Pursley, NAPA No. 9 Team Tackle Grueling Race Week

Last week marked another busy stretch for driver Daison Pursley and the NAPA No. 9 team, with four and a half more races on the season complete. High Limit Racing returned to Eagle, Nebraska, on Tuesday, June 9th, for the fourth-annual Eagle Nationals and charted new territory in Shelby, Iowa, on Thursday, June 11th. From there, it was off to the “Sprint Car Capital of the World” in Knoxville, Iowa, and Brandon, South Dakota, to challenge the World of Outlaws and bank laps for future reference during the Knoxville Nationals and High Bank Nationals.

On June 9th at Eagle Raceway, Daison Pursley and the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts team and 47 competitors showed for their shot at a $55,000-payday. Running his opening laps, Pursley posted an 11.692 for seventh in Hot Laps and 11.557 in Qualifying B, 17th quickest, placing him in the unfavorable ninth spot to start Heat 3. The NAPA driver was only able to advance one position during the eight-lap duel and moved on to the B-Main event. The NAPA No. 9 gained two positions, from 10th to eighth, during the 12-lap B-Main, not enough to lock into the feature. Pursley was forced to take his first provisional to start the main event. Starting 26th in the 40-lap main event is not for the weak, presenting an intense challenge for every position on the track. When the dust settled, Pursley was able to battle forward to P14.

In Iowa, June 11th brought new dirt and new chances at Shelby County Speedway, a third-mile, high-banked oval. Pursley posted an 11.591 for second in Hot Laps and ran eighth in Qualifying B with an 11.789. That lined the NAPA No. 9 up in third to start Heat 4. Pursley was able to advance to the evening’s feature, securing a 16th-place start. There, he advanced to the top 10 and notched a top-10 finish over the 30-lap mid-week race.

On June 12th, Pursley and the NAPA Auto Parts No. 9 team made the trek to Knoxville to compete with the World of Outlaws and lay down laps before the coveted Knoxville Nationals. Pursley’s first laps were a 15.178, third among a stacked field of 59 other teams and drivers, and a 15.715 for ninth in Qualifying B. He suffered a DNF in his heat race, then opted out of starting the evening’s Last Chance Qualifier.

On Saturday, June 13th, a shot at redemption turned soggy as Saturday’s program was cancelled during the second Heat Race of the night.

Five hours away in Brandon, South Dakota, the Huset’s Speedway weekly race on Sunday allowed competitors to gain laps before one of the most massive payouts in sprint car history, the High Banks Nationals. The NAPA No. 9 team showed up with 40 other competitors and posted an 11.005 for seventh in practice Hot Laps, then qualified fourth with a 11.676. Pursley started third in Heat 4 and advanced one spot to secure the 14th starting position during the 25-lap feature event. By lap two, the NAPA No. 9 was inside the top 10, but the challenges were yet to come. Pursley avoided two red-flag wrecks and in the final three laps was able to advance to a fourth-place finish. Gaining 10 spots on the competition provided the NAPA team with serious confidence going into next weekend’s big event.

The NAPA Auto Parts No. 9 will compete with the World of Outlaws at Huset’s Speedway with $190,000 on the line for the three-day event airing on DirtVision. After that, High Limit Racing will make its debut in Montana at Big Sky Speedway on June 26th in Billings. Watch every lap live on the FloRacing app.

Start / Finish (High Limit):
June 9, Eagle Raceway: 26 / 14
June 11, Shelby County Speedway: 16 / 10
Points Standing / Total: 10th / 1,037 pts. (-320)

Next Race (High Limit): Friday, June 26, Big Sky Speedway, Billings, Montana
How to Watch or Listen: Floracing.com

NAPA: @NAPARacing
Daison Pursley: @DaisonPursley
Kasey Kahne Racing: @KKRdirt