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By NAPA
The Interstate Batteries High Limit Racing season returned to competition Saturday, April 18th, at Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, MO. Kasey Kahne Racing’s
link hidden, please login to view No. 9 team arrived at the reconfigured 3/8‑mile “Diamond of Dirt Tracks” eager to get the car back in motion after a three‑week regroup, with progress to prove.
Teams of each of the 43 cars taking part in the ninth race of the season set sights on the win and the The Diamond Classic’s $12,000 payday.
No. 9 driver, Daison Pursley, showed early speed, posting a 13.275-second lap in Hot Laps, fourth‑quickest in practic, and running a 13.628-second qualifying lap for fifth in his group.
Pursley started P2 in the first Heat Race of the night and jumped to the lead during the first lap, coming out of turn 4 and down the front stretch to the flagstand. Pursley kept the lead throughout the 8-lap race. The win marked Pursley’s first Heat Race victory of the 2026 season and punched his ticket to the Dash. In the Dash, the NAPA Auto Parts No. 9 slipped from third to fourth, lining the team up to start outside the second row of the A-Main.
Fireworks and pyrotechnics signaled the start of the 30-lap Diamond Classic. Pursley raced into third position for the first six laps. After an early caution, Pursley chose his position back by way of the choose cone and was challenged into turn one by Sye Lynch (No. 42), ultimately being shuffled into fourth by the No. 42 and No. 13 of Tanner Holmes. The track’s renovation brought the track banking all the way to the wall, producing even more high‑banked, door‑to‑door racing. Pursley kept heavy pressure on P3 of Holmes, finishing less than a car length behind the No. 13 and just outside of the podium. Kerry Maddsen (No.55) started on the pole and dominated, leading every lap to claim his first High Limit Racing victory.
Pursley’s fourth-place finish left crew chief Jarrett Martin encouraged; he noted the team learned every time they were on the track and made the right adjustments from the Dash to the Diamond Classic.
Weather threatened nearby Lakeside Speedway in Kansas on Friday, forcing the cancellation of that program due to tornado warnings. That event will not be made up at this time. The next High Limit Racing event is Tuesday, April 21st, at Eagle Raceway in Eagle, Nebraska, and will be broadcast nationally on FS1.
Start / Finish: 4 / 4
Points Standing / Total: 8th / 456 pts. (-137)
Next Race: Tuesday, April 21, Eagle Raceway, Eagle, NE
How to Watch or Listen: 9:00 p.m. ET on FS1
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By Counterman
The
link hidden, please login to view (AACF) announced Automotive Parts Headquarters Inc. (APH) as the recipient of its Humanitarian Award during a presentation at the link hidden, please login to view. Presentation at MEMA Vision Conference
The award recognizes individuals and organizations in the automotive aftermarket who demonstrate outstanding compassion, generosity and service to others.
link hidden, please login to view was selected from a group of nominees representing the industry’s commitment to giving back. The award was presented on stage to Corey Bartlett, president and CEO, on behalf of APH by AACF President Jon Owens, alongside Joe Stephen of NEXUS North America and AACF Executive Director John Kairys. Corey and his brother, Lee, thanked the audience with a
link hidden, please login to view. “
link hidden, please login to view truly represents the heart of the aftermarket,” said Owens. “Their commitment to helping others and bringing people together to make a meaningful impact is an inspiration to us all.” Community Impact and Fundraising for WACOSA
APH was recognized for its longstanding dedication to community impact, including leading an annual fundraiser supporting adults with disabilities. Through its efforts—alongside supplier partners and the Bartlett family—APH has helped raise more than $3.2 million over the past 13 years, with a record $482,000 raised in 2025.
Proceeds from these efforts benefit WACOSA, a Minnesota-based nonprofit that empowers adults with disabilities to gain skills, find meaningful employment and thrive within their communities. APH’s leadership and collaborative approach have helped expand opportunities for hundreds of individuals each year.
“We are honored to receive this award from AACF,” said Bartlett. “It’s fantastic recognition for the entire APH team and our supplier partners, who have been incredibly generous in helping support the communities that we serve. Giving back is important to us, and we’re proud to be part of an industry that cares so deeply about helping others.”
Support From NEXUS North America
The AACF Humanitarian Award is supported by
link hidden, please login to view, whose partnership helps shine a light on the people and organizations making a difference across the aftermarket. “At NEXUS, we believe the strength of our industry lies in how we support one another here in North America and around the globe,” said Stephen. “Automotive Parts Headquarters is a powerful example of that commitment in action, and we’re honored to help recognize their incredible impact through this award.”
AACF also extended its appreciation to all nominees, noting that the selection process reflected the strength, compassion and generosity that define the automotive aftermarket community.
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By NAPA
The Daison Pursley and the
link hidden, please login to view No. 9 team returned to action last week determined to bounce back following a challenging weekend in Arizona. The Kasey Kahne Racing team took on a three-race stretch across New Mexico, Texas and Kansas. The week kicked off Tuesday night at Vado Speedway Park in Vado, New Mexico, where Daison Pursley and the NAPA No. 9 team looked to regain momentum with the High Limit Racing series.
Pursley qualified 14th and lined up sixth in Heat 1, where he held position to transfer directly into the A-Main. After starting 17th in the feature, he was able to move forward a few positions, bringing the NAPA No. 9 home with a 14th-place finish to get the team back on track.
After a few days to regroup and fine-tune the car, the team unloaded with speed on Friday night at Route 66 Motor Speedway in Amarillo, Texas.
Pursley laid down the ninth-fastest qualifying lap, earning a front-row starting spot in his heat race. He led early and finished second, securing the eighth starting position for the A-Main.
In the feature, the NAPA No. 9 showed strong pace throughout the night. Pursley worked his way forward, battling inside the top five and contending for a podium position before ultimately finishing fourth. The performance marked a strong rebound for the team and reinforced the speed within the program.
Saturday’s High Limit Racing event at Dodge City Raceway Park was canceled due to extreme winds, prompting the NAPA No. 9 team to pivot and head down the road a few hours to compete with the World of Outlaws at 81 Speedway in Park City, Kansas.
Against a stout, 38-car field, Pursley qualified eighth in Group B and advanced from fourth to third in his heat race to secure a transfer into the A-Main. Starting 12th in the feature, he battled mid-pack throughout the race and brought the NAPA No. 9 home in 13th.
Following the busy stretch, the team has returned to the shop in North Carolina to regroup and prepare for the next wave of the High Limit Racing season. The series heads back to Kansas in the second half of April, starting with Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City on April 17.
Start / Finish:
Tuesday, March 24, Vado Speedway Park: 17 / 14
Friday, March 28, Route 66 Motor Speedway: 8 / 4
Saturday, March 29, 81 Speedway: 12 / 13 (World of Outlaws)
Points Standing / Total: 9th / 391 pts. (-151)
Next Race: Friday, April 17, Lakeside Speedway, Kansas City, KS
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By NAPA
Ron Capps and the
link hidden, please login to view Funny Car team turned chaos into a commanding victory Sunday afternoon at the NHRA Arizona Nationals at Firebird Motorsports Park. The three-time world champion overcame a rocky start in qualifying and bounced back from an engine explosion in the quarterfinals to earn his 78th career national event Wally and his 10th since becoming a team owner in 2022. The veteran wheelman set low E.T. of all four elimination rounds, including the final, where he defeated second-year driver Spencer Hyde. Capps is now ranked third in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Funny Car points standings.
Capps’ weekend began with adversity in qualifying as he smoked the tires in both Friday sessions and went into Saturday outside the 16-car field. Crew chief Dean ‘Guido’ Antonelli mastered the third session, guiding Capps to a 4.023-second pass at 317.79 mph to move into the top half of the field. It was also the second-quickest performance of the round, landing Capps two bonus points. Like almost every other Funny Car driver, Capps’ machine lost traction early in the fourth session and he locked in the No. 7 position for Sunday eliminations.
Capps kicked off race day in a big way, as he left first against three-time NHRA Heritage Series Nostalgia Funny Car champion Jason Rupert and set low E.T. of the round with a 3.980-second pass at 323.19 mph to advance. Capps then led wire-to-wire in his second-round match against Daniel Wilkerson, winning with a 4.144 E.T. to Wilkerson’s 4.157 E.T. But just as Capps crossed the finish line, a massive engine explosion split his Funny Car body in half and sent him into the wall. The incident was eerily similar to the one Capps suffered at this race one year ago, but he managed to scuff the wall, saving the chassis. The NAPA Auto Care team thrashed to rebuild the car fitted with a spare body and made it to the ready line just in time for a semifinal race against defending event winner Paul Lee. The two drivers left the starting line together before Capps pulled ahead to win with a 4.124-second pass at 303.09 mph.
Capps went into the final round with lane choice over No. 1 qualifier Spencer Hyde. The NAPA Auto Care Funny Car led the way from starting line to finish line, posting another 4.124 E.T. at 303.23 mph for the win. It was Capps’ 77th Funny Car win and fourth at Phoenix, but this time, he hoisted a special diamond edition Wally to commemorate NHRA’s 75th anniversary season.
“This is the coveted one right here,” Capps said as he held up the trophy. “You just think of the legacy and what’s gone into this. This is unbelievable. Thank you to Wally Parks, first of all. Katherine (Wooten) and everyone at NAPA, all the NAPA Auto Care people. We knew this was going to be a battle of attrition and dropped cylinders today. A couple of those runs, there was no way I would imagine that would have got us lane choice, but it did. It was like a bracket car. This win reminded me a lot of first my win in St. Louis [1997] because it was hot and we had 150-degree track temps there and we dropped cylinders all day but still won the race.
“You want to just take these (trophies) and chop them up into 6,000 pieces for all the different NAPA stores and NAPA Auto Cares,” he continued. “Carlyle Tools came on board and has done so much fun stuff with Maddi and me. NHRA, 75 years, it’s so awesome to win here. Everybody said I had bad luck, but look, we ended up winning. Monster Energy coming on board has been so much fun. Ron Capps Motorsports, we’re having fun right now.”
Next up for Capps and the NAPA Auto Care Funny Car team is the NHRA Winternationals, April 10-12, at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip in Pomona, Calif., where he will also compete in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Funny Car Challenge. As a California native, it’s one of the tracks Capps calls home. He’s also won the Winternationals four times, most recently in 2021.
Start / Finish: No. 7 / winner in final round
Points Standing / Total: No. 3 / 151 pts. (-23)
Next Race: April 10-12, NHRA Winternationals, Pomona, Calif.
How to Watch or Listen: FS1,
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