Andy Forsberg and the F&F Racing team rolled into Placerville, California, anxious to get the Civil War Finale underway, and for good reason. Having already earned a championship in the Placerville 360 Sprint series, the team was leading the points race in the 360 Civil War Series by an impressive margin going into the final event of the season. That said, all the driver had to do to cinch his second 2011 championship was start the thirty-lap feature. Once the green flag waved, Forsberg and the F&F X1 were officially the champions.
After recently rolling his car and sustaining a dislocated shoulder, the driver rolled into Placerville, California two weeks later, where he won the Civil War Series Championship.
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Although the driver pretty well had the championship wrapped up prior to the beginning of the race, however small the odds might have been, there was always a slight chance that the car could have malfunctioned prior to the start. That said, Andy and his team were still somewhat nervous until the waving of the green flag and he began forward progress.
"I always am a bit nervous," explained Forsberg. "I've been around racing my whole life, and have seen some real crazy and heartbreaking things happen to drivers, so I know the same can always happen to me. The F&F X1team does everything they can to prepare the car for every race, so there wasn't anything more they could do to prepare for the final points show."
Forsberg continued, "Having a great team is everything, and this year is proof of that. You can do well with an incomplete team, but in order to have the kind of season we had, all aspects of the team have to be working at one-hundred percent. Getting hooked up with F&F X1 was the most important part of 2011,"he continued. "We were fast immediately, and things with the A&A Motorsport #92 410 sprint, and my family-owned #92 sprint just seemed to follow suit. All three teams were able to bounce things off of each other, and it helped us to improve through the season."
Although Andy Forsberg obviously experienced his fair share of success this season, there were tense moments throughout 2011 as well, the most memorable, more than .likely being a scare at the USAC portion of the Cold Cup in Chico, California. Upon making a slight miscalculation coming off of the third turn of the final lap of his heat, Forsberg flipped his car. Not only was the car destroyed, but Forsberg suffered a dislocated shoulder as well.
Fortunately, the driver had a short break prior to his next race.
"Having a week off was probably good for me just to re-cupe a little,"
explained Forsberg. I raced the two nights after I hurt my shoulder, so I definitely could have raced the following week if I needed to. I wasn't at one-hundred percent, but once I get in the car, I don't even think about the pain. I just get out there and try to get the job done."
When asked if his success will have a positive impact on the 2012 season, Forsberg said, "I sure hope so. I know you can go out and dominate year after year, but reality will eventually set in and you may take two steps backward. We are going to work hard, and try to win even more races next year, and hope we can repeat the championships as well."
An experienced driver, Andy Forsberg is acutely aware that proper maintenance also played a huge roll in his success. In fact, according to the driver, a portion of their checkered flags was a result of maintaining their vehicle better than other teams. "You have to win these races if you want to run for a championship," explained Forsberg. "There were a few times this year when we gained positions because other drivers had issues with their cars. They say you win races in the shop."
"I started driving sprint cars in 1994, when I took over driving from my dad, Richard. He used K&N air filters, and I didn't change a thing. We also use the (K&N) filter oil, filter cleaning solution, and oil filters. I could not ask for anything more. We absolutely have no problems with our engines as far as K&N products are concerned, and when we don't have motor problems, it keeps us on the track to compete for more wins."
When asked if there was a message that he would like to relay to his sponsors and fans, Andy Forsberg was quick to say, "A big thank you!" We don't have one big sponsor that foots the bills for us to race, but we do have a large group of local businesses and friends that do what they can to keep all three cars on the track. If not for all of those people, I know we couldn't have been as successful as we were this year. And to all of the fans; as a racer, I understand it's not cheap to take your family to watch a sprint car race, and I appreciate them spending their hard-earned money to come watch me and others race. We need every last one of them to support these venues. Without the fans, there is no racing. It's our jobs as racers to put on good shows, so they want to come back and support the sport."
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