Brandon Hermiller Enjoying Busy Schedule Of Racing
H.S. Die/VISI-TST Ford Fusion Driver Loves Competing In Mid-Week Battles (Special from H.S. Die/VISI-TST Ford Racing Team)
August 12, 2014
Walker, Michigan (August 12, 2014) – Promising young Michigan racer Brandon Hermiller
has always subscribed to the motto of “the more races, the better.” The driver of the H.S.
Die/VISI-TST Ford gets his second shot behind the wheel in the last five days as he
heads to Kalamazoo Speedway for Wednesday night’s action.
After competing in last Saturday night’s JEGS/CRA All-Star Tour race, Hermiller and his
Josh Slade-led team head to the three-eighths-mile Kalamazoo track for a mid-week
battle. The No. 6 H.S. Die Ford team is among the 30 entries for Wednesday’s Boyne
Machine Company 100 ARCA/CRA Super Series Powered by JEGS race.
“I am a huge history buff when it comes to our sport and I get such a big kick out of
reading about what short-track racing was like in the 70’s,” said Hermiller, who started
24th and advanced to 12th at Auto City before getting innocently caught up in a crash and
finishing 21st. “The legendary drivers like Dick Trickle and others from the Midwest would
race every night they could. If they had the chance to race all seven days of the week,
they’d be out there hitting a different track every night.
“That is so inspiring to me; reading about Trickle, Mike Eddy, Bob Senneker, Butch Miller
and all the great drivers back then,” said Hermiller. “They are all huge heroes of mine and always will be. When I think about getting to race last Saturday night at Auto City and now heading to Kalamazoo for a Wednesday night event, it’s a pretty cool deal.”
Although Hermiller has never raced at Kalamazoo, he has tested there twice. He is certainly looking forward to taking his first green flag on the challenging oval track.
“We dodged the rain several weeks back and were able to get in quite a bit of time on the track,” Hermiller said of the June 20th test day on the short track whose history dates back to 1950. “We took the crate-engine car down there and I think it was a good day of preparation for Wednesday night’s race.
"It’s definitely a demanding track for sure. We were really pleased with how the test day went. We were able to run some 13.1 (-second) laps and that’s very respectable; especially considering the track had no syrup down on it.”
What Hermiller is referring to is the fact that Kalamazoo is one of the nation’s short tracks that utilize soft drink syrup (and other ingredients) on a regular basis in an effort to create extra tire grip on the asphalt surface. Regular treatments have established the high side of the speedway as another legitimate racing line.
“I sure hope they put down double the amount for Wednesday’s race,” chuckled Hermiller. “Down in Turns 3 & 4 there is so little room to begin with. Coming out of the corner, you’re up against the wall in such a hurry. Anything they can do to create a second groove is certainly fine by me.
“Wednesday’s race is going to be so challenging, but I am really looking forward to it,” Hermiller added. “I think our testing there and the preparation will really pay off.”
Hermiller’s No. 6 H.S. Die/VISI-TST Ford Fusion also carries sponsorship from River Hills Lodge, West End Body Shop, T.A.A.G. Tooling and Accessories Group, Stehouwer Frozen Foods and Beaver Research Company during the 2014 season.
This week’s action at Kalamazoo Speedway kicks off with an open practice session on Tuesday scheduled from 5:30 p.m. till 8:30 p.m. Practice begins on Wednesday at 1:00 p.m. and qualifying is set for 3:30 p.m. Pre-race activities begin at 6:00 p.m., with racing getting under way at 6:30 p.m. The 100-lap Boyne Machine Company 100 ARCA/CRA Super Series battle will precede the 150-lap Kalamazoo Klash XXII race for the Outlaw Super Late Models.
Tickets for Wednesday’s big night of racing are $25 for adults, $15 for kids 10-15 years of age and $5 for children 9 and under.
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For additional information on the ARCA/CRA Super Series, please visit their site at http://www.cra-racing.com/ You can follow them on Twitter at @CRAracing and they are on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ChampionRacingAssociation
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For additional information on Kalamazoo Speedway, please visit their website at http://www.kalamazoospeedway.com/ or call the track at (269) 349-3978. The track is on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/KalamazooSpeedway and on Twitter at @kzoospeedway.
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For additional information on Brandon Hermiller, please visit his site at http://www.brandonhermiller.com/ For the latest news and insights, we invite you to follow Brandon on Twitter: @bhermiller (http://www.twitter.com/bhermiller) and Facebook: Brandon.hermiller (http://www.facebook.com/Brandon.hermiller)
