PETERSEN MEDIA: Teaming back up with McColloch Motorsports to take on the NOS Energy Drink Series World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series at the Gold Cup Race of Champions, Kalib Henry made some noise as he battled up front during his prelim night before scoring a 12th place finish during Saturday night’s championship finale.
“It was a great week, and I can’t thank Nick, Kerry, and my Dad for busting their tails all weekend long,” Kalib Henry said. “We ran really well during our preliminary night on Thursday, and that set us up really well for Saturday’s finale.”
Timing the McColloch’s RV Repair/Davis Truck Painting/Driven Homes Inc. backed No. 17 in eighth fastest in qualifying time trials, Henry lined up in the third row of his heat race.
Needing to transfer through his heat to earn the pole in the preliminary night feature event, Henry would do just that as he was able to work his way into fourth when his heat came to a close.
With the top eight qualifiers that transferred through their heats inverted, Henry indeed found himself on the pole of the 30-lap feature event.
When the feature event came to life, it was young Ryan Timms getting the early jump, but Henry was right with him as he ran in the second position and kept Timms within striking distance as he would soon feel pressure from Kyle Larson in the race’s opening handful of laps.
As the leaders quickly found traffic, a three headed battle up front between Henry, Timms, and Larson saw Henry grab command of the race lead on the eighth and ninth laps before slipping back to third officially on the 10th lap as the trio traced wheel-to-wheel.
Continuing to keep himself cemented in contention on Thursday night, a lapped car would force Henry to check up with five laps to go and it allowed Brad Sweet and James McFadden to both slip by.
Running strong in fifth, Henry capped off a very good night with a fifth-place finish that ultimately put him eighth overall in event points heading into Saturday’s finale.
Lining up on the pole of his heat race, a win would lock him into the Dash, and a finish anywhere inside the Top-Four would also lock him directly into the 40-lap feature event.
Henry would get the lead at the race’s onset, but a great start fourth starting Logan Schuchart dropped Henry back to second as the field raced down the back stretch.
Keeping pace with Schuchart, Henry’s second place effort locked him into the 40-lap Gold Cup Race of Champions ‘A’ Main where he would roll off the starting grid from the 12th starting position.
On a freshly manicured Silver Dollar Speedway surface, Henry was very fast in the opening stages of the feature event as he was able to work his way into the Top-10 and look for another top finish with the ‘Greatest Show on Dirt’.
Running in ninth during the back half of the feature, Henry would start to blister a right-rear tire as he began to lose the handle as the track slicked off. While he would fall out of the Top-10, Henry still was able to cap his Gold Cup off with a 12th place finish.
“I am really thankful to everyone that made this weekend possible,” Henry said. “It was good to get back to racing against the World of Outlaws, and I am very proud of what our team was able to do on the track.”
McColloch Motorsports would like to thank McColloch’s RV Repair, Davis Truck Painting, Driven Homes, Inc., ART Speed Equipment, Hansen Machine, Rockstar Services, and Gary Morgan Graphics for their continued support.
BY THE NUMBERS: Starts: 12, Wins: 1, Top-5’s: 4, Top-10’s- 9
ON TAP: McColloch Motorsports and Kalib Henry will be back in action during the Fall Nationals in Chico, CA.
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