The USAC East Coast Sprint Car Series season had reached the dog days of summer and had largely become the Alex Bright and BriggsDanner show.
The USAC East Coast Sprint Car Series season had reached the dog days of summer and had largely become the Alex Bright and Briggs
Danner show.
The series was headed to Selinsgrove (Pa.) Speedway for the third time after Danner triumphed at the Bloomsburg Fairgrounds two nights before. Once again, the fans got what they paid for as they watched Danner use every inch of the oval to track down his main adversary.
The crowd roared as Danner finally wrestled the top spot from Bright but then looked on in amazement as he rammed the cushion and tumbled to a stop in turn four.
Veteran crew chief Curt Michael watched it all unfold. With years of experience behind the wheel, Michael was captivated by what he witnessed and was naturally deflated when he saw his young driver‘s night end. His first concern was Danner‘s safety. Once it was clear Danner was only a bit rattled, Michael‘s attention quickly pivoted to the young man‘s emotional state.
Disappointment was expected, but what was paramount was that Danner‘s confidence remained intact. When the time was right, Michael told Danner, “Do not change a thing. Don‘t change your driving style. These things are going to happen.”
During what proved to be an emotional year, it became obvious that this 20-year-old has his feet firmly planted on the ground.
Briggs Danner‘s birth is a reminder that even when the world is in upheaval, life goes on. He was born in Allentown, Pa., on Sept. 11, 2001, a date etched in the consciousness of nearly every American. Danner arrived shortly after the attacks on our country had been completed.
Danner was born into a racing family. His grandfather, Roy Danner, raced street stocks at Dorney Park and Nazareth Speedways and later served as an official at Mahoning Valley Speedway. Oddly enough, Roy Danner may be most remembered for the pizza stand he operated at Nazareth.
Brigg‘s father, Roy Danner Jr., raced Legend Cars at numerous Pennsylvania short tracks. However, the twin responsibilities of working in a successful paving business started by his father and the fact that Briggs Danner became interested in the sport, brought his driving career to a close.
By the time a young driver has made a mark in sprint car and midget racing, it is usually a sure bet that they enjoyed success in go-karts or quarter midgets. In this case this storyline holds true, but with a slight twist. Danner turned his first laps in a quarter midget on a dirt track at Pocono Raceway.
Where some of his peer‘s spin tales of instantaneous glory, Danner tells a different story. “My first time in a quarter midget apparently I was afraid to get on the gas,” he said with a laugh, “so I idled around the entire track. Then I came off and told my parents I nearly spun out but saved it.”
Before long he was doing a lot more than idling around.
At age 5, he was racing at the Schnecksville Fire Company with the Keystone State Quarter Midget Racing Club. He won so often that everyone has lost count. He was a seven-time KSQMRC champion and eventually raced with USAC‘s .25 program. His success continued with championships in 2013 and ‘14. In 2015, he topped the Eastern Asphalt Grands racing with Quarter Midgets of America.
The following season, Danner slid into a SpeedSTR, a unique open-wheel car created by former racer Rich Tobias. He began competing at Action Track USA at Kutztown, Pa., but the transition to the SpeedSTR presented a unique challenge.
The cars were much faster than a quarter midget and according to Danner the handled “like boats. They are nothing like a sprint car or a micro sprint. In fact, they aren‘t like anything else. They are just hard to drive.”
It‘s an interesting series given the mix of youngsters and seasoned veterans who compete on a regular basis. In 2021, Danner claimed the track title. It was no small feat as former midget champions and sprint car veterans Steve and Timmy Buckwalter landed in the top five in the standings, and Billy Pauch Jr., a former kingpin of the division, was also a regular visitor.
His next move was to the popular 358 modified, a car he says is easier to manage than a SpeedSTR “even though they are big, sluggish things.”
Racing against some of the best in the discipline as a teenager was no small task. Reviewing his first year in modifieds, Danner said, “I didn‘t have a win, but we did have some top-five finishes. We were always decent, but we didn‘t set the world on fire.”
What he did get was a lot of seat time. Danner said he really benefits from watching in-car footage and that alone has helped ease his transition from one class of cars to another.
As Danner moved into adulthood, he graduated from Allentown‘s Parkland High School and began working in the family business. He has a CDL license, which allows him to drive a truck. He can operate a roller, occasionally gets on a backhoe and does necessary basic labor.
His situation has built-in flexibility that allows him to work around his racing schedule.
Heading into the 2020 season his plan was simple — he was going to race anything he could. At this point he was racing a SpeedSTR and a 358 modified regularly and had run TQ midgets on the pavement.