Sunday’s Best: Leary Opens Season with New Ride, Top Speed in Practice at Ocala

By admin February 9, 2025 USAC, USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car

Ocala, Florida (February 9, 2025)………C.J. Leary timed in quickest overall in Sunday’s USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship practice day at Florida’s Ocala Speedway.

Leary (Greenfield, Ind.) turned the top time of 15.347 seconds during the afternoon session on the 3/8-mile dirt track, all of which is in preparation for the start of the 2025 season and Winter Dirt Games XVI, which begins on February 10-11 at Volusia Speedway Park and February 12-15 at Ocala Speedway.

For Leary, it was his first outing of the season for the Team AZ/Curb-Agajanian Racing team, which he joined late last year and competed in a pair of USAC CRA Sprint Car events during the Western World Championships. Leary was victorious in the most recent USAC National Sprint Car event at Ocala held in February 2024 for BGE Dougherty Motorsports.

Overall, 30 cars and 29 drivers took part in the practice. Daison Pursley (Locust Grove, Okla.), also making his first run for the new CB Industries sprint car team, was second overall at 15.389. Kyle Cummins (Princeton, Ind.) was third at 15.428 for Petty Performance Racing.

Meanwhile, Chase Stockon (Fort Branch, Ind.) put two cars inside the top-five of the final practice result. He took fourth in the primary Tom & Laurie Sertich ride at 15.492, then rounded out the top-five at 15.621.

The USAC National Sprint Car season begins Monday, February 10, at Volusia. The pits and grandstands open at 3pm Eastern. The drivers meeting commences at 4:30pm followed by engine heat at 5pm and hot laps at 5:30pm followed by qualifying and racing.

Advance tickets are available at https://dirtcarnationals.com/tickets/. The event can be watched LIVE on FloRacing at https://flosports.link/usac.

USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP PRACTICE RESULTS: February 9, 2025 – Ocala Speedway – Ocala, Florida – Winter Dirt Games XVI – 3/8-Mile Dirt Track

PRACTICE: 1. C.J. Leary, 21AZ, Team AZ/Curb-Agajanian-15.347; 2. Daison Pursley, 86, CBI-15.389; 3. Kyle Cummins, 3p, Petty-15.428; 4. Chase Stockon, 92, Sertich-15.492; 5. Chase Stockon, 92m, Sertich-15.621; 6. Jake Swanson, 5T, Daming Swanson-15.695; 7. Robert Ballou, 12, Ballou-15.715; 8. Jadon Rogers, 66, Amati-15.728; 9. Kobe Simpson, 21K, Simpson-15.975; 10. Tom Harris, 84, Harris-16.072; 11. Harley Burns, 16, Britt Aero-16.103; 12. John Mollick, 4J, Clever-16.149; 13. Justin Grant, 4, TOPP-16.180; 14. Kale Drake 2B, 2B Racing-16.183; 15. Ricky Lewis, 41, Lewis-16.190; 16. Matt Goodnight, 39G, Goodnight-16.205; 17. Briggs Danner, 39, Hogue-16.228; 18. Oliver Akard, 32, Akard-16.256; 19. Kayla Roell, 4K, Roell-16.291; 20. Gunnar Setser, 5G, KO-16.313; 21. Kevin Thomas Jr., 3R, Rock Steady-16.362; 22. Kyle Jones, 79, Hall-16.391; 23. Logan Seavey, 57, Abacus-16.602; 24. Troy Carey, 45N, Carey-16.612; 25. Mike Haggenbottom, 51, Haggenbottom-16.681; 26. Nic Harris, N2, Harris-16.876; 27. Eddie Vancil, 7v, Vancil-17.187; 28. Carson Garrett, 15, BGE-20.265; 29. Hayden Reinbold, 19, Reinbold/Underwood-23.293; 30. Mitchel Moles, 19AZ, Reinbold/Underwood-NT.

NEXT USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACES: February 10-11, 2025 – Volusia Speedway Park – Barberville, Florida – Winter Dirt Games XVI / Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals – 1/2-Mile Dirt Track

Sources: Richie Murray – USAC Media

(Rich Forman Photo)