Hannagan wins Run for the Rabbit

2928HannaganWKM — Randy Hannagan. (Mike Campbell Photo)

Lima, OH — (July 24, 2015) —

The return of racing to Limaland Motorsports Park for the first time in three weeks was greeted by a large crowd and a moist gripping surface that produced some thrilling action. The evening’s headliner was the annual Run for the Rabbit sprint car feature honoring the memory of the late Travis Miller, a former Limaland competitor who had an enthusiastic and infectious attitude that made him very popular with fans and competitors alike.

The NRA Sprint Invaders field came together for the 25-lap feature with former Rabbit winners Phil Gressman and Randy Hannagan on the starting front row. On the opening lap, veteran Dennis Yoakam rolled his machine on the backside forcing a red flag from the beginning. Ironically, Yoakam’s teammate Randy Hannagan would later experience that exact opposite by eventually winning the race.

Hannagan was in hot pursuit of Gressman following the restart on lap number two. He was able to finally storm past Gressman on the front straight to take the lead on lap number seven. Although Gressman would finish runner-up to Hannagan in the final finish, he didn’t significantly challenge for the lead again.

Hannagan’s biggest threat for race supremacy came from veteran Jared Horstman. The orange colored #17 of Horstman was a rocket ship on the ¼-mile Limaland Motorsports Park oval. Through the mid portion of the feature Hannagan and Horstman gave the fans some classic sprint car action. They swapped the lead with a series of corner slide jobs and aggressive pass attempts on the both the front and back straightaways.

Randy Hannagan would later experience that exact opposite by eventually winning the race.

Horstman came through the exchange with the lead and appeared to begin to move away from the field. On lap number 16, he struck the #49 car of defending Rabbit champ Shawn Dancer who had spun up against the wall in turn four. There was enough damage that Horstman had to pit for equipment repair. It cost him contender status and Hannagan took over the lead.

Although Hannagan’s wing was clipped by Horstman as he drove by the collision site, it didn’t affect his car handling. Hannagan survived a couple of restarts and held off Gressman and point’s leader Max Stambaugh to capture his third Run for the Rabbit triumph.

“When those guys got together (17 and 49) I didn’t have anything for the 17 car,” admitted Hannagan. “His misfortune was my gain. I hit Jared’s car coming through and I must have had some Travis Miller luck riding with me. It tore my right rear shock off and I thought I would be in trouble. Maybe shocks are overrated because my car became a rail on the top.”

Tim Allison was driving a number 17A sprint car that looked identical to the last sprint car that Travis Miller had driven. It has become a tradition in recent years for Allison to do so. “This event is a true tribute to Travis,” noted Hannagan, who also won the event in 2011 and 2013. “His family and Tim with the look alike car is tremendous. It’s impressive for Limaland Motorsports Park.”

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