CASA GRANDE, Ariz. — The Western World Championship is one of the most famed sprint car races in the United States, an Arizona racing tradition since 1968, and one that has been revitalized as the event celebrates its 58th edition this weekend at Central Arizona Raceway.
For the first time, the event comes to Central Arizona Raceway and offers a record purse of more than $115,000 throughout the weekend for the USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship and Avanti Windows & Doors USAC CRA Sprint Cars, an effort spearheaded by Avanti’s Jerry Petty to boost this great tradition to even greater heights.
A stunning entry list of 52 USAC drivers and cars, plus nearly 40 from the 360 sprint car ranks, the 2025 installment of the Western World Championships is one of the most highly anticipated events on the calendar.
The weekend also serves as the finale for USAC National Sprint Car racing in 2025, marking the final two shows of the season.
RECORD PURSE
A record $35,000-to-win is on the line for Saturday night’s USAC National/CRA Sprint Car portion of Western World, to go along with a minimum $1,000-to-start.
The winner of Saturday’s feature event could potentially walk away with a $42,500 payday if he was to lead all 30 laps of the feature. An extra $15,000 in lap money has been kicked into the event with the leader of each lap pocketing $250 with $150 going to second and $100 to third.
A $7,500 prize will go to Friday night’s USAC National/CRA Sprint Car feature winner.
Also part of Saturday night’s program will be the $5,000-to-win Underwood Dash presented by AME Electrical, a pursuit style event that will feature 10 cars competing for 12 laps in a winner-take-all special. The lineup will consist of the top-four finishers from Friday night’s feature starting at the front, followed by Saturday’s three qualifying race winners, followed by Saturday’s three qualifying race runner-up finishers.
The 12-lap dash will take place in four 3-lap segments. After each segment is completed, the last two cars running will be eliminated. Furthermore, if a car stops on the course for any reason, that car is also eliminated.
The Lafond Jar of Change will be awarded to each night’s USAC hard charger. Thus far, the prize has already reached $1000 for Friday and $2000 for Saturday. The Jar of Change has been awarded since 1992. In 2024, J.J. Yeley earned a record $3,423.68, and this year’s award is poised to exceed that.
6-PACK OF WINNERS
Six past Western World Championships feature winners are in this year’s field: Brady Bacon, Chase Stockon, Logan Seavey, Jake Swanson, Daison Pursley and Kyle Cummins.
Cummins enters as the defending race winner after scoring the victory in 2024 at Mohave Valley Raceway. Pursley swept both nights of the event at Cocopah Speedway in 2023. Swanson, meanwhile, swept the entire night in 2022 by setting quick time, winning his heat race, then going on to capture the feature win at Cocopah.
Seavey clicked off his Western World score at Arizona Speedway in 2021 as did Stockon back in 2017.
Bacon has won five final night main events during Western World dating back to 2009 and 2010 with the ASCS Non-Wing Canyon 360 Sprint Cars at USA Raceway in Tucson. He added to his win list three more times at Arizona Speedway in San Tan Valley, with the USAC Southwest/West Coast 360 Sprint Cars in 2016 and 2018, then again in 2019 with the USAC National/Western States Midgets.
EXPERIENCE
Eighteen USAC sanctioned events have been held at Central Arizona Raceway over the years, mostly with the USAC Southwest Sprint Car division dating back to 2013. Seven drivers in this year’s Western World lineup have won with USAC at Central Arizona.
Native Arizonans Charles Davis Jr., R.J. Johnson and Stevie Sussex can all count themselves among the winners on that list. Davis has won six of those 18 events, while Johnson owns three and Sussex one. Kevin Thomas Jr. and C.J. Leary strayed away from their USAC national schedules to win at Central Arizona two times apiece.
In 2025, USAC CRA debuted at the track on back-to-back nights in April with Ricky Lewis and David Gasper each picking up the feature victories.
DOUBLE UP
In addition to the USAC National/CRA 410 Sprint Car portion of the program this weekend, the 360s of the Sands Chevrolet Wild West Sprints will also be in competition both nights.
Thirteen drivers are expected to pull double-duty by competing in both divisions across the pair of nights.
Among the 13 are USAC Triple Crown champion J.J. Yeley, as well as 2025 USAC National Sprint Car champion Kyle Cummins, four-time USAC National Sprint Car titlist Brady Bacon and 2024 USAC National Midget champ Daison Pursley.
One of the top-five winningest USAC National Sprint Car drivers of all-time, Kevin Thomas Jr., is on the double-duty list as is 2024 USAC CRA Sprint Car champion and current series point leader R.J. Johnson.
USAC National Sprint Car racing’s 2017 Rookie of the Year Stevie Sussex will be doing both as will David Gasper, a USAC CRA winner at Central Arizona in April, plus Wayne Siddle, Dayton Shelton, Elexa Herrera, Grant Sexton and Connor Lundy.
THE WHIZ
Team AZ-Petty-Rossi will present The Whiz Kid Award, named for Arizona Motorsports Hall of Fame inductee and two-time Western World winning mechanic Eric Wilkins.
The Whiz Kid Award will reward multiple Rookies of the Year at the Western World in both the USAC National/CRA and the 360 divisions on Saturday night. At the conclusion of Saturday’s program, the Western World Rookie of the Year in each division will earn a $1,000 reward and a trophy for their efforts across the two-night event.
The Western World Rookies for 2025 consists of 14 drivers in the USAC portion of the program, including late model racing superstar Ricky Thornton Jr., plus USAC national feature winners Briggs Danner and Hayden Reinbold, plus standout Gunnar Setser.
Also making their first voyages to Western World are Marty Hawkins, Trey Osborne, Harley Burns, Blake Bower, Kobe Simpson, Connor Speir, Cole Wakim, Connor Lundy, Saban Bibent and Brecken Guerrero.
THE ROOKIE PRIZE
Speaking of rookies, the USAC National Sprint Car MPI Rookie of the Year race comes down to these two final events, featuring Gunnar Setser and Hayden Reinbold.
Setser owns a 14-point lead over Reinbold entering Western World in what has been among the closest rookie battles in series history.
As far as their 2025 statistics, both drivers have made 46 feature starts. Reinbold leads Setser five-to-two in terms of top-five finishes. However, Setser holds the upper hand in top-10 finishes with 21 over Reinbold’s 18.
All told, 154 points are up for grabs this weekend with a full program of 84 points available on Friday. Meanwhile, Saturday’s program offers 70 points as part of a feature points only program.
