Austyn Gossel has gotten the spark to build motivation for his 2026 American Sprint Car Series campaign.
The 360 Sprint Car veteran is preparing for a 10-day swing of racing in his native Western Plains, booked with visits to Big Sky Speedway (Aug. 28-29), Sheridan Speedway (Aug. 30), Gallatin Speedway (Sept. 4), and Electric City Speedway (Sept. 5-6).
“It’s some of the races I look forward to going to the most throughout the year,” Gossel said. “For all the times I’ve been there, I’ve had hardly any success because the guys out there are pretty good, and I was still getting my feet wet with learning. But knowing how all these tracks race and what could happen from night to night is what I look at as an advantage, at least.
“I have a lot of friends from other race teams, so it makes it feel like a home race because I look forward to catching up with them and seeing each other again at a track. Like (Big Sky), that was the first place I actually got to race on a bigger track versus some stiff competition. So, this swing is a time that I’m getting excited about.”
In his third season with the Series, Gossel has struggled with overall performance. In the first 15 races of the season, he picked up one top-10 finish at Creek County Speedway and held a 14.6 average Feature finish.
When the Series visited Dodge City Raceway Park for the Steve King Memorial, it was the race that got Gossel’s energy back after winning his Heat race, the Honest Abe Roofing Dash, and leading the first 19 laps before finishing second to Sam Hafertepe Jr.
While it was déjà vu for the Fort Collins, CO native, having finished second at Dodge City in 2025, it was the catalyst for a shift in morale in his direction.
“The first time running podium there, I thought to myself, ‘That kind of luck would never happen again,’ but déjà vu,” Gossel said. “It somehow worked basically the exact same as the year before, with me getting in the Dash, drawing the one, winning the Dash, and then starting on the front row.
“But this time, I led every lap but the 10 most important ones. Lap traffic has definitely not been my strong suit compared to Sam. Him and I have talked about it, and he’s definitely one guy to look up to and ask questions about everything. Same with Matt (Covington). I like to keep my friendship between them both because I learn a lot, and it’s definitely helped me in the long run with getting the car more to my liking, and talking about race pace and being around cars.”
Gossel showed similar speed in the following Series race at Viking Speedway to start August. Gossel won his Heat race, then took the pole position for the 25-lap Feature at the 1/2-mile facility. Though he led the first four laps, Gossel lost the top spot to eventual winner Kyler Johnson but left the night with a third-place result.
“Viking, none of us had been there, so I had no idea what to really do car-wise,” Gossel said. “We kept doing what we had been doing for the setup, then started up front in the Feature again.
“I got a good run around Matt to take the lead, but I think we should’ve put a different gear in for more straightaway speed. Simple things like running out front and who’s behind and what they’re doing. Kyler slid me, and I ended up crossing back over when I should have gone to the bottom, but I didn’t feel comfortable down there. But it’s all about learning, and I’m pumped up for the next few weeks.”
Frontier Speedweek will begin with Big Sky for the Harvey Ostermiller Memorial before closing the first weekend with Sheridan on Sunday night. While Sheridan will be a Series debut, Gossel is the only full-time driver to have spent time at the Wyoming 3/8-mile. When he visited with the Frontier Region in 2025, Gossel earned two third-place results.
“(Sheridan) is very, very different from a traditional racetrack,” Gossel said. “They don’t have many bleachers there. It will seem like they don’t seat a lot of people there, but everyone that goes will park their car all around the track because it’s in a bowl and they have levels of parking.
“I went there last year and had a pretty decent run. It can get to at least a two-groove track, but it’s flat and it kind of shelves off the top. That’s the hard part to figure out and not overdo it because the last couple times, some guys don’t come out lucky in the end. It’s something I’m going to take into acknowledgement, and some other guys are going to have to figure out.”
Going into the week with experience aplenty at the Frontier facilities, plus boosted motivation from Dodge City and Viking, Gossel is in a more comfortable position than he had previously as he and crew chief Ryan Land seek a strong season-ending points finish.
“A lot of it is finding the consistency to be up front and having the speed,” Gossel said. “My thing is keeping that momentum going. Between Ryan and I, our communication has gotten a lot better. We talk about the car a lot more, and he tells me what he’s doing that makes me feel more comfortable. It gives me the ability to just go out and drive.
“He’s my guy, and I got to be able to trust him and trust me to drive well. We just want to race, have good speed and confidence in each other. These next six races, we’re gonna have a good shot of winning or finishing on the podium. Now that we’ve got a new car and better motors, I feel there’s no lack of confidence here.”
Gossel will climb aboard the No. 16G BG Automotive Triple X machine for Frontier Speedweek, beginning with Big Sky on Friday-Saturday, Aug. 28-29, and Sheridan on Sunday, Aug. 30. The second week will begin with Gallatin on Friday, Sept. 4, then two nights of Montana Roundup at Electric City will complete the swing of ASCS racing.
Where can you watch every lap of the American Sprint Car Series? Live on DIRTVision.
