Atomic Speedway and the 2026 Touring Series Absences

As the 2026 schedules for national touring series rolled out, many of us fans here in Southern Ohio noticed the same thing: Atomic Speedway, a track that's hosted multiple major events in recent years, is not on the schedule for either the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars, the World of Outlaws Late Models, or High Limit Racing.

Because of the amount of conversation happening online, I reached out directly to each group for clarification. My goal is to make sure the information I share comes directly from the sources involved. This is what I learned:

On January 27, 2026, I emailed High Limit Racing’s media team asking why Atomic Speedway wasn't included on their 2026 schedule and whether any broader factors played a role.

Kendra Jacobs, Chief Marketing & Events Officer for High Limit Racing, responded:

“Our schedule and the tracks we visit change each season. We look at many different angles when choosing our schedule: dates, weather, location and how it fits in with travel/other dates, safety of track, attendance, and others. As always, the tracks also have to be on board with having an event and on a date that fits our schedule.”

High Limit has never previously raced at Atomic Speedway. Their only recent Southern Ohio appearance was the 7th Annual Dean Knittel Memorial at Portsmouth Raceway Park in 2024. Their 2026 schedule does not include any Southern Ohio stop. Based on the response, the decision appears to be part of their normal scheduling process rather than anything specific to Atomic.

On February 3, 2026, during a Facebook Live stream, Atomic Speedway owner Charlie Vest addressed the topic while discussing the track’s upcoming season.

Regarding the World of Outlaws Sprint Cars, he said:

“We will not have the World of Outlaws Sprint Cars this year. We are working on the [20]27 date. It’s not that they don’t wanna come back. Just the finances gotta be right. Big races, big money and there’s a lot of things that have to come together for that and we decided to take off ’26 and we’ll get back at it in ’27."

He also mentioned that they're hoping to add a couple of races that got bucked because of scheduling.

This was a general update to fans during the livestream. I don’t know whether it was directly related to my email, but it did address the same question.

I reached out to World Racing Group’s PR contacts for both the Sprint Car and Late Model Series on January 27, 2026. After some time without a response, I followed up with the World of Outlaws Event Operations contact on February 4, 2026. World Racing Group hasn't commented as of the time of publication.

What we can confirm is the recent history - since 2022, Atomic Speedway has hosted World of Outlaws Sprint Car and Late Model events each year. For 2026, neither series is scheduled to return.

Without an official statement from WRG, the only confirmed information is that Atomic isn't on their 2026 schedule and that the track owner publicly cited financial factors.

While 2026 won’t include World of Outlaws or High Limit events at Atomic Speedway, the track still has major shows on the schedule, including long‑standing Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series events, which have been a staple at Atomic since 2015.

This story will be updated if World Racing Group provides an official comment.

Atomic Speedway after the dust settles - 2025 FAST/BOSS Sprint Finale