LAS VEGAS Five months, 21 weeks, 153 days, no matter which way you spin it, its been a long time since Kubota High Limit Racing last competed on American soil. That drought ends this week.

The campaign, featuring 60 dates that take us all the way to the All-In Championship Weekend at Texas Motor Speedway on Oct. 17-18, begins with a new season-opening event. After a heartbreaking goodbye at East Bay Raceway Park, Nevadas Las Vegas Motor Speedway now kicks off the season on Thursday and Saturday, March 13 and 15.

Between 14 full-time teams, five fresh faces including four Rayce Rudeen Foundation Rookie of the Year contenders, a heap of notable NASCAR names, and the invaders coming from all over to The Entertainment Capital of the World, there is no shortage of storylines this week.

Lets look at whats on the table as we kickoff 2025:

THE NASCAR NAMES

Not one, not two, not three, but four stars competing with Kubota High Limit Racing this weekend on the dirt track also have events on the big track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Fresh off winning three-straight NASCAR Cup Series races at Atlanta, Texas Circuit of The Americas, and Phoenix, Christopher Bell will make his High Limit debut on Thursday night. The Norman, Okla. native recently returned to dirt racing and has been red-hot ever since, winning a Golden Driller at the Tulsa Shootout and beating the World of Outlaws at Volusia. Bell will be in the potent Kreitz Racing No. 69K hauling all the way from Pennsylvania on Thursday, then Daryn Pittman will take over the ride in Saturdays finale.

The 2023 Roto-Rooter Midweek Series champion, Kyle Larson, is set to race both Thursday and Saturday in his familiar No. 57 owned by Paul Silva. Yung Money is eyeing back-to-back season-opening victories with Kubota High Limit Racing after topping the 2024 kickoff at Floridas East Bay Raceway Park. The seven-time High Limit winner owns four wins across the street with the NASCAR Cup Series but has never won at Vegas dirt track.

Making his first-ever start behind the wheel of sprint car, Ty Gibbs will trade his Joe Gibbs Racing No. 54 for Chad Boats CB Industries No. 84 this week. The former NASCAR Xfinity Series champion dove into dirt racing in 2024 with appearances in micro sprints and midgets, and now the Monster Energy athlete is ready for a sprint car. After Vegas, he and Boat have several more Kubota High Limit Racing events planned in 2025.

Akin to your child coming back home from college, Corey Day one of the 16 original High Rollers in 2024 will return to action with Kubota High Limit Racing for the first time since signing a Hendrick Motorsports development deal that will take the 19-year-old to the NASCAR ranks in 2025. With Spencer Bayston in the full-time Sander Engineering No. 14 for Jason Meyers Racing, the Clovis, Calif. native will pilot a second JMR No. 14BC with Driven2SaveLives colors.

THE TITLE DEFENSE

Its a feeling that Brad Sweet is all too used to. Every year since 2020, The Big Cat has went into each season-opener with the target on his back as the defending champion, and thats no different now.

This time, however, hes got a brand-new white Kasey Kahne Racing, NAPA Auto Parts No. 49 and a new-to-him crew chief to working on the car. After a wildly successful seven-year relationship with Eric Prutzman, which resulted in six national championships, Sweet will now hand the wrench to elevated car chief, Tye Wolfgang.

Last year, it was Sweets unrivaled consistency which won him his first High Limit title, including a streak of 17 consecutive top-10 finishes to start the year. The Big Cat looks to start 2025 in a similar fashion at Las Vegas, where hes yet to win at but does own four podium finishes with the World of Outlaws.

WAITING IN THE WINGS

Sweets closest returning title contenders from last year Tyler Courtney, Rico Abreu, and Brent Marks have all shown their championship potential and all have reloaded and refocused on taking down the Kasey Kahne Racing No. 49 in 2025.

Courtney, a two-time All Star Circuit of Champions titlist, led the championship standings as deep as late May. Marks was the only other driver to start the year as smoothly as Sweet did, earning 16-straight top-10s to get the 2024 season going. Abreu ended the year better than anyone else, taking back-to-back crown jewels at the $102,626-to-win Skagit Nationals and $57,000-to-win Tuscarora 50 while skyrocketing to third in the points.

All have had their bright spots, its simply about putting all the pieces together to challenge a point racing guru like Brad Sweet.

FIVE FRESH FACES

A whole handful of drivers will be new to Kubota High Limit Racing in 2025. Included in that mix is Clute, Texas 34-year-old Aaron Reutzel, who will assume the Ridge & Sons Racing No. 87. Hes a former ASCS National Tour champion, a three-time titlist with the All Star Circuit of Champions, a winner of the Knoxville 360 Nationals and Tuscarora 50, and fully expected to compete for the championship this year.

The inaugural Rayce Rudeen Foundation Rookie of the Year Award will be decided between four up-and-coming young stars: Chase Randall, Daison Pursley, Danny Sams III and Sye Lynch.

• Randall, a 20-year-old native of Waco, Texas, is driving his family-owned No. 9R.
• Pursley, a 20-year-old native of Locust Grove, Okla., is piloting the Buch Motorsports No. 13.
• Sams, a 23-year-old native of North Port, Fla., is wheeling the Randerson Racing No. 24D.
• Lynch, a 27-year-old native of Apollo, Pa., is controlling the Mosites Lynch Racing No. 42.

NEW YEAR, NEW HOME

Three full-time drivers from last season with Kubota High Limit Racing are returning to the series in 2025, albeit with a different team on tour.

• Brenham Crouch, a 19-year-old native of Lubbock, Texas, now runs the CJB Motorsports No. 5.
• Spencer Bayston, a 26-year-old native of Lebanon, Ind., now steers the Jason Meyers Racing No. 14.
• Justin Peck, a 26-year-old native of Monrova, Ind., now guides the Rudeen Racing No. 26.

All three drivers have already gotten accustomed to their new outfits, teams, cars, and crew members, taking advantage of the early-season World of Outlaws races to sort of their team chemistry.

Brenham Crouch, working with crew chief Barry Jackson and driver coach Paul McMahan, made multiple features in Florida. Spencer Bayston, now alongside crew chief Shane Noisy Bowers, earned several top-10 finishes in his March swing down south. Justin Peck, now guiding a Tyler Tessemaker prepared car, has made the biggest splash with three ASCS National Tour wins to kickstart 2025.

INVADING VEGAS: With more than 30+ cars expected this Thursday and Saturday, fans will several notable outsiders invading Las Vegas. After all, theres plenty of fun to be had for race teams looking to travel.

Some notable names coming from California include Justin Sanders in the Mittry No. 2X, Kaleb Montgomery in the No. 3, Ashton Torgerson in the Snow No. 7, Tanner Holmes in the Tarlton No. 21T, Dominic Scelzi in his own No. 41, Tanner Carrick in the No. 83T, Austin McCarl in the Country Builders No. 88, D.J. Netto in his own No. 88N, Andy Forsberg in the No. 92.

The star power doesnt stop there with multi-time USAC National Sprint Car Series champion Brady Bacon flying in to pilot the JFM #73, young gasser Ryan Timms bringing the Shane Liebig Motorsports No. 10 west, and Blackjack Brian Brown taking his nickname to the fitting confines of Las Vegas.