Franklin driver lands one-race ARCA deal

Henderson will drive for Brian Keselowski Motorsports at Daytona.

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By John Bombatch, Staff Writer 2:46 AM Saturday, January 14, 2012

FRANKLIN — It may have involved a little driving — and some fallen trees — but the start to the 2012 auto racing season is looking pretty good for Sloan Henderson.

On Monday, the Brian Keselowski Motorsports racing operation in Huntersville, N.C., announced Henderson would be their driver when the team races in the Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 ARCA Series stock car race Feb. 18 at Daytona International Speedway.

Henderson, of Franklin, turned some heads in mid-December during a test at the famed 2.5-mile racing facility, clocking the eighth quickest time (out of 51) during an open test. Henderson’s fastest lap of 49.461 seconds, 181.962 mph was tops among a half-dozen drivers who were vying for the Keselowski Motorsports seat.

Before the test, Keselowski had told Sloan that he didn’t expect the team to be in the top 10.

“We had problems the first time I went out, because I couldn’t reach the gas pedal all the way to the floor,” Henderson explained. “Once we figured that out, I went out for my second run and he told me I was eighth fastest. That was a great opportunity for me. I wasn’t expecting to do that well.”

Henderson plans a trip to North Carolina to talk to some perspective sponsors later this month. But for now, the deal with BKM is for the Daytona race only.

Henderson, 19, said it costs roughly $70,000 to field a car for the Daytona race.

Most of that money comes from sponsorships, but that hasn’t stopped her family from finding unique ways to raise some of the money.

Henderson has been helping in the logging and power washing of an estimated $30,000 in trees that are being harvested from her grandparents’ property in Camden.

“We’ve been out there in the cold for the past couple days. It’s hard work. Yesterday, we were out there high-water pressuring the trees in the snow,” she said. “You’re all wet and freezing. I just kept telling myself ‘Daytona! Daytona! Daytona!’ ”

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