Hanchey didn’t clinch the 15th and final NFR qualification spot until the last week of the regular season. A $4,000 payday at the Governor’s Cup in Sioux Falls, S.D., gave him a bit of breathing room, but still left the door open for Quade Hiatt to overtake him.
So he chartered a private plane for a rodeo the next day in San Bernardino, Calif., hoping to pad his lead.