World Racing Group sanctions local and regional dirt track racing events in the United States and Canada under the DIRTcar Racing brand. The company also produces and broadcasts its races on its streaming platform, DIRTVision. WRG owns and operates Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Florida, and presents several national touring series, including the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series, World of Outlaws Late Model Series, Super DIRTcar Series, Xtreme Outlaws Midget Series, DIRTcar Summer Nationals Tour, and American Sprint Car Series.
The foundation for World Racing Group began in 2001 when Norman, Oklahoma businessman Paul Kruger purchased the World of Outlaws touring series. The company went public in October 2003 as Boundless Motorsports Inc. Kruger then acquired Dirt Motorsports, a New York-based sanctioning and promotional company that operated touring series and owned or controlled the management of Canandaigua Speedway, Orange County Fair Speedway in Middletown, New York, Rolling Wheels Raceway in Elbridge, New York, and Weedsport Speedway. The assets also included the video production company DIRT-TV.
Boundless Motorsports soon introduced a national touring series for Late Models, acquired the United Midwestern Promoters/Xtreme Dirt Car Series (UMP) and the Mid America Racing Series (MARS), and purchased Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pennsylvania, and Volusia Speedway Park.
In 2007, the company was restructured to operate as the World Racing Group, and a new management team replaced Kruger. As part of this restructuring, UMP was rebranded as DIRTcar and referred to as the DIRTcar Midwest division, while the New York-based operations became DIRTcar Northeast. By 2009, WRG had divested its ownership of MARS (later rebranded the Midwest Auto Racing Series), though it continued to sanction the series with DIRTcar. Between 2013 and 2015, WRG sold off its racetracks, retaining only the Barberville, Florida facility.
In 2021, WRG unveiled the Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series and Xtreme Outlaw Sprint Car Series. In 2024, WRG added the American Sprint Car Series to its portfolio; this national series for 360 sprint cars had been founded by Emmett Hahn in 1992.
The groundwork for DIRT Motorsports began in 1970 when Glenn Donnelly purchased the 3/8-mile Weedsport Speedway, located 26 miles from Syracuse, New York. Donnelly collaborated with other speedway promoters to form Drivers Independent Race Tracks (DIRT), aiming to bring rules uniformity and increased sponsorship to modified stock car racing at Upstate New York dirt tracks.
Donnelly sold the organization to Boundless Motorsports in 2003. Within two years, Boundless adopted DIRT Motorsports, Inc. as its corporate name and began operating as World Racing Group. The former Donnelly organization then became known as DIRT Northeast, and later DIRTcar Northeast.
United Midwestern Promoters (UMP) was a short track motor racing sanctioning body in the United States, created in 1984 by Bob Memmer. Memmer established a standardized package of technical specifications for Late Model racing.
In late 2002, Ken Schrader, Bob Sargent, Robert Lawton, and Howard Commander purchased UMP. In late 2004, UMP merged with Doug Bland's Xtreme Dirt Car Series and was subsequently acquired by WRG. In 2007, WRG rebranded UMP as DIRTcar, referring to it as the DIRTcar Midwest division to differentiate it from WRG's New York operations.