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Henderson and Mike Sandvig Racing Score Knoxville Best Second-Place Finish

(Photo by Craig Mobley)

Inside Line Promotions – KNOXVILLE, Iowa (July 16, 2019) – Justin Henderson matched his best finish of the season driving for Mike Sandvig with a runner-up result during a make-up feature held at Knoxville Raceway last Saturday.

The second-place finish backed up a 12th-place run earlier in the night during the regular program’s A Main and is the best finish ever for Sandvig as an owner at the famed track.

“I know I can win races at Knoxville so to take that step forward and get close for Mike as a new owner is really cool,” Henderson said. “He’s given me everything I need to be successful and as a team we’re at a place where that effort is starting to get rewarded.”

The night began with Henderson going out 30th for qualifying. With a lap of 16.095, Henderson qualified in the eighth position, which put him in the fifth starting spot for his heat race. He gained a position to finish fourth, locking him into the ninth spot in the A Main.

Early in the feature Henderson said he made a few miscalculations on the track, which caused him to lose a few positions. With the 20-lap feature going non-stop, Henderson wasn’t able to get momentum moving forward and he settled for a 12th-place finish.

“The car was really good, and I felt great out there, but I made a few moves early that just didn’t pay off,” he said. “Despite falling back, I was confident in what we had and knew that we didn’t have to change much for the second feature.”

Henderson and his team made minor adjustments to the car for the make-up main event. Believing a better race ran by the driver was enough, the team rolled out for the 25-lap feature once again in the ninth starting position.

Henderson advanced into the top five by Lap 2. One lap later he passed Matt Juhl for the fourth position and by Lap 7 he had passed Lynton Jeffrey for the third spot, running right behind Terry McCarl.

On Lap 9, Henderson shot around McCarl for the second position using the cushion and he set his sights on Brian Brown, who had worked up more than a four-second lead from his front row starting spot. With the race continuing to go non-stop Henderson wasn’t able to catch the leader as he came home with a second-place finish.

The result matched the team’s previous season-best outing from I-80 Speedway in Greenwood, Neb., in April. However, it is the team’s best result since dedicating to weekly action at Knoxville Raceway.

“The track really cleaned off after our first feature and it just played into our hands perfectly,” Henderson said. “The car was already excellent, but the track allowed me a lot of room to run and I just got up on the wheel early and made it happen. Brian was really good, but I felt like we had a car capable of winning.”

Henderson also gained a position in the series standings, moving from fifth to fourth, and he currently trails Brown by 174 markers heading into next Saturday’s race at the half-mile oval.

“If you take out the crash we had in the early season, we’d be right up with Brian and contending for the points lead,” he said. “Expectations can ruin a team if you get too crazy with them, but we came into this season realistic knowing we are a new team.

“But ultimately I think we are really close to clicking off some wins. We have the bases loaded and we’re ready to swing for the fences. Once we get going, it’s not going to be a one weekend fluke. We’re a really good team and I expect us to be that way for a long time going forward.”

QUICK RESULTS –

July 13 – Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa – Qualifying: 8; Heat race: 4 (5); Feature: 12 (9); Make-Up Feature: 2 (9).

SEASON STATS –

15 races, 0 wins, 4 top fives, 7 top 10s, 10 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 – 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 apart 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, DeBerg Concrete, DeBerg Flooring, Enzlinger Electric, R2 Enterprise, Rider Racing Engines, Winters Performance, Schoenfeld Headers, Smith Titanium, Triple X Race Co., Vortex Wings, Keizer Aluminum Wheels, SBS FK Shocks, Hinchman Racewear 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.

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