By Bill W
May 30, 2011 – After a couple of weeks off, Brandon Wimmer and the Alan Barton Motorsports #7TW team didn’t miss a beat. A solid run at the Knoxville Raceway on Saturday night saw the Fairmount, Indiana driver charge from the fifth row to a top five finish. They’ll be back at the “Sprint Car Capital of the World” this Saturday night.
Brandon drew the first pill to come out for one-lap qualifying. His time would stand as twelfth quick in the 32-car field. “Being first out to qualify wasn’t the best place to be,” he says. “We weren’t really sure what the track was going to be like. It was definitely different. I heard they had some problems with it, but I think it was good for what they had to work with. It was rougher than usual. You had to hit the holes right, and coming off of two, it just shot me towards the wall.”
The time put Brandon outside of row two for his heat. After a two-lap side by side battle with Johnn Cressman, he shot into the lead and never looked back. “The track started to slick off,” he says. “We got better and better. We were good in the heat.”
An invert of eight put Brandon inside row five for the feature. “We just couldn’t get going when you run a lap, and then have a caution…run another lap, and have another caution,” he says. “Once we had the red flag, the rest of the way went green and that’s when we moved up.”
Brandon began to pick off cars with his Gaerte powered Maxim and had family watching back home. “I think we went between two cars at one point coming out of turn four,” he says. “My grandpa (Tom Wimmer) was watching on the internet and said it was close. I didn’t think it was that close!”
With five laps to go, Dusty Zomer bobbled, allowing Brandon to grab fifth for good. “We were good through the middle of one and two, and in three and four,” he says of his run. “We were able to go right through the rough stuff. Guys were either below it or above it for the most part.”
Looking back, Brandon laments that the race didn’t have more green flag laps. “We were good once we got some laps in, but the first half of the race hurt us with all the cautions,” he admits. “Once the race got going about halfway and got some laps in…that’s when we were able to move forward and get some momentum going. It was a good night all over. It gave us some good laps for the Outlaw shows (June 10 and 11) coming up.”
The team will try it again Saturday and hope that time trials go smoother. “We just have to be a little better qualifying to make that feature invert,” says Brandon. “Of course, the two weeks we weren’t there, they drew a twelve for the invert, and Saturday it was eight. We missed the pole by one car. It was only our fifth race all year, so I think we’ll get better every night out.”
Brandon and the Alan Barton Motorsports #7TW team would like to thank Hedman Husler Hedders, Maxim Chassis, Gaerte Engines, Beck’s Tree Farm, K&N Filters, Butlerbuilt, Red Line Oil, Comp Cams, All Star Performance, KSE, Rod End Supply, Simpson and WRT Web Designs.
Win a New Sprint Car by Purchasing Hedman Hedders
Buying a set of Hedman Husler sprint car headers could get you a new sprint car in 2011. Buyers of Hedman Husler sprint car headers will be put in a drawing for the giveaway car…a Eagle chassis supplied with a Gaerte 360 engine.
About Hedman Husler
Hedman Husler is part of Hedman Performance Group comprised of Hedman Hedders, Trans-Dapt and Hamburger’s Performance Products. Hedman Hedders, began as a one man shop in 1954. Bob Hedman, founder of Hedman Hedders, sold his highly sought after exhaust tubes to fellow racers on the salt flats of the Mojave Desert. But, what started out as a way to make a few bucks to pay for Bob’s racing hobby, quickly turned into the premier hedder manufacturer for both the racing and street hedder marketplaces.
Originally designed for straight-line drag racers, word spread quickly about Hedman’s reputation for building hedders that gave you the best boost in power for your dollar. It wasn’t long before Hedman Hedders was the brand of choice among racing’s elite engine builders, racers and race series. Familiar names like Don Garlits, Warren Johnson, Shirley Muldowney, Bob Chandler and his BIG FOOT Race Team, and the IROC series.
Hedman Hedders constantly reshapes itself to meet environmental requirements and incorporates computer technology to ensure that its products offer the best performance improvement.
Whether you’re a Pro or sportsman racer, Hedman Hedders builds your hedder with one goal in mind, optimum performance. Even if you’re not a racer, the lessons Hedman learns at the track and on the dyno make it into every street hedder we design.
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.