TULSA, Okla.—Daison Pursley never questioned whether he would walk again after a horrific wreck at Arizona Speedway in November 2021 left him diagnosed as an incomplete quadriplegic.

It was just a matter of when. 

As proof of Pursley’s drive and determination, he returned to the Tulsa Expo two months later to a standing ovation at the 2022 Chili Bowl Nationals.

“Being an Oklahoma kid, It just means a lot to be in this building,” Pursley said on Monday. “I was in rehab at Atlanta in the Shepherd Center. The healing process they have there is absolutely tremendous, but there's nothing that can heal you more than being at a race track.”

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That was four years ago. The experience was cathartic as well as inspirational. The following three Januarys, Pursley qualified for each of Saturday’s A-Main features, culminating with last year’s second-place result when he nearly beat Kyle Larson. 

Since then, Pursley out-dueled the NASCAR Cup champion at Placerville (Calif.) Speedway in November to win the Hangtown 100, and again on January 3 to win the Winged Outlaw A-Feature at Tulsa Shootout. 

Now, after leading all 30 laps to win his first Golden Driller in that race, the 21-year-old Locust Grove, Oklahoman looks to add to his collection. 

Pursley remains realistic and humble. To win, he must first qualify for Saturday’s feature and then beat 23 of the best midget drivers in the world. Losing to Larson last January still haunts the young driver. 

“I felt like I was giving it my all—like anybody would really inside this building—trying to chase down one of the best, as in Kyle,” Pursley said. “Yeah, it was great. I feel like you only get those opportunities every once in a while to race against people like that. 

“Hopefully, we'll have another one of those opportunities this week and we can be one spot better.” 

Pursley’s path back to full-time competition is a model for younger drivers. Following an opportunity with midget juggernaut Keith Kunz Racing, Pursley joined forces with Chad Boat and CB Industries and won the 2024 USAC National title. Boat appreciates having the racer in the CBI camp.

“He and Justin (Grant) are kind of the ringleaders of our operation,” Boat said. “They obviously have a lot of experience and have won a lot of big races. They’re able to help the younger guys—especially guys like Ty (Gibbs), who are coming in and are really green to what we have going on, or Blake Edwards. 

“Both of those guys are able to lean on Daison and Justin and try to improve their craft. Daison has really embraced that.  Even for his age and the amount of experience he has, I think he’s quite impressive.”

Pursley partnered with Buch Motorsports for the 2025 High Limit Racing season and captured the inaugural Race Rudeen Foundation Rookie of the Year Award after scoring a win at Lernersville (Pa.), along with seven top fives and 23 top 10s. His performance was not lost on Kasey Kahne, who selected Pursley to pilot the No. 9 KKR sprint car this season after Brad Sweet’s retirement from full-time competition.

“He’s definitely up for it,” adds Boat. “He’s done all of the right things. He’s deserved to get that opportunity. He has won all of the right races.

“And when you look at guys that are super successful winged sprint car racing, Brad Sweet, for instance, their career paths are not far off of what Daison has done. Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, all those guys are great in whatever car they’ve gotten into.

“You see Daison at Eldora in a Silver Crown car or a midget anywhere in the country or a non-wing sprint car and then you know he’s just going to keep improving his craft in a wing car. I look for them to have a great year.” 

Growing up 40 minutes east of Tulsa, Pursley cherished coming to Expo Raceway each December and January. He relished the Larson and Christopher Bell battles—and still replays the races. He remembers the reaction from the fans as Rico Abreu engaged the “Rowdies” and gave his all. And Pursley hoped to experience that feeling in Tulsa one day.

Ultimately, Pursley credits the racing community’s support during that challenging chapter in his life with expediting his recovery. 

“I was starting to develop a lot of, good habits and racecraft in 2021 when I got hurt,” Pursley said. “I was starting to find my stride. I was racing really hard and as much as I physically and possibly could. Then it just all got taken away from you.

“Of course, it was a bad time in your life, for sure. But there's a lot of great things that I could take away from it. And one of them was the racing community as a whole. When I read those comments on social media, that’s really what motivated me to get better every single day and keep pushing and get out of bed.” 

The encouragement fueled his desire to be the best racer possible. And he refuses to take these current opportunities for granted.

“It's absolutely crazy what the racing community can do for you mentally and physically,” Pursley said. “A ‘thank you’ was never going to be enough. But I truly would love to repay them. 

“That's why every time I get back in a race car, at any given track, I just want to try to show them that I'm capable of doing this as a thank you--as well by trying to put on a show.”