(Photo by TeeJay Crawford)
Inside Line Promotions – PEVELY, Mo. (Aug. 10, 2016) – Brandon Hanks competed in two very different events last weekend.
The action began last Thursday when Hanks tackled his preliminary night for the 26th annual Arnold Motor Supply 360 Knoxville Nationals by qualifying 23rd quickest at Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa.
Hanks then won a heat race, which ended on a sour note.
“We won the heat, but we blew up and had to change engines,” he said. “I was blowing up going into turn three on the last lap. It was fading. It didn’t have a boom feeling, but it was losing power. I shut it off coming out of turn four and coasted across the line.”
Hanks received helped from fellow drivers and teams to get the engine changed before he tagged the back of the field for the main event.
“I was just getting in the car when all the cars hit the race track,” he said. “(Johnny) Herrera and a bunch of people were working on the car trying to get me out. They pushed me off and I caught the back of the field and we took the green.”
Hanks, who had been scheduled to start 15th, advanced from 24th to an 18th-place finish.
“I think we were better than where we finished,” he said. “The competition at the 360 Nationals is some of the toughest in the world. A lot of luck has to go your way. You have to be lucky and good.”
Hanks was scheduled to start 13th in the B Main on Saturday. However, the team elected to put a 410ci engine in and tackle the Ironman 55 at Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 with the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series instead.
Hanks qualified 24th quickest, finished sixth in a heat race and advanced to place fourth in the Last Chance Showdown to earn the final transfer into the back of the main event.
“I just need seat time,” he said. “I got better as the night went on. We made the show. By the end of the night I was making some decent laps. Pevely is undoubtedly the toughest track I’ve been to. That place is pretty wild. I never felt anything like it anywhere else. It was a shock to me, but as the night went on I got better.”
Hanks picked up a few position before he exited the track near the midpoint of the feature. He was credited with a 22nd-place finish.
QUICK RESULTS –
Aug. 4 – Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa – Qualifying: 23; Heat race: 1 (2); Feature: 18 (15).
Aug. 6 – Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 in Pevely, Mo. – Qualifying: 24; Heat race: 6 (6); B Main: 4 (5); Feature: 22 (24).
SEASON STATS –
33 races, 4 wins, 10 top fives, 17 top 10s, 19 top 15s, 26 top 20s
UP NEXT –
TBD
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 – D&B Farms
D&B Farms is a corn and beans farm owned by the Hanks family and it is located in Burlison, Tenn.
“It’s a family business so I need to thank my dad, Ricky Huffman and Jason Honeycutt,” Hanks said. “We all work on the farm together. Without them not only would we not be able to race, but we couldn’t make a living.”
Hanks would also like to thank Performance Powder Coating, Penske Racing Shocks, Wesmar Racing Engines, Walls Paint and Body Shop, R.E. Enterprises, Acme Graphix, Hinchman Racewear, ButlerBuilt Professional Seat Systems and J-R1 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.