PLACERVILLE, Calif. — Shane Golobic won the 30-lap Tribute to Mac Tiner sprint car event at the Placerville Speedway on Saturday night.

Golobic’s familiar Matt Woods owned No. 17w Elk Grove Ford/NOS Energy Drink supported mount led flag to flag for a $5,094 payoff.

A fast-closing Colby Copeland seemed to come out of nowhere to take the runner-up spot, followed by Blake Carrick, J.J. Hickle and Tanner Carrick.

Twenty-four of the 58 cars entered took the green flag at the Eldorado County Fairgrounds in front of an empty grandstands due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Golobic, who started from the outside pole, quickly took command of the race coming out of the second turn.

The race would only go two laps before the first of three red flag stoppages occurred as Michael Ing took a tumble going down the backstretch. Golobic was leading the Tanner Brothers and Willie Croft as the race restarted. But a double flip involving Landon Hurst and Kyle Hirst on the restart lap brought out an immediate red flag.

On the restart, Hickle got around Croft for the fourth spot while teammates, the Carrick Brothers were putting on a show battling each other for the second spot. By the halfway mark Golobic commanded the front while both Tanner Carrick and Croft were struggling and losing spots rapidly.

With 10 laps to go, Golobic looked to be in complete control as the Elk Grove, California driver mastered slow traffic, bobbing in and out of the lappers with ease.

There was a scary moment on lap 22 for Kaleb Montgomery who pulled to a stop at the top of turns three and four.  At first the caution waved, however, when officials discovered his car was on fire, that quickly turned to a red flag.  Meanwhile, Montgomery had exited the red No. 8 Richardson Racing car with his lower fire suit in flames.  He rolled on the ground a few seconds before the flames could be extinguished.  He was checked out in the ambulance and later released.

With a clear track, Golobic had no problems clicking off laps but it would be Copeland who had started in the sixth row, who took to the high side of track and set sail after the leader.

By lap 26, he had moved into the second spot but ran out of laps before he could challenge Golobic.

The finish:

Shane Golobic, Colby Copeland, Blake Carrick, J.J. Hickle, Tanner Carrick, Andy Forsberg, Justyn Cox, Kalib Henry, Willie Croft, Ryan Robinson, Joey Ancona, Sean Becker, Tanner Thorson, Tim Kaeding, D.J. Netto, Shane Hopkins, Max Mittry, Colby Johnson, Kaleb Montgomery, Chase Majdic, Joel Myers, Landon Hurst, Kyle Hirst, Michael Ing