By Richie Murray
Casa Grande, Arizona (October 23, 2025)………Jake Swanson continued his roll into Thursday’s Western World Championships practice night at Casa Grande’s Central Arizona Raceway.
The 2022 Western World winner from Anaheim, California posted the best time of the 34 USAC AMSOIL National/Avanti USAC CRA Sprint Cars that took time on Thursday night at the 3/8-mile dirt oval, clocking in with a top lap of 15.109 seconds in his Daming Swanson Motorsports/Inland Rigging – Dougherty Motorsports/DRC/1-Way Chevy.
Swanson is fresh off his first USAC National Sprint Car feature victory of the 2025 season last Saturday night at Route 66 Motor Speedway in Amarillo, Texas. He’s also picked up his first two fast qualifying times of the year in each of his past two series appearances last weekend.
Fifty two cars are expected to compete in this Friday-Saturday’s October 24-25 58th running of Western World, which pays $35,000-to-win in the finale.
Briggs Danner (Allentown, Pennsylvania) was second quick at 15.174, while Mitchel Moles (Raisin City, California) checked in third overall at 15.209. Defending Western World winner Kyle Cummins (Princeton, Indiana) was fourth at 15.253 while 2017 Western World winner Chase Stockon (Fort Branch, Indiana) rounded out the top-five at 15.315.
Daison Pursley (Locust Grove, Oklahoma), the 2023 Western World winner, was eighth overall at 15.367. Logan Seavey (Sutter, California), the 2021 Western World victor, was 12th quickest at 15.584. Five-time Western World winner Brady Bacon (Broken Arrow, Oklahoma) was 18th in line at 15.888.
Late Model star Ricky Thornton Jr. (Chandler, Arizona), making his USAC National Sprint Car debut, was 17th fastest in a third Petty Performance Racing entry.
Joshua Shipley (Surprise, Arizona) was the lone incident of the night as he got upside down in turn one. He walked away without injury.
USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP / AVANTI WINDOWS & DOORS USAC CRA SPRINT CAR PRACTICE RESULTS: October 23, 2025 – Central Arizona Raceway – Casa Grande, Arizona – 3/8-Mile Dirt Track – 58th Western World Championships
PRACTICE: 1. Jake Swanson, 5T, Daming Swanson-15.109; 2. Briggs Danner, 39, Hogue-15.174; 3. Mitchel Moles, 19AZ, Reinbold/Underwood-15.209; 4. Kyle Cummins, 3p, Petty-15.253; 5. Chase Stockon, 92, Sertich-15.315; 6. C.J. Leary, 21AZ, Team AZ/Curb-Agajanian-15.329; 7. Stevie Sussex, 17GP, Dutcher-15.359; 8. Daison Pursley, 86, CBI-15.367; 9. Charles Davis Jr., 47, Davis-15.433; 10. Kevin Thomas Jr., 3R, Rock Steady-15.459; 11. Hayden Reinbold, 19, Reinbold/Underwood-15.508; 12. Logan Seavey, 57, Abacus-15.584; 13. Logan Calderwood, 6, Calderwood-15.606; 14. Gunnar Setser, 5G, KO-15.657; 15. Eddie Tafoya Jr., 51T, Tafoya-15.673; 16. A.J. Bender, 21x, Bender-15.702; 17. Ricky Thornton Jr., 20RT, Petty-15.704; 18. Brady Bacon, 4c, Calderwood-15.888; 19. Saban Bibent, 98, Wedgewood-15.931; 20. Ryan Bernal, 17, Dunkel-15.937; 21. Matt Westfall, 11c, Turner/Wheeler-15.962; 22. J.J. Yeley, 2, Yeley-15.970; 23. Cole Wakim, 73, Wakim-15.986; 24. Braden Chiaramonte, 73B, OCC-16.037; 25. Wayne Siddle, 007, Siddle-16.037; 26. Kobe Simpson, 21K, Simpson-16.075; 27. Harley Burns, 14, Hendricks-16.082; 28. Ricky Lewis, 41, Lewis-16.125; 29. Trey Osborne, 6T, Ebert-16.340; 30. Blake Bower, 17x, Dunkel-16.341; 31. Dayton Shelton, 4D, Shelton-16.342; 32. Austin Williams, 17w, Dunkel-16.348; 33. Joshua Shipley, 2x, Shipley-16.369; 34. Brent Sexton, 44, Sexton-16.938.
NEXT USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP / AVANTI WINDOWS & DOORS USAC CRA SPRINT CAR RACES: October 24-25, 2025 – Central Arizona Raceway – Casa Grande, Arizona – 3/8-Mile Dirt Track – 58th Western World Championships
**Joshua Shipley flipped during practice.