It took only two races for Daison Pursley to transform himself from a USAC Silver Crown Rookie into a USAC Silver Crown winner following Saturday night’s thriller at Pennsylvania’s Port Royal Speedway.

Perhaps no other Rookie in series history has notched as spectacular of a victory as the Locust Grove, Okla. native did on the 1/2-mile dirt oval as he erased a two-plus second deficit over the final few laps, then took over the lead with a highwire high side pass of Justin Grant off the fourth and final turn on the 50th and final lap.

In doing so, Pursley became the first driver in 2024 to record feature victories in all three of USAC’s national divisions: USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midgets, USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Cars and USAC Silver Crown.

Not only was it the first victory for Pursley in Silver Crown competition, but it was also the same for Team AZ Racing who, similarly, was making its second ever start and came away with a spectacular score for their Team AZ Racing/Avanti Windows & Doors – Apache Transportation – Oak Craft Elegant Cabinetry/DRC/Ott Chevy.

Pursley showed glimpses of his immediate Silver Crown expertise in his series’ debut at the Belleville (Kan.) High Banks in May.  After a mechanical issue stymied their start, Pursley charged from the tail of the 25-car field to finish fifth.

It’s easy to forget that while Pursley is winning, he’s also still learning on the fly, just as he did at Belleville and just as he did at Port Royal en route to a magical night at The Speed Palace.

“At Belleville, I felt like we had a really good piece, but then the clutch went out on it and the transmission and all that, which is new to all of us,” Pursley explained.  “It’s different than micros or anything I’ve ever had to drive with it having a clutch and all that.  To be able to start the race, which is the first step, let alone race for the win like that, it’s unbelievable.”

Highlights USAC Silver Crown Series Port Royal Speedway June 15, 2024.

USAC Silver Crown Results Port Royal Speedway Saturday

1. Daison Pursley (2)

 2. Justin Grant (6)

 3. Brady Bacon (1)

 4. Matt Westfall (5)

5. Kody Swanson (3)

6. Chase Dietz (9)

7. Mitchel Moles (7)

 8. Alex Bright (13)

9. Briggs Danner (12)

 10. Logan Seavey (4)

11. Kyle Steffens (11)

12. Carmen Perigo (16)

13. Mark Smith (17)

14. Trey Burke (19)

15. Brian Ruhlman (14)

16. Shane Cottle (10)

17. Robert Ballou (15)

 18. Kaylee Bryson (23)

19. Chase Stockon (8)

 20. Mark Bitner (20)

 21. Chris Fetter (21)

22. Trey Osborne (24)

23. C.J. Leary (18)

24. Nathan Moore (22)