(Photo by Malcolm White Photography)
Inside Line Promotions – COTTAGE GROVE, Ore. (July 6, 2014) – Although he didn’t ascend to the top of the pyramid, Henry Van Dam had about as consistent of a weekend as a sprint car driver can hope for.
“It was pretty solid, but not good enough for where we needed to be,” he said. “Winning races definitely raises the bar.”
Van Dam claimed his heat race on both Friday and Saturday at Cottage Grove Speedway during the final two ASCS Northwest Region Speedweek events.
“I think we were second in points (after the heat races) both nights,” he said. “We just drew high.”
On Friday, Van Dam led his entire heat race after starting on the outside of the front row to earn a position in the feature redraw. Unfortunately, he pulled the highest number – eight – during the random draw to line up on the outside of the fourth row for the main event.
“We had a really good car,” he said. “I made one or two mistakes and drove myself off the race track and cost myself a lot of time. I had to work to get those spot back. We were right on the back bumper of Kyle (Hirst) and he was on the back bumper of (Jonathan) Allard. We had a car that could contend for the win. I got too impatient.”
After driving off the track in turns one and two while running fourth with less than 10 laps remaining, Van Dam rebounded to post a fifth-place result.
When he returned to the quarter-mile track on Saturday, Van Dam powered from fourth to win his heat race and again advance into the feature redraw. This time he randomly chose the second-highest number to start the main event on the inside of the fourth row.
“Saturday night I made some really bad calls on the setup,” he said. “I went too far with my adjustments thinking (the track) was going to be a little worse than it was. The track was great again. It had a bottom and top lane on both ends. I knew once we went out exactly where I screwed up. The car wasn’t where it needed to be, but we came out with a good result.”
Van Dam maneuvered to a fourth-place finish, which marked his seventh top five of the season.
He will return to Grays Harbor Raceway in Elma, Wash., this Friday and Saturday for two rounds of the Summer Thunder Sprint Series. Van Dam led all 25 laps to claim the opening event on June 7.
QUICK RESULTS –
July 4 – Cottage Grove Speedway in Cottage Grove, Ore. – Heat race: 1 (2); Feature: 5 (8).
July 5 – Cottage Grove Speedway in Cottage Grove, Ore. – Heat race: 1 (4); Feature: 4 (7).
SEASON STATS –
18 races, 3 wins, 7 top fives, 12 top 10s, 15 top 15s, 15 top 20s
UP NEXT –
Friday and Saturday at Grays Harbor Raceway in Elma, Wash., for the Summer Thunder Sprint Series
MEDIA LINKS –
Website: http://www.HenryVanDam.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/VanDamRacing
VIDEO –
Here is a link to a video by ARRacing of Van Dam winning the Summer Thunder Sprint Series event at Grays Harbor Raceway in Elma, Wash., on June 7: http://youtu.be/a2sBRaf5l1c
APPAREL –
Van Dam has t-shirts and sweatshirts available for sale at his race trailer.
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT – Enumclaw Xpress Lube
Located in Enumclaw, Wash., Enumclaw Xpress Lube offers a full range of vehicle oil and fluid services. It can also service air filter and wiper blades.
“Enumclaw Xpress Lube was my very first sponsor and have been with us ever since,” Van Dam said. “They’ve been there for the good years and the bad years and have provided ample support.”
Van Dam would also like to thank Kovash Logging, Johansen Excavating, Les Schwab Tire of Enumclaw, Clems Enumclaw Powersports, Factory Kahne, A.R.T. Speed Equipment, Van Dam Dairy, Village Green Resort, D&L Equipment Repair, Zender Equipment, Big Bob’s Flooring Outlet, Bob and Joan Shumway, Kellan and Kelsey Hall, Foothills Auto Supply, American Powder Coating, Pete Vos, Char’s Barber Shop, Wesmar Race Engines, SpeedMart, Van Dam Farms and Rich Van Dam Dairy for their continued support.
INSIDE LINE PROMOTIONS –
Inside Line Promotions specializes in affordable public relations and media management for motor sports drivers, teams, sponsors, tracks, series, events, organizations and manufacturers. ILP Founder Shawn Miller leverages professional journalism with new media technologies and social networking to improve your exposure and the return on investment for your sponsors.
To meet the media relations needs of your program and to join Team ILP, contact Shawn at 541-510-3663 or InsideLinePromotions@gmail.com. For more information on Inside Line Promotions, visit http://www.InsideLinePromotions.com.
- Shawn Miller on Jul 06, 2014
- Article Date: 7/6/2014 by Inside Line Promotions