(Paul Arch Photo)
Of the four drivers eligible for Rookie of the Year honors this season with Kubota High Limit Racing, none fit the definition more than Daison Pursley – who will dive headfirst into Winged Sprint Car racing as the new pilot of the Buch Motorsports #13.
The 20-year-old Locust Grove, Oklahoma native has made a mere 27 starts in the discipline, but that’s not stopping him from putting high hopes on the table in 2025, though. He’s full steam ahead and ready to go against Chase Randall, Danny Sams III, and Sye Lynch for the inaugural ROTY Award with Kubota High Limit Racing.
“I have a lot of goals this year, I think it’s important to set expectations on yourself if you want to grow,” Pursley said. “I don’t think that Rookie of the Year is out of reach by any means. The biggest thing is going to be my comfort level and how fast I adapt, I believe. I’ll go out there and feel great one lap and totally understand what I’m doing and how everything feels and then a whole flock of unknowns will hit me like what the air does, how it pushes you around, and all. When I get more and more experience, I think that one lap will turn 10 solid laps and then hopefully 30 laps, and then we put a full race together.”
Pursley’s limited winged stint in 2024 saw the then-teenager compete in 20 races, primarily aboard Brandon Ilkenberry’s #25 machine. Albeit a small sample size, he showed plenty of promise with a win at Huset’s Speedway and a top-10 at the Brad Doty Classic. After his plans with Buch Motorsports were announced, he piloted the #13 in five shows at the end of the season and quickly got going with a podium at Bridgeport Speedway and a top-10 at the World of Outlaws World Finals.
What he describes an easy transition has been made possible to his experience in the USAC ranks and the people surrounding him at the Buch #13.
“I feel like I’ve done a good job adjusting to this new group mainly because I’ve been used to jumping from a non-wing car to a midget to the silver crown, all with totally different groups,” he added. “So, it hasn’t been a tough thing for me to overcome with learning this new team. Nonetheless, Sean Strasbaugh and Sean Michael have helped make the transition even easier with giving me everything I need in getting used to wing racing. It makes my job a lot easier when I know the car is good and I just need to get in and do my part.”
After overcoming a life-threatening injury from a wreck in November 2021 – one which left doctors telling him he’d never walk again – Pursley not only defied all the odds but elevated his career in his progress. In 2024, he was a winner with the USAC Silver Crown Series, USAC National Sprint Car Series, and dominated the USAC National Midget Championship – all while becoming a perennial Golden Driller contender at the Tulsa Shootout and Chili Bowl Nationals.
“This is definitely the most confident I’ve ever been in my career,” he mentioned. “I’d say it really goes back to last year’s Chili Bowl when I first started racing with Chad Boat. They made it a ton of fun for me to go racing and my confidence has skyrocketed since then. As a young kid, I’ve realized what you need to have a successful team on and off the track, and CB Industries taught me a lot of that in one year. I’m hopeful to replicate that same environment throughout the rest of my career.”
Heading into 2025, Pursley has seen victory lane at five tracks on the Kubota High Limit Racing schedule including Ohio’s Eldora Speedway, Indiana’s Kokomo Speedway, Missouri’s Lake Ozark Speedway, and Pennsylvania’s Port Royal Speedway & Path Valley Speedway Park – all those wins coming in the USAC/POWRi ranks.
One of his biggest challenges will be constantly facing new tracks as he’s never seen 20 of the 35 venues on the 2025 agenda. He’ll race for the first time at Las Vegas (NV), Kern (CA), Perris (CA), Central Arizona (AZ), Vado (NM), Route 66 (TX), Dodge City (KS), Texas (TX), 81 (KS), Lakeside (KS), Ransomville (NY), Utica-Rome (NY), Butler (MI), 141 (WI), Red Cedar (WI), Eagle (NE), Florence (KY), Silver Dollar (CA), Douglas County (OR), and Skagit (WA).
“I’ve never been to Washington in general, so I’m excited for Skagit, it will be pretty cool to get up that way for the first time,” Pursley noted on the 2025 calendar. “Since I’ve ran a non-wing car and silver crown car at Port Royal, I’ve always thought a wing car around that place would be wild, so I’m looking forward to experiencing that at the Weikert and Tusky.”
Pursley’s 2025 campaign with Kubota High Limit Racing will begin at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with a two-day event on March 13 and 15. The 60-race tour will conclude with All-In Championship Weekend at Texas Motor Speedway on October 17 and 18. Tickets for select events are now available here.
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High Limit Racing | Photo: Paul Arch
