C.J. Leary has never won $20,000 for racing a sprint car before, but that changed on Sunday night.
The driver of the new No. 77 team in the USAC Non-Wing Sprint Car Series picked up what might be the biggest win of his career so far, winning the USAC Nationals at Huset’s Speedway in South Dakota.
“That was a hell of a race,” Leary said on FloRacing. “I had a lot of fun. Never won 20 grand before so that’s pretty badass.”
Leary came through the field from the 10th-place starting position, after finishing third in event points going into the A-Main.
The top 12 of points were inverted for the starting lineup giving him the fifth-row.
Throughout the race, Leary had to make moves and go through a plethora of lapped cars. He said it might have won him the race.
“That lapped traffic was tough,” Leary said. “It might have won me the race. I got (Mario) Clouser there. He was ripping the top in three and four and I had been diamonding it. On the restart I moved up there. I think it won me the race down there for sure.”
Chris Windom actually passed Leary for the lead with five laps to go in the race, however a caution came out and the field was reset, meaning Leary would re-inherit the lead.
It paid off for him as well as it did for Brady Bacon, who improved his finish spot and extended his points lead with a second-place run.
The series will return to the track this Friday, going for a run at the newly built Circle City Raceway for the first time this season.
USAC Nationals Results
Non-Wing Sprint Cars
Huset’s Speedway
1. C.J. Leary
2. Brady Bacon
3. Chris Windom
4. Tanner Thorson
5. Kevin Thomas Jr.
6. Justin Grant
7. Chase Stockon
8. Jason McDougal
9. Thomas Meseraull
10. Ryan Bernal
11. Robert Ballou
12. Jake Swanson
13. Mario Clouser
14. Matt Westfall
15. Brandon Mattox
16. Charles Davis Jr.
17. Logan Seavey
18. Isaac Chapple
19. Terry Richards
20. Cam Schafer
21. Chad Frewaldt
22. Glen Saville
23. Jeremy Kerzman
24. Alex Banales
