Pursley, Kahne Racing Embrace Patience Amid Rebuild After Sweet Era

Following the departure of Brad Sweet and crew chief Eric Prutzman represented a daunting transition for Kasey Kahne Racing, but driver Daison Pursley and crew chief Jarrett Martin are navigating the rebuild with the full backing of team owner Kasey Kahne. Pursley’s rookie campaign in the NAPA Auto Parts No. 9 has presented challenges, yet both driver and owner express measured patience as the Knoxville Nationals approach.

As the adage goes, Rome wasn’t built in a day—nor are programs capable of contending simultaneously in High Limit Racing and the World of Outlaws. Kahne’s current commitment mirrors the long-term investment that yielded Sweet’s six national championships alongside Prutzman. The immediate goal is for Pursley, who previously collaborated with Martin in midgets at Keith Kunz Racing, to cultivate momentum and synergy through the critical summer stretch.

“The obvious is that we haven’t run as great as we had hoped, just because Kasey has surrounded me with a group that has been successful in every discipline of racing with Jarrett, Ryan [Boyd], and Tayte [Williamson],” Pursley said. “They’ve each won as drivers and crew members, and I’ve been successful where I’ve raced previously, so everything here was put together with that potential in mind. Kasey also understands that it takes time. He’s sat us down numerous times and said he is understanding of the process. He just gives us the information and tools we need to keep growing.”

Pursley captured a victory during his rookie season with Buch Motorsports’ No. 13 at Lernerville Speedway last year, finishing seventh in the standings. The current campaign has been more difficult; the team sits ninth in points with only four top-five finishes, falling short of expectations that the No. 9 operation would immediately resemble Sweet’s dominant No. 49 outfit. Kahne, however, maintains perspective.

“Jarrett, Tayte, and Ryan are doing a really good job,” Kahne said. “These are just younger guys who want to be here and they’re learning together. They’re putting in the time and I’m really excited to see them grow. We’re slowly getting better and hopefully they maintain that.”

History supports Kahne’s view. The most successful eras at KKR—spanning Joey Saldana, Daryn Pittman, and Sweet—were defined by continuity between driver, crew chief, and crew members, with performance improving each season they remained together.

“But that doesn’t always last forever either so as a team owner, I have to be ready to make changes and move on as well, and that’s what we had to do, start over,” Kahne added.

For Pursley, the adjustment to 410 sprint car racing remains a work in progress. He describes moments of being uncomfortable yet fast, and comfortable yet slow—lacking the full confidence to direct setup changes with the authority he possessed in midgets.

“I just don’t know what that looks like,” Pursley said. “I’m trying to learn as much as I can in a short amount of time. We’re not like other sports where we can go outside and shoot hoops and get better. We get better by getting our butts kicked time and time again. The difference in sprint car racing now is that every race is on television and they see the struggles and can talk about it. But at the end of the day, this is hard. This is the highest level and we’re a different team than the one Brad took to six championships and everyone was built around Brad. We’re young and trying to find our footing.”

Optimism persists. Pursley believes results are poised to turn beginning with Thursday’s Knoxville Nationals preliminary night. Beyond Knoxville, the High Limit schedule shifts to California bullrings—tracks that suit his style.

“And then going into California, to me, I like those tracks,” Pursley said. “Small bullrings, take the dirty air out of it, just get up on the wheel and get the job done is kind of like my thing. So, I’m looking forward to the California swing. I think our work is about to pay off and then you even look at going to Port Royal, we ran pretty good at the Weikert Memorial. Hopefully we start getting some results and this is where we can start to build some confidence within ourselves.”

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