deals with Big Game Motorsports, Lunstra Motorsports and Kevin Kozlowski’s Paul Silva-managed team for the World of Outlaws West Coast swing from Sept. 5-20.
The 26-year-old of Lebanon, Ind., drove the Paul Silva-prepared No. W Works Limited owned by Kevin Kozlowski for the five-race California swing on the High Limit tour spanning Aug. 15-23. Bayston finished second, fifth, second, fifth and seventh in High Limit’s California swing. 
After mutually parting ways with Gibbings Motorsports on Aug. 3, the former Knoxville Raceway regular landed with Three Stooges Racing to drive the Brownsburg, Ind., team’s No. 51 Sprint Car. Bogucki plans to race for the team into 2026 as well.
The nine-time title-winning World of Outlaws team brought on Australian veteran Kerry Madsen to fill Donny Schatz’s vacated seat in the TSR No. 15 through November’s World Finals. Madsen won six times in 37 starts aboard the TSR No. 14 in 2021.
One of the most successful pairings in Sprint Car racing history dissolved when Tony Stewart released Donny Schatz on Aug. 12, marking the end of an 18-year tenure that produced eight World of Outlaws titles nine Knoxville Nationals victories.
With Spencer Bayston’s departure, JMR revealed they’re consolidating into a one-car operation with Corey Day currently as the stable’s lone driver. Day, the Hendrick Motorsports development driver, remains on a part-time schedule. 
Jason Meyers Racing and Spencer Bayston parted ways, the Fresno, Calif.-based team officially announced Aug. 10, the day after the Knoxville Nationals. Bayston started 16th and finished 22nd in his final race with the team at the Knoxville Nationals.
Kasey Kahne Racing revealed a pair of organizational changes to its Kubota High Limit Racing teams Aug. 2 before the Knoxville Nationals. Six-time reigning national Sprint Car champion Brad Sweet inherited the race-day crew of Kahne’s No. 9 team the rest of the 2025 season while Kahne is planning to park his No. 9 race team for foreseeable future, saying he’s devoting more focus toward being a team owner rather than a driver.
On July 22, KCP Racing tapped 20-year-old Emerson Axsom take over driving duties for its World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series operation through the end of 2025 following Giovanni Scelzi’s departure.
A five-year tenure ended when 23-year-old Giovanni Scelzi abruptly departed the KCP Racing No. 18 team following July 16’s Double Down Duels opener opener at Eldora Speedway. The news was announced by Scelzi one day after a big crash during Kubota High Limit Racing action.
After parting ways with TKS Motorsports in May, the former Kubota High Limit Racing full-timer has been racing with Washington-based Wheatley Motorsports since mid-June
The 45-year-old former Kings Royal winner, who before this May hadn’t raced in eight years, struck a part-time deal with Wellsville, Pa.’s Rutherford Motorsports and car owner Ron Rutherford that saw a full PA Speedweek run and memorable Kings Royal appearance.
The Fairland, Ind., driver has been reunited with the Demyan-n-Rudzik Racing No. 49x team since June 6, collecting an All Star Circuit of Champions victory along the way June 28 at Mercer Raceway.
Pennsylvania-based Trone Outdoor Motorsports hired 27-year-old Jordan Thomas beginning June 20, but the deal only lasted through July 5’s PA Speedweek event at Williams Grove, ending after seven races.
The Mitchellville, Iowa, team announced May 26 it parted ways with California driver Cory Eliason, who had one top-five and two top-10s with the team in 17 races to that point.
Central Pennsylvania-based Shark Racing reached across the country for Medford, Ore.’s Ashton Torgerson to fill the seat of the No. 1A long held by Jacob Allen. The 18-year-old with minimal 410 experience has surpassed expectations, picking up his first victory April 27 at BAPS Motor Speedway in his second-ever Central PA start.
Shark Racing pulled the plug on its two-week-old deal with Cale Thomas as the Hanover, Pa., team released the Indiana driver on April 20. Thomas only ran three events for Shark Racing as the original replacement for Jacob Allen, who retired from full-time racing at the beginning of April.
Shark Racing named Cale Thomas as its new driver of the No. 1A, the ride relinquished by Jacob Allen on April 2 when the Hanover, Pa., fan favorite unexpectedly announced his retirement from full-time racing after 14 seasons.
Kubota High Limit Racing winner Jacob Allen announced April 2 he’s retiring as a full-time Sprint Car driver, the Hanover, Pa., racer revealed in a lengthy social media post. The 30-year-old had been racing full-time for 14 seasons.
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