[i (Bill W) September 15, 2009]
It was a homecoming of sorts for Fairmount, Indiana racer Brandon Wimmer. He doesn’t get many shots at driving in his home state with the All Star Circuit of Champions, but they came to Lawrenceburg for the Hoosier Fall Classic last weekend. Brandon and car owner, Rick Ferkel, came into the weekend looking for a win, but left with a top five in the finale, and the confidence that they had passed a total of 18 cars in the feature events held on Friday and Saturday. This week, they’ll head to the Fremont Speedway in Ohio for a pair of shows.
Things didn’t start so well on the high-banked 3/8 mile oval with a qualifying effort of 20th quick. “Friday, we just had a bad qualifying lap,” says Brandon. “The track was a little tacky and rough, but it was doable. The cushion was about halfway up the track.”
After winning his heat, Brandon locked in outside of row ten for the main event. He made steady progress, and while some worried about the track surface, he drove up to a ninth place finish. “We were up to 14th or 13th and had a flat tire under the second red flag period,” he says of a delay in his progress. “We had to go to the back after that, and came back through to ninth. We felt good about that, but you wish you didn’t have the flat tire. We passed some on the outside, and set some up coming out of the corners.”
A seventh quick effort for Saturday’s finale was much better, but Brandon had another car run him over in the heat race, giving him a DNF. He made it through the B, but it cost him a spot in the first four rows for the feature. Starting 11th, he began another charge. “One and two slicked up a little more than three and four,” he says of the track. “One and two had a little moisture down low, but three and four were tacky. We were a little tight early, but we should have moved up the track a little earlier.”
Once he did, he was gaining on the leaders in a hurry. By the time the checkers flew he was up to fourth. “Everyone was running the bottom in one and two, and I was running up the track a little more, through the middle,” he says. “We were going really well at the end, and we were on (Dean) Jacobs for third. There was a little rut in one and two and it helped me getting off the corner. We were able to run around the top of three and four and not many guys were able to do that.”
Though the win didn’t come, Brandon and Rick feel it is right around the corner. They’ll run Friday and Saturday at Fremont Speedway, with the finale being the Jim Ford Classic for the All Stars. “We definitely passed a lot of cars over the weekend,” says Brandon. “We wanted to win, but we’re working hard and still trying at it. We’ve improved at Fremont lately, and I think we can get one there.”
Brandon and Rick Ferkel would like to thank the following sponsors for all their help: Shorty’s Truck Repair, Smith’s Farm, Goodyear Tires, Griff’s Engines, Kear’s Speed Shop, Huggins Cams, BRODIX Heads, Barnes Oil Pumps, Prism Lubricants, Zeis Land Development, Butlerbuilt, Simpson, Winning With Wellness and WRT Web Designs.
Team Mannatech
Brandon has realized that a driver not only needs good equipment on the racetrack, but needs to also be in the best physical shape to be a success. That's why Brandon has added a wellness program to his daily routine, which includes adding a line of scientifically validated nutritional products from Mannatech. Mannatech, Incorporation is a leading developer and provider of proprietary nutritional supplements, weight management products and skin care solutions. Athletes around the world rely on Mannatech products because they are formulated from high quality, natural plant sources and are formulated without any substances banned by major worldwide anti-doping agencies.
Brandon has been invited to serve on an elite team of athletes called Team Mannatech because of the results he has had with the products and will be working to share his experience with drivers, crews and fans. With more than 200 athletes representing countries around the globe, Team Mannatech members have been drawn from the exclusive ranks of sports legends, the everyday athlete and young enthusiasts destined to become superstars. They inspire action and attract passionate wellness champions and are all role models for their sport, committed to helping people of all ages lead a healthy, active lifestyle.
(Rick Rarer Photo)
- Bill Wright on Sep 16, 2009
- Article Date: 9/16/2009