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Photo by Johns Racing Photos
Mike Henry finishes 3rd in eighth Chico point race
By Gary Thomas
Chico, CA – May 20, 2008…With the Golden State Challenge Series competing in Chico last Saturday night it gave Sacramento’s Mike Henry an opportunity to get in a couple night’s of racing at the Silver Dollar Speedway bullring. Henry’s weekend was highlighted by a strong run on Friday that saw him lead laps in the feature and ultimately end up third at the checkered flag.
The event on Friday evening at the Chico track was the eighth Feather Falls Casino point race and it marked just Henry’s second start in the weekly series. The former two-time Civil War Series champion has had a lot of experience at Silver Dollar Speedway in his career and looked forward to competing during the weekend. Teams and drivers toughed it out through warm temps that reached to right near the century mark both days.
Henry lined up on the outside of the front row during Friday’s 25 lap main event, which was sponsored by Fauver Race Ready Rentals and Fry’s Metals. Despite the warm temps the track remained hooked up and the driver of the Royal Lagoon Pools, World Environmental No. 93 jumped into the lead when the green lights came on. Early on Henry was in command of the 20 car field and led with ease until just after the midway point when Los Angeles’ Tyler Walker closed in.
Henry did his best to hold onto the lead in traffic but on lap 18 Walker was able to split a lap car and get under the 93 machine to drop him to second. Henry then had to deal with a hard charging Tim Kaeding and with just five laps to go while the pair was getting ready to do battle they made contact in turn three, but fortunately Henry was able to keep the motor lit. A yellow appeared on lap 21 and the C & H Veteran Enterprises, HMH Motorsports Maxim sat in the fourth position. Henry was able to regroup and get back by young Kyle Larson on the 22nd lap to move him up to the third position, which he held onto until the checkered came out. The podium finish was a good way to cap off the night following a few weeks of finishes that were further back than Henry had been wanting.
Saturday’s Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial at Silver Dollar didn’t go as planned however, with him missing a main event for the first time this season. Henry finished one spot out of a transfer in his heat race before battling right around the transfer spot for much of the B-main. He gave it one last shot at a transfer in the final corner of the semi but got in the slick stuff and looped the car around to put an end to the night.
The Golden State Challenge Series will now take this weekend off as the traditional Memorial Day weekend double-header at Calistoga won’t be held this season. Henry and the HMH Motorsports team will look to regroup when the series resumes action with a double header weekend in Watsonville and Placerville on May 30 and 31. He will go into the event at Ocean Speedway sitting fifth in the current GSC point standings before heading to the scene of his biggest career victory, which came earlier this season.
On March 22 Henry won his very first Golden State Challenge Series main event when the 410 circuit competed at the high-banked, red clay bullring. The former Placerville Speedway track champion led all 30 laps of the feature and held off a fast moving Tyler Walker towards the end of the main event. He also won his very first GSC dash that night and it came in just his fourth start for HMH Motorsports. Henry will look to make it a sweep of the GSC events at his home track on May 31 and also gain some ground in the points.
For more news on Sacramento’s Mike Henry log onto http://www.mbracingteam.com/Press_Mike_Henry_Motorsport.html
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