(Photo by Tylan Porath Photography)
Inside Line Promotions – BRANDON, S.D. (Aug. 3, 2021) – Justin Henderson was dealt a strong dose of bad luck last weekend as he recorded a DNF at both Knoxville Raceway and Huset’s Speedway behind the wheel of the Mike Sandvig Racing No. 7.
“When stuff went bad it could have gone worse than it did so I guess that’s not too bad,” Henderson said. “When you’re running as great as we have you’re bound to have some of these weekends, too.”
Henderson and Sandvig kicked off the two-race weekend on Saturday with the FloRacing All Star Circuit of Champions at Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa, where Henderson timed in 16th quickest among 46 drivers during qualifying with a lap of 15.699 seconds.
He then finished where he started – second – in a heat race to earn a spot into a dash. Henderson advanced one position in the dash to finish third and secure the fifth starting spot into the feature. He ran as high as fourth in the A Main and was in a three-car battle for the runner-up spot when he broke a rear end.
The DNF dropped Henderson to second in the track’s championship standings.
“We can’t really afford to lose points at Knoxville and we were sitting in a really good spot,” he said. “It just stinks seeing a good run go away like that, but we definitely had a car capable of running up front.”
The duo headed to Huset’s Speedway on Sunday to compete for $10,000 in the Bull Haulers Brawl presented by Folkens Brothers Trucking. Henderson timed in sixth quickest in qualifying with a lap of 11.037 seconds before he finished where he started – third – in a heat race.
Henderson lined up 10th for the feature event and was battling inside the top 10 when he came to a stop in turn three for what the team deemed an engine problem, ending the night early for the second straight evening.
While the result was not what Henderson was hoping for, he did manage to hold onto the points lead at Huset’s Speedway.
“We lost a motor at Huset’s and that’s never a good feeling at all,” he said. “The guy second in points had some issues, too, so the night wasn’t a complete loss points-wise.”
Henderson and Sandvig will take this week off in preparation for the 60th annual NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey’s at Knoxville Raceway Aug. 11-14. However, Henderson will compete in the 31st My Place Hotels 360 Knoxville Nationals presented by Great Southern Bank this weekend at the track behind the wheel of his family owned No. 83 sprint car.
“I really feel like we have a car capable of winning the 360 Nationals and I’m feeling extremely confident there,” he said. “I’m looking to have a good run and get some confidence built up heading into the big one next weekend. I’m as excited as I have ever been for the Nationals this year and I can’t wait to get started here this weekend.”
QUICK RESULTS –
July 31 – Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa – Qualifying: 16; Heat race: 2 (2); Dash: 3 (4); Feature: 24 (5).
Aug. 1 – Huset’s Speedway in Brandon, S.D. – Qualifying: 6; Heat race: 3 (3); Feature: 18 (10).
SEASON STATS –
34 races, 6 wins, 14 top fives, 18 top 10s, 24 top 15s, 30 top 20s
UP NEXT –
Aug. 11-14 at Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa, for the 60th NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey’s
MEDIA LINKS –
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Henderson_racin
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/90850346221/
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT – Heartland Kitchen Solutions
Heartland Kitchen Solutions is a Pepperidge Farm route that services the Des Moines, Iowa, area large and small stores. Owned by race fan Curt Plough, who is a retired U.S Army First Sergeant, the business provides exceptional cookies, crackers, breads and more that carry a 75-year tradition of feeding families.
“Mike and Justin are kind of a low budget team and I always enjoy being a part of the underdog mentality,” Plough said. “They kind of remind me of myself and I’m happy to help take them over the hump with our support.”
Sandvig would also like to thank Morton Buildings, Mamma’s Pizza of Wellsville, Emory Transmission, Eszlinger Electric, DeBerg Flooring, R2 Enterprise, GRP Motorsports, Winters Performance, Schoenfeld Headers, BK Racing TI Components, SBS FK Shocks, Wings Unlimited, Keizer Aluminum Wheels, Rider Racing Engines, Hinchman Racewear, Triple X Race Co., Boji Custom Metal Works and Simpson Race Products 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 by joining Team ILP, contact Shawn at 541-510-3663 or Shawn@InsideLinePromotions.com. For more information on Inside Line Promotions, visit http://www.InsideLinePromotions.com.
- Shawn Miller on Aug 03, 2021
- Article Date: 8/3/2021 by Inside Line Promotions