GOSSEL BREAKS NEW GROUND IN SILVER CROWN DEBUT

By: Richie Murray – USAC Media

Salem, Indiana (August 13, 2020)………It’s hard enough to finish inside the top-five in any given USAC Silver Crown Champ Car Series race.

Now imagine your first start.  Many have hopes of just finishing, running all the laps, keeping their nose clean and bringing back the car in one piece.  If a finish inside or around the top-ten happens to be in the cards, that’s the proverbial cherry on top.

Fort Collins, Colorado’s Bryan Gossel did more than just that last Sunday at Selinsgrove (Pa.) Speedway as the ASCS Sprint Car veteran’s Silver Crown debut went just about as well as anyone can expect in their first foray in the big cars, finishing 4^th after starting 19^th.

Gossel’s performance at Selinsgrove has some historical significance as far as first-time starters go with the Silver Crown series.  Of the 704 drivers who’ve competed in the Silver Crown series since its inception in 1971, only 35 previous drivers had finished in the top-five in their first start, including the likes of USAC National champions A.J. Foyt, Rick Hood, Ken Schrader, Brady Bacon, Pancho Carter, Gary Bettenhausen, Jimmy Caruthers and Jeff Gordon.

Interestingly enough, Gossel wasn’t alone at Selinsgrove.  Also making his Silver Crown debut was Carmen Perigo (Stoystown, Pa.), who started 5^th and finished 5^th.  It’s the first time two drivers making their Silver Crown debuts have finished inside the top-five in the same race since March 23, 2007 at Homestead-Miami Speedway when Cameron Dodson finished 3^rd and Ryan Moore 4^th.

In fact, that feat has only been accomplished three times in total.  Obviously, the very first Silver Crown race at Nazareth, Pa. in 1971 featured all drivers making their first starts, but it also happened in 1983 at the Oklahoma City Fairgrounds with NCRA regulars Herb Copeland winning and Bruce Jennings taking 3^rd.

Additionally, Gossel’s starting spot of 19^th at Selinsgrove is the second-furthest back any top-five finishing driver has started in his series debut, only trailing Jimmy Caruthers’ charge from 20^th to 5^th in the 1971 race at the Illinois State Fairgrounds.

Gossel enters this Saturday night’s Kentuckiana Ford Dealers Joe James-Pat O’Connor Memorial at Indiana’s Salem Speedway as now a one-race veteran of the series, that experience coming on a half-mile, relatively flat dirt track.  Now it’s on to the super high, paved high banks of Indiana’s Salem Speedway on August 15.  Another challenge Gosell is up to the task for.

Saturday’s Kentuckiana Ford Dealers Joe James/Pat O’Connor Memorial featuring the USAC Silver Crown Champ Car Series & Lucas Oil Great American Stocks begins with the pits opening at 1pm Eastern, spectator gates at 3pm, practice at 3:30pm, qualifying at 5:45pm and racing at 7:15pm.

General admission tickets are $27 for adults/teens, $5 for ages 6-12 and free for ages 5 and under.

Watch it LIVE on FloRacing at https://bit.ly/3frPoW6.

USAC SILVER CROWN DEBUT PERFORMANCES (1971-2020)

1^ST PLACE

Jim McElreath (June 20, 1971 at Nazareth National Motor Speedway – started 9^th)

A.J. Foyt (Aug 22, 1971 at the Illinois State Fairgrounds – started 10^th)

Danny Smith (Apr 25, 1982 at Eldora Speedway – started 8^th)

Rick Hood (May 8, 1982 at the Indiana State Fairgrounds – started 4^th)

Jimmy Horton (July 3, 1983 at Nazareth National Motor Speedway – started 5^th)

Herb Copeland (Jul 24, 1983 at the Oklahoma City Fairgrounds – started 6^th)

Marv Carman (Aug 24, 1984 at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds – started 4^th)

2^ND PLACE

Arnie Knepper (June 20, 1971 at Nazareth National Motor Speedway – started 14^th)

Barry Camp (July 5, 1981 at Williams Grove Speedway – started 5^th)

Jac Haudenschild (May 24, 1985 at the Indiana State Fairgrounds – started 6^th)

P.J. Jones (Aug 4, 1994 at Indianapolis Raceway Park – started 1^st)

3^RD PLACE

Don Hawley (Jun 20, 1971 at Nazareth National Motor Speedway – started 16^th)

Jigger Sirois (Sept 4, 1972 at the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds – started 2^nd)

Ken Schrader (Nov 2, 1980 at the Terre Haute Action Track – started 1^st)

Bruce Jennings (Jul 24, 1983 at the Oklahoma City Fairgrounds – started 18^th)

Terry Shepherd (Sep 22, 1991 at Eldora Speedway – started 7^th)

Steve Kent (Oct 8, 1994 at the Cal Expo State Fairgrounds – started 3^rd)

Aaron Fike (Nov 14, 2000 at Irwindale Speedway – started 8^th)

Cameron Dodson (Mar 23, 2007 at Homestead-Miami Speedway – started 3^rd)

Brady Bacon (Aug 31, 2014 at the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds – started 12^th)

4^TH PLACE

Billy Vukovich (Jun 20, 1971 at Nazareth National Motor Speedway – started 8^th)

Pancho Carter (May 28, 1972 at the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds – started 15^th)

Wally Dallenbach (Aug 17, 1974 at the Missouri State Fairgrounds – started 16^th)

Randy Tolsma (Aug 1, 1993 at the Milwaukee Mile – started 5^th)

Ryan Moore (Mar 23, 2007 at Homestead-Miami Speedway – started 15^th)

Robert Stout (May 27, 2016 at Lucas Oil Raceway – started 5^th)

Jason McDougal (Sep 22, 2018 at Eldora Speedway – started 7^th)

Bryan Gossel (Aug 9, 2020 at Selinsgrove Speedway – started 19^th)

5^TH PLACE

Gary Bettenhausen (Jun 20, 1971 at Nazareth National Motor Speedway – started 6^th)

Jimmy Caruthers (Aug 22, 1971 at the Illinois State Fairgrounds – started 20^th)

Mel Cornett (Aug 19, 1973 at the Illinois State Fairgrounds – started 7^th)

Rich Leavell (Aug 24, 1980 at the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds – started 9^th)

Jeff Forshee (July 22, 1984 at the Oklahoma City Fairgrounds – started 2^nd)

Jeff Gordon (Feb 4, 1990 at Phoenix International Raceway – started 4^th)

Stewart Friesen (Oct 11, 2014 at the New York State Fairgrounds – started 7^th)

Joey Schmidt (Mar 23, 2019 at Memphis International Raceway – started 14^th)

Carmen Perigo (Aug 9, 2020 at Selinsgrove Speedway – started 5^th)