RPW Exclusive: Brandon Loucks Looking to Continue Rising the Modified Ranks in 2026

Column By: JOE PHILLIPS / RPW – CENTER LISLE, NY – Brandon Loucks discovered racing at a young age.

Shortly after his toddler years, Brandon discovered microds and off he went. The wooden microds sparked Brandon’s love of racing, and that love has continued until the present day. It isn’t just necessarily the love of racing, but also the hunt and desire to win.

During his last season in the microd division, Brandon was undefeated. He also had 60 wins total during his time in the class. His competitors surely had to have let out a sigh of relief when Loucks moved up to full size racecars.

As a teen, Brandon raced a 4 Cylinder Truck and then ended up eventually joining the Crate Sportsman division. Loucks earned a victory in each class and showed an immense amount of potential in both divisions. After having had success in both types of cars with intentions to race even more, a serious decision then had to be discussed by the team.

After purchasing a used Hig Fab chassis, the team then needed to decide if they wanted to purchase a new Crate 602 Sportsman engine, or do they choose to spend a little bit more money and go modified racing? Brandon’s father Rob and Brandon ultimately ended up pulling the trigger and purchased their first ever modified engine from Rusty Smith. After that, one could say that the rest was history.

Now, in his early twenties, one would think that Brandon is still somewhat of a rookie in the modified ranks. One that is showing success but is still refining his skills. This is far from the truth, as Loucks is gearing up for his fourth season behind the wheel of a modified in 2026.

Brandon’s first victory in the modified division came back in 2023 at Afton Motorsports Park. In 17 starts that season, he earned the victory, captured 11 Top Five finishes, and also had 14 Top Tens. It was a very impressive inaugural season to get the team off and rolling as they made the transition to the modified ranks.

The 2024 season showed a little bit of a regression for the #23 team. During 27 starts, Loucks only had 3 Top Fives and 7 Top Ten finishes. The team unfortunately wasn’t able to visit victory lane either, setting the stage for a bounce-back campaign in 2025. And boy, they were able to do just that.

The team made only 23 starts this past season, but Brandon was able to have his most successful statistical season to date, and also one of the most memorable seasons of his career in 2025. The youngster was able to score 3 victories, 6 Top Fives, and 14 Top Tens. All three of his victories came at the Thunder Mountain Speedway located in Center Lisle, NY which is one of the team’s weekly venues. Two of those three wins were notable, as they didn’t come without featuring some type of controversy.

One of Brandon’s victories ended in a photo finish at the line. Loucks won by a few inches, if that. The scorers had to be summoned, so that transponder times could be checked. After the top two cars went through tech, questioning arose over the mounting location of the car’s transponder. In another one of his victories, Loucks was protested by a fellow competitor for using traction control. In both scenarios the #23 modified was determined to be legal and was awarded both victories.

On any given weekly race night, Brandon is usually handicapped to mid-pack or deeper. Once the green falls, the #23 can be seen slicing through the field with precision. And, if one lane is not to Brandon’s liking, he will find another lane that is faster. Many drivers will hug the bottom and hope for the best. Loucks is the exact opposite.

The race team often documents their race nights on their YouTube channel. In many of the videos, Brandon sometimes says that he sees a “browner spot” on the track’s racing surface. The #23 ends up naturally gravitating towards that spot on the track, trying to make moves to go forward. Sometimes this may even result in the #23 rim-riding the wall or jockeying for position with other competitors. Brandon rarely ever makes contact with either, which goes to show that he displays many characteristics of a veteran driver despite still being early into his career.

Throughout New York State, there are Saturday night heroes and a bunch of “big-time teams.” The “big-time teams” referring to those who race full-time and follow tours such as the Super DIRTcar Series or Short Track Super Series. While Loucks doesn’t follow any of the traveling series on a full-time basis, he still can certainly compete with them when he does choose to make an appearance.

When you think about racing, a lot of people think that money is the biggest factor in determining success. What many fail to realize is that money doesn’t necessarily prep and maintain the car, create setups, or provide the hours of hard work that goes into racing. Brandon’s team is a small team, with an assortment of family members that pitch in collectively to help the #23 get to the track each week.

Brandon’s father, Rob, is a former driver who decided to hang up the helmet himself in order to support his son’s racing career. He is now the head mechanic of the #23 not only on race nights, but also at the shop. Rob lends a hand in whatever way possible. One night, he even ended up loaning Brandon one of his fire suits for the evening.

Brandon’s Mom, Sue, is the team chef that cooks the meals to feed the team. This is an integral part of the operation, as many people including crew members are drawn in by good food. Sue is also the lead cheerleader, as she supports the #23 in the grandstands at every event that the team participates in.

Brandon’s girlfriend Mallory Carman is the social media extraordinaire. Mallory films and stars in Brandon’s YouTube videos, edits reels, works apparel sales, and also isn’t hesitant to turn a wrench when needed.

Brandon’s sister Autumn also lends a hand with the media, filming and assisting Mallory with the team’s social media channels.

Mallory’s Uncle Jason is the team’s tire specialist. Jason can be found at every race grinding and siping the Hoosier race tires that go on the car each and every week.

Brandon’s friend Dylan also turns wrenches and also adds an extra set of hands to the team. Dylan is extremely dedicated, as he drives down from north of Syracuse to Brandon’s weekly tracks which are located south of the city.

Mallory’s father Mark has a huge presence on the #23. Mark is the crew chief, shock specialist, and at many times known as the driver’s pep-talker. Mark has a unique style of taking the information provided by Brandon and being able to relay what adjustments needed to be made to the rest of the crew. Like many other teams, Mark makes notes on the trailer white board and tries to check all of the boxes off before each feature.

When it comes to time for the green flag, Mark and Mallory can be found standing alongside the fence, inches away from the action. Mallory tends to ask her father what his thoughts are before each race, and the answer is usually always the same. “Brandon has this, he knows what to do.”

From uncles, cousins, mothers and even grandparents, Brandon always has a full crew around that help with all aspects of the team and race car. All of this effort by the crew and his family have produced solid results for the team as they continue to rise the ranks.

The excitement that Loucks produces is infectious to say the least. At one race at Thunder Mountain, track announcer Ric Ryder could be heard yelling “Brandon Loucks goes 15 wide!” Yes, this is clearly an exaggeration, but this is the kind of excitement Loucks brings to the table on a typical Saturday night.

Brandon Loucks Racing also has a smorgasbord of sponsors that continue to help the team get up and down the road. In 2025, these sponsors included Tri County Collision, Cooks Septic Services, Norwich Tractor (Kubota), C&H Cooling & Heating, Grumpy’s Garage, Erika’s Cakery, Competitive Auto Glass, Jason Carman Logging, Auto Value Parts Stores (Sidney), Trackside Products, Sal’s Pizzeria, Next Generation GraphiX, Cummings Auto Machine, Little Boys Shop, Jensen Speed Equipment, and Tattoos by Camille.

You may realize that these sponsors feature a wide array of businesses. Many are not auto racing specifically, as Loucks’s team evidently has very solid marketing skills attracting new partners and maintaining relationships with partners that have been on board previously.

With 2026 on the horizon, Loucks will have two Bicknell cars and two motors ready to rip when Mother Nature finally presents the opportunity. One car has a 360 open engine built by Cummings Auto Machine, and the second car features a Spec 358 from Bouc Racing Engines. With the holiday season now in the rear view mirror and spring coming around the corner, the crew is hard at work eagerly preparing for 2026.

It’s evident that Brandon Loucks Racing will be a force to be reckoned with in 2026. After finishing 2nd in points at Thunder Mountain Speedway this past year, Loucks has his sights on becoming the track’s Modified Champion in 2026.

This will not be an easy task, especially since SDCS full-timer Darren Smith is the current champion and has many laps around Thunder Mountain himself. Smith is a tough and consistent competitor with years of experience, but Loucks and team are up for the challenge.

As proven in 2025, when difficulties and controversy arise, Brandon and the crew dig in, work hard and produce results. They hope to continue this trend throughout the foreseeable future and hope to take another step forward during the 2026 race season and beyond.