(Photo by Tylan Porath Photography)
Inside Line Promotions – BRANDON, S.D. (June 23, 2021) – Justin Henderson scored results of seventh, fourth, ninth and 17th, respectively, during the last four nights of racing between Knoxville Raceway and Huset’s Speedway to kick off one of his busiest stretches of action all season aboard the Mike Sandvig No. 7.
Henderson also preluded the hectic schedule by earning a Midwest Sprint Touring Series and Midwest Power Series victory on Friday behind the wheel of his family owned No. 83 360 sprint car at Rapid Speedway in Rock Rapids, Iowa.
“It wasn't a bad weekend at all as these races paid well, so to get in the A Main four times was a good thing for our team,” he said. “A few nights of bad luck can really snowball and kill your momentum when you are running four nights in a row, so I’m happy to have a clean car and to have gotten some good runs under our belt.”
Henderson and Sandvig started the four-race stretch on Saturday at Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa, where the team timed in 10th quickest in qualifying with a lap of 17.650 seconds. Henderson advanced one position in a heat race to finish second and lock himself into the A Main in the sixth starting spot. During the feature Henderson dropped as low as ninth before rebounding late to finish seventh.
“We were not very good by any means, but we were able to gain a few spots back late in the race when we got to the rubber before anybody else,” he said. “That kind of saved us there in terms of finishing position, but it seems like we’ve just been a little off at Knoxville this season.”
The team headed 331 miles north to Huset’s Speedway to kick off THE SHOWDOWN on Sunday at the $7,000-to-win Chuck Zitterich Tribute. Henderson laid down a lap of 11.179 seconds in time trials, which was good enough for 12th quickest among 26 drivers in attendance. He then won a heat race from the pole position to secure a spot into the feature redraw. He pulled the No. 5 to garner the fifth starting spot in the feature.
Except for a late caution that set up a green-white-checkered finish, the feature went caution-free and Henderson struggled to gain ground as a result of the fast pace. Ultimately, he picked up one position to earn his track-leading sixth top-five finish of the season.
“The track was pretty good and the top was definitely the fast way around,” he said. “We ended up gaining a spot there and stayed in the top five and that gave us some confidence going into the Outlaws deal.”
The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series invaded the track on Monday and Henderson qualified seventh quickest in a time trial flight. He advanced one position in a heat race to finish third, which locked the team directly into the ninth starting spot in the main event. On a track that proved tricky to maneuver, Henderson finished where he started for his 13th top 10 of the season. He was also the highest finishing track regular against a stout field of invaders looking for the big payday.
“We were not too bad in the heat race, but we kind of just battled too much in the feature,” he said. “We lost a few spots and gained some spots, but it all played out to where we finished where we started. You can’t afford to fall backwards with fields like the Outlaws bring, but we kind of were leading the way for the locals.”
Henderson returned to the track on Tuesday for the BillionAuto.com Huset’s 50 finale, which he opened by timing in eighth quickest in his group. He again locked directly into the A Main via a fifth-place finish in a heat race. Henderson lined up 20th for the $30,000-to-win feature event. His momentum was halted early when he was forced to slow to a stop to avoid a multiple-car incident on Lap 1. He rejoined the field in his spot and advanced as high as 16th, but with little chance of gaining ground after getting lapped he pulled off late in the race and was credited with finishing 17th.
“We were behind the eight ball early in time trials and I lost a spot in my heat to put us behind even more,” he said. “The track was just so locked down and fast and we were not really going anywhere. The motor was feeling a little warm during the 25-lap break and by then I made up my mind that if we got lapped I was pulling off to see another day as we have got a lot of racing left to go this week.”
Next up for Henderson and Sandvig will be a trio of World of Outlaws races at Jackson Motorplex in Jackson, Minn., Thursday through Saturday for the 43rd annual AGCO Jackson Nationals. The three-day event will see drivers earn points during the first two preliminary nights before the $50,000-to-win finale on Saturday. Henderson advanced from 12th to fifth in his lone visit to the track this season and is entering the crown jewel event with confidence.
“I’m really excited to get to Jackson as the last time we were there we moved through the field on a hammer-down race track with relative ease,” he said. “If we can do our part the first two nights and get ourselves in position to be near the front for the feature on Night 3 I feel really good about our chances to bring home some good money.”
QUICK RESULTS –
June 19 – Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa – Qualifying: 10; Heat race: 2 (3); Feature: 7 (6).
June 20 – Huset’s Speedway in Brandon, S.D. – Qualifying: 12; Heat race: 1 (1); Feature: 4 (5).
June 21 – Huset’s Speedway in Brandon, S.D. – Qualifying: 7; Heat race: 3 (4); Feature: 9 (9).
June 22 – Huset’s Speedway in Brandon, S.D. – Qualifying: 8; Heat race: 5 (4); Feature: 17 (20).
SEASON STATS –
23 races, 2 wins, 9 top fives, 13 top 10s, 18 top 15s, 21 top 20s
UP NEXT –
Thursday through Saturday at Jackson Motorplex in Jackson, Minn., for the 43rd annual AGCO Jackson Nationals with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series
MEDIA LINKS –
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Henderson_racin
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/90850346221/
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT – Morton Buildings
Morton Buildings builds the finest, pole barns, equestrian buildings, steel buildings and more. For more information, visit http://www.MortonBuildings.com.
“We’ve had a relationship with Morton Buildings for more than four years and they’ve really grown in the racing scene,” Sandvig said. “We’re thrilled to have such a reputable sponsor as part of our team.”
Sandvig would also like to thank 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, Heartland Kitchen Solutions, 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.
