Holmes makes history at Iowa Lottery Shelby County Showdown

HARLAN – A night of firsts unfolded Thursday at Shelby County Speedway as the Iowa Lottery Shelby County Show-down brought the Interstate Batteries High Limit Racing Series to Harlan for the first time.
The event marked the first national touring 410 sprint car race in the history of Shelby County Speedway. 
By night’s end, Tanner Holmes had added another mile-stone, scoring his first career national touring series victory and first High Limit Racing triumph while celebrating his 23rd birthday.
The victory was worth $12,000, but for Holmes it represented far more than a paycheck.
“It’s simply unbelievable, honestly,” Holmes said in a post-race interview with FloRacing.
“I think of about eight or nine years ago when I started sprint car racing. I said if I could just get to High Limit or the World of Outlaws and win a national race, then my whole deal is complete. That was my main goal.”
Holmes charged from the fifth starting position to win the 30-lap Interstate Batteries A Feature against one of the deepest fields assembled at Shelby County Speedway.
Brent Marks finished second after setting quick time in qualifying, while Tyler Courtney produced one of the night’s most impressive runs, advancing from 14th to third. 
Kerry Madsen came home fourth, and NASCAR Cup Series champion and High Limit Racing co-founder Kyle Larson rallied from 12th to finish fifth.
The field featured some of the biggest names in sprint car racing, including Larson, former NASCAR Cup Series star Kasey Kahne, Rico Abreu, Aaron Reutzel, Brian Brown, Giovanni Scelzi, Brent Marks and Courtney.
Larson’s presence generated significant attention throughout the evening as the 2021 and 2025 NASCAR Cup Series champion continued his pursuit of victories on dirt tracks across the country. 
Kahne, an 18-time NASCAR Cup Series winner and one of sprint car racing’s most recognizable names, also competed in the event after qualifying into the feature.
For Holmes, defeating a field packed with national stars made the victory even more meaningful.
“To get here and to race with such an incredible team, Tom has put so much into this sport and to deliver for him feels really good,” Holmes told FloRacing.
The Oregon driver said he found a different level of focus during the race.
“I feel like I was able to get into a different zone for myself and make all good decisions until I hit the frontstretch wall with about six laps to go, and that wasn’t good,” Holmes said. 
“But I just ran a really good race and was never too excited, but never too conservative, and put my car exactly where I needed to.”
One of the race’s key moments came during a caution around lap 13.
“At that caution, I kind of told myself, ‘Tanner, you’re so capable of doing this. This is what you’ve worked your entire life for. This is just another race,’” Holmes said. “Then I just tried to execute from there.”
Holmes nearly saw the victory slip away six laps from the finish when he made contact with the frontstretch wall.
“I thought it was over,” Holmes later said in a Facebook recap. “I thought I broke a tie rod, an axle or popped a tire, but it held together.”
Instead, the car survived, allowing Holmes to drive away with the biggest victory of his career.
Following the race, Holmes admitted the magnitude of the moment had not fully sunk in.
“I don’t know, everything hasn’t quite set in yet,” Holmes said. “I can’t wait to go back and watch some video. So many fans, the cheers and everything was just incredible. It was probably the best race I’ve run in my entire life.”
Holmes also reflected on what Shelby County Speedway will mean to him forever.
“Every time I drive by on Interstate 80, I’ll be like, ‘Hey, take that exit and go back some miles and there’s a dirt track I didn’t even know much about, and that’s where we got our first national win,’” Holmes said.
He credited High Limit Racing for bringing national-caliber racing to tracks across the country.
“That’s what’s cool about High Limit Racing,” Holmes said. “They go to a lot of places, they have a lot of talent, they have an incredible field. To be at a place like this tonight, put on a good show, win from fifth, race our butt off, survive restarts and work through traffic, it’s just incredible.”
The event’s success was evident not only in the grand-stands but also among the competitors.
Courtney, who advanced 11 positions during the feature, praised both the racing surface and the fan support in his Flo-Racing interview.
“Thank you to everyone for coming out,” Courtney said.
“I know there’s not a lot of people left in the stands, but I think the people watching at home on FloRacing and Amazon Prime got to see a really badass show here at Harlan.”
The comment drew one of the loudest cheers of the night from fans still gathered around the frontstretch.
“With the crowd we had tonight, I hope it will be a staple on the schedule for the rest of High Limit’s history,” Courtney added.
The race received national exposure through broadcasts on FloRacing, Amazon Prime Video, Fubo and Roku, allowing viewers across the country to witness Shelby County Speedway’s debut on the national stage.
Hours after the race concluded, Holmes remained at the track signing autographs and meeting fans.
“Guys, we are literally the last ones to leave here,” Holmes said in a video posted later that night from the pit area.
After pausing, Holmes reflected one final time on what the victory meant and what Shelby County Speedway will mean to him. 
“This is always going to be so special to me,” Holmes said. “I won my first High Limit race here. Tonight we didn’t just walk away from them, we had to earn it.”
The driver also paid tribute to his childhood racing hero after climbing from his car. 
Holmes performed Kyle Busch’s signature victory bow, later explaining that Busch had been a major influence on his racing career.“He was my childhood idol,” Holmes said. 
“I always told myself whenever I won that first national race, I had to salute him because he was a big reason why I became a race car driver.”
As the lights dimmed on Shelby County Speedway’s biggest night, the significance of the evening became clear.
A track hosting its first national touring sprint car event witnessed a driver earn the first national touring victory of his career on his 23rd birthday. 
National stars such as Larson and Kahne helped bring un-precedented attention to the Shelby County oval, while thou-sands of fans in attendance and viewers watching across the country saw a race that many hope becomes a permanent fixture on the High Limit Racing schedule.
Shelby County Speedway returns to weekly action on Saturday June 20th with Farmer and Fathers appreciation night.