PETERSEN MEDIA: Kicking the 2023 Sprint Car Challenge Tour season off on Saturday night at Placerville Speedway, Andy Forsberg had a very strong run going from the back of the pack until his efforts were dashed late in the feature as he was collected in a multi car accident that took place just in front of him.
“Saturday night we were in the first group for qualifying and we just weren’t very good again, and it set the tone for the rest of the night,” Forsberg said. “We had some issues on the first lap of our heat that actually tore our car up pretty good, and luckily there was a red on the restart and it gave us more time in the work area with a lot of hands on deck to get us back on track and allow us to salvage our night and race into the ‘B’ rather than be forced into the ‘C’.”
A total of 48 cars checked in at Placerville Speedway for the opening round of Sprint Car Challenge Tour action, and the 2022 Series Champion opened things up by timing the Meridian Cameras/Pacific Highway Rentals/Wilkie Masonry backed No. 92 in sixth fastest in his group.
Lining up sixth in his heat, Forsberg would have some good luck initially as the fourth starter got out of shape on the start and put Forsberg in the second row.
Forsberg then endured his own misfortune as his car bicycled hard in turns one and tow, and resulted in heavy suspension damage on his car as he headed to the work area.
Initially making the call that there was too much damage, Forsberg and crew were getting ready to head towards the trailer when the red flew and gave them ample time in the work area. With crew members from multiple teams jumping in and helping make repairs, the Auburn, CA driver was able to restart and get into seventh when the checkered flew.
The DNF would have relegated Forsberg to the ‘C’, but the finish put him in the ‘B’, where he took the green flag from the seventh starting spot with four transfer positions up for grabs.
Looking very stout from the fourth row, Forsberg had his elbows up as he mashed the throttled around Placerville Speedway and became a contender for a transfer into the ‘A’.
Getting into fourth, Forsberg grabbed an extra spot for insurance as he worked into third, where he finishes, and locked into the 35-lap feature event.
Taking the green flag from the 23rd starting position, Forsberg continued to showcase the same speed in the ‘A’, as he did in the semi as he worked his way through a very stout field of cars.
Racing into the Top-10 by the 17th lap, Forsberg continued to work his way forward as he raced into ninth.
Once in ninth, he continued to close in on the pack of cars battling ahead of him for position and a made a move into sixth, but a lap 24 incident would put an end to his haul. With a couple of cars getting together on the cushion in turns three and four, Forsberg spun to avoid contact but in doing so locked his car up and was a part of the stoppage.
Relegated to the rear of the field, Forsberg ended his night with a 17th place finish.
“I felt really good in the ‘B’, and in the ‘A’, we did have a couple of freebie spots, but for the most part we were passing a lot of cars on our own,” he added. “Unfortunately, we don’t have much to show for it with a 17th place finish, as we just got caught in a bad spot with nowhere to go. Really want to give kudos to Placerville Speedway, because we got another race in despite a lot of weather all week long and that is huge testament to the RMI group.”
Andy Forsberg and PHR Racing would like to thank Meridian Cameras, Pacific Highway Rentals, Wilkie Masonry, PitStopUSA, Red Line Oil, Autism Awareness, Parking and Transportation Group, Western Featherlite, GP Development, 1st Vanguard, Highway Specialty Co., and KBJ Catering for their continued support.
BY THE NUMBERS: Races-3, Wins-0, Top 5’s-1, Top 10’s-2
ON TAP: Forsberg returns to action on Saturday night as he travels to Stockton, CA with the Sprint Car Challenge Tour.
STAY CONNECTED: Stay updated with Andy Forsberg by ‘Liking’ him on facebook at www.facebook.com/andyforsbergracing or by following him on Twitter at @AForsberg92.
You can also keep up with Andy and his popular post race VLOG, ‘Shark Tales with Andy’ at www.facebook.com/sharktaleswithandy.
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