KNOXVILLE, Iowa – Justin Henderson led wire-to-wire to claim the $5,000-to-win 410 sprint car main event at Knoxville Raceway Saturday during Budweiser Salutes America Night.
His win was the first of the season for he and the Sandvig Motorsports No. 7 team, and the 12th of his career at Knoxville. Cory Eliason passed Ryan Giles late in the 360 feature to earn his second feature win at Knoxville and Eric Bridger led the duration of the Pace Performance Pro Sprints for his second victory in a row, and 11th of his career.
Henderson took advantage of a zero draw for the heat inversion and led from the pole early in the 25-lap 410 sprint car feature, ahead of Davey Heskin, Lynton Jeffrey, Matt Juhl and Brian Brown. Austin McCarl was an early player as well, jetting from sixth to third on the second lap. Brown tried to slide by Juhl for fifth, and the latter went four wheels above the cushion, spinning to a stop.
McCarl disposed of Heskin for second on the restart, while Brown moved to fourth. Cory Eliason moved into the top five on lap five. Brown’s charge netted third on lap seven in a good battle with Heskin. The leaders hit lapped traffic on the tenth circuit, and McCarl pressured Henderson for the lead. He shot by for the point, but a caution for Jeffrey, who got over the turn one cushion and into the wall negated his pass.
Brown would add to McCarl’s misfortune, jetting by for second on the restart. Contact from another car sent Tasker Phillips into a hard flip on the twelfth lap. Joe Simbro also tipped over. Neither was injured. All Star regulars Eliason and Tyler Courtney moved into fourth and fifth on the restart, with Eliason gaining another spot with a pass of McCarl on lap 14. Heskin followed him into fourth a pair of laps later. A top ten run for Sammy Swindell ended in smoke and he came to a stop with four to go. Ninth running Ian Madsen entered the work area as well.
Up front, Henderson was true to the bottom and never headed. Brown finished second, ahead of Eliason, Heskin and McCarl. Ayrton Gennetten, Courtney, Sawyer Phillips, Terry McCarl and Juhl rounded out the top-10. Henderson set quick time over the field, and Austin McCarl, Riley Goodno and Jeffrey were heat winners.
“I was definitely holding on with the nose wing laying back the way it was,” said Henderson in Victory Lane. “I was really worried, and I figured if I kept nipping the bottom…I didn’t see anyone above me. That was the story of the race. We got a quick lead, and after that it was just hang on to the bottom and try not to miss it. The car would get so tight, and then I would try to have to save it or let it run up the hill. I was hearing cars on either side, so I was just hoping for the best. With 900 horsepower, it was tough to keep the nose down. This team never quits working.”
Ryan Giles shot out from the pole to lead Kaleb Johnson, Jamie Ball, Eliason and Calvin Landis early in the 20-lap 360 main event. Eliason copped third from Ball on lap two, before Giles entered lapped traffic four circuits later.
Eliason’s climb continued when he got by Johnson for second in traffic on lap seven. Shortly after, John Anderson lost his right rear tire bringing the yellow flag. Giles led Eliason, Johnson, Ball and Landis back to the green flag.
The leader was back in the backmarkers by lap 13. Alan Zoutte spun with two laps to go, setting up a final dash for the checkers, and a chance for Eliason to catch Giles.
Eliason would make his winning pass high in turn two after the restart to take the win, his first of the year in the Rudeen Racing #26. Giles held onto second, ahead of Ball, Clint Garner and Johnson. Landis, Brooke Tatnell, Matt Moro, Riley Goodno and Ricky Montgomery completed the top ten. Eliason set quick time over the 25-car field, while Tatnell, Connor Loeffler and Ball took the heats.
“We were close, and when we got in lapped traffic, we kept getting a yellow,” said Eliason. “That’s good if you’re the leader, but as the second place guy, I was getting frustrated. We had a restart (on lap seven) and (Giles) lifted a little early getting to the bottom. So I just had to time my start right with him. I had the run down the straightaway and I was able to use the middle in free air.”
The Pace Performance Pro Sprints 15-lap feature was one of attrition that only saw seven finish the event. Devin Kline and Cam Martin didn’t even make the post after flipping in their heat race. Both were uninjured. Lap one of the main event claimed another five cars. When Brandon Worthington contacted, a chain reaction saw Matt Allen, Tyler Barrick, Alex Vande Voort and Jaslyn Jones get collected. Only Mayberry would continue.
Once green, Bridger led in his patented low groove, ahead of Devin Wignall, Matthew Stelzer, Joe Beaver and Tyler Groenendyk. Groenendyk and Jeff Wilke would move past Beaver into fourth and fifth. Joe would exit on lap eight.
With Bridger appearing to be well on his way to a win, J.J. Beaver spun with a lap to go. Wignall, who was running second, could not avoid Beaver’s car and was collected. Both were uninjured.
The green, white, checker finish was anticlimactic as Bridger roared to his second straight win, and the eleventh of his career on the famous half-mile. Stelzer, Groenendyk, Mayberry, Chase Young, Wilke and Scotty Johnson were the remaining cars running. Wilke and Wignall were heat race winners.
“It was perfect for about ten laps, and then got a little loose there,” said Bridger. “We got the caution, I pulled the wing back a bit, and set sail into Victory Lane! Thanks to everyone for being here tonight, first responders and veterans too.”