7/13/2020
Inside Line Promotions
Henderson Overcomes Mechanical Problem to Post Top 10 at Knoxville Raceway
(Photo by Rob Kocak Photos)
Inside Line Promotions – KNOXVILLE, Iowa (July 13, 2020) – Justin Henderson battled mechanical woes in his heat race before advancing nine positions in the feature to finish ninth at Knoxville Raceway Saturday night.
The rally came one week after Henderson guided the Mike Sandvig Racing No. 7 to their first 410ci winged sprint car win together. It also earned Henderson the Hard Charger Award for passing the most cars.
“It’s nice to know we can overcome issues and still get a decent run, but it’s tough when you think of what could have been,” he said. “We obviously had a good car capable of running up front, but it just was not in the cards I guess.”
Henderson began the night by laying down a lap of 15.539 seconds in time trials, which was good enough for 11th quickest among the 31 cars in attendance. He followed that up by starting third in a heat race, but the car kept coming out of gear and he was unable to finish the race.
Based on points earned via qualifying and the heat race, Henderson locked into the A Main in the 18th starting position. With the gear issue resolved, Henderson struggled early in the feature to gain traction, but eventually he felt comfortable and marched forward to finish ninth.
“We fought hard and made a big adjustment to the rear end and we were able to get the car to where we could run in the feature,” he said. “We were awful on the initial start, but after a few laps I got into a groove and we were just picking cars off left and right.
“It really stinks when you know you have a car better than the guys in front of you, but you’re starting from 18th due to no fault of your own. It is a tough pill to swallow, but we’ll just keep at it and go get them next week I guess.”
Henderson will return to Knoxville Raceway on Saturday for another weekly show. He will be pulling double duty by also competing in his own 360ci sprint car during the night.
“I don’t like to do double duty all that often as sometimes it can be distracting, but one of our sponsors is a big supporter of this event,” Henderson said in reference to GRP Motorsports. “It’ll be good for them to see me on the track twice and hopefully it’ll lead to gaining more knowledge for Mike’s car. We streamlined our programs for this very reason and I am looking forward to a successful night across the board.”
QUICK RESULTS –
July 11 – Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa – Qualifying: 11; Heat race: DNF (3); Feature: 9 (18).
SEASON STATS –
14 races, 1 win, 2 top fives, 6 top 10s, 8 top 15s, 10 top 20s
UP NEXT –
Saturday at Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa
MEDIA LINKS –
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Henderson_racin
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/90850346221/
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT – GRP Motorsports
GRP Motorsports, owned and managed by sprint car racing super fan Greg Parent, supports cars, drivers and racing events throughout the Midwest.
“Greg has been a longtime supporter of mine in my own deal for years and he’s coming on board to help with Mike’s deal for 2020,” Henderson said. “He’s done a lot for the sport and my career.”
Sandvig would also like to thank Morton Buildings, Eszlinger Electric, Deberg Concrete, DeBerg Flooring, R2 Enterprise, Rider Racing Engines, Winters Performance, Schoenfeld Headers, BK Racing TI Components, Triple X Race Co., Wings Unlimited, Keizer Aluminum Wheels, SBS FK Shocks, Hinchman Racewear, Heartland Kitchen Solutions, Blud Lubricants, 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.
Article Credit: Inside Line Promotions
Submitted By: Shawn Miller