Inside Line Promotions - BANKS, Ore. (Aug. 27, 2013) - Henry Van Dam added a pair of podium performances during ASCS Northwest Region action last weekend.
"Overall, the weekend was good," he said. "I thought we left a little on the table, but overall we had solid finishes. At Cottage Grove, I wish we could have been better the first 10 laps. We had a lot of catching up to do from that point on. At Banks, I freed the car up right before I went out and that was a mistake. I just misread the track."
Van Dam opened the weekend on Friday at Cottage Grove Speedway in Cottage Grove, Ore. Using a qualifying format for the second straight race, Van Dam timed in fourth quickest. That started him fifth in his heat race, which he ended third to advance to the feature redraw.
Van Dam pulled the No. 3 in the random redraw, which started him on the inside of the second row for the 30-lap feature.
"On the start with a full load of fuel I was super tight," he said. "I just had to check up and let people go so I didn't catch myself in a bad situation. I think by Lap 2 or 3 I was back to sixth. The track started slicking off and as soon as that happened I could start moving forward."
Van Dam rallied into the top three and used a heroic pass while engulfed in traffic to secure the runner-up position.
"The track was tricky," he said after placing second. "There were hooked up spots and slick spots. I felt like we were running the leader down, but didn't have enough laps to do it."
He headed to Sunset Speedway Park on Saturday, when Van Dam charged from fifth in his heat race to snag second place at the checkered flag. That made him the high-points driver in the feature redraw. However, he pulled the highest number - eight - to start on the outside of the fourth row.
"The track actually wasn't terrible," he said. "It was slick, but you could move around. I think I got a couple of positions on the initial start and I got one after that. I'd say by about Lap 10 we were up to third."
Van Dam finished in third place to record his eighth top-five result of the season.
"We needed more side bite," he said. "I was free getting in, which I had to back up the corners a lot. I couldn't be aggressive. I just had to be really smooth."
Van Dam is scheduled to return to action on Monday at Grays Harbor Raceway in Elma, Wash., during the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series annual visit. He will compete with the World of Outlaws on Tuesday at Willamette Speedway in Lebanon, Ore., and on Wednesday at Cottage Grove Speedway in Cottage Grove, Ore.
QUICK RESULTS -
Aug. 23 - Cottage Grove Speedway in Cottage Grove, Ore. - Qualifying: 4; Heat race: 3 (5); Feature: 2 (3).
Aug. 24 - Sunset Speedway Park in Banks, Ore. - Heat race: 2 (5); Feature: 3 (8).
SEASON STATS -
34 races, 1 win, 8 top fives, 21 top 10s, 29 top 15s, 32 top 20s
UP NEXT -
Monday at Grays Harbor Raceway in Elma, Wash.; Tuesday, Sept. 3, at Willamette Speedway in Lebanon, Ore.; and Wednesday, Sept. 4, at Cottage Grove Speedway in Cottage Grove, Ore., with the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series
MEDIA LINKS -
Website: http://www.HenryVanDam.com
VIDEO -
Here is a link thanks to ARRacing Videos to Van Dam's victory at Grays Harbor Raceway on June 15: http://youtu.be/sFPjfxd5Vgs
APPAREL -
Van Dam has t-shirts and sweatshirts available at his racing trailer at every race he competes in.
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT - Les Schwab Tire of Enumclaw
Les Schwab Tire of Enumclaw is a leading tire store that also services brakes, shocks and struts, batteries, wheels and more. For more information, visit http://www.LesSchwab.com.
"Les Schwab Tire of Enumclaw just came on board the last couple of years," Van Dam said. "They take care of me from my car to the hauler and trailer to make sure we get down the road."
Van Dam would also like to thank Kovash Logging, Johansen Excavating, Enumclaw Xpress Lube, Van Dam Dairy, Village Green Resort, Bob and Joan Shumway, Kellan and Kelsey Hall, Foothills Auto Supply, American Powder Coating, Pete Vos, Clems Enumclaw Powersports, Char's Barber Shop, Wesmar Race Engines, Factory Kahne, A.R.T. Speed Equipment, SpeedMart, Van Dam Farms and Rich Van Dam Dairy for their continued support.
INSIDE LINE PROMOTIONS -
Inside Line Promotions specializes in affordable public relations, media management and merchandising services for sprint car teams. ILP Founder Shawn Miller leverages professional journalism with new media technologies and social networking to improve your exposure and your sponsors' return on investment.
To meet the media relations needs of your team, contact Shawn at 541-510-3663 or sprintcarreporter@yahoo.com. For more information on Inside Line Promotions, visit http://www.insidelinepromotions.com.
- Admin Account on Aug 27, 2013
- Article Date: 8/27/2013 by Shawn Miller