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Oberg First Two-Wheel Drive Finisher in the Chairman’s Cup
Showdown
Eagle River, WI (June 24, 2008) - Mike Oberg and his #80 AMSOIL
Kumho Tire Chevrolet Silverado came back to his home track in
Crandon, Wisconsin looking to get back on the podium and win the
fifteenth running of the Heavy Metal challenge known as the FCP
Chairman’s Cup.
Oberg Motorsports is coming off its best CORR race performance of
the year. In Round Six of the 2008 CORR PRO-2 season, Mike took a
sub par qualifying performance, eighteen fastest, and made the
best of it. During the 15 minute race, the #80 AMSOIL Chevy made
up twelve positions to finish sixth out of twenty four PRO-2
trucks.
“We have been fast in earlier rounds, but the racing is so intense
that contact is a given,” noted Mike Oberg. “We just haven’t had
any luck go our way. In Round Five I got into someone in a very
fast section of the track and my Chevy took the brunt of the hit
and took me out for the day. Round Six saw start us start way back
and we made our way towards the front without a major incident. We
just ran out of time before we could challenge for a podium.”
The Eagle River, Wisconsin native makes his home less than an hour
from Crandon and always enjoys the competition and the fans that
always come to watch some of the fastest off-road racing on the
planet.
After Saturday morning’s practice session, Mike knew something
wasn’t quite right in the drive train. Mike and crew chief Cory
Lambert put the team to work replacing the transmission just to be
safe.
Saturday Round Three
Mike took a conservative approach to the usual wild land rush
start. After cleanly exiting Turn One, the #80 AMSOIL Chevy was in
sixth place. About midway through the race Mike and #21 Hoek were
exchanging fiberglass for the fourth spot. Mike knew something
wasn’t quite right on the rear suspension, but he continued to
pressure Hoek. On the final lap the Kumho tires made the pass
stick, and the #80 crossed the finish line in fourth place.
Once the team got the race truck back to the transporter, Cory and
the crew found a broke rear sway bar. Then the link somehow got
into the one of the rear shocks, damaging that as well. Both were
quick fixes as the team continued with the usual between race
maintenance.
Sunday Round Four
The start saw the PRO-2WD lineup go four wide as they headed out
of Turn One. Mike and his #80 AMSOIL Kumho Tire Chevy was fourth
in line looking to chase down the leaders. After a change for lead
on lap two, the top four racers never changed their positions.
Mike Oberg finished the race in fourth place.
Now Oberg Motorsports went work prepping the #80 Chevy Silverado
for the big money Forest County Potawatomi Chairman’s Cup. The
fastest four-wheel drive and two-wheel drive trucks are
handicapped for an all out ten lap shootout where the winner can
take home over $30,000.
The weather saw intermittent rain showers come through the area,
but about an hour before the Cup start, heavy rain began to fall.
Now the muddy track would give the four-wheel drive trucks a
definite advantage.
Luckily the rain stopped just as the trucks were lining up for the
start of this annual event. The half lap head start the 4x2 trucks
were given didn’t seem like enough considering the sloppy track
conditions.
This event would be a race of survival, the driver with the fewest
on track mistakes would like take home the big money.
The race also pays money for the highest finishing two-wheel
trucks in the race as well as a nice payback for the top four
winners overall. The overall winner of the event was Kent Brascho
in his Chevy powered PRO-4x4. The Alabama driver ran a quick
mistake free race, never putting a wheel wrong the entire run.
The race for the two-wheel drive title was between #8 Taylor and
Mike Oberg. The two swapped positions a couple times with Mike
grabbing and holding the top stop the last four laps to the
finish. Mike Oberg was fourth overall finisher as well.
“We came back home to run the Chairman’s Cup,” explained Mike
Oberg. “The points races helped us set the truck up for the big
one, but once the rain came, everyone’s setup went out the door.
During the Cup race we really had our hands full with Taylor. Then
I had the hood fold back blocking my vision. For a couple of laps,
my spotter was steering the truck. Eventually some of the hood
moved or fell off and I could see again. Heck it even kept some of
the mud off of me. Even with all this mud, AMSOIL came through
again, keeping our engine and drivetrain running cool. The Kumho
Tires really worked well this weekend, as usual. Dry, muddy or
underwater, their grip is awesome…. I hope the winnings cover the
cost of a new body and any other damage the mud did to the truck.
I bet there’s an extra 1000 pounds of mud stuck to that truck!”
Oberg Motorsports’ next race; July 26-27, CORR at the QUARRY,
Chula Vista, California.
Oberg Motorsports is attending the 35th Anniversary AMSOIL
Convention in Superior, Wisconsin, July 16-18, 2008.
Oberg Motorsports thanks all its sponsors including:
AMSOIL, Kumho Tire, Fox Racing Shox, Hawk Performance, J & H
Transmission, Lund, Mastercraft, Millwright Services, MSD
Ignition, Oberg Filters, Peterson Fluid Systems, Precision Gear,
Raceline Oil Pumps, and Stewart Warner Performance.
For more information about Oberg Motorsports, please visit:
www.obergmotorsports.com
- Mike Reusche,
mike@mt-graphics.com
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