410 Winged Sprint Car Racer Justin Henderson's Victory at Port Royal Speedway
- Jul 21, 2011
Justin and his crew pulled into Lincoln speedway, at Abbottstown, Pennsylvania, on June 25, preparing to compete in their succession of races that would continue for several days. They ended up finishing 7th in the main, and were on their way to race on the following night at the Bedford Speedway, IN Bedford Pennsylvania.
After finishing fifth at Bedford Speedway, Justin and his crew had a day off and the luxury of regrouping and reminiscing about the two previous races for a short time prior to showing up at Grandview Speedway, located at Bechtelsville, Pennsylvania, on June 28, where, after a water pump failure, they finished the A-Main in 19th place. On the following night, the team pulled into Hagerstown Speedway, in Hagerstown, Maryland, with a determination to exceed the 19th spot where they placed during the previous race. A 12th place finish in the A-main, would leave them happier with this performance than the one before. On the last day of June, Justin experienced more mechanical failures at the Port Royal Speedway, in Port Royal Pennsylvania, then went on to a 6th place finish in the B-Main on the first day of July, at the Williams Grave Speedway, at Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. Although, Justin and his crew were likely exhausted by this time in their string of consecutive races, that was no indication that Justin had any inclination of tackling the final two races of this run less than full blast. In fact, on the following night, Justin earned a first place finish in the A-Main at the Port Royal Speedway. July 3 was the final of nine races in a ten day period. Justin arrived at Selinsgrove Speedway, located at Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania, and managed an 8th place finish in the A-Main. Now, it was finally time to take a short break from his hectic schedule and get a few days of rest before his next race.
Justin and his crew never thought twice about taking on the challenge of driving during Speedweek. They knew however, that this many races in such a short period of time would prove a challenge. "Well nine races in ten days is one of the most grueling schedules in June or July for any professional sport," shared the driver, "it's hot, and everyone's fuse is real short. Mental toughness is one of the most important assets you have that week," ensured Justin. "We bent a car right in the beginning, so we had to build a new car as well. Our team did a good job of pulling it together after some late week engine problems also. It's just plain tough," he continued. "It really allows our fans and racers to show how die-hard we are. I'm from the mid west, and am not use to this. And let me tell ya, it's die-hard." Referring to the win on July 2nd, Justin said, "We really needed that win. Our team was down and out and after losing our good motor (to a burned piston) two nights before, We were forced to pull our lips off the ground and get down to business. Fast Freddie Rahmer, who is a legend in central Pennsylvania, jumped out to the early lead, but by lap 18, I had run him down. We passed him and held off Daryn Pittman for the win. Justin continued, "It meant the world to this small, underfunded team, to pull off a great win like that. I really think our biggest attribute to winning that night was the ability to forget the bad things that week and get tough when it counted." When asked if he considered his success on the track as a team effort, Justin said, "This team means an awful lot to me. We're like a family, and when we bear down and fight back, there's nothing we can't accomplish. This team believed in me when times were tough last year. They got me a new crew chief (Jim Shriner), and we really communicate well." Referring to maintenance of his car, Justin Henderson said, K&N filters have been a part of my race team since I arrived here in 2009. We wouldn't have it any other way. My dad does my motors, so let me tell you, I would be the first to know if we were letting dirt in somewhere. Find K&N products for your vehicle using the K&N application search then use the K&N dealer search to find a K&N dealer in your part of the world. |
