Championship races tight as season draws to an end

Championship races tight as season draws to an end

By Matthew J. Sullivan

A mere four races are left for the 2009 season at Redwood Acres Raceway. Track championships have yet to be decided in any of the divisions thus far after 11 of the 15 scheduled races though it will be tough sledding to unseat the points leaders in a few of the 6 local classes.

The limited street stocks have struggled all season with a lack of cars competing in the division. Both Kenny Demello and Fergy Ferguson have been showing up to earn points for qualifying the past several events. Currently Demello leads Ferguson by eight points, 377-369. Unless the division picks up a few cars in the final four events, it appears as though it is Demello’s title to win or lose. Stan Young and Bill Middleton are the only two other drivers who have scored points in the division in 2009.

The fight for the track championship mini stock class is as close as it can get. Not only is there a tie between the first and second place runners, but the battle for the title is between two brothers, Craig and Scott Baker. Craig holds the tiebreaker over Scott due to a few more main event victories. Brian McIntosh, Steve Smith and Brian Murrell, Jr. round out the top five drivers in points for the class.

Ryan Walters holds a sizeable gap over Jim Redd in the real stock division points standings. Walters has a 56 points cushion over Redd, 735-679. Casey Mitchell is a single point behind Redd in third place. Pat Conway is another 27 points behind Mitchell in fourth, while Ryan Walters sits fifth place with 538 points scored.

The roadrunner division has continued to gain strength in its first season at the Acres. The car count for the class has risen nearly every race and is expected to continue to climb as the 2009 season concludes and the 2010 season commences. Nick Bundy dominated the first part of the season and leads the standings with 579 points. Bundy has been absent in several of the recent races. This has allowed second place Charlie Anderson to close the gap to only 39 points. The duo of Carrie and Dylan Cook hold third place with 510 points. Jimmy Murray is fourth with 503 and Dustin DelBiaggio is fifth with 489.

David Henderson has been the man to beat on a weekly basis in the Thunder Roadster division. After 11 races, Henderson has accrued 724 points. Robert Miller is second with 676 points, Tommy Payne is third with 645 points and Mike Ward fourth with 613 points. Paul Peeples, Jr. was Henderson’s toughest competition through the first half of the season, but has been unable to compete in the past several events and has fallen to fifth with 540 points and no chance at catching Henderson for the championship.

The track title for the sportsman division appears to be a three-man fight. Currently, Dennis DelBiaggio leads with 726 points. Jerry Peterson and Angelo Marcelli sit tied for second with 670 each. Larry Pries has scored 577 points while Brandon Barnwell is fifth with 434 points.

Racing at the Acres resumes this Saturday evening, August 22nd for Back-To-School Night. The following week on the 29th will see another big event, Fan Appreciation Night at the Acres where fans will be able to attend the races free. After a break, there’s a special event on September 12th, the Judy Fox Memorial races. The 2009 season concludes on September 26th with the Fall Spectacular featuring late models and the I.M.C.A. Modifieds.

Points Standings Through 11 Races

Limited Street Stocks
Track Record: Trevor Miller 17.143
Kenny Demello 377, Fergy Ferguson 369, Stan Young 331, Bill Middleton 98

Mini Stocks
Track Record: Craig Baker 18.597
Craig Baker 708, Scott Baker 708, Brian McIntosh 683, Steve Smith 611, Brian Murrell, Jr. 467, Len Bowman 327, Brian Murrell, Jr. 130, Nick Karanopoulos 117, Mike Weekly 111, Norm Carmichael 100, Denzil Barrett 59

Real Stocks
Track Record: Shawn Craig 18.763
Ryan Walters 735, Jim Redd 679, Casey Mitchell 678, Pat Conway 651, Dustin Walters 538, Roger Linn, Jr. 526, Ryan/Russ Robinson 517, Nick Green 460, Doug Way 301, Don Hyman 217, Bob Lima 57, Jim Bailey 11

Roadrunners
Track Record: Wyatt Roach 21.711
Nick Bundy 579, Charlie Anderson 540, Carrie/Dylan Cook 510, Jimmy Murray 503, Dustin DelBiaggio 489, Track Car 486, Oscar Koskinen III 391, Bill Snow 324, Eric Mendes 236, Raleigh Willoughby 212, Wyatt Roach 200, Eric Rice 153, Aaron Sandifer 99, Robbie Nelson 11

Sportsman
Track Record: Shawn Andrews 15.794
Dennis DelBiaggio 726, Jerry Peterson 670, Angelo Marcelli 670, Larry Pries 577, Brandon Barnwell 434, Joe McDonald 330, Aaron Byers 297, Frank Billy, Jr. 269, Lissa Uselton 236, Kavin Conn 217, Shawn Craig 209, Al Acuna 149, Jim Walker 134, Kenny Demello 100, Ken Hallis 96.