Pursley Runs Strong, Suffers Mechanical Heartbreaks at High Bank Nationals
Daison Pursley and the NAPA Auto Parts No. 9 team took up a temporary residency in Brandon, South Dakota, to compete in the Huset’s High Bank Nationals for a shot at overall winnings of $490K, one of the highest potential payouts in sprint car history.
Wednesday, June 17, marked a Test and Tune night for the NAPA team’s first night of Huset’s Speedway action. Pursely turned a 11.118 (7th) in Hot Laps, seventh quickest, and qualified first in his Qualifying Flight with a 10.942. That landed him P6 in Heat Race 4 due to a six-car invert. Pursley finished fourth and, by way of a draw, started eighth in the 35-lap feature. The NAPA machine fell to 10th in the first lap and finished the race just outside the top 10 in 11th.
Thursday’s Huset’s Hustle Finale raised the stakes, putting $150,000 on the line for the evening’s feature winner. Pursely turned a 10.910 for third in Hot Laps and lined up second in Heat 3. Purlsey took the lead by the turn of the second lap, advancing him to the “King of the Hill” challenge to determine the starting line up of the feature. Pursley finished the challenges and locked in the second starting position for Thursday’s 40-lap feature. He held the front for seven laps before slipping to fourth and ultimately finished inside the top five.
Friday marked the Huset’s High Bank Nationals Prelim. Pursley posted a 11.330 for seventh in Hot Laps and timed 11.197, also seventh, in Qualifying Flight A. The NAPA Auto Parts No. 9 started fourth in Heat 1 of the night and quickly lost position, falling back to sixth and forcing Pursley to race his way into feature action by way of the Last Chance Showdown. Pursley kept the lead in a dominating fashion during the B-Main, securing the 21st spot in the 35-lap main event. Three laps into the A-Main, however, Pursely knocked the front end of the No. 9 machine beyond repair and ended his night in 24th.
Saturday, June 20th, brought the big one, the High Bank Nationals Finale, paying $300,000 to win. The NAPA No. 9 machine turned a 11.129 for 25th in Hot Laps and started fourth in Heat 6 of the night. Pursley kept his position, forcing his way to the main event by way of the Last Chance Showdown. The NAPA No. 9 started sixth in the B-main and fell to P11, outside of the cutoff for the back rows of the feature and short of earning a spot in the main event.
Up next for Pursley and the NAPA team, High Limit Racing will make its Montana debut at Big Sky Speedway on June 26th in Billings. Watch every lap live on the FloRacing app.
Start / Finish:
Wednesday, June 17: 8 / 11
Thursday, June 18: 2 / 5
Friday, June 19: 21 / 24
Saturday, June 20: 6 / 11 (B-Main)
Points Standing / Total (High Limit): 10th / 1,037 pts. (-320)
Next Race: Friday, June 26, Big Sky Speedway, Billings, Montana
How to Watch or Listen: Floracing.com
NAPA: @NAPARacing
Daison Pursley: @DaisonPursley
Kasey Kahne Racing: @KKRdirt
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Kasey Kahne Racing (KKR), based in Mooresville, NC, was formed in 2005 and employs more than ten people dedicated to sprint car racing. The organization competes full-time in High Limit Racing and is led by team owner and former NASCAR Cup Series driver Kasey Kahne. For the 2026 season, KKR fields the NAPA Auto Parts No. 9, driven full-time by Daison Pursley in High Limit Racing. KKR has 7 World of Outlaws and High Limit Racing Championships (Daryn Pittman in ’13 and Brad Sweet in ’19, ’20, ’21, ’22, ’23 & ’24). Since its inception, KKR has earned 295+ national dirt car victories, solidifying its status as one of the most successful teams in modern sprint car racing.