Once Briggs Danner sets a plan into motion, there’s no looking back. That’s how he gained the lead, then threaded the needle to return to the front of the field on his path to victory during the opening night of the 43rd 4-Crown Nationals Presented by NKTELCO on Thursday at Rossburg, Ohio’s Eldora Speedway

On the 12th circuit of the 30-lap USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship feature, the Allentown, Pennsylvania racer vaulted to the lead only to lose grip of it a lap later. Four laps later, just past the midway point, Danner stepped atop the tight rope and went back to work.

One side of the tight rope could be ice; one could be fire. But Danner straddled the narrow confines between the outside wall and Kevin Thomas Jr.’s right side wheels, and made it happen on the 18th lap. From there, he was untamed, leading the final 13 trips to earn his first career Eldora Speedway victory of any sort.

Danner’s latest score was his fourth of the USAC National Sprint Car season in his Hogue Racing Enterprises/E. Schneider & Sons – Aw Shucks Roasted Corn/DRC/Rider Chevy, and it’s the seventh overall of his career with the series, putting him in 66th place on the all-time series win list alongside Kevin Doty, Darren Hagen, Kenny Irwin Jr., Doug Kalitta, Jim Keeker, Bobby Santos, Brady Short, Kevin Thomas, Bobby Unser and Josh Wise.

To be at Eldora is mesmerizing in itself. To win at Eldora is other worldly, and Danner understands the full scope of what winning at this joint truly means, especially after becoming the first Pennsylvanian to win a USAC National Sprint Car race at Eldora since Frankie Kerr in 1996.

“The first time you step foot in this place, it’s very surreal just to be here,” Danner explained. “But to be standing in victory lane, there are no words that I could put into what it feels like.”

Results USAC National Sprints Thursday 4-Crown Nationals Feature

1. Briggs Danner (2)

 2. Kyle Cummins (5)

3. Kevin Thomas Jr. (1)

 4. Daison Pursley (11)

5. Jake Swanson (10)

 6. Matt Westfall (9)

7. Mitchel Moles (16)

8. Brady Bacon (7)

9. Logan Seavey (3)

 10. Chase Stockon (12)

11. Gunnar Setser (17)

12. Keith Sheffer II (20)

13. Hayden Reinbold (19)

14. Rylan Gray (13)

 15. Mario Clouser (15)

16. Chance Crum (14)

17. Justin Grant (4)

18. Stevie Sussex (8)

19. Carson Garrett (18)

20. Brian Ruhlman (23)

21. Saban Bibent (21)

22. Ryan Barr (22)

23. C.J. Leary (6)

24. Chelby Hinton (24). NT