(Photo by Gary Cornelison)
Inside Line Promotions – PARK CITY, Kan. (April 5, 2018) – Brandon Hanks produced a top-five finish last weekend during his season-opening event.
Hanks debuted his new all-black No. 84 sprint car at the 8th annual Park City Cup/Air Capital Shootout hosted by 81 Speedway, where he kicked off the NCRA Series action on Friday by placing fourth in his first heat race before charging from fourth to win his second heat.
“We struggled to find some speed at first,” he said. “As the night progressed we got a little better and I got myself more comfortable.”
Hanks lined up on the inside of the fifth row for the A Main.
“We didn’t swing far enough in terms of handling,” he said. “Also, I hadn’t been in the car since October so it was get back into a rhythm and get used to things. We didn’t have enough speed, but we got the handle on it the next day”
Hanks, who was credited with a 15th-place finish, returned to the oval on Saturday. He maneuvered from ninth to fourth place in a heat race, which ranked sixth in overall points out of more than 45 competitors. That started him on the outside of the third row in the main event.
“We had it just right,” he said. “I got fifth on the start. I got in line around the bottom. Sam (Hafertepe Jr.) got underneath Wayne (Johnson) in front of me and Wayne got tight getting back in line. He slipped up and I got under him for fourth. You had to hope somebody messed up when the track is rubbered down like that. At one point Hafertepe Jr. got free coming off turn two. I thought that was my chance to get him, but he got going quicker than I anticipated. In the process of trying to go around him I slipped up. Sammy (Swindell) got below me, but he pushed out of the rubber going into turn one and I was able to get back by him.”
Hanks posted a fourth-place finish, which was his career-best result at the oval.
“It felt pretty good to start the year like that,” he said. “To be in the top five between Hafertepe Jr. and Sammy, that’s two big names in the sport.”
Hanks is slated to return to action this Friday and Saturday at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas, during the Tony Stewart Presents the Vankor Texas Sprint Car Nationals with the Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour presented by SawBlade.com. Hanks charged from 20th to an 11th-place finish during the event finale last season and he placed a career-best fifth at the oval in 2016.
“We’ve had a lot friends and family support us to help us get going and we really appreciate it,” he said.
QUICK RESULTS –
March 30 – 81 Speedway in Park City, Kan. – Heat race #1: 4 (4); Heat race #2: 1 (4); Feature: 15 (9).
March 31 – 81 Speedway in Park City, Kan. – Heat race: 4 (9); Feature: 4 (6).
UP NEXT –
Friday and Saturday at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas, for the Tony Stewart Presents the Vankor Texas Sprint Car Nationals with the Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour presented by SawBlade.com
MEDIA LINKS –
Website: http://www.HanksMotorsports.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Brandon_K_Hanks
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Hanks-Motorsports/135263046488177
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT – Performance Powder Coating
Performance Powder Coating is a powder coating business owned by the Hanks family. Located in Burlison, Tenn., Performance Powder Coating works on everything from race cars to street vehicles.
“My family owns Performance Powder Coating,” Hanks said. “Without this business and my family I wouldn’t be able to race sprint cars and I wouldn’t know all of the great friends that I have met through racing.”
Hanks would also like to thank Penske Racing Shocks, ButlerBuilt Professional Seat Systems, J-R1 and MyRacePass for their continued support.
INSIDE LINE PROMOTIONS –
Inside Line Promotions specializes in affordable public relations and media management for motor sports drivers, teams, sponsors, tracks, series, events, organizations and manufacturers. ILP Founder Shawn Miller leverages professional journalism with new media technologies and social networking to improve your exposure and the return on investment for your sponsors.
To meet the media relations needs of your program by joining Team ILP, contact Shawn at 541-510-3663 or Shawn@InsideLinePromotions.com. For more information on Inside Line Promotions, visit http://www.InsideLinePromotions.com.
- Shawn Miller on Apr 05, 2018
- Article Date: 4/5/2018 by Inside Line Promotions