SAN TAN VALLEY, Ariz. – USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car point leader C.J. Leary got his weekend off on the right foot by setting the fastest lap during Wednesday night’s USAC AMSOIL National/CRA/Sands Chevrolet Southwest Sprint Car open practice at Arizona Speedway.

The practice was in preparation for the 52nd running of the Western World Championships presented by San Tan Ford on Friday and Saturday.

Leary ripped around the third-mile dirt oval with a top lap of 14.682 seconds in his Reinbold-Underwood Motorsports/AME Electrical – Mesilla Valley Transportation/Spike/Foxco Chevy, less than six-hundredths off the track record of 14.625 seconds set by Chad Boespflug in 2016.

Leary leads Tyler Courtney by 44 points in the standings entering the weekend’s final two-race set.  Courtney was fourth fastest in practice at 15.175 seconds.

Leary’s teammate Hunter Schuerenberg was second at 14.791 seconds, while Thomas Meseraull was third, Courtney was fourth and Charles Davis Jr. rounded out the top-five.