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(Photo by Scott Frazier)

Inside Line Promotions – LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (Oct. 28, 2014) – Brandon Hanks achieved one of the toughest tasks of his season last weekend.

Hanks advanced into the feature during all three nights he competed at I-30 Speedway with the Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour during the 27th annual COMP Cams Short Track Nationals Presented by Hoosier Tires.

“This year it was a lot tougher to make the show than last year and last year we had more cars,” he said. “This was the toughest field I’ve ever had to make. The accomplishment in making the show all three nights is something else.”

The racing started last Wednesday with the Short Track Nationals Open, which Hanks kicked off by charging from seventh to fourth place in his heat race. He then advanced from third to second place in a B Main, which transferred him into the main event as the 19th starter.

“We knew it was kind of a play night,” he said. “We just wanted to try something in the feature to prepare for Short Track Nationals. We started in the back and wanted to try something new. It really didn’t work. We were way too free. We didn’t have enough forward drive and couldn’t get off the corners.”

Hanks ended with a 19th-place finish.

He then opened his Short Track Nationals preliminary night on Thursday by finishing second in a heat race and third in a qualifier, which put him fourth in overall points.

“We had to fight pretty hard with (Zach) Pringle in the qualifier,” he said. “That one spot made a big difference. The track was really fast. It was really hard to pass. It wasn’t slick by any means.”

Hanks lined up on the outside of the second row for the main event and he spent the first half of the 25-lap feature in third place – the final lock-in position into Saturday’s $15,000-to-win feature.

“The car was fast all night long,” he said. “We got a little free as the race went on. I kept moving the wing back. After he passed me I noticed (Tim) Crawley running the middle and he was getting a good drive off the corners. I tried following him and I picked up speed again. It was one of those situations where I learned something right there.”

After dropping a couple of positions and then picking up speed through his new racing line, Hanks was caught up in a crash entering turn three with only a couple of laps remaining.

“Me and Kevin (Swindell) got together,” he said. “From what I can tell and what I was told I got ran over.”

Hanks, who was in fifth place at the time of the crash, restarted at the back and he finished 17th.

Saturday started with Hanks winning his last chance qualifier despite a close call on the last lap when he made contact lapping a car. That lined him up on the outside of the front row of a B Main. Hanks maintained the runner-up position for the duration of the race, which transferred him into the back of the 40-lap feature.

“We tried something a little bit because we were starting so far back,” he said. “We had gone back to our heat race setup, which was really, really fast. Then they tilled the track up before the A Main. The car was just too tight. I couldn’t do too much with it. When you start so far back on a short track, with the leaders in clean air, we were back there fighting and clawing for one spot.”

Hanks advanced from 20th to a 16th-place result.

QUICK RESULTS –

Oct. 22 – I-30 Speedway in Little Rock, Ark. – Heat race: 4 (7); B Main: 2 (3); Feature: 19 (19).

Oct. 23 – I-30 Speedway in Little Rock, Ark. – Heat race: 2 (1); Qualifier: 3 (4); Feature: 17 (4).

Oct. 25 – I-30 Speedway in Little Rock, Ark. – Last chance qualifier: 1 (1); B Main: 2 (2); Feature: 16 (20).

SEASON STATS –

48 races, 0 wins, 2 top fives, 15 top 10s, 29 top 15s, 36 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 – J&J Auto Racing

Located in McKenzie, Tenn., J&J Auto Racing has manufactured sprint car chassis and racing parts for more than 40 years. For more information, visit http://www.JandJAutoRacing.com.

“I want to thank Jack and Bonnie Elam for all the help they’ve given me and all the advice throughout the years,” Hanks said. “Not only are they some of the nicest people, but they build great, fast and reliable race cars.”

Hanks would also like to thank Performance Powder Coating, D&B Farms, Blue City Neon Signs & Graphics, Wesmar Racing Engines, Walls Paint and Body Shop, R.E. Enterprises, Hinchman Racewear and ButlerBuilt Professional Seat Systems 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 and to join Team ILP, contact Shawn at 541-510-3663 or InsideLinePromotions@gmail.com. For more information on Inside Line Promotions, visit http://www.InsideLinePromotions.com.