SAN TAN VALLEY, Ariz. – Daison Pursley will undergo C4-5 fusion surgery at an Arizona hospital today following a vicious wreck Saturday night during the USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget Series program at Arizona Speedway.
Pursley was battling Buddy Kofoid for fourth during heat three of the Western World Championship when his car went airborne and flipped multiple times.
The 17-year-old driver was awake and alert when speedway officials helped him out of his damaged race car, but treatment at an area hospital revealed he had broken his C4-C5 vertebrae.
Pursley’s mother, Shawnda, provided this update at 7:38 a.m. Mountain Time on her Facebook page.
“Daison has a severe spinal cord injury,” Shawnda Pursley wrote. “He will have surgery at 11 [a.m. Mountain Time] this morning to repair C4 and C5 and fuse them. We need the prayers to continue, please…
“It is going to be a day-to-day, even hour-to-hour of events at this time,” she added.
Pursley was sixth in the national midget race at 1,893 points, 245 markers behind leader Chris Windom.
This story will be updated.