One 12 months later, Daison Pursley is of combined feelings about how the Chili Bowl Midget Nationals featured performed out.
On one hand, he hung in there and completed second to Kyle Larson, however totally.
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“I don’t know,” Pursley mentioned wistfully. “I feel the monitor was simply so exhausting and distinctive final 12 months that if Larson makes yet another mistake or if I make two roughly errors that it seems a bit of bit totally different.”
To his level, Pursley was finishing a race successful cross on Larson in site visitors when a particles warning waved. What was the particles warning for? Larson, underneath stress, drilled the frontstretch wall and ripped down a banner.
The case might be made that Larson drew the warning however the race resumed with clear monitor forward of the contenders. Pursley by no means acquired one other shot in site visitors and he’s considered it rather a lot.
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“I am simply racing on his bumper for, you realize, multiple lap at a time,” Pursley mentioned. “However, on the identical time, the most important factor for me is being right here and placing myself on this place time and time once more.
“I really feel such as you solely get these alternatives to race for a Golden Driller now and again. So when the chance does current itself, you make the most of it. Hopefully, I get the identical alternative on Saturday night time and am a bit of extra ready for it.”
Famously, Pursley respects dwelling within the second and never taking them with no consideration as a result of he was briefly paralyzed after a crash in a Midget in 2021. He totally recovered and is racing for the most important wins in grime monitor racing forward of a season by which he’ll change the good Brad Candy within the iconic Kasey Kahne Racing 410 Dash.
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“That may be a dream come true,” Pursley mentioned. “Like, I grew up dreaming of racing in World of Outlaws and now a sequence like Excessive Restrict and I used to be all the time No. 9 due to my dad so to take that quantity there and to share it as a result of it was Kasey’s quantity is so cool to me.
“I ran the identical form of swoosh he makes use of too as a result of Kasey was my man rising up. There’s a variety of full circle moments to this. Like, Kasey known as me to drive his automobile, proper, so I really feel tremendous blessed and excited, nervous, anxious, all these issues.”
Moreover the plain, why you?
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“I ask myself that day-after-day, proper now, proper,” Pursley mentioned. “I’ve requested him that, ‘why the heck did you decide me’ and he says he has a ardour for serving to younger drivers out, to provide them the alternatives he had when he was youthful too.”
However for proper now, this week is all concerning the Tulsa Expo and being one spot higher on Saturday, even when there was satisfaction in his efficiency in 2025.
“I imply, any race automobile driver would inform you that second shouldn’t be actually nice, as a result of which means you might nonetheless be higher,” Pursley mentioned. “Actually, the good ones nonetheless wish to be higher once they win races.
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“So I’ve tried to undertake that mentality of wanting extra and continued self-improvement. I owe that to folks like Chad Boat and Kasey Kahne for placing me of their vehicles. The easiest way to say thanks is by going out and successful races for them.”
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