DANNER FOR TWO! BRIGGS & HOGUE SCORE 2023 USAC EAST COAST SPRINT TITLE
By: Richie Murray – USAC Media
Speedway, Indiana (October 30, 2023)………It was a season in which Briggs Danner embarked on a yearlong journey with a new team. But in the end, the result was precisely the same with the Allentown, Pa. driver collecting his second consecutive USAC Rapid Tire East Coast Sprint Cars Presented By Capitol Custom Trailers championship in 2023.
After earning top series honors in 2022, the title-winning duo of Danner and Curt Michael/Heffner Racing Enterprises parted ways during the offseason, and soon, a connection was made between Danner and the Hogue Racing Enterprises team based out of Medford, N.J.
Danner used a string of consistency to reach the top, featuring a pair of wins, plus a series-high 12 top-fives and 13 top-tens in 14 feature starts throughout the season. As good fortune would have it, three years after winning his first ever start behind the wheel of a sprint car, Danner earned his second straight championship at the very same venue – New Jersey’s Bridgeport Motorsports Park.
Initially, the 2023 plans didn’t include chasing after another USAC East Coast title. In fact, he didn’t even know if sprint car racing would be a part of the equation with uncertainty surrounding his status at the beginning of the new year. But soon, a deal was struck between Danner and Hogue, and sure enough, success came along for the ride.
“Change is scary,” the Briggs Danner Racing Facebook page stated in a post. “Especially if you didn’t see it coming and could not prepare for it. But we knew instantly upon meeting the Hogue family that Briggs would be in good hands.”
However, the first victory for the pairing had to wait until late spring. Throughout the first six events, the team was held winless. Nonetheless, with six consecutive top-five results in those same six races, a firm grip atop the point standings had been established. With that, their day of glory was not far away, although the final race before their first official victory lane appearance may have been their biggest “win” of the year when all was said and done.
During June’s Bill Gallagher Memorial at Pennsylvania’s Williams Grove Speedway, an engine issue developed on Danner’s Hogue No. 39 just as the night was getting underway. Seemingly out of luck and out of competition for the night, fellow competitor Ed Aikin came to the rescue and offered up his backup car for Danner to compete in. Danner didn’t disappoint, ultimately charging from his 21st starting position to finish third, thus salvaging the night and keeping secure his newfound championship aspirations.
Danner, back home in the Hogue ride, reigned victorious in the subsequent rounds at Pennsylvania’s Bedford Speedway and Delaware International Speedway, and from there on, was in total command of the driver points entering the season finale in late October at Bridgeport.
However, one pressing matter remained – the USAC East Coast Sprint Car entrant championship. Hogue Racing Enterprises was on the hunt for its first title, but due to their absence from competition on the night Danner wheeled Aikin’s car, the team didn’t quite hold as much of a command in the entrant standings. For Danner, getting the entrant championship for Hogue was even more imperative than winning his own crown.
“The entrant championship mattered more to us than the driver’s points because the 39 team took us in, welcomed us with open arms and warm hearts,” Danner said. “We raced; we rode the highs and lows of racing together as a team; we made priceless memories; we shared stories; we laughed; we cultivated friendships; and we had so much fun along the way. There are many types and levels of wins in this game of life and in the sport of racing. Win, lose, or draw on Saturday, we already felt like we won. We are truly blessed.”
By racing his way up from the seventh position to second in the final race of the season, Danner clinched both the driver title for himself and the entrant title for Hogue. It’s a proud achievement for all after entering the 2023 calendar year not knowing that they would be teamed up together, let alone standing tall as the series champions.
“There are no adequate words to express how elated we are and how proud we are to win both the driver and entrant championships for the Hogue family, our amazing sponsors/partners and all our fans who have supported us all season,” Danner stated. “It takes a village, and it was truly a team effort and accomplishment in our first season together.”
Steven Drevicki (Reading, Pa.) returned to form in 2023, finishing as the runner-up in the point standings. The three-time series champion also grabbed a pair of feature wins in May at Pennsylvania’s Grandview and Clinton County Speedways, his first series victories in nearly two full years.
Joey Amantea (Mount Pocono, Pa.) turned in several fine showings to earn a career-best third-place finish in the standings, returning to victory circle for the second-straight season with the series in the penultimate round at Delaware International Speedway in October.
Bobby Butler (Milford, N.J.) was highly impressive with four podium finishes on the season en route to earning Rookie of the Year honors for 2023. Further demonstrating his exceptionality, in June during Eastern Storm against the USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship regulars at Grandview, Butler possessed the lone 360 c.i. engine in the 31-car field to transfer into the feature.
Sharing honors as the winningest drivers of the USAC East Coast Sprint Car season were 2021 series champion Alex Bright and Kenny Miller III, both of whom earned three victories apiece.
Bright (Collegeville, Pa.) took an April round at Williams Grove for the Hummer Motorsports team. When Heffner and Rookie driver Steven Snyder Jr. parted compnay in the spring, Bright was named as the new driver for the team and promptly won his first outing for them at Williams Grove in June. A horrific flip during July in USAC National Sprint Car competition at Lawrenceburg (Ind.) Speedway sidelined Bright for the next three months. Bright returned to action and won his second start back in the season finale at Bridgeport.
Meanwhile, Miller (Morgantown, Pa.) made nine starts in part-time duty with the series by winning three times himself in April at Delaware’s Georgetown Speedway, in August at Pennsylvania’s Lincoln Speedway and again one week later at Virginia’s Winchester Speedway.
Single time winners with the series included a popular victory by series veteran Carmen Perigo in July at Pennsylvania’s Action Track USA. At Winchester in May, teenager Preston Lattomus (Lewes, Del.) scored a victory for the second year in a row with the series. In August’s return to Action Track USA, Timmy Buckwalter (Douglassville, Pa.) returned to the USAC East Coast Sprint Car win column for the first time since 2019 in a rough-and-tumble feature on the 1/5-mile which featured six different lead changes.
Danner and Drevicki tied for the series lead with 13 top-tens each in 14 feature starts. Danner led all drivers with seven heat race wins while also extending his all-time series record of feature wins to 24. Four drivers started all 14 feature events during the 2023 season, including Butler, Danner, Drevicki and J.T. Ferry (Drums, Pa.).
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2023 USAC EAST COAST SPRINT CAR STAT LEADERS:
Driver Champion: Briggs Danner
Rookie of the Year: Bobby Butler
Most Wins: 3-Alex Bright & Kenny Miller III
Most Laps Led: 87-Kenny Miller III
Most Top-Fives: 12-Briggs Danner
Most Top-Tens: 13-Briggs Danner & Steven Drevicki
Most Heat Race Wins: 7-Briggs Danner
Most Feature Starts: 14-Bobby Butler, Briggs Danner, Steven Drevicki & J.T. Ferry
2023 USAC EAST COAST SPRINT CAR DRIVER POINT STANDINGS:
1. 960 Briggs Danner, Allentown, Pa.
2. 893 Steven Drevicki, Reading, Pa.
3. 784 Joey Amantea, Mount Pocono, Pa.
4. 723 Bobby Butler, Milford, N.J.
5. 722 J.T. Ferry, Drums, Pa.
6. 608 Ed Aikin, Lincoln University, Pa.
7. 593 Preston Lattomus, Lewes, Del.
8. 555 Mike Thompson, Newtown, Pa.
9. 541 Bruce Buckwalter Jr., Mechanicsburg, Pa.
10. 503 Carmen Perigo, Stoystown, Pa.
11. 487 Austin Graby, Lebanon, Pa.
12. 447 Jason Cherry, Blandon, Pa.
13. 396 Chris Allen Jr., Old Bridge, N.J.
14. 320 Christian Bruno, Deptford, N.J.
15. 302 Billy Ney, Reading, Pa.
16. 249 Kyle Spence, Bridgeton, N.J.
17. 226 Aidan Borden, Jackson, N.J.
18. 218 Dalton Herrick, McDonough, N.Y.
19. 215 David Swanson, Yardville, N.J.
20. 209 Scott Frack, Gilbertville, Pa.
21. 186 Jonathan Swanson, Yardville, N.J.
22. 174 Lee Kauffman, Hellam Township, Pa.
23. 159 Steven Snyder Jr., Rising Sun, Md.
24. 130 Mike Smith, Red Lion, Pa.
25. 91 Patrick Chilmonik, Milford, N.J.
26. 61 Tim Stallings, York, Pa.
27. 49 Brian Nornhold, Selinsgrove, Pa.
28. 38 Mick D'Agostino, Taunton, Mass.
29. 18 Tim Hogue, Medford, N.J.
2023 USAC EAST COAST SPRINT CAR FEATURE WINNERS:
Apr 7: Georgetown Speedway - Georgetown, DE
WINNER: Kenny Miller III (Kenny Miller #23m)
Apr 14: Williams Grove Speedway - Mechanicsburg, PA
WINNER: Alex Bright (Hummer Motorsports #20)
May 13: Grandview Speedway - Bechtelsville, PA
WINNER: Steven Drevicki (DeGre Engineering #19)
May 19: Clinton County Speedway - Mill Hall, PA
WINNER: Steven Drevicki (DeGre Engineering #19)
May 27: Winchester Speedway Winchester, VA
WINNER: Preston Lattomus (Michael Lattomus #23B)
Jun 2: Williams Grove Speedway - Mechanicsburg, PA
WINNER: Alex Bright (Heffner Racing Enterprises)
Jun 9: Bedford Speedway - Bedford, PA
WINNER: Briggs Danner (Hogue Racing Enterprises #39)
Jun 30: Delaware International Speedway - Delmar, DE
WINNER: Briggs Danner (Hogue Racing Enterprises #39)
Jul 12: Action Track USAKutztown, PA
WINNER: Carmen Perigo (John Stehman #21)
Aug 5: Lincoln Speedway - Abbottstown, PA
WINNER: Kenny Miller III (Kenny Miller #23m)
Aug 12: Winchester Speedway - Winchester, VA
WINNER: Kenny Miller III (Kenny Miller #23m)
Aug 20: Action Track USA - Kutztown, PA
WINNER: Timmy Buckwalter (Hummer Motorsports #20)
Oct 21: Delaware International Speedway - Delmar, DE
WINNER: Joey Amantea (JPA Racing #88J)
Oct 28: Bridgeport Motorsports Park - Swedesboro, NJ
WINNER: Alex Bright (Heffner Racing Enterprises)
2023 USAC EAST COAST SPRINT CAR FEATURE WINS:
3-Alex Bright (Apr 14 at Williams Grove Speedway, Jun 2 at Williams Grove Speedway & Oct 28 at Bridgeport Motorsports Park)
3-Kenny Miller III (Apr 7 at Georgetown Speedway, Aug 5 at Lincoln Speedway & Aug 12 at Winchester Speedway)
2-Briggs Danner (Jun 9 at Bedford Speedway & Jun 30 at Delaware International Speedway)
2-Steven Drevicki (May 13 at Grandview Speedway & May 19 at Clinton County Speedway)
1-Carmen Perigo (Jul 12 at Action Track USA)
1-Joey Amantea (Oct 21 at Delaware International Speedway)
1-Preston Lattomus (May 27 at Winchester Speedway)
1-Timmy Buckwalter (Aug 20 at Action Track USA)
2023 USAC EAST COAST SPRINT CAR FEATURE LAPS LED:
87-Kenny Miller III
67-Alex Bright
33-Carmen Perigo
32-Steven Drevicki
27-Briggs Danner
25-Joey Amantea & Preston Lattomus
18-Tommy Kunsman
15-Ed Aikin
12-Christian Bruno
11-Timmy Buckwalter
5-J.T. Ferry
3-Steven Snyder Jr.
2023 USAC EAST COAST SPRINT CAR TOP-5 FEATURE FINISHES:
12-Briggs Danner
9-Joey Amantea
7-Steven Drevicki
6-Alex Bright
5-Kenny Miller III
4-Bobby Butler, Preston Lattomus & Carmen Perigo
3-Ed Aikin & Christian Bruno
2-Chris Allen Jr., Bruce Buckwalter Jr., Timmy Buckwalter & Kyle Spence
1-J.T. Ferry, Tommy Kunsman, Billy Pauch Jr., Steven Snyder Jr. & Mike Thompson
2023 USAC EAST COAST SPRINT CAR TOP-10 FEATURE FINISHES:
13-Briggs Danner & Steven Drevicki
11-Joey Amantea & J.T. Ferry
9-Bobby Butler
8-Preston Lattomus & Kenny Miller III
7-Alex Bright & Carmen Perigo
6-Ed Aikin, Chris Allen Jr. & Bruce Buckwalter Jr.
5-Mike Thompson
4-Christian Bruno & Kyle Spence
3-Austin Graby & Timmy Buckwalter
2-Tommy Kunsman, Billy Ney & Steven Snyder Jr.
1-Aidan Borden, Jason Cherry, Scott Frack, Dalton Herrick, Brendan Hires, Billy Pauch Jr., Brett Rose, Dale Schweikert, David Swanson & Jonathan Swanson
2023 USAC EAST COAST SPRINT CAR HEAT RACE WINS:
7-Briggs Danner
5-Carmen Perigo
4-Joey Amantea
3-Timmy Buckwalter & Steven Drevicki
2-Alex Bright, Christian Bruno, Bobby Butler & Kenny Miller III
1-Bruce Buckwalter Jr., Tommy Kunsman, Preston Lattomus, Steven Snyder Jr. & Mike Thompson
2023 USAC EAST COAST SPRINT CAR FEATURE STARTS:
14-Bobby Butler, Briggs Danner, Steven Drevicki & J.T. Ferry
13-Mike Thompson
12-Ed Aikin, Joey Amantea, Bruce Buckwalter Jr. & Austin Graby
11-Jason Cherry
10-Preston Lattomus
9-Kenny Miller III
8-Alex Bright & Carmen Perigo
7-Chris Allen Jr. & Billy Ney
6-Aidan Borden
5-Christian Bruno, Scott Frack, Dalton Herrick, David Swanson & Jonathan Swanson
4-Lee Kauffman, Tommy Kunsman, Brett Rose, Mike Smith & Kyle Spence
3-Timmy Buckwalter, Troy Fraker, Brendan Hires & Steven Snyder Jr.
2-Patrick Chilmonik & Gary Huston
1-Chris Allen Sr., Josh Beamer, Richy Carnathan, Mick D’Agostino, Heidi Hedin, George Loux, Brian Nornhold, Billy Pauch Jr., Dale Schweikert & Tim Stallings
2023 USAC EAST COAST SPRINT CAR SEMI-FEATURE WINS:
2-Aidan Borden
1-Scott Frack, Austin Graby, Billy Ney & Mike Thompson
ALL-TIME USAC EAST COAST SPRINT CAR FEATURE WINS:
24-Briggs Danner
22-Alex Bright
15-Steven Drevicki
5-Kenny Miller III
3-Timmy Buckwalter & Eddie Strada
2-Chris Allen Jr., Joey Amantea, Joey Biasi, Mark Bitner & Preston Lattomus
1-Brady Bacon, Ryan Godown, Coleman Gulick, Damon Paul, Carmen Perigo, Billy VanInwegen & Ryan Watt
USAC EAST COAST SPRINT CAR DRIVER CHAMPIONS:
2018: Steven Drevicki, Reading, Pa.
2019: Steven Drevicki, Reading, Pa.
2020: Steven Drevicki, Reading, Pa.
2021: Alex Bright, Collegeville, Pa.
2022: Briggs Danner, Allentown, Pa.
2023: Briggs Danner, Allentown, Pa.
USAC EAST COAST SPRINT CAR ROOKIES OF THE YEAR:
2018: None
2019: Connor Leoffler, Galivants Ferry, S.C.
2020: Alex Bright, Collegeville, Pa.
2021: Briggs Danner, Allentown, Pa.
2022: Preston Lattomus, Lewes, Dela.
2023: Bobby Butler, Milford, N.J.