by Ken Weingartner, Harness Racing Communications

Freehold, NJ — A fundraiser will be held Saturday (Sept. 12) at Scioto Downs to benefit driver Brad Hanners, who in July was diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma, a type of kidney cancer. Hanners is at The Ohio State University’s James Cancer Hospital, preparing to begin treatment.

USTA photo

Brad Hanners

The 43-year-old Hanners, an Ohio native who lives 50 miles southwest of Columbus with his wife Alicia and children JorDan, Austin, Luke and Mia, has posted 4,888 wins as a driver and 357 victories as a trainer during his career. He enjoyed some of his greatest successes at Harrington Raceway in Delaware, where he captured three consecutive driving titles from 2003-05. He also was a driving champion at Dover Downs.

Hanners set career highs with 478 wins and $4.74 million in purses in 2005. His top triumphs include the 2009 Dan Patch Invitational with Mister Big.

The fundraiser will include a raffle for a race bike and harness plus a silent auction featuring a variety of items from equipment to harness racing memorabilia and sporting event tickets. Also, “Hanners Strong” T-shirts will be available for purchase. The event will begin at 5:30 p.m. in an area between the Scioto Downs clubhouse and grandstand.

Scioto Downs is hosting Super Night on Saturday, with a full slate of Ohio Sire Stakes championships plus the Jim Ewart Memorial Pace and the Chip Noble Memorial Trot.

Proceeds from the fundraiser will be used to help offset medical and travel expenses for Hanners and his family. In addition to Saturday’s fundraiser, a GoFundMe account has been set up for donations. The account can be found here.

“Brad never really had any symptoms of being sick other than back pain, and what driver doesn’t have back pain,” said Brandi Sykes, who is helping to coordinate the event. “We’d just like everybody to pray for him and help him get through this.”