by Troy Hennig
CHICO, CA – JULY 1, 2011…Sean Becker feels right at home on the front stretch at Silver Dollar Speedway. After chasing Andy Forsberg through lapped traffic for 10 laps, Becker seized the moment when it was right for the taking. Forsberg drifted up the track in turn one opening the door for Becker on lap 23. Becker dove under Forsberg and even though there was contact, both drivers continued and Becker was the leader. With still a heavy dose of cars ahead of Becker, Forsberg gave it one final shot going into turn three on the final lap. Becker held a big enough lead to fend off Forsberg to get his fourth win of the year at Chico. “All the credit has to go to Brian Sperry,” said “He works on this car all week and I am the lucky one who just has to show up and drive it.” It seems to be a winning combination. Together the two have won three 410 main events this year. Becker’s fourth win came in the #2sb at a Civil War race in Chico. The win was an amazing milestone for Becker. He now has 36 career feature wins at Chico placing him into a tie with Jimmy Sills for sixth all-time.
The 25-lap main event started with Forsberg taking the lead over pole sitter Jason York. Earlier in the night, York set the fastest lap at an 11.969. It was the second week in a row York earned the fast time award. The race was quickly halted when Cody Geaney of Rocklin had contact with Josh Ruhs of Broken Hill, New South Wales in the High Race 24 Hour Towing #20a. Both drivers were unable to continue. It’s been a pleasure to have the Ruhs boys over from Australia these past few weeks. Isaac Ruhs is the car chief and does a great job of promoting the team. Josh was credited with the 15th finishing position.
Tyler Wolf gave the fans quite the show tonight. After spinning out on lap four and having the restart at the rear of the field, Wolf was a driver on a mission. He passed 12 cars on his way back to a fourth place finish. Wolf is a constant performer who is going to end up in victory lane before the season is over.
On lap eight Brett Miller hooked a rut, bicycled and tumbled upside down. One of these nights his luck will turn around. Miller is constantly one of the fastest sprint car drivers in Northern California. His team is well rounded and Bill and Jeanne Bell give him the best equipment. Miller has a quiet demeanor but is a fierce competitor. After the wreck he was unable to continue on. Dan Menne came to a stop on lap 11. It was the final stoppage of the night.
At this point Becker had passed York for second. For the next 14 laps it was the Forsberg vs. Becker show. With heavy traffic a major factor the top two battled endlessly with choosing the right racing line. The race lead swapped on lap 23. Forsberg dove into turn one handicapped by a slower car. Becker dived to the inside and passed Forsberg. As the two came out of turn two, Becker’s right rear clipped Forsberg’s left front. Even with the contact the two continued on. Becker was able to beat Forsberg to the line and get the popular win. “I give Sean credit,” said Forsberg via a phone conversation. “I drifted up and he got by me for the win. We were racing hard and even though there was contact I probably would have done the same thing if I was in his position.” York finished third. Wolf came back to finish fourth and Kyle Hirst rounded out the top five. Dane Menne and Colby Wiesz each won their eight lap heat race.
Full results located at http://www.mylaps.com/results/showevent.jsp?id=679746