3/11/2018
Silver Dollar Speedway
Forsberg Steals Win on Final Lap at Silver Cup
Silver Dollar Speedway
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Forsberg Steals Win on Final Lap at Silver Cup
Chico, CA (March 10, 2018) …. Auburn’s Andy Forsberg had to convince himself he had just won the Silver Cup finale on Saturday night at Silver Dollar Speedway. “I went into the final lap thinking that a third-place finish was going to be good enough,� said Forsberg post-race. “Then, I pass Kofoid for second and as I go into turn three I think I see the leader spin off the track. As I came around and see the checkered flag and no Copeland ahead of me it was shocking.� The ending of the race not only shocked Forsberg but everyone who was lucky and smart enough to attend the Saturday night race at Chico.
Colby Copeland and Michael Kofoid started on the front row and would go on to put on a show for the fans. Copeland led the first lap, then Kofoid led laps two to seven. Copeland jumped back up front and led most of the rest of the event. An early accident between Tony Gualda and Tanner Thorson halted the race on lap one. Also involved in that area was Lucas Ashe and Brent Bjork. All four drivers would continue. In fact, Gualda drove up to a fifth-place finish. Thorson made it back to sixth.
Problems arose for Justyn Cox as his No. 31c began to smoke and cause him to slow. Soon the car erupted in flames and he came to a stop. Cox was able to get out of the car safely. At the same moment Jodie Robinson flipped down the front stretch. She emerged from the car uninjured.
The race and the track itself, were both brilliant. The real hero’s tonight were Lowell Moural and Dennis Gage, who both spent all morning and afternoon grooming the track. As Kyle Hirst told me, “this was the best track I have seen in a long time and from hot laps until the final checkered flag they (Moural and Gage) never touched it. That shows you how good they did in prepping it for tonight.�
The track was littered with three wide racing all night. The leaders were always trying to maneuver around slower cars. This provided racing for the lead and all throughout the field.
On lap 27 the complexion of the race changed. John Carney, who drove the Snow Motorsports No. 7 up to a fourth-place spot, was sitting sideways in turn four. Kalib Henry was also involved and had flipped upside down. The result was a red flag. The racing was so good that when the cars stopped, the crowd erupted in applause as they were giving respect to all the drivers in tonight’s feature event.
Copeland resumed as the race leader. He had a clear track ahead of him. Copeland did a fantastic job on the restart and pulled away slightly from Kofoid. Yet, with one lap to go, Kofoid charged to the bottom going into the first turn. As he drifted up the track, contact with his right front and Copelands left rear seemed to upset both cars. As Kofoid lost momentum, here came Forsberg. The No. X1 of Forsberg was able to pass Kofoid and settle into second spot. Up front Copeland had a huge lead and seemed poised to win the race. However, going into turn three, Copelands car drifted high and started to bicycle. The car continued to wobble and eventually drifted off turn four and into the crash wall. As Copeland sat stalled in turn four, Forsberg slid around the bottom and led the most important lap of the race to win his 50th career main event at Silver Dollar Speedway. Kofoid regrouped and held onto second. Willie Croft, who earned fast time and won the first heat race, came home third. Justin Sanders had raced his way into second earlier in the race, ultimately finished in fourth.
The Dwarf Car main event was just as exciting especially if your name was Anthony Pope. After starting the event on the front row, Pope drifted back to sixth on the first lap. Pope never gave up and methodically worked his way back toby lap six. Up front it was all Danny Wagner. He had dominated last nights event until a mechanical issue sidelined him late in the race. Tonight, Wagner would lead from lap two through sixteen. Pope had rallied back and caught Wagner on lap 15. The following lap Pope took the lead. Pope led the final four laps to get the win. “It feels good to get a win at Chico,� said Pope. “This track is so hooked up and fast.� Wagner finished in the second spot. Buddy Olschowka finished in the third spot. Mike Reeder and Scott Dahlgren rounded out the top five.
Round two of the C & H Veterans Ent. Hunt Magnetos Wingless Sprints showcased 17 talented drivers who put on a good show for the fans. The race on the track was won by Max Adams in the Finkenbinder No. 3F. However, the team refused to allow the officials to perform a post-race inspection and thus were disqualified from the event. This gave the win to Shawn Jones. While Jones admitted he didn’t want to earn a win that way he was still happy. “I was hoping Ryan Winter could triumph the Dwarf Car main because with Forsberg winning, us three would have swept the weekend,� said Jones. Troy DeGaton should be commended for his outstanding drive tonight. DeGaton found the top to his liking and charged from a near dead last starting spot to finish second. Another hard charging driver was Scott Hall. The famed No. 56k looked good on the track. Hall finished in the third spot.
Full results located here https://speedhive.mylaps.com/Events/1498774
END