Daison Pursley schools Kyle Larson to win the Tulsa Shootout

The SageNet Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, buzzed with anticipation on Championship Saturday, January 3, 2026, as the 41st annual Tulsa Shootout reached its climax. The spotlight shone brightest on the Winged Outlaw A-Main, a 30-lap battle for the coveted Golden Driller trophy.

–by Mark Cipolloni–

Daison Pursley, the hardworking Oklahoma native who’d chased this moment for 15 years, rolled off the pole in his No. 86 machine. He’d earned that spot through sheer dominance all week—highlighted by a perfect 10th-to-1st charge in his heat race that left everyone talking.

Fresh off a grueling flight from Australia, where he’d just won the High Limit International finale, Kyle Larson—the 2021 and 2025 NASCAR Cup Series champion and reigning Winged Outlaw Golden Driller holder—started sixth in his No. 83K. Larson wasted no time slicing through the field, showing why he’s one of the best wheelmen in motorsports. By mid-race, he was glued to Pursley’s bumper, pressuring the leader lap after lap.

The crowd erupted as the two traded paint coming out of turns 3 and 4—Larson diving low, Pursley holding the high line. Contact was made, but Pursley stayed composed, refusing to yield. As the laps wound down, Larson mounted one final charge, pulling alongside in the closing stages. But in turn one, with just a handful of laps left, Larson ran out of talent, got loose, slid up the track, and nearly spun. He saved it masterfully, but the mistake cost him momentum.

Pursley pounced, pulling away to lead every single one of the 30 laps and cross the finish line first. It was his maiden Tulsa Shootout victory—a long-awaited breakthrough after years of near-misses and podiums that always seemed just out of reach.

🏆 @DaisonPursley gets his first Golden Driller!! He wins Winged Outlaw over a hard charging Steven Snyder Jr!

This @HyperRacing44 #TulsaShootout broadcast is powered by @NosEnergyDrink pic.twitter.com/BUjwfKPrte

— FloRacing (@FloRacing) January 4, 2026

Behind him, Steven Snyder Jr. charged from 12th to second, while Jeffrey Newell rounded out the podium. Larson recovered to finish a hard-fought fourth, a testament to his skill but a reminder that he was not good enough to overcome Pursley’s flawless run on this night.

In Victory Lane, Pursley hoisted the Golden Driller high, tears in his eyes, as the Tulsa faithful cheered the local hero who’d finally schooled the NASCAR superstar on dirt’s biggest micro sprint stage.

Winged Outlaw A-Main Results (January 3, 2026)