PETERSEN MEDIA- Climbing back aboard the Roth Motorsports machine in Chico, CA over the weekend, Cory Eliason showed out at the 65th Annual Gold Cup Race of Champions as he finished fifth on Friday night before a third place finish in a hotly contested battle for the win during Saturday night’s finale.
“It was great getting back in the Roth Motorsports machine after a couple of weeks off and I have to thank Dennis and Teresa Roth, Todd and Brent Ventura, and everyone else who made it possible,” Cory Eliason said. “We were really close to winning these guys a Gold Cup, but still it was a great weekend.”
Friday night Eliason would kick things off by timing the Roth Enterprises/HR Livestock Transportation/Roth Investments backed No. 83 entry in eighth quickest in his qualifying flight before running second in his heat race and moving into the Craftsman Club Dash.
Finishing second in the Dash, Eliason would make it an all Californian front row as he led the field to green alongside Tim Kaeding. When the race came to life, Eliason was hard on the throttle as he jumped out to the early lead with Kaeding in tow.
Leading the first eight circuits, traffic would come into play and Eliason would see Kaeding sneak around him and take over the lead as Eliason slipped to second and felt pressure from Brad Sweet.
Exchanging the spot for a handful of laps, Eliason would fall to third on the 14th circuit as the race clicked off in rapid fire pace putting the leaders in thick traffic. Bud Keading would then take his shots at Eliason and soon make it a multi car battle for second as they reeled TK in, but a late restart would give the leaders clear track and put them in single file formation.
Falling to fifth on the last restart, Eliason would finish there and turn his attention to Saturday night’s finale.
Kicking the Gold Cup Race of Champions finale off by timing in seventh fastest in Time Trials, Eliason would again put himself in the Dash with a second place finish in his heat race.
Finishing third in the Dash, Eliason would make a big time move at the start of the feature event and would take command of the race and set a quick pace that saw him get into traffic in just five laps.
Negotiating thick traffic, a pair of Californians worked their way forward to contest the race lead as Tanner Thorson and Rico Abreu made it an intense three-car battle for the lead in front of a jam packed Californian based crowd.
The trio would exchanging hay makers as they brought the crowd to their feet, but Eliason was able to fend off his challengers as he led the first 24-laps of the race.
As Tanner Thorson made a bid for the lead on the 25th lap, Abreu would get by both drivers on lap 26 before the torrid battle came to an end on the 27th lap with the yellow flag waiving.
Back underway, Eliason would continue to chase after Abreu but would soon have his hands full with Tim Kaeding who wanted in on the action. Amidst a hard fought battle, the duo would actually make contact in turn four but no harm, no foul, and they would race on.
When the 40-lap affair came to a close, it was Eliason coming across the line with a third place finish.
“It was a battle out their, and I have to apologize to Tanner Thorson for getting into him,” Eliason said. “We were going hard, and guys were sliding everywhere and it was just a product of the race. Overall it was a hard nosed race, and it was fun to be a part of.”
The Roth Motorsports team would like to thank Roth Enterprises, HR Livestock Transportation, Roth Investments, 3H Cattle, FK Rod Ends, Weld Wheels, Brown and Miller Racing Solutions, Kent Performance, Kaeding Performance, and Astro Titanium for their support in 2018.
ON TAP: Eliason and Roth Motorsports will get back to racing Wednesday night in Placerville, CA.
STAY CONNECTED: Stay connected with Roth Motorsports by checking out their website, www.rothmotorsports83.com, following along on Twitter and Instagram @RothMotorsports or by liking https://www.facebook.com/Roth-Motorsports-461528867251285/?ref=br_rs.
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