Henry Van Dam races to 2nd in Elma 360’sIt may only be a matter of time for Enumclaw, Washington’s Henry Van Dam. The sprint car star posted yet another strong finish, this one a 2nd place effort at Grays Harbor Raceway in weekly 360 sprint car competition. Henry is still looking for his first win of the season, but has come close on a number of occasions this season.Henry was again driving the Van Dam Racing No. 33v Shark-powered Maxim, sponsored by Omlid & Swinney Fire Protection & Security, Van Dam Dairy, Shareway Industries and GMS Metal Works on Saturday night. He opened the evening by timing in fourth quickest in qualifying with a lap of 12.169 seconds around the large 3/8-mile, high-banked clay oval, only a tenth of a second off the pace.Henry started the 30-lap main event in the fifth position and held that spot until Lap 8 when race leader J.J. Dishneau dropped out with mechanical problems, moving Henry up to fourth place. Over the next three laps Van Dam raced with reigning track champion Jay Cole. Cole got by Van Dam for position on Lap 9, but Van Dam returned the favor on Lap 11 and passed him back for the fourth position.Van Dam and Cole went at it again just past the halfway mark. Cole was scored ahead of Van Dam at Lap 17, and Van Dam got the spot back on the next lap. The very next lap after that saw Cole get the spot back again. A fourth straight lap saw a pass between the two with Van Dam emerging in the fourth position again on Lap 20. Cole got by Van Dam again on Lap 21 but Henry retained the fourth position as Steve Vague slid back several positions on that same lap.Late in the race, leader J.J. Hickle was penalized two positions for jumping on a restart. After getting back around Cole, Van Dam found himself in the second position after that sequence. He would run the rest of the race there and finish runner-up to former track champion Glenn Borden Jr.The next couple of weeks are a little up in the air for Van Dam. Last year he was the top finishing 360 driver in the Jim Raper Memorial Dirt Cup, a 410 sprint car event at Skagit Speedway. Van Dam wants to compete in that event again on June 18th, 19th and 20th, but has stated he’d rather do it with a 410ci motor under the hood. Several of the top 410 sprint car teams in the country will be taking part in the event.The next firm event on Henry’s schedule is the two-day trip to Great Falls, Montana. The ASCS Northwest Region, ASCS Rocky Mountain Region, Big Sky Sprint Tour and ASCS CanWest groups will all race together in possibly Montana’s biggest sprint car event ever, to be held June 26th and 27th at historic Electric City Speedway. Henry has not been to Montana’s oldest operating dirt track since a 2005 visit with the old Northern Sprint Tour, a predecessor of the ASCS Northwest Region.Henry Van Dam, 27, is one of the top sprint car racers in the Pacific Northwest as well as one of the most popular with fans. He has main event victories at Skagit Speedway and Grays Harbor Raceway to his credit. More information on Henry and the Van Dam Racing team including schedules, sponsors, photos and Van Dam Racing apparel can be found online at http://www.vandamracing.com.- - -Henry Van Dam’s sponsorsVan Dam Dairy
Omlid & Swinney Fire Protection & Security
Shark Racing Engines
Shareway Industries
GMS Metal Works
Speedmart Inc.
Jack Dilley Logging
D & L Equipment Repair
Enumclaw Suzuki
Char’s Barber Shop
Enumclaw Express Lube
Foothills Auto supply
Pete Vos
Bob & Joan Shumway
Enumclaw Auto Rebuild
Fire Down Graphics- - -Van Dam Racing online
http://www.vandamracing.com |
