9/11/2024
USAC East Coast Sprint Cars
Dick Tobias Classic Falls to Miller
utztown, PA. September 7th, 2024. Nick Fillman, USAC ECSC
Kenny Miller lll of Morgantown, PA capitalized on a late race issue for early race leader Briggs Danner to win his second, Rapid Tire Services, USAC East Coast Sprint Car Series, Presented by Capitol Renegade win of the season, and his first ever at Action Track USA.
Following heat race action and redraws, Briggs Danner and Kenny Miller lll lead the field to green for the thirty lap, Dick Tobias Classic at Action Track USA. Danner right away bolted to the early race lead, with Miller doing everything he could to stay on the tail tank of the Hogue Enterprises 39 machine, even drawing under Danner for the race lead down the back straight away early on in the feature event.
Around the ten lap mark, Ed Aikin and Cameron Smith who were battling hard within the top five of the feature field, made contact in corners three and four. Aikin went bouncing into the air, luckily never getting upside down, while smith spun to a stop in the middle of the corner. Both drivers did attempt to re-fire for the feature event, but Aikin was forced pit side with what was later discovered to be a bent rear axle, and frame damage. Likewise, Smith tried to tag the field, but quickly pulled into the infield with steering issues aboard the Lee Kauffman 96 machine.
As racing got back underway, the master class for Briggs Danner continued out front with Miller doing everything in his power to stay with Danner as the laps clicked off. Christian Bruno who continues to have a banner year, was in third, with Carmen Perigo Jr moving his way inside the top five after pulling the worst pill of the redraw and starting in eighth. Likewise, Steven Drevicki was rebounding from not making the redraw, and worked his way to fifth, challenging for positions in front of him while Danner quickly closed in.
As the laps clicked off, Danner encountered three different, two car battles for position at the tail end of the field. “The great equalizer” as they say, began to allow Kenny Miller lll to draw in closer and closer as Danner picked at the lapped cars. While Danner, who amazingly had worked his way to Bruce Buckwalter, who was running in seventh at the time, Miller had all but come to the rear bumper of the 39 for the race lead.
Just as the field appeared to cross the ten lap remaining mark, a lapped car began to slow in corners one and two with Danner rapidly approaching. As Danner came upon the lapped car of Gary Huston, the 39 car slammed to a stop attempting to maneuver around the outside of the 44. Danner tried to let the car roll and re-fire, but it unfortunately did not, forcing the caution flag. While Huston retired to the infield with a flat right rear tire, Danner would rejoin the field at the tail end of the lead lap cars, which fortunately for Danner was only seventh.
As the field restarted with just a few laps left, Kenny Miller lll found himself in the lead, with, Bruno, Perigo, Drevicki, and Jared Kreider in the top five. Danner made quick work of Bruce Buckwalter and Jared Kreider to get back inside the top five as the laps dwindled.
Kenny Miller lll remained out front and uncontested for the balance of the feature event, with Christian Bruno securing the runner up spot. Briggs Danner, in spectacular fashion, flew around the outside of Carmen Perigo Jr and Steven Drevicki to steal third place on the last lap, in the last corner of the event. Perigo and Drevicki completed the top five of the feature event.
Kenny Miller lll scored his first win with the series since May at the Delaware International Speedway, and his first ever at Action Track USA where he is a former wingless 600 sprint champion. Miller explained in victory lane that while it was disappointing to see Danner stopped on the track and inherit the race lead, he would take the victory how he could get it. Miller nearly got the job done last season at Action Track in the Tobias Classic, before late race contact with Tim Buckwalter ended the run and the chance.
Christian Bruno has continued his breakout season, from the big tracks, to the bull rings as he backed up his August win at Port Royal, with a runner up showing at Action Track. The two time, Action Track USA 600 Sprint Champion, made it a pair of former 600 Champions taking the top two spots in the feature event, with Miller scoring the win.
Briggs Danner looked to have another feature win all wrapped up, before the unfortunate ending out front in lapped traffic. Danner still put on an amazing show in the late stages of the feature event to complete the podium with a daring, three wide move coming off of the fourth turn to the checkered flag.
“They had my middle too slick tonight” were the words Carmen Perigo had in the pit area following the feature event. The former Action Track USA, USAC EC feature winner won a thrilling heat race number two, but had to work off pulling the number eight pill for the feature event. Perhaps if Perigo had drawn a pill more toward the front of the field he could have played a roll in determining the win, but things were not meant to be on this night.
Steven Drevicki, is not shy when saying that Action Track USA is not his favorite track on the USAC East Coast Schedule. Despite that sentiment, Drevicki has been fast each and every time that the series ventures to the Berks County Bullring, and was rewarded with another top five effort, adding to his points lead. While Drevicki didn’t get the win in the sprint car, a one-off appearance in the speedstr division, resulted in a feature event win in their third of the Dick Tobias Classic!
Up next for the series is the first ever appearance at the Outlaw Speedway in Dundee, New York, in a short turn around with the event taking place this coming Friday, September 13th!
USAC East Coast at Action Track USA Results:
Heat 1: 1. 17-Christian Bruno[1]; 2. 39-Briggs Danner[4]; 3. 7-Ed Aikin[3]; 4. 83-Bruce Buckwalter Jr[5]; 5. 10-Wesley Gomez[2]; 6. 1Q-Thomas Radivoy[6]; 7. 76-Mike Smith[7]; 8. 44-Gary Huston[8]
Heat 2: 1. 21-Carmen Perigo Jr[2]; 2. 51-Jared Kreider[1]; 3. 23M-Kenny Miller III[4]; 4. 96-Cameron Smith[6]; 5. 19-Steven Drevicki[7]; 6. 29-Dalton Herrick[5]; 7. 67-Jason Cherry[3]; 8. 3H-Heidi Hedin[8]
A Feature 1: 1. 23M-Kenny Miller III[2]; 2. 17-Christian Bruno[3]; 3. 39-Briggs Danner[1]; 4. 21-Carmen Perigo Jr[8]; 5. 19-Steven Drevicki[10]; 6. 51-Jared Kreider[5]; 7. 83-Bruce Buckwalter Jr[7]; 8. 29-Dalton Herrick[12]; 9. 67-Jason Cherry[14]; 10. 76-Mike Smith[13]; 11. 3H-Heidi Hedin[16]; 12. 10-Wesley Gomez[9]; 13. 1Q-Thomas Radivoy[11]; 14. 44-Gary Huston[15]; 15. 96-Cameron Smith[4]; 16. 7-Ed Aikin[6]
Lap Leaders: Briggs Danner: 1-20. Kenny Miller: 20-30.
Article Credit: Nick Fillman
Submitted By: Nick Fillman
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