By T.J. Buffenbarger
(June 1, 2025) — After another chilly Michigan night that makes residents wonder if Summer will arrive anytime soon during the Mace Thomas Classic feature the High Limit Sprint Car Series at Butler Motor Speedway, here are some takeaways from the biggest sprint car event in the state of Michigan.
• Justin Peck appeared to be on his way to a feature win during the 2024 edition of the Mace Thomas Classic, holding the lead through the opening portion of the event before a restart foiled his plans for victory.
This year Peck left no doubt by going from fourth to first in his heat race, winning the dash, and taking the lead back after it appeared Brad Sweet was poised to disrupt Peck’s victory aspirations on Saturday.
The most impressive part of Peck’s outstanding performance on Saturday from my vantage point was how good Peck rolled the middle and top of the racetrack on a night where the bottom lane was the preferred line until the last 1/3 of the main event due to the loose dirt being thrown up into the top lane.
Peck utilized the top of the racetrack than the other competitors during the early stages of the heat race and dash and made a move back to the bottom at the right time. During the feature while in slower traffic Peck picked precise moments to roll around the top of the slower cars that took many of his competitors longer to overtake.
Once the top did clean off and Sweet started applying pressure, Peck never yielded and was able to take the lead back after it appeared Sweet seemed poised to secure the position.
For Peck and Rudeen Racing team winning with Ford power under the hood in the company’s backyard is just another thing to make the victory even sweeter.
Since the heartbreaking last corner defeat at Kokomo Speedway on May 12th, Peck has won two features with the High Limit Series and fourth place finish in the last five races.
• Brad Sweet not going to the scales after the feature event Saturday at Butler could be a critical moment in the 2025 High Limit Sprint Car Series championship.
After limping over the finish line with a flat tire on the final lap, miraculously holding onto third place in the process, Sweet exited the track immediately in turn one and did not report to the scales in the infield. Just as Sweet was turning in I heard Mike Hess run down the top three cars that needed to report to the scales, with Sweet being one of them.
Instead of Sweet building on a 32-point lead leaving Butler, Tyler Courtney was able to overtake Sweet holding a six-point advantage for the High Limit Sprint Car Series championship. It’s the kind of mistake that is very uncharacteristic for someone of Sweet’s caliber and it will be interesting to see how he responds along with his Kasey Kahne Racing team to chase Courtney for the championship lead as the series heads to Wisconsin next week.
• For the past three years I have spewed superlatives about the turnaround Butler Motor Speedway has made under Tim Wilber’s leadership of family and friends that run the facility.
Saturday’s High Limit Sprint Car event was what I envisioned the 2024 edition before it was pushed back a day due to rain. Arriving at the facility around 4:00 I ended up having to park as far away from the front gate as I can remember in a lifetime of going to Butler as a fan and/or media member.
Changes continue to take place every time I visit the racetrack. Sometimes the upgrade are not things that stand out to a casual observer, but things like improved drainage, new pavement on some of the walkways, rebuild covers over some of the spectator entrances to the grandstands, and more reliable hot water in restroom facilities are little things that stand out when you think about where the facility was just five or six years ago. They are things I pick up on and appreciate.
Much like the racetrack, the High Limit Series deserves a lot of credit for a well-run program in both appearances at Butler. Both visits have been well run, efficient programs that saw fans flood the pit area afterwards to rub elbows with the drivers and teams after the event.
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As I walked through the pit area on my way to the car thousands of race fans (not an exaggeration) were milling about, getting autographs, and visiting with the competitors. Building that kind of fan equity in our sport is something that has been missing for most of my existence for the expense of more pit passes at the back gate for two and three classes at major touring sprint car events.
I appreciate the High Limit series emphasis on running an efficient program and it is something that more series on the National, regional, and local level should be paying attention to, because from what I’ve seen the past two years during the High Limit races at Butler, it looks to be a winning strategy for growing the sport.