SCOUTING REPORT: Jon Henry

OVERVIEW:  It's possible that no local driver rose to fame as quickly as Jon Henry did. After 14 wins, a World 100 start, and a solid third place finish in the UMP National Championship standings in 2011, Henry came back strong the first half of last season with a Summer Nationals win at Spoon River and regional victories at Attica, Fremont, and Oakshade.  Then, in July, after losing a primary backer, Henry abruptly shut down his race team, only to run a handful of events the rest of the season.

WHAT WE KNOW:  I'm about to answer the big question on everyone's mind...   Yes, Jon Henry will indeed be back in 2013.  Henry's now infamous "Dirty Dozen", a group of 12 supporters packaged together to form one major sponsor, has been expanded into the "Mean 15" for this year.  His Late Model team will only run a select number of races this season - an outlaw-type schedule - including every event at Eldora.  In addition, "The Steel Driver" will return to his roots and race UMP Modified owned by none other than Dean Miracle.  A throwback to Miracle's days as a Late Model owner, the car will carry the famed Miracle Motorsports #23J and will run for an Eldora points championship, a title Henry picked up back in 2010.  Henry also plans to enter the Mod in an array of other regional events throughout the year.

WHERE HE'S GOOD:  Everyone knows Henry is one of the guys to beat any time he pulls into Attica, Oakshade, Eldora, or any Sunoco ALMS sanctioned race.  He's one of the few drivers, regionally, who's name alone holds that much power.  He's excellent on any type of track condition and can seemingly stick in car in a hole quicker and smoother than anyone else on the track.  He has some of the best marketing skills of anyone in the sport, and we all know that helps tremendously in this sport.  

WHERE TO IMPROVE:  Bluntly put, Jon Henry got tired of racing last year.  After his Summer Nationals run, he took a "sabbatical" of sorts and realized he wasn't having any fun.  Too much money, too many politics, and too much pressure got the best of him and shut his entire operation down.  If he wants to get back to where he was two years ago, he has to find a way to make racing fun again.  And, from the looks of things, he's taking a giant step in the right direction.

DRIVER'S THOUGHTS:  "I'm really looking forward to getting behind the wheel of Dean Miracle's Modified this year.  I'm going to have some fun with it, which is something I haven't done for a while.  I think this new team he and I have put together has a great chance to give some guys a run for the money this year!"