The first stop of the 2022 Optima Search for the Ultimate Street Car season kicked off on March 17-20 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. For the first time ever, Forgeline not only sponsored the event, but also had the opportunity to participate, as Forgeline president Dave Schardt competed in the GTV class with his famous 1970 “FN Camaro” Chevrolet Camaro.

The high quality of the Optima events and the exceptional execution by the FM3 Marketing events team has become legendary, and the Charlotte event was no exception. The entire Forgeline team (Sherri, Dave, and Mark) had a blast – yes it helped that Dave landed on the GTV podium – and we were impressed by how well this complex event was organized and managed. Making it even more special was the opportunity to run alongside the entire Trans Am Presented by Pirelli professional racing series, which also happened to be competing at Charlotte Motor Speedway throughout the weekend.

The event proved successful for a large contingent of Forgeline customers who saw success in their various classes, earned invitations to the Optima Ultimate Street Car Invitational, or received special recognition. This long list includes:

GTV
1st Place: Joe Gregory, 1964 Chevrolet Corvette on Forgeline one piece forged monoblock GS1R wheels
2nd Place: Jason Bottenfield, 1969 Chevrolet Camaro on Forgeline forged three piece CR3 wheels
3rd Place: Dave Schardt, 1970 Chevrolet Camaro on Forgeline forged three piece GX3 Open Lug wheels

GTT
1st Place: Jesse Vaughn, 1978 Chevrolet C10 on Forgeline forged three piece GA3R Open Lug wheels
2nd Place: Brian Finch, 1970 Chevrolet C10 on Forgeline forged three piece CV3C wheels
3rd Place: Stephen Dorrick, 2005 Nissan Frontier on Forgeline one piece forged monoblock GS1R-6 wheels

GTS
1st Place: Bob Sobey, 2013 Nissan GTR on Forgeline one piece forged monoblock GS1R wheels

GTR
2nd Place: Dennis Olthoff, 1966 Superperformance GT40 on Forgeline forged three piece GX3 wheels

GT
2nd Place: James Thomas, 2016 Ford Mustang GT350 on Forgeline one piece forged monoblock GT1 5-Lug wheels
3rd Place: Tim Schoch, 2016 Ford Mustang on Forgeline forged three piece CF1 Open Lug wheels

In addition to these class winners, Craig Staley also won the First Timers award in his 2016 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 on Forgeline one piece forged monoblock GS1R wheels, and JB Granger earned the Summit Racing Spirit of the Event award along with an invitation to the 2022 Ultimate Street Car Invitational in the GTT class in his 1967 Chevrolet C10 on Forgeline forged three piece CF3C wheels.

Congrats to all of the competitors who rose to the challenge, at the 2022 Optima Search for the Ultimate Street Car event at Charlotte Motor Speedway. And thanks to Optima Batteries and FM3 Marketing for producing such an exceptional event!

Joe Gregory, 1964 Chevrolet Corvette on Forgeline one piece forged monoblock GS1R wheels

Jason Bottenfield, 1969 Chevrolet Camaro on Forgeline forged three piece CR3 wheels

Jesse Vaughn, 1978 Chevrolet C10 on Forgeline forged three piece GA3R Open Lug wheels

Bob Sobey, 2013 Nissan GTR on Forgeline one piece forged monoblock GS1R wheels

Craig Staley, 2016 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 on Forgeline one piece forged monoblock GS1R wheels

JB Granger, 1967 Chevrolet C10 on Forgeline forged three piece CF3C wheels