By Kurt Bettler
Pottsville, Pennsylvania (August 8, 2025)………Briggs Danner has checked off plenty of milestones in his career — wins on the national stage, big micro sprint triumphs, and SpeedSTR success. But one thing had eluded him: a victory at Pottsville, Pennsylvania’s Big Diamond Speedway.
Under a full moon in the mountains of Schuylkill County, 22 USAC Innovative Machining Technology East Coast Sprint Cars signed in. Heat race wins went to Allentown, Pa.’s Danner as well as a pair of Reading, Pa. residents in Steven Drevicki and Billy Ney, which set the stage for the redraw. Ney pulled the pole; Danner drew sixth and point leader Drevicki started ninth.
The front row consisted of Ney and Bethlehem, Pa.’s Tommy Kunsman who has been focusing on national micro sprint competition in 2025. Ney grabbed the early lead at the drop of the green as he looked to finally shake off a season of bad luck, but a lap one caution for Brendan Hires slowed the pace.
On the restart, the battle for the lead quickly heated up. Kunsman slipped by Ney, only for Chris Allen Jr. to take the spot. Meanwhile, Danner, in the potent Hogue Racing Enterprises machine, was lurking from sixth. A lap five caution for Troy Fraker bunched up the field again.
The drama spiked on lap six when Ney and Danner tangled in turn one fighting for position. Ney came to a stop and Danner continued. Bad luck for Ney was back.
Just one restart later, Danner made the move of the night by diving from high to low out of turn four to pass both Kunsman and Allen for the lead in one daring swoop.
The yellow flew again as Ed Aikin and Christian Bruno made contact in turn three, causing Bruno to do a 360 degree spin, which forced him to restart at the rear.
On the restart, Danner began pulling away, but Drevicki wasn’t done. From ninth, the defending series champion methodically worked through the field. By lap 15, he had passed Kunsman for second and was chipping away at Danner’s two second lead.
Traffic was looming when a caution for Gary Huston with seven laps to go set up one final challenge. On the restart, Drevicki tried every line the speedway had to offer, but Danner’s 39 was too strong. At long last, Danner had added a Big Diamond win to his resume.
That victory also means Danner will have his work cut out for him on Saturday, August 9, at New Jersey’s New Egypt Speedway. By rule, he can start no better than eighth. But with $1,000 on the line from E. Schneider & Sons Recycling for a weekend sweep, you can bet he’ll be going all out to bring the broom.
USAC IMT EAST COAST SPRINT CARS PRESENTED BY BAER DEN FARMS RACE RESULTS: August 8, 2025 – Big Diamond Speedway – Pottsville, Pennsylvania
BDB GRAPHICS FIRST HEAT: (10 laps, all transfer to the feature) 1. Steven Drevicki (#19 Drevicki), 2. Chris Allen Jr (#71 Allen), 3. Christian Bruno (#17m Bruno), 4. Kenny Miller III (#23m Miller), 5. Ronald Helmick (22R Helmick), 6. Olivia Thayer (#39T Thayer), 7. Lee Kauffman (#96 Kauffman). 2:36.494
E. SCHNEIDER & SONS SECOND HEAT: (10 laps, all transfer to the feature) 1. Briggs Danner (#39 Hogue), 2. Bobby Butler (#5B Butler), 3. Patrick Chilmonik (#1 Chilmonik), 4. Brett Rose (#45R Rose), 5. Jacob Galloway (#27G Galloway), 6. Dirk Rimrott (#27 Rimrott), 7. Troy Fraker (#12w Fraker). NT
BOULEVARD TRUCK REPAIR THIRD HEAT: (10 laps, all transfer to the feature) 1. Billy Ney (#83s Ney), 2. Joe Kata (#10 Kata), 3. Tommy Kunsman (#21K Kunsman), 4. Ed Aikin (#7 Aikin), 5. Bruce Buckwalter Jr. (#83 Buckwalter), 6. Jason Cherry (#67 Cherry), 7. Gary Huston (#44 Huston). NT
E SCHNEIDER & SONS SCRAP FEATURE: 1. Briggs Danner (6), 2. Steven Drevicki (9), 3. Kenny Miller III (10), 4. Tommy Kunsman (2), 5. Chris Allen Jr. (4), 6. Bobby Butler (7), 7. Ed Aikin (12), 8. Ronald Helmick (13), 9. Joe Kata (8), 10. Bruce Buckwalter Jr. (15), 11. Jacob Galloway (14), 12. Jason Cherry (18), 13. Patrick Chilmonik (3), 14. Olivia Thayer (16), 15. Lee Kauffman (19), 16. Brett Rose (11), 17. Dirk Rimrott (17), 18. Gary Huston (21), 19. Christian Bruno (5), 20. Billy Ney (1), 21. Troy Fraker (20), 22. Brendan Hires (22). NY
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-2 Billy Ney, Laps 3-4 Chris Allen Jr., Laps 5-25 Briggs Danner.
NEXT USAC IMT EAST COAST SPRINT CARS PRESENTED BY BAER DEN FARMS RACE: August 9, 2025 – New Egypt Speedway – New Egypt, New Jersey
CONTINGENCY AWARDS:
E. Schneider & Sons Recycling: $100 bonus to all the starters for this weekend
The B-Main was cancelled after Troy Fraker added start money for the two non-qualifiers to start the feature
Bitner Automotive Fast Time of the Night: Briggs Danner (14.623)
C & C Landscaping Hard Charger: Steven Drevicki (6th to 2nd)
JPA Racing Products Hard Luck Award: Billy Ney
Hoosier Tire Poker Chip Winner: Dirk Rimrott