Briggs Danner to Pilot Bill Gallagher’s 5G in the 2021 USAC East Coast 360 Wingless Sprint Car Series

For most drivers the 2020 season will always be remembered as the pandemic shorten racing season.  For Briggs Danner it will be remembered as the season of many opportunities one right after another leading up to a dream come true opportunity to pilot the Bill Gallagher BBJG Racing 5G wingless sprint car.  “Living the dream” came true for Briggs as he won his first outing in the 5G wingless sprint car at Bridgeport in 2020 and has since been announced as the full time driver of the 5G for the 2021 USAC East Coast Wingless Sprint Car Series and the Eastern Storm. 

Briggs is a 3^rd generation driver whose grandfather Roy Danner Sr. raced in Street Stock and Late Models at Nazareth Speedway and Dorney Park Speedway.  Brigg’s father Roy Danner Jr. raced Legend Cars at Linda’s and Kutztown Fairgrounds for ten years until he retired from driving to support Brigg’s ¼ midget racing.

Brigg’s racing career started at the age of 5 in ¼ midgets and in 2016 he moved into speedsters at Kutztown Fairgrounds and Linda’s.   In 2017 he drove his first modified for Bob Rexrode in the # 6 at Grandview and in 2018 moved to the family owned #78 modified competing at both Grandview and Big Diamond.

2020 opened not only as the season of the pandemic but a season of change for Briggs as the 78 modified and speedster found a new Saturday home on the brand new Bridgeport Motorsports Park 4/10 mile high banks for the 2020 season.  Little did Briggs know that the season of change would soon be a season of opportunity and then a season of “living the dream.”

Briggs opened the 2020 season early with some indoor success in Matt Janisch’s # 48 TQ midget with a 5^th place at Atlantic City and an 8^th at Allentown PPL.  Briggs finished the Action Track speedster season with a solid 4^th place in points with consistent top 5 and top 10 finishes in the 78 speedster.

Briggs continued his season of opportunity when he responded to a Facebook post looking for driver applicants with sprint car experience to drive Bill Gallagher’s 5G sprint cars.

Briggs recounted “I always wanted to drive a sprint car; so when I saw the 5G sprint car post looking for an experienced sprint car driver to replace an injured Timmy Buckwalter I responded to Curt Michael of BBJG Racing.   Mr. Michael took my name; but without any sprint car experience I really thought that would be the end of the sprint car story.  Then one Friday afternoon I got an offer to drive a 600 micro at Bridgeport for Dave Bodine only a few hours later that night at Spirit Speedway. Coming into that race I only had 4 micro races under my belt but still managed to collect my first 600 micro win at Spirit Speedway .   My next race was a speedster race at Bridgeport Motorsports Park and I was able to win this one too making it two wins in row.  After those two wins; I got a call back from Mr. Michael and got offered an opportunity to drive the 5G 360 wingless sprint car at the Danny Serrano Memorial.”

Needless to say the rest is history as Briggs Danner won his first race in the 5G Wingless 360 USAC East Coast sprint car.   Briggs added another good outing in the 5G wingless 360 entry at Georgetown Speedway in October which resulted in a solid 4^th place finish.

The 2020 story wasn’t done yet; as the opportunity to drive the 5G winged 360 sprint car presented itself at the URC High Banks Classic at Bridgeport Motorsports Park.  With over 40 URC entries on the grounds; Briggs secured a 12^th place finish on Friday night and a 3^rd place finish on Saturday night in his very first time in the winged 360 sprint car.   

The dream continues as Briggs has already been announced as the full time driver for the BBJG racing team 5G sprint car for the 2021 USAC East Coast Wingless 360 series and the Eastern Storm 410 sprint car week.

Briggs and the 5G will be starting their 2021 season with the wingless 410 at the Winter Dirt Games XII at Bubba Raceway in Ocala, FL on February 11-13.  The full 2021 schedule of the USAC East Coast Sprints Series and the Eastern Storm is also planned for Briggs’s first full year as a sprint car driver.

Briggs stated “I will be racing the BBJG Racing 5G sprint car full time in 2021 and will race the modified at Bridgeport when my sprint car schedule permits and the speedster at Action Track and Linda’s also as the sprint car schedule permits.  My goals for 2021 is to have consistent point finishes in all 32 of the USAC East Coast Sprint Car events; to get a win with each car which would include my first win in the modified.”

Briggs also has two dates at Bridgeport Motorsports Park where he plans to pull double duty and drive both the modified and the 5G sprint car at the same event. Briggs commented “I would like to thank Bill Gallagher & Curt Michael for the opportunity of a lifetime to pilot the 5G sprint cars for the 2021 season and all our great sponsors whose support makes this season possible – GEI Enterprises, Valley Forge Inc.; Trans-Flett Concrete; Auto Works Collision Center; and Frozen Farmer.”

“As far as the 78 modified and speedster we wouldn’t be able to run both cars without the support of our great sponsors –   E Schneider & Sons Recycling; Ironton Telephone Company; Roy Danner Paving; GC Lumber; Willow Street Pub; M.R. Doggy Style Hot Dog Shoppe and Wiz Fab.”

One thing is for certain; Briggs Danner will be “living the dream” in his first full year of wingless and winged 360 and 410 sprint car racing during the 2021 season.