Kyle Larson and Brad Sweet’s High Limit Racing has opened doors for numerous drivers, positioning sprint racing and its racers prominently within American motorsport. This year, young Daison Pursley, who was paralyzed following a 2021 on-track accident, has captured attention as he prepares to compete full-time in the High Limit Racing Series.
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In 2021, Pursley was involved in a midget car crash in Arizona while vying for advancement to the next round, in which his car somersaulted multiple times during the crash, resulting in a shattered C4 vertebra and a broken neck for the then 17-year-old lad.
He was taken to the hospital for emergency surgery, but despite that, doctors could not prevent him from partial paralysis affecting all four limbs.
Upon his return, Pursley shared his journey of recovery, saying, “I was paralyzed completely after surgery. It’s been years of rehab. “Now, my left side is definitely a little bit weaker than my right. As far as getting inside of a race car, I don’t really notice it at all, but if you ask me to pick up a quarter off the ground with my right or left hand, you would definitely see it.”
It took nearly a week for sensation to return to his right leg, and gradually, he felt it throughout his entire body. Yet, from the moment he could speak, one thing remained uncompromising: his determination to return to racing.
In 2024, Pursley participated in fifteen winged Sprint Car races as he transitioned from non-wing Sprints and Midgets. His reputation in the sport increased last year when he secured a victory in a 410 Sprint Car race at Huset’s Speedway in May, alongside other achievements in USAC Sprint Cars, USAC Midgets, and Silver Crown cars.
In January 2025, Pursley was back in the driver’s seat of a midget racer, competing at the Chili Bowl in Tulsa.
Additionally, in October of the previous year, it was revealed that Daison would be joining the #13 Buch Motorsports team for a full-time endeavor in the Larson‘s Kubota High Limit Racing series in 2025, starting with a two-day event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 13 and 15. The 60-race circuit will end with the All-In Championship Weekend at Texas Motor Speedway on October 17 and 18.
