For Briggs Danner, a first career victory on the USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship tour seemed closer than ever before.

On a part-time basis in eight series starts this year, he’d finished inside the top-10 in seven of them, and less than a month ago, he was standing in victory lane with the USAC East Coast Sprint Car Series at Bechtelsville, Pennsylvania’s Grandview Speedway, host of Tuesday night’s USAC Eastern Storm opener and the venue in which he had earned his best USAC national performance to date with a runner-up finish in 2022.

How fitting it was that the native Keystone State racer achieved his breakthrough on his home dirt in front of his home crowd at what you might consider one of his home tracks, located roughly a half-hour or so from his Allentown, Pa. home.

For Danner to be able to get it done during the premiere of the most preeminent event for USAC racing on the east coast – the 17th edition of Eastern Storm – was icing on the cake for he and his Hogue Racing Enterprises/E. Schneider & Sons – Boulevard Truck Repair/DRC/Rider Chevy during the 13th running of the Jesse Hockett Classic.

“This is freaking awesome,” Danner, the 2022-23 USAC East Coast regional sprint car titlist exclaimed. “To do it in front of this crowd at this track is incredible. This might not set in until the end of the week.”

In doing so, Danner posted several firsts. He became the first Pennsylvanian to win a USAC National Sprint Car feature period since Selinsgrove’s Frankie Kerr in 1999 at the Terre Haute (Ind.) Action Track. Furthermore, Danner became the first Pennsylvanian to win a USAC National Sprint Car race in his home state since Paul Pitzer at Reading in 1979.

In terms of Eastern Storm, he’s the first driver to earn his first career USAC National Sprint Car feature during the event in 14 years – since Chris Windom’s score at Big Diamond Speedway in 2010. In fact, in the 64-race history of Eastern Storm, only five drivers have won their first career USAC National Sprint Car main event. Along with Danner and Windom in that club are Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (2007 Big Diamond), Cole Whitt (2008 Big Diamond) and Chad Boat (2008 Hagerstown).

Danner’s victory also arrives on the heels of Daison Pursley’s first career USAC National Sprint Car points-paying triumph at Iowa’s Knoxville Raceway 10 days earlier. It’s the first such instance of consecutive first-time series winners in the series since July of 2022 at South Dakota’s Huset’s Speedway where Ryan Bernal and Mitchel Moles won on back-to-back nights.

Starting fourth on this night, Danner certainly had his work cut out for it with two drivers in the same realm occupying the front row. Both pole sitter Carson Garrett and outside front row starter Alex Bright were similarly vying for their first career USAC National Sprint Car victories. Garrett controlled the pace to lead the opening lap, but Bright made his bid in turn one on the second lap as he slid his way past Garrett.

However, by the time Bright reached turn two, his front wheels pulled skyward, and he subsequently kicked sideways. Garrett escaped trouble but ramped his right rear tire over Bright’s left front, sending Bright to a complete halt. Garrett continued onward while Bright attempted to return but spun backwards to a stop in turn four under the yellow flag with more dire damage done than was first apparent, ending his night. Seventh running Kyle Cummins also spun to avoid the initial carnage. As the field slowed for the incident, Cummins slid into the left rear tire of Brady Bacon, knocking Cummins sideways and sending him spinning to a stop. Cummins returned to finish 11th.

Upon the resumption of the 40-lap main event, Garrett extended his lead to over a second by lap 11 until reaching the tail end of the field. In what soon came to be known as a slider fest, Danner made the first successful move on lap 15 when he dove under Garrett in turn three as the two frontrunners attempted to navigate past the lapped car of Tom Harris. Over the course of the next three laps, Danner and Garrett exchanged the lead three different times before Danner ultimately escaped the throes of the challenge on the 17th lap around the 1/3-mile dirt oval when he completed the pass of Garrett on the back straight.

“We ran the (USAC) East Coast race here earlier this year and it was nothing like this,” Danner remarked. “Carson was really, really good, and I felt like my only opportunity was lapped traffic unless he made a mistake. I knew I just needed to capitalize.”

USAC Eastern Storm Grandview Results Tuesday

1. Briggs Danner (4)

2. Brady Bacon (6)

3. C.J. Leary (3)

4. Carson Garrett (1)

5. Logan Seavey (13)

 6. Daison Pursley (10),

7. Robert Ballou (15)

8. Jake Swanson (16)

9. Joey Amantea (20)

10. Jadon Rogers (8)

11. Kyle Cummins (7)

12. Mitchel Moles (5)

13. Charles Davis Jr. (9)

14. Steven Drevicki (18)

15. Chase Stockon (17)

 16. Matt Westfall (19)

17. Ricky Lewis (11)

18. Tom Harris (21)

19. Korbyn Hayslett (22)

20. Justin Grant (12)

21. Kevin Thomas Jr. (14)

22. J.T. Ferry (24)

 23. Hunter Maddox (23)

 24. Alex Bright (2). NT