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Justin Henderson picked up a pair of top five finishes behind the wheel of the Mike Sandvig Motorsports No. 7 410 Sprint Car last weekend. Henderson finished fourth at Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa on Saturday and fifth at Huset’s Speedway on Sunday.

Henderson also competed in two nights of racing behind the wheel of his family owned MAX Motorsports No. 83 360 Sprint Car where he finished seventh on Friday at Jackson Motorplex and 23rd at Knoxville as part of a Saturday night doubleheader.

“It wasn’t a bad weekend by any means and it shows we are consistent,” said Henderson. “In terms of our region of sprint car racing, we are a top car and we continue to knock off top fives on a regular basis.”

Henderson kicked off the weekend on Saturday at Knoxville Raceway where he qualified second quickest among 31 cars in attendance with a fastest lap of 15.265 seconds. He then advanced three positions in a heat race to finish third and locked himself directly into the night’s A-main event.

“We’ve got a really good car to start the night at Knoxville and that’s something to be happy about,” he said. “I know I’m always saying it, but the beginning of the night can make or break you and luckily it’s been good to us at Knoxville.”

Starting from the inside-second row of the A-main event, Henderson fell back to fourth on the opening lap. Following a yellow flag with 16 laps remaining, Henderson inherited the third position and he remained in the spot for the next 10 laps. With five laps to go, Henderson got bottled up behind a lap car while engaged in a three-wide battle for the runner-up position. The bobble caused him to fall to fourth, where he’d take the checkered flag at the conclusion of the event.

“If not for the lapped car there when we caught second it was going to be a wild three-wide battle in the turn,” said Henderson.” It was a lot of fun out there and anytime you can go toe to toe with Brian Brown and the McCarl’s at Knoxville you know you have a good car. We just need to put 20 laps together and we’ll be talking about wins instead of top fives.”

The team next headed to Huset’s Speedway on Sunday, where Henderson qualified fifth quickest out of 25 cars in attendance with a fastest lap of 11.137 seconds before advancing one position in a heat race to finish second. He earned a spot in the re-draw as a result and drew the No. 7 pill to claim an inside-fourth row starting spot for the feature.

In a race that went non-stop for 25 laps, Henderson was able to rally forward two positions to score a fifth-place finish. The top five was the team’s fifth in eight starts this season.

“It was really hard to pass as the track developed a lip early and was fast up top,” he said, “The bottom was ok early, but once it went away, we pretty much just had to ride around and hope for something to happen.”

Next up for Henderson and Sandvig will be a Memorial Day weekend tripleheader. They’ll start out at Knoxville Raceway on Saturday, before joining the Northern Outlaw Sprint Association at Huset’s Speedway on Sunday and Monday for two nights. Henderson sits third in the track point standings at Knoxville and first at Huset’s entering the weekend.

“I think we are in for a really good weekend and we get an extra show to make some good money,” said Henderson. “For me this sport is all about momentum and I think it’s time we start a nice little streak and pick up some wins.”

While the Memorial Day weekend brings about an extra night of racing and the opportunity to make some good money, Henderson is also grateful for the opportunity to celebrate the men and women who have and are serving our country.

“I’m really grateful for those who have given their lives to allow us to live freely as American citizens and there’s never enough chances to say thank you to them,” said Henderson.” Not only those who we have lost, but those still serving today. To serve and fight like that takes a different breed of person. I wouldn’t be talking about racing on the weekends without those men and women and hopefully we can grab a win in their honor.”

WEEKEND RESULTS

May 21 – Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa – Qualifying: 2; Heat race: 3 (6); Feature: 4 (3).

May 22 – Huset’s Speedway in Brandon, D.D – Qualifying: 5; Heat race: 2 (3); Feature: 5 (7).

SEASON STATS

8 races, 0 wins, 5 top fives, 6 top 10s, 7 top 15, 7 top 20

UP NEXT

Saturday at Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa and Sunday and Monday at Huset’s Speedway in Brandon, S.D

SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT – Rider Racing Engines

Rider Racing Engines has been building high performance engines in Central Pennsylvania for more than 20 years. No matter whether you’re a street stock or a World of Outlaws sprint car, Rider Racing Engines can put you in victory lane. For more information visit www.RiderRacingEngines.com.

“We can’t do this without great partners and Rider Racing Engines certainly give us speed night in and night out,” said Henderson. “I always feel reassured knowing we have Rider power under the hood and I’m thankful for all they do for me and Mike.”

Sandvig would also like to thank www.powersports.com, Morton Buildings, GRP Motorsports, Eszlinger Electric, Heartland Kitchen Solutions, DeBerg Flooring, R2 Enterprise, GRP Motorsports, Team Enterprise Metal Fabrication and Powder Coating, Winters Performance, Schoenfeld Headers, BK Racing TI Components, SBS FK Shocks, Wings Unlimited, Keizer Aluminum Wheels, Hinchman Racewear, Maxim Racing Inc. and Simpson Race Products for their continued support.

Justin Henderson highlighted a two-race weekend behind the wheel of the Mike Sandvig Motorsports No. 7 410 Sprint Car with a third-place finish on Sunday at Huset’s Speedway. He also scored a 22nd-place finish on Saturday at Knoxville Raceway following late-race mechanical issues that spoiled what appeared to be a promising night.

“We’ve got a ton of speed at Knoxville, and it shows every time we are there, but we can’t have nights like Saturday if we want to win a championship,” said Henderson. “Overall, it was a good weekend and I’m happy with the way the car feels. We’re going to find victory lane sooner than later.”

Henderson kicked off the weekend on Saturday at Knoxville Raceway where he qualified seventh quickest among 34 cars in attendance with a fastest lap of 16.318 seconds. He then advanced one position in a heat race to finish fourth and locked himself directly into the night’s A-main event.

“We’re continuously fast to start the night and we’re putting ourselves in a good position to be competitive,” he said. “That’s what you need to be successful and it’s nice to know you don’t need to worry too much about getting into shows.”

Lining up from the outside-third row starting spot for the feature, Henderson quickly advanced to the fourth position on lap two. After a multi-lap battle for the position with fifth-place driver Austin McCarl, he settled into fourth over the first half of the event. Following a restart with eight laps to go, he slipped back to fifth, but with two laps remaining he was able to advance back to fourth. Entering turn one on the following circuit, he broke a steering arm and was unable to control the car, so he came to a stop against the outside guardrail. He would not rejoin the field and as a result he was credited with finishing in 22nd.

“I don’t think we had anything for the top two guys on the track, so we were running right around where we were supposed to be in terms of speed,” said Henderson. “Unfortunately, we broke the steering arm there on the last lap and I lost brakes and couldn’t control the car at all. It stinks to see a top five go away there with only three turns remaining, but overall, we know that we had a pretty good car and aren’t far off in terms of competing for wins.”

The team next headed to Huset’s Speedway on Sunday, where Henderson qualified eighth quickest out of 26 cars in attendance with a fastest lap of 11.065 seconds before finishing where he started – second – in a heat race, He earned a spot in the re-draw as a result and drew the No. 6 pill to claim an outside-third row starting spot for the feature.

On a track that took rubber near the halfway point of the feature, Henderson was unable to mount any real charge to the front of the field. However, he was able to capitalize in key moments to advance three positions throughout the duration of the A-main to earn a third-place finish and a spot on the podium. The top five finish was the team’s third of the season in six total starts.

“It was really hard to get up speed early in the night as it was pretty slick,” he said. ” I found the rubber pretty quick in the feature and I stayed there most the race. I was able to pick up a few spots, but by then everyone was just locked to the bottom going as fast as we could go. Everybody is racing on equal terms, so I can’t really complain about the night, and I’ll take the third.”

Next up for Henderson and Sandvig will be another weekend doubleheader at Knoxville Raceway on Saturday and Huset’s Speedway on Sunday. Following last weekend’s disappointment at Knoxville, Henderson sits third in the track point standings. Meanwhile at Huset’s, Henderson sits in second in the standings and trails first by a mere 12 points.

Henderson also plans to compete for $3000 on Friday at Jackson Motorplex in Jackson, Minnesota in his own MAX Motorsports No. 83 360 Sprint Car and again at Knoxville on Saturday. If he can sweep the weekend in the 360 division, there is an added $3000 bonus on the line as well.

“This is a big weekend for us, and I look forward to it every year,” said Henderson. “Anytime I can get extra laps in my car it can only benefit me in Mike’s car. In recent season’s we have been really fast in the 360 division, so I’m hoping that we can pick up a few wins and some extra money this weekend and hopefully that will rub off on the 410 sprint car side of things too.”

WEEKEND RESULTS

May 15 – Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa – Qualifying: 5; Heat race: 4 (5); Feature: 22 (5)

May 16 – Huset’s Speedway in Brandon, D.D – Qualifying: 8; Heat race: 2 (2); Feature: 3 (6)

SEASON STATS

6 races, 0 wins, 3 top 5s, 4 top 10s, 5 top 15s, 5 top 20s

UP NEXT

Saturday, May 22nd, at Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa and Sunday, May 23rd, at Huset’s Speedway in Brandon, S.D.

SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT – Eszlinger Electric

Eszlinger Electric, founded in 1984, provides residential electrical services in the Sioux Falls, S.D. area. They offer free estimates, accept credit cards and are a licensed, bonded and insured company. To find out more information, call 605-271-8488 or 605-941-5087.

“Eszlinger Electric has been a great friend of the team and we’re grateful for their support for the past three seasons,” Team Owner Mike Sandvig said. “We could not do this without supporters like them and I’m glad to have them apart of our team.”

Sandvig would also like to thank www.powersports.com, Morton Buildings, GRP Motorsports, Heartland Kitchen Solutions, DeBerg Flooring, R2 Enterprise, GRP Motorsports, Team Enterprise Metal Fabrication and Powder Coating, Winters Performance, Schoenfeld Headers, BK Racing TI Components, SBS FK Shocks, Wings Unlimited, Keizer Aluminum Wheels, Hinchman Racewear, Rider Racing Engines, Maxim Racing Inc. and Simpson Race Products for their continued support.

Justin Henderson and Mike Sandvig Motorsports took part in two events last weekend with a trip to Knoxville Raceway on Saturday and Huset’s Speedway on Sunday.

The two-race weekend netted the duo a season-best third-place finish at Knoxville on Saturday and a seventh-place finish at Huset’s on Sunday.

“For the first weekend with two races, it was not a bad weekend at all,” said Henderson. “We’ve got a lot of racing ahead of us this season and weekends like this will go a long way in preparing us for a busy race season.”

As result of multiple rainouts across the country, a whopping 43 drivers made the trek to Knoxville on Saturday. Undeterred by the added competition, Henderson began the evening by timing in second quickest in a qualifying flight with a fastest lap of 15.915 seconds. This marked the third consecutive week that Henderson has been among the top two fastest qualifiers to start the night at the Sprint Car Capital of the World.

“When you can qualify well, it makes the night a lot easier” he said. “It might as well have been an Outlaw show with all the drivers there, but I say bring them all as that’s really the only way you’ll ever know how you stack up truly.”

He backed up the impressive qualifying performance by advancing three positions in a heat race to finish third and lock himself into the A-main.

“We got a good start on the heat race and the starts are so important at Knoxville with their format,” said Henderson. “We got by a car early and that means so much as you don’t want to get stretched out early or you’ll ruin your night just like that.”

Lining up from the inside-second row for the feature, Henderson quickly moved into the runner-up position by the completion of lap three. Staying glued to the bottom of the Speedway, he took over the top spot on lap six and led the next ten laps of the event maneuvering in and out of lapped traffic with ease. With five laps remaining, he had to break his momentum to avoid making contact with a fast closing Carson Macedo and as a result he fell to second. He settled into the runner-up spot over the next four laps before falling to third on the final circuit.

“I honestly didn’t even know Carson was there as we had been going so well in traffic, but it definitely made me checkup and I broke my momentum,” he said. “It wasn’t a dirty move or anything like that and he did what he was supposed to do. I thought I might be able to get back to him, but I didn’t make a great decision on getting past a few lapped cars and it cost me a shot at the win and ultimately second.”

They next headed to Huset’s Speedway on Sunday, where Henderson entered the night as the defending track champion in the 410 Sprint Car division. He kicked of their 2022 Opening Day program by qualifying fourth quickest out of 27 cars in attendance with a fastest lap of 10.784 seconds before finishing where he started – third – in a heat race,

He lined up fifth for the 25-lap feature event but struggled to make gains during the A-main and took the checkered flag in the seventh position. The top ten was Henderson’s third in four starts to begin the 2022 racing season.

“The car was good, but it was just a bunch of misfortunate events all night,” he said. “We made some bad moves on the track that kind of kept us scrambling, but I think the car was pretty good.”

Next up for Henderson and Sandvig will be another weekend doubleheader at Knoxville Raceway on Saturday and Huset’s Speedway on Sunday. While Henderson currently sits on top of the 410 Sprint Car point standings at Knoxville and the team has been consistent with speed to kick off 2022, he’s not focused on the point lead and instead looking to find victory lane.

“To be leading the points now says we are good and have speed, but right now we are focused on finding victory lane and I think we’re really already looking towards the Knoxville Nationals,” said Henderson. “I think every time you pull into Knoxville you need to be working on your program for that weekend and to this point, we’re making gains and building towards that. We’ve got early speed and we’ve got a good car, which will be huge come Nationals weekend. Now we just need to find ourselves a win to back it up.”

WEEKEND RESULTS

May 8 – Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa – Qualifying: 2; Heat race: 3 (6); Feature: 3 (3)

May 9 – Huset’s Speedway in Brandon, D.D – Qualifying: 4; Heat race: 3 (3); Feature: 7 (5)

SEASON STATS

4 races, 0 wins, 2 top 5s, 3 top 10s, 4 top 15s, 4 top 20s

UP NEXT

Saturday, May 15th, at Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa and Sunday, May 16th, at Huset’s Speedway in Brandon, S.D.

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 long-time supporter of mine in my own car for years and he’s come on board with Mike’s deal the last few years,” said Henderson. “He’s done a lot for me and this sport and that makes it even more special when we can provide him results and show our appreciation.”

Sandvig would also like to thank www.powersports.com, Morton Buildings, Eszlinger Electric, Heartland Kitchen Solutions DeBerg Flooring, R2 Enterprise, GRP Motorsports, Team Enterprise Metal Fabrication and Powder Coating, Winters Performance, Schoenfeld Headers, BK Racing TI Components, SBS FK Shocks, Wings Unlimited, Keizer Aluminum Wheels, Hinchman Racewear, Rider Racing Engines, Maxim Racing Inc. and Simpson Race Products for their continued support.