AUBURN, Calif. — It took Andy Forsberg more than six years of racing to win his first main event. Another year and a half were needed before winning a second time.
Then things changed and Forsberg began winning and has since earned 28 championships in 25 years, including the Placerville Speedway and Sprint Car Challenge Tour titles this season.
Placerville and the Civil War Series provided 10 titles each. Four championships at Silver Dollar Speedway, two more from the Sprint Car Challenge Tour, plus single titles at Marysville and Petaluma makes 28.
At the age of 48, Forsberg will enter the 2025 season with an upscaled team as Pacific Highway Rentals is replacing just about everything, including moving the team’s base to Chico.
Forsberg started collecting titles in 2000 with his first Placerville Speedway championship and six weeks later won his first Civil War championship. It was 2000 when Forsberg started figuring things out, mainly that he had to spend money to be competitive.
He credits the 1999 Fall Nationals at Chico where he finally realized that racing with a car built from hobby parts was not going to be competitive. A new car was built for the 2000 season and two championships followed.
Forsberg recalled, “I thought I was good enough to win but all the years of not winning I was kind of ready to give up, but the year 2000 gave me hope.”
In California, racing a sprint car at his age is a bit unusual. The micro sprint and outlaw kart tracks have produced young drivers who are strapping into a sprint car as teenagers and proving they are quite capable.
Forsberg still has the skill to race with drivers 30+ years younger and including the updated equipment means 2025 could add to the championship list.