7/2/2009
Sprint Source
Brandon Wimmer – Ohio Speedweek Recap!
(Bill W) July 2, 2009 – Ohio Speedweek is a tough grind, but sprint car driver Brandon Wimmer and his owner Rick Ferkel passed the test with flying colors. The #0 team had a strong start and a strong finish, and hopes to carry the momentum into this weekend’s events with the All Star Circuit of Champions.
After a rainout at Attica Raceway Park, Eldora Speedway near Rossburg served as the Speedweek opener on Saturday, June 20. 48 cars descended on the high-banked ½ mile and Brandon emerged third quick. After smooth sailing in his heat, he ran a strong seventh in the feature. “We ran well all night at Eldora, which is a very good sign for the team,” says the Fairmount, Indiana driver. “I think the only driver that passed us in the feature was Terry McCarl, and he passed everyone.”
60 cars gathered at Millstream Speedway near Findlay for round two on Sunday, June 21. It was a long night in more ways than one for the team after qualifying ninth and running second in their heat. “To qualify ninth with that many cars gives you confidence,” says Brandon. “We ran strong all night. In the feature, we were running fifth when we broke the driveline and that hurt the motor we had in too.”
The DNF was tough, and a cancellation at Wayne County Speedway meant Tuesday would serve as round three at the tiny Hilltop Speedway south of Millersburg. “We qualified poorly (28th out of 42 cars) at Hilltop, and that set us back a ways,” says Brandon. “It was just too hard to pass in the heat. We were behind Kenny Jacobs and neither one of us made a transfer. We were better in the B, and charged up to fifth, we just couldn’t get by Steven Lines for the final transfer there. It was just hard to pass.”
Waynesfield on Wednesday didn’t go much better. A 31st quick time trial amongst 50 cars along with track conditions dictated the evening. “The track was pretty heavy all night, but really rough,” Brandon relates. “We didn’t qualify well, and we were starting in the back all night. We agreed to run a couple laps in the B and pull it in.”
Brandon bounced back at Limaland Motorsports Park near Lima on Friday after Attica rained out a second time on Thursday. “The tough part about Speedweek is there are always around 50 cars, and you’re always getting one lap only in qualifying,” he says. “We were able to get a decent lap in (19th) at Lima. In the feature, we were able to run up to the pack running seventh through 12th. There was a lot of sliding around for position. It was hard to slide a guy and clear him, and not have him come right back and do the same. It was a good run (17th to 12th), and a good recovery from the previous two races.”
Saturday night saw the finale at Fremont Speedway. Another charge from 17th to 8th ended things on a good note after timing in 21st. “I’ve struggled a bit getting around Fremont, but we were really good in the feature,” says Brandon, who ended Speedweek 12th in points and just three markers out of the top ten. “I was able to make the bottom work, and passed quite a few guys who were sliding up the track. We were right there with the top five within striking distance, but we just ran out of laps coming from that far back. We may have had one caution on both Friday and Saturday.”
Brandon was happy with his week. “All in all, the week was up and down, but it was a good one,” he says. “It was good to start and finish strong. The deal at Millstream kind of put us behind for the next couple races, but we recovered in the end.”
This weekend the #0 team will hit K-C Raceway near Chillicothe, Ohio on Friday and the Terre Haute Action Track in Indiana on Saturday with the All Stars. If all goes well, they may hit Twin Cities in North Vernon, Indiana on the way home Sunday with MASS.
Brandon is Winning With Wellness
Brandon says: “One of the keys for me getting through Speedweek is a new wellness and sports nutrition program I'm using this year. My sponsor Lori Manes-Cutter who owns Winning With Wellness is providing me with scientifically validated dietary supplements from Mannatech. Since I started on the products a few months ago, I've had more energy on and off the race track, I've been sleeping better and feeling rested when I wake. Several of the sports nutrition products target improving performance while I'm racing and help me recover faster after a race. This past week has been particularly hard on most racers and I feel these products gave me an edge and allowed me to go to the next race in the best possible shape. What I really like about Mannatech's products, is all the ingredients have been approved by the World Anti-Doping Agency so I know that the ingredients are clean and healthy for me. There are over 200 professional athletes around the world representing Team Mannatech using these products, including sprint car racing's own Donny Schatz.”
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.
Photo -
Brandon races at the Speedweek Opener at Eldora (Mike Campbell Photo)
Submitted By: Bill Wright
