Briggs Danner to Kick off 90 Race 2022 Season with First Chili Bowl Appearance

Briggs Danner had an unbelievable first season of sprint car racing despite some difficult times during the season; but he was still able to put together an amazing season of racing.  Briggs picked up 14 wins crisscrossing between winged & wingless; 360 & 410; micro & speedsters; asphalt and dirt.  After a strong 2021 season from start to finish; Briggs already has 90 race dates penciled in on the schedule for year 2 of his sprint car racing.

Briggs starts his 2022 season in Matt Janisch’s TQ midget at an indoor arena race in his hometown of Allentown, PA on January 7th & 8^th, 2022.   Then it’s off for his first time in a midget and his first time at the Chili Bowl in Mike Heffner’s midget.  After two early January races then it’s just a mere 88 races left to the 2022 season.  

Briggs recounted “Well it all started in 2020 when I made a blind inquiry and reached out to Bill Gallagher & Curt Michael in response to their Facebook post looking for an experienced sprint car driver.  I had no sprint car experience and only drove a modified, micro (twice) and speedster; but I had always dreamed of driving a sprint car.  Curt got back to me and told me they were going to continue looking for an experienced sprint car driver and thank me for my interest in the 5G sprint car team.  Then one Friday afternoon; I got an offer to drive a 600 micro at Bridgeport’s Spirit Speedway on that Friday night and figured why not.  It was only my third time in a 600 micro; but I was able to pick up my first micro win.   The next week I was in my family’s #78 speedster and got my second win in a row at Bridgeport in two different classes.  Well, it just so happened that after those two wins I heard back from Bill Gallagher & Curt Michael.  They saw I had two consecutive wins at Bridgeport; and they didn’t have an experienced driver yet for their next race at Bridgeport. So, they decided to call and offer me an opportunity to drive their sprint car for one race at Bridgeport.  It was my first time ever in a sprint car and I won the race and made it 3 wins in a row at Bridgeport in 3 different classes.  That is how my sprint car racing all started for me.   I can’t say how grateful I am that Bill and Curt took a chance on me and gave me an opportunity of a lifetime driving the 5G sprint cars for the 2021 season.”

2021 was Briggs’ rookie season on the USAC East Coast 360 tour and the USAC National 410 Sprint car tour and he turned in the best season of his career in his first year of sprint car racing.  A partial National 410 wingless sprint car schedule was campaigned with Briggs picking up 5 top ten finishes in 10 starts.   

On the East Coast 360 tour; Briggs sprung onto the scene with a bang and won his first race of the season at Bridgeport and proceeded to win 9 races of a 23 race season in his rookie season.  He also won at four tracks that he had never been at before – Selinsgrove, Bedford, Bloomsburg, and Port Royal.   Only 3 finishes were out of the top ten and all three were the result of flat tires and attrition while running in the top 5.   Briggs finished 2^nd in season points and won the 2021 “USAC East Coast Rookie of the Year” award.

Briggs also ran a full season of USAC SpeedSTR at Action Track USA in Kutztown, PA and won the season points championship along with two feature wins.  In 600 micro racing he piloted the Dave Bodine entry to a win over a field of 91 cars at the Greenwood Valley during the 600 Speed Week Opener and an 8^th place finish at the Carolina Showdown at Millbridge Speedway in North Carolina.  Briggs capped his 2021 season off with a win in Matt Janisch’s TQ midget on the asphalt at Wall Stadium’s Turkey Derby and ending his season with 14 wins in four different classes which earned him the Eastern Motorsports Press Association’s 2021 “Young Guns Award”.

Briggs recalled “The 2021 season started with my first race ever in a 410 sprint wingless car at the USAC National Tour at Bubba Raceway in Ocala, Florida.  We were able to qualify at my first 410 National tour race and it was an incredible early season learning experience.  My next 410 race was at Grandview and I was able to set fast time in qualifying at one of my former home tracks.  I won my first USAC wingless 360 race of the season at Bridgeport which is my current home track and posted podium finishes in my first five races of the USAC East Coast 360 season.  We had an amazing car all season long and ended up with 14 podium finishes in 23 East Coast 360 races.  We also finished the season with a 2^nd place finish in the final URC winged race of the season at Bridgeport which we hope is just the beginning of our winged success and we can continue to improve our winged sprint car program into the 2022 season.”

In July team owner Bill Gallagher unexpectedly fell ill and tragically passed away very suddenly.  The tragic loss cast doubt on the future of the 5G racing team and not to mention the 2021 season.  Thanks to Bill’s meticulous planning and his children’s gracious support; the team was able to continue to operate without interruption until Mike Heffner stepped in and purchased the team lock stock and barrel.

Briggs reflected “unfortunately we lost our car owner Bill suddenly during the season and it was a very difficult time.  I really would like to thank Bill’s family who wanted to see his legacy and team continue racing and they made it possible for the team to stay 100 % intact with the sale to Mike Heffner.  I know Bill would want us to be able to keep “5G racing” going with me continuing to drive and Curt staying on as chief mechanic and engine turner.  I miss Bill an awful lot and he will always be the guy that believed in me and took a chance on me.  Bill loved being in victory lane and we were fortunate to be able to get him there 4 times this year.  When we sweep a double header weekend with wins at Bedford and Grandview Bill said to me “this is great; I have never swept a double header weekend before.”  We got him one more win while he was in the hospital and we also won our first race after he passed which was a fitting tribute to the founder of 5G racing.”

Mike Heffner bought the entire 5G racing operation and it will continue to operate 100 % the same during the 2022 racing season as it did in 2021 with Curt Michael as chief mechanic and engine tuner. 

 Briggs commented “We have a very busy 2022 planned with 65 sprint car dates and 25 micro, speedster and TQ dates for a total of around 90 races on our schedule.  I’m starting the 2022 season in the first week of January right in my own backyard driving Matt Janisch’s TQ midget at an indoor race in Allentown, PA.  Then I’m heading west to drive Mike Heffner’s midget at the Chili Bowl.  This will be my first time in a midget and first time at the Chili Bowl.”

 Our first race in February will be World Racing’s Inaugural Extreme Outlaw Wingless 410 Sprints at Volusia Speedway on February 14^th and 15^th.  Then we go to Bubba Raceway for 3 days of USAC National wingless 410 racing to close out our February Florida swing.  We also plan on expanding our 410 wingless schedule by adding a trip to Indiana Speed Week; the Smackdown at Kokomo and the USAC Nationals at Eldora to the USAC Eastern Storm tour which we ran last year.  Our 35 race USAC East Coast 360 sprint car season will start on April 2 at Williams Grove Speedway.”

We also hope to add more winged 360 and winged 410 sprint car dates this season with events at Bridgeport, Port Royal and Big Diamond for both URC 360’s and the winged 410 sprint car.  We’ll be back racing the # 78 speedster at Action track, Bridgeport, and Bloomsburg Fairgrounds.   The micro racing schedule in Dave Bodine’s 600 micro includes Hyper Speedweek and a trip or two to Millbridge again in 2022.  I am hoping to return to modified as my schedule permits and we are currently seeking a modified ride at Bridgeport.”

“My immediate goal for 2022 is to be the Rookie of the Year at the 2022 Chili Bowl.  One of our season’s goals for 2022 is to improve our winged racing program in both winged 410 and URC sprint car racing and get my first winged sprint car feature win.  We got a 2^nd in URC winged 360 on the final day of the 2021 season at Bridgeport so we are starting with a good baseline in our winged program from last year. I’m also really looking forward to racing at Bridgeport’s Extreme Sprint Car Weekend in October when I will be able to race all three sprint classes in the same weekend and compete in 410 sprints, URC winged 360’s and EC non-winged 360 at the same event.  Other goals for 2022 is to step up one position in the USAC east coast points standings and win the 2022 USAC EC 360 points championship this year and to defend our 2021 Action Track SpeedSTR points championship and win again second year in a row.”

“I’m in my second year of sprint car racing and have been fortunate enough to have two great sprint car owners.  I am honored and humbled to be able to continue the legacy of the Bill Gallagher 5G team this year while building the legacy of Mike Heffner’s 5G team into 2022 and beyond.”