Birthdate: June 26, 1967
Birthplace: San Jose, California
Residence: Pittsboro, Indiana
Height: 5’6
Weight 145
Randy Hannagan was seven years old, watching Ed Hopper sling his #54 Super Modified around the old San Jose Speedway, when he decided he wanted to be a race car driver.
It took a while, but in 1982 when Randy was 14 years old, he began his racing career. He and his brothers, Jimmy and Terry would alternate driving and working on their go-kart at Baylands Raceway in various classes. An unknown kid named Jeff Gordon was in that same group. The next year, 1983, Randy was the San Jose Kart Club’s Junior Champion, winning 13 consecutive feature races. He moved up to the Senior class the next year and was the Baylands Raceway Kart Champion for five years straight.
After dominating the Super Stock Lite class in karts for five years, Hannagan decided that his next ride would be a Sprint Car. The first year, 1989 netted him Rookie of the Year honors in the NSACAR Sprint Cars and there he remained for the next three years. As he was learning how to work on the cars and how to drive the tracks, he finished fifth in points in 1990, 1991 and 1992, winning a total of four feature events.
1993 was the Hurricane’s breakout year. While occasionally racing with the Northern Auto Racing Club (NARC) Sprinters, Hannagan became the Track Champion at the San Jose Speedway in two divisions, winning 10 of 11 main event starts in the 360 cubic inch class and 5 of 12 main events in the 410 cubic inch class. He also won his first World of Outlaws event that year at Chico, California. Adding to this already sensational season, he was honored as the Motoring Press Associations Open-Wheel Driver of the Year.
Continuing in the ultra competitive World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series, Randy was the 1994 Knoxville Nationals Rookie of the Year and set the quickest qualifying time at Knoxville. On a roll, he earned the 1995 World of Outlaws Rookie of the Year title and established a new track record at LaSalle, Illinois.
1996 was a tough year for Randy, driving and struggling with the unproved, untested Chrysler Mopar Sprint Car in the World of Outlaws. Going back to the popular NARC series for 97’ and 98’, Randy continued his winning ways. He won the prestigious Super Dirt Cup at Skagit Speedway in Washington two years in a row. He won 7 races in 1997 and scored 11 wins and a third in NARC’s Golden State Challenge and it’s “King of California” title along with being named the Australia Speed Week Champion.
In 1998, Randy took the “King of California” series. Over the winter he went to Australia and came up a very close second in the World Series Sprint car standing and won the “King of Wings” title.
In 1999, a steady run with NARC and GSC put the THR pilot in line for a ride with Holbrook Motorsports 8h World of Outlaw car. A constant string of runs in the feature races was not enough as the team parted ways and the 1x was brought back to the circuit. The 1999 Australian Down Under tour netted another Western Australia Speed Week title for Randy.
In 2000, the THR team took the NARC and GSC tours before heading out on the World of Outlaw schedule for the remainder of the season. K & C Drywall came on board as the Primary Sponsor along with Sander Engineering and the Hoosier Tire Company.
2001, THR relocated the race shop from San Jose, California to Pittsboro, Indiana. The Hurricane notched a World of Outlaw victory in Pevely, Missouri and racked up track record qualifying runs in Talladega, Alabama and Yakima, Washington. Finishing in the top 10, twenty-seven times during the season, a crash at Calistoga Speedway on Labor Day weekend ended his season early.
2002 placed the THR team back on the World of Outlaws series and a steady run to 10th in the season points. He recorded a new track record at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the final weekend of the season which found him seven top 5 finishes and twenty-five more events in the top 10.
2003 began rough and got rougher. After a series of mechanical woes and family deaths Randy concentrated on races close to the teams Indiana shop and the move worked well. A win in Iowa signaled that the team could still be successful and a return to the World of Outlaws scene was formed.
The 2004 season was a bright one. Randy competed with the World of Outlaws as well as the All Star Circuit of Champions (ASCoC) Sprint Car Series. He notched 2 victories in the ASCoC series, both coming at the famed high banked 1/2 mile, Eldora Speedway.
2005 started off with a bang with Randy winning his first event of the season at the Archerfield Speedway in Brisbane, Australia. After a 7 week stint Down Under, Randy has returned to the states to race and will run over 100 sprint car races this season.