8/25/2018
Silver Dollar Speedway
Tanner Carrick Earns First Win; Forsberg Champion Again
Silver Dollar Speedway
For Immediate Release
Tanner Carrick Earns First Win; Forsberg Champion Again
(Chico, CA 8/24/18)… It was an unbelievable finish to a great first full season of running winged 360 sprint cars at Silver Dollar Speedway. Before we get to the finish of the main event, congratulations go out to Auburn’s Andy Forsberg who earned his fourth career Silver Dollar Speedway track championship. It was a fitting end to a new beginning at the Speedway. Forsberg closed out 2017 as the last 410-winged sprint car champion in the history of the race track. In 2018 he becomes the first 360-winged sprint car champion at the Dollar. He finished the main event in fifth, good enough to best season long challenger Mason Moore for the title. Moore held his own this year and he has nothing to hang his head about. Moore and team should be proud of their season. Another driver we need to recognize is 17-year-old Chelsea Blevins of Susanville. Blevins captured the David Tarter Memorial Rookie of the Year award and finished fourth in the overall points. Kalib Henry deserves a lot of credit for his third-place finish in points. The teenager continued to gain valuable experience racing with the Warrington No.18 team this year at Chico. Henry was a contender for the title all season long and a bit of bad luck near the end took him out of contention for the championship. Henry has a bright future ahead of him.
The 25-lap main event was spectacular. The first 21-laps went non-stop. Shane Golobic made a rare start at Chico on a Friday night and led most of the race. Behind him was youngster Tanner Carrick from Lincoln. Carrick, just 16 years old, has improved so much this season. The battle for third between Sean Becker and Tanner Thorson was solid. Up front, Golobic was doing a great job weaving his way around slower traffic and holding onto the lead. The race was slowed on lap 21 when Jake Haulot spun to a stop in turn one. This was the only caution of the night. The race resumed single file and on lap 22 Carrick found the top side of the track to his liking. On the next lap Carrick went to the high scary side and passed Golobic for the lead. Carrick took the white flag as the leader. His final lap was flawless, and he picked up his first career winged sprint car win. Golobic finished second. Becker held off Thorson for third. Forsberg was fifth.
Carrick was fast right out of the gate. He turned the quickest lap in qualifying at an 11.469 to earn his first career fast time award at Chico. Golobic, Becker and Haulot each won heat races tonight. A total of 20-winged 360 sprint cars attended the final point show of 2018.
The Sport Mod feature event was good. An impressive 18-car starting field took the green flag. Jim Lipke took the early lead of the event. For the first five laps Jesse Skidmore held down the second position. On lap six, Skidmore was passed by Jimmy Ford. About 10 laps later, Ford passed Lipke for the lead. On lap 15 Matt Micheli moved into the second spot. Micheli was also racing in the Street Stock division tonight. Moving up through the field was Brian Cooper. He had already won the track championship, but Cooper wanted that Pepsi Night win. Cooper started ninth and by lap 16 he was in the third spot. Back up front it was all Ford, he held a slight advantage over Micheli as they crossed he finish line on lap 20. Ford is a good competitor and loves racing. It was nice to see him get his first win at Chico in 2018. Micheli was second, Cooper third, Lipke fell back to fourth and Skidmore rounded out the top five. Jake Van Tol, Tyler Rodgers and Justin Foux all battled tough throughout the main event. Van Tol, Lipke and Micheli were all heat race winners earlier in the night. Rodgers held off Andrew Peckham for second in the overall points.
Seventh place starting Matt Micheli took the lead on lap 18 and went on to win the Street Stock main event. Phil Marino led laps five through 17 until his right rear tire went flat. It marked Micheli’s third win of the season in the Street Stock division at Chico. Seventy-six-year-old driver Gary Newman led the first five laps. He wound up finishing fifth and secured the second spot in the overall point championship. The track champion, Corey Hall, was unable to attend tonight but had a big enough lead that it didn’t matter. Mitch Machado started ninth but raced his way into second. Yet, on the final lap Mitch pulled off and did not finish the race. This moved Leif Berglund into the second spot at the finish line. Third went to Richard Workman. Kyle Allen was fourth. Steve Hammett won the first heat race while Micheli won heat two. Micheli with the win, swept the nights racing action.
The Earl’s Plumbing Hobby Stock main event was down right exciting. Three different lead changes led to a late race pass for the win. Kyle Allen picked up his fifth win of the season in six starts. Allen led laps 3 through 5, and then passed Shannon Collins on lap 18 to get the win. Collins started sixth but by lap seven he was in second. He shadowed race leader Nick Vidovich until lap 16 when he made his move into the lead. Vidovich led the first two laps, then came back to lead six through 16. Allen crossed the line in first followed by Collins and Vidovich. The highs and lows for Jeremy Langenderfer were extreme during tonight’s 20 lap main event. He started the race in fifth. At one point got to second before falling back to seventh. He had the right side of his car torn apart. He someone survived a wild night and finished fourth to secure his first driving title at Chico. Earl Adams had a solid night and finished fifth. James West finished sixth and secured the second place in overall track points behind Langenderfer. Collins and Langenderfer each won heat races tonight.
Full results available at www.speedhive.mylaps.com/Events/1579543
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