BENTON, Mo. — Austyn Gossel is confident that his first triumph with the American Sprint Car Series is near.
In his third full-time season with the series, the Fort Collins, Colo.,native is looking to prove his capability of winning on the tour while continuing to grow the chemistry of the team he has around the No. 16G machine.
He’ll continue the milestone quest at Benton Speedway on Friday night. Through his only two appearances at the track with ASCS, Gossel finished 10th in 2024, then earned his career-high at the “Show Me State” three-eighths-mile with a fifth-place result in the 2025 showcase.
“I think it’s been the luck of the draw,” Gossel said. “Last year, when we went to Benton, it was really a technical, tricky race surface. It was slick to the bone up to the curb, and there wasn’t even much of a curb, more like a slab of dirt against the wall that you ride all the way around.
“I got a good pill draw, quick time in qualifying, and starting up front with these guys is really crucial, no matter where we are. I’ve found a rhythm there early on, but it’s a really unique track that I really enjoy going there. The last couple of years, it’s been a different surface. But it hasn’t mattered to me what the surface is, I still wound up running up front there. It’s a place that just really suits my style.”
After the Friday visit to Missouri, Gossel will travel 70 miles eastbound to Paducah International Raceway for the Mother’s Day Salute to close the two days of racing with the series. The high-banked Kentucky track is the place that Gossel has been closest to scoring a victory with ASCS.
He struggled in his first start at the track in 2024 with a 16th-place result. In his second appearance in May of 2025, he improved to finish 12th. When the series returned in September, Gossel found his rhythm. Beginning the night, he finished third in his Heat race, then drove from a fifth-place starting spot in the feature to finish runner-up to Jason Martin at the checkered flag.
“It’s kind’ve crazy going from a track like Benton to a really demanding racetrack like Paducah,” Gossel said. “Originally, I didn’t care to go back there because it wasn’t for me. I talked to a few guys about it and figuring out how to race that track. You have to drive really hard, it’s really demanding, and you have to basically drive it up the banking and let the car do its thing.
“But now, I’m really looking forward to going back there. That’ll kind of be our determining factor. If we don’t run good, then we got to figure out something else with our program going forward. There’s really not a reason as to why we should run bad there with the equipment we’ve got and the backing that we got from everyone that support us. You’re going so fast there, that’s the place you need to throw your nuts over your shoulder and get after it.”
Gossel’s team possesses sprint car knowledge lasting multiple decades. Last season, veteran sprint car crew chief Bobby Craft joined the team for the ASCS visit to Dodge City Raceway Park. That night, Gossel earned his first second-place finish after starting from the pole.
“The first night Bobby came to help us last year, we ended up running second at Dodge City,” Gossel said. “It’s progressed from there, and we should have had a couple wins last year, but things weren’t flying for us.
“So, we’ve really put in the work over the offseason to get better, and our goal was to win at least a couple races. If not that, run up front consistently. We have the speed, we have the equipment, we have all the right things to get us there. We just have to get there as a team.”
Though Gossel sits 10th in points entering the weekend, he knows there is room for more growth to be shown. His highest finish of the season is an 11th place from the final night of the Sonoran Clash at Central Arizona Raceway.
On Saturday night, he finished sixth in the ASCS Gunsmoke Region opener at Dodge City Raceway Park in his preparation for more 360 racing in May.
“It’s really about having the mindset that we are capable of running good,” Gossel said. “I’m
“I know if we get something close to the setup we had last year, we can unload out of the box and have a good qualifying, good Heat, and the luck of the pill draw. The guys you’re gonna be racing with most of the night will be tough, so I think the confidence is key. Going in knowing that we can win on any given night, we’ll just put our eggs in the basket and get after it.”
Gossel will strap aboard his No. 16G sprint car with the American Sprint Car Series at Benton Speedway on Friday, May 8, then Paducah International Raceway on Saturday, May 9.
