“The groove is pretty narrow especially for a non-winged car,” Danner said. “Because I didn‘t have a lot of seat time, I didn‘t feel the most comfortable there. Still, we learned a lot.”
When the new East Coast season opened, Danner‘s goal was to capture rookie-of-the-year honors, but when he stood in victory lane in three of the first four events, many believed he could set his sights higher.
By the first of July the story of this year had been established. Save a Steven Drevicki win at Williams Grove, every event had been won by Danner or Bright. Then the entire foundation of the team was shaken to the core. Michael and Gallagher went to dinner the night before the tour stopped at Pennsylvania‘s Big Diamond Speedway.
During the evening Bill reported he didn‘t feel well. Michael admits that the owner “wasn‘t the epitome of health, but ironically he was in his best shape in a long time. When he was really heavy, he would wear an oxygen mask and have a hard time getting around so he would just stay home. Then he lost lots of weight and things were looking good. He had diabetes and stuff like that and he was fighting bronchitis which didn‘t help matters.”
Gallagher had been vaccinated, but it became clear that COVID-19 was a factor when Michael, his wife and daughter all came down with the virus.
When the team signed in at Action Track USA Michael knew his friend was on a ventilator and things looked bad. He hid all of this from his team and Danner won the feature.
Gallagher died the next day. Michael was knocked flat by the virus but somehow got his car ready for a race at the Bloomsburg Fairgrounds. Roy Danner hauled the car to the track but just as they arrived the rain came. It was probably best to pause.
The loss of Gallagher was a shock to all, but particularly for Michael who spent 14 years with the owner. During his stellar driving career, Curt Michael won a record 10 URC sprint car titles, the last five with Gallagher.
Because he was stricken with COVID, attending Gallagher‘s funeral was out of the question and finding closure was elusive. Months later, Michael simply sighs and says, “I miss that sucker every day.”
Initially it was unclear how the rest of the year would unfold but the Gallagher family instructed the team to keep going. The next scheduled race was at Delaware‘s Georgetown Speedway and to no one‘s surprise Danner was unstoppable. With a mandate to stay on the road the Danner-Bright duel continued unabated.
“I felt we kept each other on our toes,” Danner said. “If I was out front, I was waiting for him to let me know he was coming and I‘m sure if I was out front, he was waiting for me. It was a lot of fun. It‘s good to have good competition like that. It keeps you up to par. For the most part it was a friendly rivalry.”
Michael was clearly pleased with how everyone circled the wagons after Gallagher‘s death. He also foresaw what tasks faced him as a chief mechanic and mentor.
Following the tumble at Selinsgrove, the first order of business was restoring his driver‘s confidence. The necessary tonic appeared to come with an August victory at the fast and imposing Port Royal Speedway.
Danner, who proclaims to like these kinds of tracks reverted to form and put his car right on the fence. He knew he had crossed a significant psychological hurdle. So did Michael.
“I can be emotional,” Michael said. “And I was so happy. As a driver myself, I knew how important that win was.”
The championship tussle was a see-saw affair, but Bright took control with a four-race winning streak to close the campaign. Still, Danner won nine features.
Michael has a trained eye and believes Danner has nearly unlimited potential.
“He has natural ability and you can‘t teach that,” Michael said. “He knows when to twitch the car and what to do to come off the curb and make a run.”
There are times when Danner approaches matters with the boundless enthusiasm of youth, but eagerness must always be tempered with judgement. In Michael‘s mind, this is the next step in the progression. Thus, his goal is to get Danner “to think non-stop throughout the race.”
To illustrate his point Michael harkens back to one night during the 2021 season.
“We lost a race at Bridgeport,” Michael said. “He was leading coming to the checkered and got a flat. So he comes in and I said don‘t bother going back out, but our guys were amid their awesome tire change, so they were ready to rock and roll. I said, ‘Briggs, do not go near anyone, just go out and finish the race.‘ Well, he goes out and forces the issue and wrecks.
“I was madder about that than the Selinsgrove race. That is the point where I have got to get him to think. I should have gone with my first instinct,” Michael continued. “I put him in a losing position. I shouldn‘t have let him go back out. He could have left feeling we were the fastest car and we won that race. Instead, I had to yell at him that he wrecked the car for absolutely no reason.”
The emotion Michael feels is a direct reflection of the fact he knows this young man can be something special. Near the end of the year, Danner finished second in a winged sprint car race with URC.
Veteran team owner Mike Heffner will take over the operation but all the key players will remain intact. In another positive development, John Schneider of E Schneider and Sons, a scrap metal and recycling business will join the team as a sponsor.