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Oberg Survives the Texas Grind
Eagle River, WI (October 23, 2007) - After successful season in the
Midwest, Oberg Motorsports headed to Texas Motor Speedway for the
eastern stop of the Championship Off-Road Racing series. The last
minute decision to compete in Texas made the logistics a challenge
to get all the team members to the venue.
Mike Oberg loaded up the #80 AMSOIL Kumho Tire American Racing
Chevrolet Silverado, and drove the transporter to Texas early in the
week, while Gilly and the crew were to arrive Friday morning.
Unfortunately, CORR scheduled practice and qualifying for Thursday
night. This left Mike to go it alone for qualifying.
Thursday
Qualifying
In the final practice session just before qualifying, Mike broke a
driveshaft and one of the yokes. Somehow he got it back together. He
went out with a conservative run and qualified ninth.
Friday
CORR Points Rd. 10
Starting back in the pack, Mike Oberg immediately was battling with
several drivers as everyone was taking different lines looking for
traction. The racing contact was incredible. The combination of the
tight track and the slippery track conditions made for some serious
banging and bumping.
Mike survived the melee and came home seventh.
Baldwin Cup Qualifier
Gilly and the crew went to work replacing body panels and trying to
come up with a better tire combination. With only two hours before
the Cup race. Prep time was at a premium.
The final race of the night was battle of traction and track
position for the #80 AMSOIL Kumho Tire Chevy. The result was a
seventh place finish.
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Afterwards Mike Oberg commented, “Today we were really battling with
tire grooving. The track changed so much throughout the day and
night. There’s a lot of contact out there, so basically I’ve got to
get more aggressive. We changed gears between races, and that helped
during the second race. All and all it wasn’t too bad for the first
time running on such a short track. The problem here everyone is
running close to the same speed. You have to stick you nose in there
and make your move. It’s not about horsepower. It’s about being
aggressive and not making any mistakes. When you do there’s a guy
right behind you taking your spot. Your right on somebody’s tail and
someone is right on yours.”
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Saturday
PRO-2 Points – Round 11
Starting back in tenth position, Mike knew he had to be more
aggressive if he had a chance to get on the podium.
The start saw Mike and his #80 AMSOIL Kumho Tire Chevy move up
several spots midway through the second lap. Then #71 Gordon got
sideways as #80 was in the air coming off the table top. Mike did
his best to pitch his truck sideways to avoid a direct hit.
Fortunately the contact did not cause any serious damage to either
of the trucks. By the time Mike had gathered up his AMSOIL Chevy,
much of the field had gone past. After twenty two laps, the
checkered flag fell with Mike Oberg crossing the line on the lead
lap, in ninth place.
- “We
had a good run going, until Robby got sideways in front of me,”
commented Mike Oberg. “I was in the air when I saw him. I tried my
best to pitch my truck sideways so there wasn’t a huge hit. I was
able to keep going, but I couldn’t get any traction. After I race I
found out why. The carcass on the right rear tire was gone. I didn’t
get a flat. All the tread was gone. We just rode it out to the end
hoping more guys would break. All in all we came out of this weekend
without any serious damage. We’ll prep the truck for Vegas tomorrow
and head out for the finals.”
- Mike
Oberg will be competing in the final rounds of racing in the
Championship Off-Road Racing series November 3-4, at Las Vegas
International Off-Road Raceway in Primm, Nevada.
Then he will also compete as the defending champion in the Jason
Baldwin Memorial Cup. This second annual event puts the top PRO-4
and top PRO-2 competitors in the country in a $66,000 winner take
all event. Last year in Chula Vista, Mike won the inaugural event in
one of the wildest short course races ever recorded in off-road
racing history.
Television coverage of the Texas Baldwin Cup Qualifier will be
broadcast on NBC Sports, October 28, from 2:30pm to 4pm – Eastern
Time.
Oberg Motorsports would like to thank all their supporters:
AMSOIL,
Kumho Tires,
Alloy USA, Precision Gear, KC Hilities, American Racing, Raceline
Oil Pumps, Mastercraft Seats, Stewart Warner, J & H Transmissions,
Fox Shox, Lund International, Ringers Gloves, Hawk Performance, Howe
Performance, Pro Power Racing Engines, and Millwright Services.
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www.obergmotorsports.com
-Mike Reusche, marketing - MTG
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