PLACERVILLE, Calif. \u2014 Kyle Larson led much of Saturday\u2019s USAC Hangtown 100 at Placerville Speedway but was launched into a dramatic, multi-rotation flip with five laps remaining when Daison Pursley\u2019s low-line move clipped a greasy inside berm and made contact with Larson\u2019s front end. Larson climbed from the car uninjured, gave Pursley a sarcastic clap and double thumbs-up to the crowd, and left the 1\/4-mile dirt oval having finished 15th \u2014 a result that cost the hometown favorite a likely win and the $20,000 winner\u2019s purse.<\/p>\n
Track, timeline and key facts<\/strong> How conditions mattered<\/strong> Impact on standings and purse<\/strong> Voices from the infield and victory lane<\/strong> \u201cI just hit the grease; I felt like I had a run on him. I don\u2019t want to win the race like that. I apologize to Kyle and them.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Larson, after climbing from his car, described the moment bluntly:<\/p>\n \u201cHe surprised me on entry into one and hit the grease and I kind of had nowhere to go. It\u2019s a bummer, but I get it because my entry was closed off.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Those comments \u2014 from both driver and victor \u2014 underscore that the wreck was an instantaneous racing misfortune, not the product of malice.<\/p>\n Placerville Speedway is a \u00bc-mile high-banked dirt oval located at the El Dorado County Fairgrounds in Placerville, California.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n The weekend\u2019s schedule was disrupted by weather: nearly 3.5 inches of rain fell on Friday, forcing the opener to be canceled and the Saturday event to be advanced\/adjusted<\/p>\n<\/li>\n The wet conditions and track prep meant the surface was tricky: it likely had greased-up inside lines, berms forming, and a challenging cushion (outer high line) that drivers used.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n In the specific crash, Pursley \u201chit the grease\u201d (slippery inside berm) as he moved low, lost rear grip and slid up into Larson. Larson noted his entry was \u201cclosed off\u201d and that the contact was triggered by Pursley\u2019s slide.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n The track environment \u2013 tight, quarter-mile, heavy traffic, lapped cars, multiple flips during the race, and a cushion built up on the high side \u2013 all contributed to the risk and elevated drama.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n Larson\u2019s Hangtown 100 effort was outstanding in terms of pace and controlling the race until the final laps. But a high-risk maneuver by Pursley, combined with the track\u2019s slick inside berm and the cushion on the high side, resulted in contact that ended Larson\u2019s run. He lost the lead, the win, and ended up 15th. For a driver used to winning, it was a harsh reminder of how fine the margins are\u2014especially on a slick, short dirt oval under challenging conditions.<\/p>\n
\u2022 The feature was a 100-lap USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget Series event at Placerville Speedway on Nov. 15, 2025. Larson qualified fastest and led a race-high 52 laps before the late-race collision.
\u2022 On lap 96, Pursley dove low into turn one, clipped an inside berm (\u201chit the grease\u201d), lost rear grip and his right-rear struck Larson\u2019s left-front, sending Larson airborne over the cushion where the car rotated roughly 3\u00bd times before coming to rest on its side. Larson walked away.
\u2022 Daison Pursley took the checkered flag for his first Hangtown 100 victory; the race paid $20,000 to the winner. The feature was chaotic \u2014 multiple flips and multi-car incidents occurred earlier \u2014 and the weekend had already been disrupted by heavy rain that dumped roughly 3.5 inches on the facility the preceding day.<\/p>\n
Placerville\u2019s quarter-mile dirt surface had been severely tested by weather. Heavy rain forced the event schedule into adjustments and left a slick, variable surface where inside berms could suddenly turn \u201cgreasy\u201d and outside cushions built up into high, launch-prone walls. Multiple drivers referenced the tricky entry and the berm when discussing the late incident. Those same surface quirks \u2014 wet weather, a tight short track, a pronounced cushion and heavy lapped-car traffic in the closing laps \u2014 combined to raise the risk of contact when drivers attempted last-lap or near-last-lap pass attempts.<\/p>\n
Larson\u2019s tumble dropped him to 15th in the Hangtown feature scoring \u2014 well short of the victory he seemed on course to claim \u2014 and cost him the $20,000 winner\u2019s purse. While the race\u2019s finish did not produce a single decisive shift in the USAC title (the event tightened the championship \u2014 Justin Grant closed to within three points of Cannon McIntosh after the race), the result was significant to the evening\u2019s narrative and to local fans who had packed the grandstands to see Larson race at the track where he learned his craft.<\/p>\n
Pursley, subdued and apologetic in victory lane, said:<\/p>\n\n
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Track & conditions context<\/h3>\n
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