Peeples, Barnwell, Middleton big winners on Acres opening night
By Matthew J. Sullivan
After rain washed out the initial April 21st season opener at Redwood Acres Raceway, the week’s delay only strengthened the excitement among drivers, crew members and fans alike this past Saturday. A packed house was treated to some of the best racing on the west coast provided by the drivers of the thunder roadster, sportsman, real stock, mini stock and limited street stock divisions.
Although the limited street stock class has struggled with its car count in the past, the drivers have always provided some great on-track competition. Class veteran Orion Mosher set quick time and won the trophy dash, but the rest of the night would belong to defending limited street stock champion, Adrien Betournay. He was able to hold off Mosher in the heat race, and in the main event the two battled again with Betournay crossing the line ahead of Mosher. Betournay will not be racing the full season and is hoping to sell his car.
Jason Shaha returned to the Acres after a hiatus of a few seasons and set quick time for the mini stock division. However, the driver who looked to be the man to beat was Brian Murrell. After finishing a close second in points in the division last season, Murrell wanted to get the 2007 season started off right, and he did so by winning the trophy dash and the heat race. In the main event, the two fastest cars appeared to belong to Murrell and Shaha. Unfortunately for them, outside front row starter Byron McIntosh was able to find his groove in the main event and pulled out to a large lead over the field. After working their way through the field, both Murrell and Shaha were able to catch up to McIntosh, but neither could find a way by when the checkered flag flew. The win was McIntosh’s first main event victory in only his second season of racing.
Redwood Acres real stock division has always provided some memorable races and it was no different on this night. Real stock veteran Troy Wood took home the dash win while Barry Barnwell and Steve Kimberling won their respective heat races, but the night would belong to Bill Middleton. After starting in the back, Middleton was able to maneuver his way to the front of the field, passing cars and avoiding incidents. Middleton was in a real pressure cooker the last few laps of the race with both Kimberling and Wood in his mirror waiting for any mistake he would make. To their dismay, Middleton never did and he was able to win. Middleton’s victory definitely had a huge significance to himself and his family as before the season, his nephew Raymond Middleton, Jr. lost his life in a tragic car accident. Raymond had planned to run in the real stock division in 2007.
Acres veteran Larry Pries set the quick time in the sportsman class and won the four lap dash. Another Acres veteran, Angelo Marcelli was able to win the heat. After a poor qualifying effort, Brandon Barnwell was able to use his outside front row starting position to his benefit, first by being ahead of a multi-car wreck in the first turn on the first lap, then by getting around Marcelli on the high line after the race restarted. Although a late race caution flag bunched the field up, Barnwell was able to fend off any and all challenges taking the sportsman main event victory.
The many years of experience that Paul Peeples, Jr. has continue to be of great advantage for him in the thunder roadster division. Peeples set fast time but it was David Henderson who won the dash. Jay Bahner won the first heat race while Peeples took the second. As last season proved, the start of 20 thunder roadsters on the 3/8 paved oval is exciting to say the least. With the field bunched up, Peeples quickly made his way to the front. By lap seven he was in the lead getting by Donn Cole and pulling away from the competition. The best action was provided by Bill O’Neill and David Henderson. With the race winding down, Henderson made a move to O’Neill’s outside, but was boxed in by a slower car allowing O’Neill to keep the position and costing Henderson two spots. Although it was not easy, Peeples made it look like it was taking the main event win.
The next race at the Redwood Acres Raceway takes place May 12th. The Best Appearing Car Contest which was originally scheduled for April 21st will take place before the night's racing action.
Race Results
Limited Street Stocks
Dash: Orion Mosher, Kenny Demello, Robert Miller, Adrien Betournay
Heat: Betournay, Mosher, Demello, Miller, Stan Young, Scott Lyons, Duane Mayo
Main: Betournay, Mosher, Young, Mayo, Lyons, Miller
Mini Stocks
Dash: Brian Murrell, Scott Baker, Stacy Minnick, Jason Shaha (DNS)
Heat: Murrell, Shaha, Glenn Bernald, Max Capps, Nick Karanopoulos, Minnick, Baker, Byron McIntosh, Brian McIntosh, Denzel Barrett
Main: By. McIntosh, Murrell, Shaha, Bernald, Minnick, Capps, Br. McIntosh, Karanopoulos, Baker
Real Stocks
Dash: Troy Wood, Bill Middleton, Jim Bailey, Ryan Robinson
Heat 1: Barry Barnwell, Cecil Arispe, Robinson, Jim Redd, Ryan Peeples, Chuck Essex, Rick Crawley
Heat 2: Steve Kimberling, Wood, Chad Grammer, Marvin Savage, Nick Green, Middleton, Bailey
Main: Middleton, Kimberling, Wood, Bob Lima, Grammer, Savage, Arispe, Redd, Green, Barnwell, Essex, Robinson, Peeples, Doug Way
Sportsman
Dash: Larry Pries, Rick Fox, Aaron Byers, Angelo Marcelli
Heat: Marcelli, Fox, Brandon Barnwell, Byers, Lissa Uselton, Joe Bonomini, Pries, Donnie Brown, Jason Belt, Mike Bourbon
Main: Barnwell, Fox, Pries, Brown, Uselton, Marcelli, Byers, Bonimini, Belt
Thunder Roadsters
Dash: David Henderson, Paul Peeples, Jr., Leroy Marsh, Jr., Mark Arroyo
Heat 1: Jay Bahner, Waylon Henze, Bruce Ziemer, Rob Nelson, Mike Ward, Dave McMurray, Chris Lawrence, Bill Bradbury, Belinda Ward, Gary Payne
Heat 2: Peeples, Jr. Bill O’Neill, Arroyo, Gerhy Foster, Donn Cole, Chris Banfill, Ron Borges, Chris Sarvinski, Ray Elliott, Henderson, Marsh, Jr.
Main: Peeples, Jr., Banfill, Cole, O’Neill, Arroyo, Borges, Henderson, Sarvinski, Lawrence, M. Ward, Bahner, Elliott, McMurray, Middleton, Henze, Ziemer, Nelson, Payne, B. Ward, Foster.
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Showing posts with label Adrien Betournay. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Adrien Betournay. Show all posts
Thursday, May 3, 2007
Monday, April 30, 2007
Peeples dominates roadster main event
Peeples dominates roadster main event
By Matthew J. Sullivan
The 2007 Redwood Acres Raceway season opener Saturday night felt more like it was January than it was April. Nevertheless, the cold temperatures did not prevent a packed house from enjoying the many thrills that the local classes always provide. Adrien Betournay held off the challenges of Orion Mosher to win the limited street stock main event. Coming off his rookie campaign in the mini stock division, Byron McIntosh was able to nab his first ever main event win. Bill Middleton won perhaps the biggest race in his career taking the real stock division main event. Brandon Barnwell was able to run away from the competition and score the sportsman main event, while Paul Peeples, Jr. did his best imitation of Barnwell, doing the same in the thunder roadster feature.
Eight cars attempted to qualify for the limited street stock division. Unfortunately that number dropped to seven when Romeo Venza spun off the fourth turn and hit the wall during qualifications sidelining him for the rest of the evening. Orion Mosher timed in quickest with a 17.590 time. Mosher was able to make some moves in the trophy dash, winning the four lap race over Kenny Demello, Robert Miller behind the wheel of the car normally driven by brother Trevor and Adrien Betournay. The heat race featured a close battle between Betournay and Mosher with Betournay winning over Mosher, Demello, Miller and Stan Young. Unfortunately after taking the checkered flag, Demello blew up ending his evening.
With the field decimated to six cars and time constraints the main event was cut to a six lap affair. On the initial start, the front row of Duane Mayo and Miller made contact sending Miller spinning. Both cars were sent to the rear making the new front row that of Young and Betournay. Off the start the two raced side-by-side until the third turn when Betournay was able to take the lead while Mosher jumped into the second position. Mosher tried to make every conceivable move to get by Betournay but much to his chagrin, Betournay never faltered and held a tight enough line to where Mosher could not make the move he needed. At the drop of the checkered flag it was Betournay fending off Mosher followed by Young, Mayo and Scott Lyons.
Jason Shaha returned to racing his mini stock truck at the Acres after an absence of a few years. Shaha took fast time with a 19.254 lap time. The trophy dash win went to Brian Murrell who was followed by Scott Baker and Stacy Minnick, while Shaha did not start the four lap event. The heat race featured an unfortunate accident when Brian McIntosh spun off the fourth turn. With McIntosh in the middle of the track and little time to react, Denzel Barrett hit McIntosh ending his night. Fortunately for McIntosh the damage was fixable and he was able to start the main event. Murrell won the heat over Shaha, Glenn Bernald, Max Capps and Nick Karanopoulos.
Nine cars started the 15 lap mini stock main event. The McIntosh brothers of Brian and Byron led the field to the green flag with Byron getting the advantage going into the first turn to take the top spot. By the end of the first lap, Baker and Murrell were also able to get by Brian McIntosh relegating him to the fourth spot. On lap two, Shaha used the high line to get by McIntosh for the fourth position. Meanwhile Byron McIntosh was stretching his lead over Baker and Murrell as the two dueled for second. On lap four, Shaha caught Murrell and moved outside of him for third. Going into the third turn with Baker beginning to sputter, Shaha moved high and Murrell moved low to make it three wide. Shaha and Murrell continued their side-by-side battle while Baker began to sputter more and more.
On the eighth lap, Capps was able to maneuver his way by Minnick for the fourth position. At the front of the field, Murrell and Shaha began to close in on Byron McIntosh. On the eleventh lap, McIntosh, Murrell and Shaha were nose-to-tail. On lap 13, Karanopoulos spun in turn two but was able to keep going. Coming to take the white flag, Murrell attempted to make his move for the lead, but unfortunately the lapped car of Brian McIntosh was running the low line in attempt to give the leaders room to race. This was enough to break Murrell’s momentum and give Byron McIntosh the room he needed to take the victory. Murrell was able to hold onto second while Shaha finished third. Bernald took fourth after Capps spun off the second turn on the last lap. Minnick rounded out the top five finishers.
The real stock trophy dash went to Troy Wood over Bill Middleton, Jim Bailey and Ryan Robinson. Barry Barnwell won the first heat race over Cecil Arispe, Robinson, Jim Redd and Ryan Peeples who was making his first ever start at the Acres. Steve Kimberling won the second heat followed by Wood, Chad Grammer, Marvin Savage and Nick Green. An unfortunate casualty of the second heat was Bailey who lost the drive line in his car ending the rest of his night.
14 cars lined up for the 25 lap real stock main event. Redd and Savage lead the field to the green flag. Redd took the early lead over Peeples and Arispe. On the third lap, Doug Way slowed and pulled into the infield. Around the same time, Chuck Essex spun off the fourth turn. In the confusion coming to the yellow, Barnwell hit the wall. Despite the early chaos, Redd was still the leader over Peeples, Arispe, Kimberling and Middleton. On the restart, Peeples was able to get by Redd to take the lead off the second turn. The next lap, Arispe maneuvered his way by Redd to take second. Redd was then hung out to dry on the high line as Kimberling and Middleton both followed Arispe by.
On lap seven, Arispe looked to Peeples’ inside for the lead but did not have the line to get by. The next lap, Middleton moved outside of Kimberling to take the third position. Middleton then moved to Arispe’s outside for second. On lap nine going into the first corner, Arispe made contact with Peeples sending him spinning. Fortunately no other cars were involved. Arispe pulled into the pits under the yellow and the top five had a new look to it with Middleton leading Kimberling, Bob Lima, Wood and Redd.
On the restart, Middleton was able to pull away from Kimberling by one or two car lengths. On lap 15, the front four tightened up and the tension began to build. On lap 18, Green spun off turn four but the caution flag was not thrown. On lap 19, Lima moved to Kimberling’s outside but got loose. Grammer moved himself into fifth on lap 21 going into the third turn. With three laps left, Wood got by Lima for third. At the front, Middleton continued to withstand the pressure from Kimberling. The two raced cleanly, and at the checkered flag it was Middleton winning, Kimberling second, Wood third, Lima fourth and Grammer fifth. The win had to be particularly emotional for Middleton and his family after the tragic loss of his nephew Raymond, Jr. in a car accident. Raymond had planned to begin his racing career in the real stock division this season.
Larry Pries had the quickest lap in qualifying for the sportsman division setting a lap of 16.819. Pries took the trophy dash victory over Rick Fox, Aaron Byers and Angelo Marcelli. The heat race victory went to Marcelli followed by Fox, Brandon Barnwell, Byers and Lissa Uselton. Nine cars started the 25 lap main event with Marcelli and Barnwell comprising the front row. After taking the green flag, going into the first turn mayhem ensued with several cars spinning and wrecking. Those involved included Donnie Brown, Byers, Joe Bonomini, Jason Belt and Uselton. Brown, Byers and Uselton were able to get back on track while Bonomini and Belt were unable to repair their cars. With the long cleanup and the time constraints, the main was cut to 15 laps.
The field doubled up for the restart and took the green flag again. Marcelli took the top spot coming off the second turn and lead the first lap clean. Barnwell moved back to Marcelli’s outside and the two dueled doorhandle-to-doorhandle for the lead. On lap three, Barnwell gained the advantage and set sail while Marcelli battled Fox for second. On lap nine, Fox moved to Marcelli’s outside and was able to make the pass the next lap with Pries following him to take third. On lap 11 Brown and Byers made contact sending Byers spinning and bringing out the yellow flag.
On the restart, Brown moved outside and completed the pass on Marcelli for fourth on lap 13. Uselton maneuvered her way by Marcelli for fifth on the last lap. Meanwhile at the front, Fox was not able to make a good charge on Barnwell. At the finish line it was Barnwell over Fox, Pries, Brown and Uselton.
Paul Peeples, Jr. set quick time in the thunder roadster division with a 17.056 lap. David Henderson held off Peeples in the dash to win with LeRoy Marsh, Jr. third and Mark Arroyo fourth. Jay Bahner won the first heat followed by Waylon Hentz, Bruce Ziemer, Rob Nelson and Mike Ward. The second heat featured a multi-car wreck which eliminated Marsh from the rest of the night’s racing action. Peeples was able to score the heat win over Bill O’Neill, Arroyo, Gary Foster and Donn Cole.
20 cars started the 30 lap main event with Ward and Chris Lawrence leading the field to the green. Ward was able to get the initial lead while Cole moved by Lawrence for the second slot. On lap two, Cole moved to Ward’s inside completing the pass on the next lap. Meanwhile, Peeples was quickly coming through the field. On lap five, Peeples moved by Nelson and Ron Borges forfourth and third. The next lap, Peeples was by Ward for second. A lap later, Peeples challenged Cole for the lead, taking it on lap seven. Coming off the fourth turn on the same lap, Ray Elliott and Rob Nelson spun but got going again avoiding a yellow flag.
On lap 10 the top five was Peeples, Cole, Chris Banfill who quietly moved to third, Ward and O’Neill. On lap 11, there was a major jam up from sixth on back. Fortunately nobody spun or was damaged, but the incident did allow the front five room to race amongst themselves. On lap 13, O’Neill made his way by Ward. In the meantime, Peeples maintained a sizeable lead over Cole. On lap 14, Ziemer spun in the fourth turn bringing out the yellow flag.
After the green flag came back out, Ward got loose giving Arroyo the room he needed to take over the fifth position. At the front, Peeples began to pull away again as the front three spread out. On lap 18, Arroyo moved on O’Neill’s bumper for fourth. On lap 20, Henderson moved inside Arroyo for fifth while Banfill moved outside of Cole to take second but could not muster the strength to get by. On lap 26, Banfill found the inside line to his liking getting by Cole to take second. The same lap, Henderson moved to O’Neill’s outside for fourth, however O’Neill was able to use lapped traffic to box Henderson in and maintained fourth while Arroyo and Borges used the same tactic to get by Henderson. Up at the front though Peeples was comfortably alone and took the win handily over Banfill, Cole, O’Neill and Arroyo.
The next race at the Acres takes place May 12th. The Best Appearing Car Contest which was originally scheduled for April 21st will take place before the night’s racing action.
By Matthew J. Sullivan
The 2007 Redwood Acres Raceway season opener Saturday night felt more like it was January than it was April. Nevertheless, the cold temperatures did not prevent a packed house from enjoying the many thrills that the local classes always provide. Adrien Betournay held off the challenges of Orion Mosher to win the limited street stock main event. Coming off his rookie campaign in the mini stock division, Byron McIntosh was able to nab his first ever main event win. Bill Middleton won perhaps the biggest race in his career taking the real stock division main event. Brandon Barnwell was able to run away from the competition and score the sportsman main event, while Paul Peeples, Jr. did his best imitation of Barnwell, doing the same in the thunder roadster feature.
Eight cars attempted to qualify for the limited street stock division. Unfortunately that number dropped to seven when Romeo Venza spun off the fourth turn and hit the wall during qualifications sidelining him for the rest of the evening. Orion Mosher timed in quickest with a 17.590 time. Mosher was able to make some moves in the trophy dash, winning the four lap race over Kenny Demello, Robert Miller behind the wheel of the car normally driven by brother Trevor and Adrien Betournay. The heat race featured a close battle between Betournay and Mosher with Betournay winning over Mosher, Demello, Miller and Stan Young. Unfortunately after taking the checkered flag, Demello blew up ending his evening.
With the field decimated to six cars and time constraints the main event was cut to a six lap affair. On the initial start, the front row of Duane Mayo and Miller made contact sending Miller spinning. Both cars were sent to the rear making the new front row that of Young and Betournay. Off the start the two raced side-by-side until the third turn when Betournay was able to take the lead while Mosher jumped into the second position. Mosher tried to make every conceivable move to get by Betournay but much to his chagrin, Betournay never faltered and held a tight enough line to where Mosher could not make the move he needed. At the drop of the checkered flag it was Betournay fending off Mosher followed by Young, Mayo and Scott Lyons.
Jason Shaha returned to racing his mini stock truck at the Acres after an absence of a few years. Shaha took fast time with a 19.254 lap time. The trophy dash win went to Brian Murrell who was followed by Scott Baker and Stacy Minnick, while Shaha did not start the four lap event. The heat race featured an unfortunate accident when Brian McIntosh spun off the fourth turn. With McIntosh in the middle of the track and little time to react, Denzel Barrett hit McIntosh ending his night. Fortunately for McIntosh the damage was fixable and he was able to start the main event. Murrell won the heat over Shaha, Glenn Bernald, Max Capps and Nick Karanopoulos.
Nine cars started the 15 lap mini stock main event. The McIntosh brothers of Brian and Byron led the field to the green flag with Byron getting the advantage going into the first turn to take the top spot. By the end of the first lap, Baker and Murrell were also able to get by Brian McIntosh relegating him to the fourth spot. On lap two, Shaha used the high line to get by McIntosh for the fourth position. Meanwhile Byron McIntosh was stretching his lead over Baker and Murrell as the two dueled for second. On lap four, Shaha caught Murrell and moved outside of him for third. Going into the third turn with Baker beginning to sputter, Shaha moved high and Murrell moved low to make it three wide. Shaha and Murrell continued their side-by-side battle while Baker began to sputter more and more.
On the eighth lap, Capps was able to maneuver his way by Minnick for the fourth position. At the front of the field, Murrell and Shaha began to close in on Byron McIntosh. On the eleventh lap, McIntosh, Murrell and Shaha were nose-to-tail. On lap 13, Karanopoulos spun in turn two but was able to keep going. Coming to take the white flag, Murrell attempted to make his move for the lead, but unfortunately the lapped car of Brian McIntosh was running the low line in attempt to give the leaders room to race. This was enough to break Murrell’s momentum and give Byron McIntosh the room he needed to take the victory. Murrell was able to hold onto second while Shaha finished third. Bernald took fourth after Capps spun off the second turn on the last lap. Minnick rounded out the top five finishers.
The real stock trophy dash went to Troy Wood over Bill Middleton, Jim Bailey and Ryan Robinson. Barry Barnwell won the first heat race over Cecil Arispe, Robinson, Jim Redd and Ryan Peeples who was making his first ever start at the Acres. Steve Kimberling won the second heat followed by Wood, Chad Grammer, Marvin Savage and Nick Green. An unfortunate casualty of the second heat was Bailey who lost the drive line in his car ending the rest of his night.
14 cars lined up for the 25 lap real stock main event. Redd and Savage lead the field to the green flag. Redd took the early lead over Peeples and Arispe. On the third lap, Doug Way slowed and pulled into the infield. Around the same time, Chuck Essex spun off the fourth turn. In the confusion coming to the yellow, Barnwell hit the wall. Despite the early chaos, Redd was still the leader over Peeples, Arispe, Kimberling and Middleton. On the restart, Peeples was able to get by Redd to take the lead off the second turn. The next lap, Arispe maneuvered his way by Redd to take second. Redd was then hung out to dry on the high line as Kimberling and Middleton both followed Arispe by.
On lap seven, Arispe looked to Peeples’ inside for the lead but did not have the line to get by. The next lap, Middleton moved outside of Kimberling to take the third position. Middleton then moved to Arispe’s outside for second. On lap nine going into the first corner, Arispe made contact with Peeples sending him spinning. Fortunately no other cars were involved. Arispe pulled into the pits under the yellow and the top five had a new look to it with Middleton leading Kimberling, Bob Lima, Wood and Redd.
On the restart, Middleton was able to pull away from Kimberling by one or two car lengths. On lap 15, the front four tightened up and the tension began to build. On lap 18, Green spun off turn four but the caution flag was not thrown. On lap 19, Lima moved to Kimberling’s outside but got loose. Grammer moved himself into fifth on lap 21 going into the third turn. With three laps left, Wood got by Lima for third. At the front, Middleton continued to withstand the pressure from Kimberling. The two raced cleanly, and at the checkered flag it was Middleton winning, Kimberling second, Wood third, Lima fourth and Grammer fifth. The win had to be particularly emotional for Middleton and his family after the tragic loss of his nephew Raymond, Jr. in a car accident. Raymond had planned to begin his racing career in the real stock division this season.
Larry Pries had the quickest lap in qualifying for the sportsman division setting a lap of 16.819. Pries took the trophy dash victory over Rick Fox, Aaron Byers and Angelo Marcelli. The heat race victory went to Marcelli followed by Fox, Brandon Barnwell, Byers and Lissa Uselton. Nine cars started the 25 lap main event with Marcelli and Barnwell comprising the front row. After taking the green flag, going into the first turn mayhem ensued with several cars spinning and wrecking. Those involved included Donnie Brown, Byers, Joe Bonomini, Jason Belt and Uselton. Brown, Byers and Uselton were able to get back on track while Bonomini and Belt were unable to repair their cars. With the long cleanup and the time constraints, the main was cut to 15 laps.
The field doubled up for the restart and took the green flag again. Marcelli took the top spot coming off the second turn and lead the first lap clean. Barnwell moved back to Marcelli’s outside and the two dueled doorhandle-to-doorhandle for the lead. On lap three, Barnwell gained the advantage and set sail while Marcelli battled Fox for second. On lap nine, Fox moved to Marcelli’s outside and was able to make the pass the next lap with Pries following him to take third. On lap 11 Brown and Byers made contact sending Byers spinning and bringing out the yellow flag.
On the restart, Brown moved outside and completed the pass on Marcelli for fourth on lap 13. Uselton maneuvered her way by Marcelli for fifth on the last lap. Meanwhile at the front, Fox was not able to make a good charge on Barnwell. At the finish line it was Barnwell over Fox, Pries, Brown and Uselton.
Paul Peeples, Jr. set quick time in the thunder roadster division with a 17.056 lap. David Henderson held off Peeples in the dash to win with LeRoy Marsh, Jr. third and Mark Arroyo fourth. Jay Bahner won the first heat followed by Waylon Hentz, Bruce Ziemer, Rob Nelson and Mike Ward. The second heat featured a multi-car wreck which eliminated Marsh from the rest of the night’s racing action. Peeples was able to score the heat win over Bill O’Neill, Arroyo, Gary Foster and Donn Cole.
20 cars started the 30 lap main event with Ward and Chris Lawrence leading the field to the green. Ward was able to get the initial lead while Cole moved by Lawrence for the second slot. On lap two, Cole moved to Ward’s inside completing the pass on the next lap. Meanwhile, Peeples was quickly coming through the field. On lap five, Peeples moved by Nelson and Ron Borges forfourth and third. The next lap, Peeples was by Ward for second. A lap later, Peeples challenged Cole for the lead, taking it on lap seven. Coming off the fourth turn on the same lap, Ray Elliott and Rob Nelson spun but got going again avoiding a yellow flag.
On lap 10 the top five was Peeples, Cole, Chris Banfill who quietly moved to third, Ward and O’Neill. On lap 11, there was a major jam up from sixth on back. Fortunately nobody spun or was damaged, but the incident did allow the front five room to race amongst themselves. On lap 13, O’Neill made his way by Ward. In the meantime, Peeples maintained a sizeable lead over Cole. On lap 14, Ziemer spun in the fourth turn bringing out the yellow flag.
After the green flag came back out, Ward got loose giving Arroyo the room he needed to take over the fifth position. At the front, Peeples began to pull away again as the front three spread out. On lap 18, Arroyo moved on O’Neill’s bumper for fourth. On lap 20, Henderson moved inside Arroyo for fifth while Banfill moved outside of Cole to take second but could not muster the strength to get by. On lap 26, Banfill found the inside line to his liking getting by Cole to take second. The same lap, Henderson moved to O’Neill’s outside for fourth, however O’Neill was able to use lapped traffic to box Henderson in and maintained fourth while Arroyo and Borges used the same tactic to get by Henderson. Up at the front though Peeples was comfortably alone and took the win handily over Banfill, Cole, O’Neill and Arroyo.
The next race at the Acres takes place May 12th. The Best Appearing Car Contest which was originally scheduled for April 21st will take place before the night’s racing action.
Monday, April 2, 2007
Expect 2007 to be another exciting season at the Acres
Expect 2007 to be another exciting season at the Acres
By Matthew J. Sullivan
If the 2007 season at Redwood Acres Raceway in Eureka, CA is anything like the 2006 season was, race fans should be in for a real treat. The 2006 season proved to be one of the most memorable in the track’s 50 year history. Along with the regular schedule of sportsmans, mini stocks, real stocks and limited street stocks was the addition of the thunder roadsters. Throughout the season, all five divisions provided some great side-by-side racing, narrow finishes and unfortunately many incidents.
Although the limited street stock division struggled with its car count throughout 2006, there should be more drivers racing in 2007. The 2006 champion was young rookie Adrien Betournay, however Betournay won’t be back to defend his title. The two drivers who will be the ones to beat are division veteran Orion Mosher and youngster Trevor Miller. Both drivers raced against each other several times in 2006 with neither having a real clear speed advantage over the other.
The real stock class was the most wide open division at the Acres in 2006 and 2007 should be no different. On any given night, ten drivers could easily find themself leading the field to the checkered flag. Bill Bradbury was able to win the championship, but it will not be of any advantage to him in the coming season with the competition he has to face. The closest points battle at the Acres in 2006 occurred in the mini stock division between Chad Grammer and Brian Murrell. Grammer was able to take the title by a mere eight points over Murrell, but with Grammer moving on the 2007 championship is completely up for grabs.
The car count for the thunder roadster division at Redwood Acres Raceway is the highest in the nation. Throughout 2006, the division averaged 20 cars per race and 2007 shouldn’t be any different. David Henderson won the track championship over a number of great drivers by maintaining a top five consistency. The roadsters feature what is the most diverse lineup of drivers ranging from young to old, completely inexperienced to many years of experience.
Marty Walsh was the 2006 champion in the sportsman division, but will not be back to defend the title in 2007. That leaves the door open for a number of drivers such as veterans Larry Pries, Angelo Marcelli, and less experienced drivers like Brandon Barnwell and Rick Fox. It is definitely hard to say who will be the favorite in 2007.
Along with the regular schedule of cars, the North State Challenge Series and the BCRA Midgets will be visiting the 3/8-mile paved oval. The BCRA Midgets will make their annual stop at the Acres on May 19, while the North State Challenge Series late model tour cars will be making their stops April 28, June 23 and September 28. Among the special events this season are the Best Appearing Car Contest on opening night April 21, the Redwood Acres Fair Classic June 22 and 23, Fan Appreciation Night August 4, Back-To-School Night August 25 and the Fall Spectacular September 28 and 29. There will also be two Powderpuff races June 9 and August 25.
By Matthew J. Sullivan
If the 2007 season at Redwood Acres Raceway in Eureka, CA is anything like the 2006 season was, race fans should be in for a real treat. The 2006 season proved to be one of the most memorable in the track’s 50 year history. Along with the regular schedule of sportsmans, mini stocks, real stocks and limited street stocks was the addition of the thunder roadsters. Throughout the season, all five divisions provided some great side-by-side racing, narrow finishes and unfortunately many incidents.
Although the limited street stock division struggled with its car count throughout 2006, there should be more drivers racing in 2007. The 2006 champion was young rookie Adrien Betournay, however Betournay won’t be back to defend his title. The two drivers who will be the ones to beat are division veteran Orion Mosher and youngster Trevor Miller. Both drivers raced against each other several times in 2006 with neither having a real clear speed advantage over the other.
The real stock class was the most wide open division at the Acres in 2006 and 2007 should be no different. On any given night, ten drivers could easily find themself leading the field to the checkered flag. Bill Bradbury was able to win the championship, but it will not be of any advantage to him in the coming season with the competition he has to face. The closest points battle at the Acres in 2006 occurred in the mini stock division between Chad Grammer and Brian Murrell. Grammer was able to take the title by a mere eight points over Murrell, but with Grammer moving on the 2007 championship is completely up for grabs.
The car count for the thunder roadster division at Redwood Acres Raceway is the highest in the nation. Throughout 2006, the division averaged 20 cars per race and 2007 shouldn’t be any different. David Henderson won the track championship over a number of great drivers by maintaining a top five consistency. The roadsters feature what is the most diverse lineup of drivers ranging from young to old, completely inexperienced to many years of experience.
Marty Walsh was the 2006 champion in the sportsman division, but will not be back to defend the title in 2007. That leaves the door open for a number of drivers such as veterans Larry Pries, Angelo Marcelli, and less experienced drivers like Brandon Barnwell and Rick Fox. It is definitely hard to say who will be the favorite in 2007.
Along with the regular schedule of cars, the North State Challenge Series and the BCRA Midgets will be visiting the 3/8-mile paved oval. The BCRA Midgets will make their annual stop at the Acres on May 19, while the North State Challenge Series late model tour cars will be making their stops April 28, June 23 and September 28. Among the special events this season are the Best Appearing Car Contest on opening night April 21, the Redwood Acres Fair Classic June 22 and 23, Fan Appreciation Night August 4, Back-To-School Night August 25 and the Fall Spectacular September 28 and 29. There will also be two Powderpuff races June 9 and August 25.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
2006 Limited Street Stock Season: A Look Back
2006 Limited Street Stock Season: A Look Back
By Matthew J. Sullivan
There was no doubt that the 2006 season for Redwood Acres Raceway’s limited street stock division was a tough one. Throughout the year the class struggled with the car count, and on a few occasions the main events for the division were cancelled. Nonetheless, the division provided some of the best racing action at the Acres despite the lack of cars on the race track.
One of the most impressive drivers throughout the year was Adrien Betournay. Driving in his first full season at the Acres, Adrien won three main events, rookie of he year honors in the division and took home the championship. Adrien was also the only driver in the division to start every race. Kenny Demello made all but one of the races, one of which Kavin Conn drove the car for points. Demello took home two main events and was Betournay’s strongest challenge throughout the season.
Orion Mosher returned to the Acres in his truck scoring three main event wins. Unfortunately, Mosher missed a few races which prevented him from making a run at the title taking third place in points. Trevor Miller proved to be a fast competitor. Coming off of his 2005 real stock championship, Miller looked to drive the full season in the division but missed the first few races of the season and then was caught up in an accident which put him out for several more races. Miller came back to be a strong competitor notching three wins and fourth in the standings.
Duayne Mayo brought his car to the track towards the end of the season and had several good runs to give himself the fifth place position in the standings. Although Terry Vallee struggled to find the handle with his race car, he scored enough points to take sixth position in the points. Stan Young was able to get out with a few races left to finish seventh in points. Craig Huffman ran a few races in his 09 truck before an accident virtually ended the racing season for him. Keith Lyons came to race with two races left and finished ninth in points while Kavin Conn took tenth in the standings despite having an accident at the beginning of the season that destroyed his race car. Other drivers who made it out in the division were Romeo Venza, Mark Burris and Acres veteran Fergy Ferguson who took a few hot laps but didn’t race.
One of the highlights of the 2006 racing season at the Redwood Acres Raceway was the last lap duel between Betournay and Miller during the tenth race of the season on July 29. The two raced side by side on the final lap, Betournay on the inside, Miller on the outside. Coming off the fourth turn the two cars were nearly even, but as they crossed the line Betournay had the advantage literally by inches.
Hopefully more limited street cars will make it out for the 2007 season. While Betournay will be defending his title, he will have his hands full with Mosher and Miller both of whom proved that they could be just as fast if not faster on any given night. Also Kenny Demello cannot be counted out as well. With new drivers such as Lyons, Young, Kelly McBride and Venza getting the feel for their cars, it should be a close championship points battle.
By Matthew J. Sullivan
There was no doubt that the 2006 season for Redwood Acres Raceway’s limited street stock division was a tough one. Throughout the year the class struggled with the car count, and on a few occasions the main events for the division were cancelled. Nonetheless, the division provided some of the best racing action at the Acres despite the lack of cars on the race track.
One of the most impressive drivers throughout the year was Adrien Betournay. Driving in his first full season at the Acres, Adrien won three main events, rookie of he year honors in the division and took home the championship. Adrien was also the only driver in the division to start every race. Kenny Demello made all but one of the races, one of which Kavin Conn drove the car for points. Demello took home two main events and was Betournay’s strongest challenge throughout the season.
Orion Mosher returned to the Acres in his truck scoring three main event wins. Unfortunately, Mosher missed a few races which prevented him from making a run at the title taking third place in points. Trevor Miller proved to be a fast competitor. Coming off of his 2005 real stock championship, Miller looked to drive the full season in the division but missed the first few races of the season and then was caught up in an accident which put him out for several more races. Miller came back to be a strong competitor notching three wins and fourth in the standings.
Duayne Mayo brought his car to the track towards the end of the season and had several good runs to give himself the fifth place position in the standings. Although Terry Vallee struggled to find the handle with his race car, he scored enough points to take sixth position in the points. Stan Young was able to get out with a few races left to finish seventh in points. Craig Huffman ran a few races in his 09 truck before an accident virtually ended the racing season for him. Keith Lyons came to race with two races left and finished ninth in points while Kavin Conn took tenth in the standings despite having an accident at the beginning of the season that destroyed his race car. Other drivers who made it out in the division were Romeo Venza, Mark Burris and Acres veteran Fergy Ferguson who took a few hot laps but didn’t race.
One of the highlights of the 2006 racing season at the Redwood Acres Raceway was the last lap duel between Betournay and Miller during the tenth race of the season on July 29. The two raced side by side on the final lap, Betournay on the inside, Miller on the outside. Coming off the fourth turn the two cars were nearly even, but as they crossed the line Betournay had the advantage literally by inches.
Hopefully more limited street cars will make it out for the 2007 season. While Betournay will be defending his title, he will have his hands full with Mosher and Miller both of whom proved that they could be just as fast if not faster on any given night. Also Kenny Demello cannot be counted out as well. With new drivers such as Lyons, Young, Kelly McBride and Venza getting the feel for their cars, it should be a close championship points battle.
Sunday, August 27, 2006
Pries beats Walsh, Peeples wins again
Pries beats Walsh, Peeples wins again
By Matthew J. Sullivan
It was an unusually chilly, foggy and damp August night at the Redwood Acres Raceway Saturday evening, and with the threatening weather, the show was hurried along in order to complete all of the racing. A fairly clean night with no major incidents or oil-downs helped move the show along and provided great racing action. Jason Belt brought his real stock out to the track and held off Bob Lima to take the win in a thrilling main event. Trevor Miller was able to pull away in the limited street stock class to handily win. After losing the lead due to contact, Craig Baker muscled his way back to the top spot to claim victory in the mini stock class. In the thunder roadsters, Paul Peeples, Jr. fought hard to get by Luke Hall, then held him off to win the main. After a victory lane drought, Larry Pries quenched his thirst in the sportsman division fighting off the challenges of Marty Walsh.
The second of two Powder Puff races sponsored by Lima’s Pharmacy was held during the evening with the female drivers driving real stock cars. Toni Browne looked more like a real stock regular than an inexperienced driver as she easily won the $200 first prize driving Dan Browne’s car. Courtney Mitchell took the $100 second place money driving Steve Kimberling’s car, while Marcia Bradbury behind the wheel of Bill Bradbury’s car won $50 for third.
The real stock division had a great 18 car turnout. Jim Bailey won the dash followed by Ryan Walters, Bob Lima and Bill Bradbury. Lima was able to win the first heat over Bailey, Barry Barnwell, Ray DeMello and Nick Green, while Walters took the second over Bradbury, Bill Middleton, Steve Kimberling and Jason Belt. The 25-lap main event was lead to the green flag by Belt and Ray Robinson. Unfortunately trouble occured in the first turn when Jim Redd, Wood and Kelly McBride.
For an unknown reason, Robinson moved to the back of the field, giving up his outside front row starting position to Barry Barnwell as the field took the restart. Belt and Barnwell raced side by side for the first lap and a half until Belt gained a bit of an advantage. Barnwell moved his car to Belt’s outside again while Lima closed in to make it a three way scramble. On lap five, Lima moved to Barnwell’s inside while Barnwell tried to find grip outside to get by Belt. The battling allowed Walters in fourth to close up. On lap seven, Lima finally moved by Barnwell and tried his hand on the outside of Belt but to no avail. The field jumbled up getting past Dana DeVane as Belt and Lima pulled away from the pack while Walters took third followed by Doug Way in fourth and Barnwell fifth. Barnwell made contact with DeVane’s car, but the race continued under green.
Lima moved outside of Belt on lap 11 but decided to bide his time, while Walters was quickly making up the deficit between he and the two leaders. By lap 13, Walters was on Lima’s bumper and looking for a way by. On lap 14, Walters moved inside and by Lima going into the third turn. Lima then pulled back outside by Walters to challenge Belt for the lead. The great battle up front was put to an end sadly when Walters right rear tire went flat in the fourth turn on lap 16 causing him to spin. Middleton also spun into the infield. Both drivers were done for the rest of the race.
Under the yellow, Way went to the pits after being in the top five. The restart came and Belt and Lima resumed their battle for the victory. Lima tried once again on Belt’s outside lap 18 but couldn’t pull it off. On lap 20 going into turn three, Bailey moved by Kimberling for the fourth slot. Lima’s last good challenge for the lead would come on lap 21 as he moved outside of Belt, but once again he couldn’t muster enough strength in the high line. On the last lap, Lima drive his car hard off the second turn and got extremely loose but was able to maintain the second position. Crossing the finish line first was Belt over Lima and Barnwell while Kimberling finished fourth over Bailey who got loose off the fourth turn and lost the position.
Eight cars took time in the limited street stock division. Nine cars were at the track initially but Fergy Ferguson only took hot laps. Trevor Miller set the quick pace, cutting a lap of 17.281. Adrien Betournay won the dash over Orion Mosher, Miller and Kenny Demello. Miller won the heat race which had an unfortunate accident between newcomer Romeo Venza and returning driver Kavin Conn. Venza made contact with Conn’s car coming off the second corner, then Venza ran over the right front of Conn. Venza was able to start the main while Conn was finished for the evening. Mosher took second in the heat followed by Demello, Betournay and Stan Young.
Demello and Betournay comprised the front row in the 10-lap main event. After the initial start was waved off, the green flag flew with Demello taking the early lead. Miller dove inside Betournay for second. On lap two, Venza spun off the fourth turn but was able to continue. Miller moved inside of Demello to take the lead on the third lap as the field shuffled going by Venza’s slower car. Miller pulled away while Demello tried to hold off Betournay and Mosher. It was to no avail as both were able to get by, but by then it was too late. Miller easily won the main followed by Betournay, Mosher, Demello and Young.
Craig Baker returned to the mini stock class after a several race hiatus, setting the pace with a 18.963 lap. Baker won the dash over Chad Grammer, Brian Murrell and Byron McIntosh. Grammer took the honors in the heat race followed by Byron McIntosh, Denzel Barrett, Stacy Minnick and Brian McIntosh. Barrett and Max Cap lead the 10-car field to the green flag in the 20-lap main event. Barrett was able to take the lead over Glen Bernald and Murrell. Baker moved to the outside of Murrell for third on lap two bringing Grammer with him. The duo of Baker and Grammer would never be far apart on the night, as the two moved by Bernald on the third lap. Just as they got by Bernald, Baker was able to take the lead away from Barrett, once again bringing Grammer with him.
Bernald spun in turn four on lap five but the yellow flag didn’t come out to his aide. The front duo of Baker and Grammer pulled away with Grammer working Baker’s bumper. Minnick moved herself into the fifth position getting by Brian McIntosh on lap seven. On lap nine, Murrell got by Barrett to take third. On the eleventh lap, Grammer made contact with Baker sending Baker into the infield and bringing out the yellow flag. Grammer was sent to the rear of the field giving the lead to Murrell over Barrett and Minnick.
The green came out with Baker looking to quickly regain his lost lead. He got by Brian McIntosh on the restart, then picked off Byron going into turn three, with Grammer following his moves. On lap 13, Baker moved by Minnick. The next lap he got by Barrett for second, while Grammer moved by Minnick. On lap 16, Baker regained the lead, taking the high line by Murrell. Barrett spun out in turn three on lap 17 but the racing continued. On lap 19, Murrell spun in the fourth turn costing himself several spots. When the checkered flag fell, it was Baker taking the victory over Grammar, Minnick, Byron McIntosh and Brian McIntosh. After the race, officials questioned whether Baker had illegally gained positions before the green flag dropped after the race’s only caution, however it was ruled he did not and the win stood.
The thunder roadsters had another great field of cars with 19 taking qualifying laps. Missing was Fred Hanks who suffered problems in hot laps. Randy Olson took fast time for the third race in a row with a 16.971 lap. LeRoy Marsh, Jr. won the thrilling dash over Olson, Paul Peeples, Jr. and Jay Bahner. Bahner unfortunately hit the wall off the fourth turn on the last lap damaging his right front, but he was able to make it back out. Bill O’Neill won the first heat over Donn Cole, Ray Elliott, Mike Ward and Bruce Ziemer. Troy Combs took the exhilarating second heat followed by Peeples, Luke Hall driving the rent-a-racer, Olson and David Henderson.
The 30 lap main event was brought to the green flag by Ward and Mark Arroyo. Unfortunately a huge jam up in the first turn caused Dave McMurray to spin while O’Neill and Olson both took hard shots, Olson’s in the wall. The restart came with Ward taking the lead while the field jostled for position behind him. Hall took the lead away from Ward on the first lap while Henderson moved to third. Combs muscled his way by Henderson on lap three bringing Peeples with him. On lap five, Combs moved inside and by Ward allowing Peeples and Henderson to follow in his wake. Elliott spun off turn two on lap seven but was able to get his car going again.
The front three of Hall, Combs and Peeples pulled away from Henderson who appeared to be struggling with his usually fast car. On lap 11, Combs spun on his own in turn three bringing out the yellow flag. The race resumed with Hall and Peeples battling for the lead while Henderson stayed in the fight in third. On lap 15, Chris Sarvinski moved into fifth by Arroyo. Just as Peeples moved into the inside of Hall to challenge for the lead again, the yellow flag flew when Arroyo and Marsh spun in the third turn on lap 18.
The caution allowed Peeples to cool his tires and on the restart he took advantage, moving to the inside of Hall. The two raced side by side until lap 20 when Peeples took the lead. Peeples began to stretch his lead, but as the laps wound down Hall began to close the gap. But at race’s end it wasn’t enough as Paul Peeples, Jr. took the win over Hall, Henderson, Combs and Ward.
Marty Walsh continued his dominance in the sportsman division setting quick lap with a 16.383. Brandon Barnwell driving Glen Shewry’s car won the dash over Walsh, Fox and Aaron Byers who was returning after a long stay away from the Acres. Larry Pries won the heat race followed by Donnie Brown, Walsh, Al Acuna and Barnwell. With severe fog rolling in, the usual 30-lap main was cut to 25 laps. Pries and Fox lead the 10-car field to the green flag. Pries was able to take the lead while Fox got loose off turn two allowing several cars to get by him. Pries pulled away from second place Byers who had his hands full with Walsh. On lap five, Walsh moved by Byers and set his sights on Pries.
The field stretched out as Walsh closed on Pries’ bumper. For the duration of the race, Walsh would ride in Pries’ mirror, hoping to force Pries into a mistake. On lap 15, Barnwell made his way by Brown for fifth. Three laps later Barnwell got by Fox for fourth. The only major drama occurred when Keith Diaz spun in the third and fourth turns while trying to stay out of the way of the leaders. Diaz’s spin did not bring a yellow flag out however. Walsh and Pries raced cleanly without any contact. Pries didn’t make any mistakes and was able to hold off Walsh followed by Byers, Barnwell and Fox.
The next race at the Acres will be September 16th with all five classes of cars returning to race. It will be the final points paying event for the sportsman division, but it appears that Marty Walsh has the title well in hand.
By Matthew J. Sullivan
It was an unusually chilly, foggy and damp August night at the Redwood Acres Raceway Saturday evening, and with the threatening weather, the show was hurried along in order to complete all of the racing. A fairly clean night with no major incidents or oil-downs helped move the show along and provided great racing action. Jason Belt brought his real stock out to the track and held off Bob Lima to take the win in a thrilling main event. Trevor Miller was able to pull away in the limited street stock class to handily win. After losing the lead due to contact, Craig Baker muscled his way back to the top spot to claim victory in the mini stock class. In the thunder roadsters, Paul Peeples, Jr. fought hard to get by Luke Hall, then held him off to win the main. After a victory lane drought, Larry Pries quenched his thirst in the sportsman division fighting off the challenges of Marty Walsh.
The second of two Powder Puff races sponsored by Lima’s Pharmacy was held during the evening with the female drivers driving real stock cars. Toni Browne looked more like a real stock regular than an inexperienced driver as she easily won the $200 first prize driving Dan Browne’s car. Courtney Mitchell took the $100 second place money driving Steve Kimberling’s car, while Marcia Bradbury behind the wheel of Bill Bradbury’s car won $50 for third.
The real stock division had a great 18 car turnout. Jim Bailey won the dash followed by Ryan Walters, Bob Lima and Bill Bradbury. Lima was able to win the first heat over Bailey, Barry Barnwell, Ray DeMello and Nick Green, while Walters took the second over Bradbury, Bill Middleton, Steve Kimberling and Jason Belt. The 25-lap main event was lead to the green flag by Belt and Ray Robinson. Unfortunately trouble occured in the first turn when Jim Redd, Wood and Kelly McBride.
For an unknown reason, Robinson moved to the back of the field, giving up his outside front row starting position to Barry Barnwell as the field took the restart. Belt and Barnwell raced side by side for the first lap and a half until Belt gained a bit of an advantage. Barnwell moved his car to Belt’s outside again while Lima closed in to make it a three way scramble. On lap five, Lima moved to Barnwell’s inside while Barnwell tried to find grip outside to get by Belt. The battling allowed Walters in fourth to close up. On lap seven, Lima finally moved by Barnwell and tried his hand on the outside of Belt but to no avail. The field jumbled up getting past Dana DeVane as Belt and Lima pulled away from the pack while Walters took third followed by Doug Way in fourth and Barnwell fifth. Barnwell made contact with DeVane’s car, but the race continued under green.
Lima moved outside of Belt on lap 11 but decided to bide his time, while Walters was quickly making up the deficit between he and the two leaders. By lap 13, Walters was on Lima’s bumper and looking for a way by. On lap 14, Walters moved inside and by Lima going into the third turn. Lima then pulled back outside by Walters to challenge Belt for the lead. The great battle up front was put to an end sadly when Walters right rear tire went flat in the fourth turn on lap 16 causing him to spin. Middleton also spun into the infield. Both drivers were done for the rest of the race.
Under the yellow, Way went to the pits after being in the top five. The restart came and Belt and Lima resumed their battle for the victory. Lima tried once again on Belt’s outside lap 18 but couldn’t pull it off. On lap 20 going into turn three, Bailey moved by Kimberling for the fourth slot. Lima’s last good challenge for the lead would come on lap 21 as he moved outside of Belt, but once again he couldn’t muster enough strength in the high line. On the last lap, Lima drive his car hard off the second turn and got extremely loose but was able to maintain the second position. Crossing the finish line first was Belt over Lima and Barnwell while Kimberling finished fourth over Bailey who got loose off the fourth turn and lost the position.
Eight cars took time in the limited street stock division. Nine cars were at the track initially but Fergy Ferguson only took hot laps. Trevor Miller set the quick pace, cutting a lap of 17.281. Adrien Betournay won the dash over Orion Mosher, Miller and Kenny Demello. Miller won the heat race which had an unfortunate accident between newcomer Romeo Venza and returning driver Kavin Conn. Venza made contact with Conn’s car coming off the second corner, then Venza ran over the right front of Conn. Venza was able to start the main while Conn was finished for the evening. Mosher took second in the heat followed by Demello, Betournay and Stan Young.
Demello and Betournay comprised the front row in the 10-lap main event. After the initial start was waved off, the green flag flew with Demello taking the early lead. Miller dove inside Betournay for second. On lap two, Venza spun off the fourth turn but was able to continue. Miller moved inside of Demello to take the lead on the third lap as the field shuffled going by Venza’s slower car. Miller pulled away while Demello tried to hold off Betournay and Mosher. It was to no avail as both were able to get by, but by then it was too late. Miller easily won the main followed by Betournay, Mosher, Demello and Young.
Craig Baker returned to the mini stock class after a several race hiatus, setting the pace with a 18.963 lap. Baker won the dash over Chad Grammer, Brian Murrell and Byron McIntosh. Grammer took the honors in the heat race followed by Byron McIntosh, Denzel Barrett, Stacy Minnick and Brian McIntosh. Barrett and Max Cap lead the 10-car field to the green flag in the 20-lap main event. Barrett was able to take the lead over Glen Bernald and Murrell. Baker moved to the outside of Murrell for third on lap two bringing Grammer with him. The duo of Baker and Grammer would never be far apart on the night, as the two moved by Bernald on the third lap. Just as they got by Bernald, Baker was able to take the lead away from Barrett, once again bringing Grammer with him.
Bernald spun in turn four on lap five but the yellow flag didn’t come out to his aide. The front duo of Baker and Grammer pulled away with Grammer working Baker’s bumper. Minnick moved herself into the fifth position getting by Brian McIntosh on lap seven. On lap nine, Murrell got by Barrett to take third. On the eleventh lap, Grammer made contact with Baker sending Baker into the infield and bringing out the yellow flag. Grammer was sent to the rear of the field giving the lead to Murrell over Barrett and Minnick.
The green came out with Baker looking to quickly regain his lost lead. He got by Brian McIntosh on the restart, then picked off Byron going into turn three, with Grammer following his moves. On lap 13, Baker moved by Minnick. The next lap he got by Barrett for second, while Grammer moved by Minnick. On lap 16, Baker regained the lead, taking the high line by Murrell. Barrett spun out in turn three on lap 17 but the racing continued. On lap 19, Murrell spun in the fourth turn costing himself several spots. When the checkered flag fell, it was Baker taking the victory over Grammar, Minnick, Byron McIntosh and Brian McIntosh. After the race, officials questioned whether Baker had illegally gained positions before the green flag dropped after the race’s only caution, however it was ruled he did not and the win stood.
The thunder roadsters had another great field of cars with 19 taking qualifying laps. Missing was Fred Hanks who suffered problems in hot laps. Randy Olson took fast time for the third race in a row with a 16.971 lap. LeRoy Marsh, Jr. won the thrilling dash over Olson, Paul Peeples, Jr. and Jay Bahner. Bahner unfortunately hit the wall off the fourth turn on the last lap damaging his right front, but he was able to make it back out. Bill O’Neill won the first heat over Donn Cole, Ray Elliott, Mike Ward and Bruce Ziemer. Troy Combs took the exhilarating second heat followed by Peeples, Luke Hall driving the rent-a-racer, Olson and David Henderson.
The 30 lap main event was brought to the green flag by Ward and Mark Arroyo. Unfortunately a huge jam up in the first turn caused Dave McMurray to spin while O’Neill and Olson both took hard shots, Olson’s in the wall. The restart came with Ward taking the lead while the field jostled for position behind him. Hall took the lead away from Ward on the first lap while Henderson moved to third. Combs muscled his way by Henderson on lap three bringing Peeples with him. On lap five, Combs moved inside and by Ward allowing Peeples and Henderson to follow in his wake. Elliott spun off turn two on lap seven but was able to get his car going again.
The front three of Hall, Combs and Peeples pulled away from Henderson who appeared to be struggling with his usually fast car. On lap 11, Combs spun on his own in turn three bringing out the yellow flag. The race resumed with Hall and Peeples battling for the lead while Henderson stayed in the fight in third. On lap 15, Chris Sarvinski moved into fifth by Arroyo. Just as Peeples moved into the inside of Hall to challenge for the lead again, the yellow flag flew when Arroyo and Marsh spun in the third turn on lap 18.
The caution allowed Peeples to cool his tires and on the restart he took advantage, moving to the inside of Hall. The two raced side by side until lap 20 when Peeples took the lead. Peeples began to stretch his lead, but as the laps wound down Hall began to close the gap. But at race’s end it wasn’t enough as Paul Peeples, Jr. took the win over Hall, Henderson, Combs and Ward.
Marty Walsh continued his dominance in the sportsman division setting quick lap with a 16.383. Brandon Barnwell driving Glen Shewry’s car won the dash over Walsh, Fox and Aaron Byers who was returning after a long stay away from the Acres. Larry Pries won the heat race followed by Donnie Brown, Walsh, Al Acuna and Barnwell. With severe fog rolling in, the usual 30-lap main was cut to 25 laps. Pries and Fox lead the 10-car field to the green flag. Pries was able to take the lead while Fox got loose off turn two allowing several cars to get by him. Pries pulled away from second place Byers who had his hands full with Walsh. On lap five, Walsh moved by Byers and set his sights on Pries.
The field stretched out as Walsh closed on Pries’ bumper. For the duration of the race, Walsh would ride in Pries’ mirror, hoping to force Pries into a mistake. On lap 15, Barnwell made his way by Brown for fifth. Three laps later Barnwell got by Fox for fourth. The only major drama occurred when Keith Diaz spun in the third and fourth turns while trying to stay out of the way of the leaders. Diaz’s spin did not bring a yellow flag out however. Walsh and Pries raced cleanly without any contact. Pries didn’t make any mistakes and was able to hold off Walsh followed by Byers, Barnwell and Fox.
The next race at the Acres will be September 16th with all five classes of cars returning to race. It will be the final points paying event for the sportsman division, but it appears that Marty Walsh has the title well in hand.
Sunday, July 30, 2006
Walsh, Bradbury, Baker victorious
Walsh, Bradbury, Baker victorious
By Matthew J. Sullivan
It was another full night of racing at Redwood Acres Raceway and by the night’s end, several familiar faces returned to victory lane once more. Marty Walsh ran away in the sportsman division, while Bill Bradbury held off Dan Browne to win the real stock main event. Scott Baker also did his share of domination as he handily won the mini stock main. Andrien Betournay won the closest main of the night as he held off Trevor Miller to claim the real stock main event literally by inches.
Six limited street stocks showed up for the evening with the addition of George Young’s new car. Orion Mosher set fast time with a 17.328 lap. Andrien Betournay took home the dash win with Kenny Demello, Trevor Miller and Mosher following behind. Miller won the exciting heat race beating Demello, Mosher, Betournay and Young. Five cars started the 10 lap main event with Young not being able to make the start. Off the start, Duane Mayo and Demello raced side by side for the first lap and a half until Demello got loose on the high side giving Mayo the lead. On lap three, Demello moved back to Mayo’s outside. Coming off turn two, Betournay found room on the low side of the front two to make a daring three-wide pass going into the third turn. Miller was able to follow Betournay into the second position. For several laps, Miller looked for a way by Betournay. With one lap to go, Miller drove his car hard into the outside line going into turn one. His car stuck and the two drag raced doorhandle to doorhandle going into the third turn. Coming off four, the two were still side by side and as the two cars hit the start/finish line it was Betournay beating Miller by inches. Mosher finished third, Mayo fourth and Demello fifth.
Eleven mini stocks showed up to take time, unfortunately Justina Shaha had to wait to make her debut in the class as she hit the wall during her qualifying run. Two other drivers made their debut in the class; Max Cap and Robbie Robinson. Scott Baker set the fastest lap of 19.203. Bryan McIntosh won the heat race over Stacy Minnick, Chad Grammer and Baker. A multi-car incident in the heat race knocked out McIntosh as well as Denzel Barrett. Brian Murrell was able to win the heat followed by Baker, Glen Bernald, Grammer and Minnick. Eight cars made the start of the 20 lap main event with the front row comprised of Murrell and Bernald. The initial start saw contact between Murrell and Bernald in the first and second turns and Grammer spin out. The second start was much cleaner as Murrell took the lead while Bernald slotted into second and Minnick third. On lap two, Minnick made her way by Bernald and set her sights on Murrell’s lead. Grammer made his way to fifth by Byron McIntosh on lap three. On the fifth lap, Baker got by Bernald for third and tried to close on the front duo of Murrell and Minnick who had a six car length gap over him.
Grammer spun in turn two on lap nine but was able to get his car going not resulting in a caution flag. Baker moved past Minnick on lap 10 for second. A lap later, Baker moved by Murrell to take the lead. On lap 12, Minnick moved to Murrell’s outside to challenge him for the second position, but Murrell was able to hold her off. With two laps to go, Minnick tried the same maneuver again but got too high allowing Bernald to move to third. Meanwhile, Baker was able to cruise to victory followed by Murrell, Bernald, Minnick and Grammer.
Ryan Walters was fastest of the 13 real stock cars setting a mark of 19.380. Dan Browne won the dash followed by Bill Bradbury, Walters and Doug Way. Walters was able to win the first heat race over Barry Barnwell, Ray DeMello, Way and Ray Robinson. Browne won the second heat with Lima, Bradbury, Jim Redd and Steve Kimberling in his wake. Lima and Robinson lead the field to the green in the 25 lap main event. Lima took the initial lead but a restart had to come after Walters spun in the first and second turn. Walters was unable to take the green when it came out again as he was in the pits. Lima grabbed the lead again while Barnwell moved inside Robinson for second. On the second lap, Barnwell powered his way by Lima on the high side to take the lead. Coming off the second turn, Lima lost power and pulled his car into the infield.
Bradbury made his way by Way for second on lap three and began to close on the leader Barnwell. Redd was black flagged for leaking fluid, but before he could pit, he made contact with Way spinning Way out and bringing out the yellow. Coming to take the caution flag, Bradbury was able to beat Barnwell to the line to take the lead. The green came back out with Browne moving into the inside of Robinson for third. On lap 12, Way got by Kimberling for fifth. Browne began to challenge Barnwell for second on lap 17 before the caution came out on lap 19. When the green flew again, Browne moved quickly by Barnwell for second. Robinson and Barnwell made contact fighting for third sending Barnwell into the infield, however no caution came. For the last few laps, Browne and Bradbury battled for the lead, but Browne couldn’t gather enough steam to get by as Bradbury held him off for the win. Robinson took third, Way fourth and Kimberling fifth.
Marty Walsh set quick time for the sportsman division with a 16.791 lap. Rick Fox won the dash over Donnie Brown, Walsh and Brandon Barnwell. Larry Pries nabbed the win in the first heat over Walsh, Fox, Al Acuna and Lissa Uselton. Brown won the second followed by Jerry Peterson, Angelo Marcelli, Frank Billy and Barnwell. 12 cars started the 25 lap main event. Brown planned to merely take the start and earn points as he graciously donated his car for the use of North State Challenge Series driver Andrew Snider who suffered problems with his car. Joe Bonomini and Pries lead the field to the green flag. Pries took the early lead before Bonomini spun off turn four. Officials deemed Pries at fault and sent him to the rear.
Fox inherited the lead over Walsh, Barnwell, Marcelli and Peterson and the green came back out. The field strung out as Fox and Walsh battled for the top spot. After several nose to tail laps, Walsh managed to get by Fox to take the lead on lap seven. Uselton spun off the second turn on lap 12 but got her car going again. On lap 15, Peterson pulled into the pits from the fifth position. Meanwhile, Walsh had a sizeable gap over Fox and the rest of the field. Pries provided the excitement on the track as he moved by Acuna for fifth on lap 21. Barnwell closed on Fox’s bumper on lap 23 and tried to find a way by but by the end wasn’t able to. Walsh won handily over Fox, Barnwell, Marcelli and Pries.
The next race at the Acres is August 5, Fan Appreciation Night. Free tickets can be found at various locations. Sportsman, real stock, mini stock, limited streets will be racing along with the return of the thunder roadsters after a month hiatus from the 3/8 track.
By Matthew J. Sullivan
It was another full night of racing at Redwood Acres Raceway and by the night’s end, several familiar faces returned to victory lane once more. Marty Walsh ran away in the sportsman division, while Bill Bradbury held off Dan Browne to win the real stock main event. Scott Baker also did his share of domination as he handily won the mini stock main. Andrien Betournay won the closest main of the night as he held off Trevor Miller to claim the real stock main event literally by inches.
Six limited street stocks showed up for the evening with the addition of George Young’s new car. Orion Mosher set fast time with a 17.328 lap. Andrien Betournay took home the dash win with Kenny Demello, Trevor Miller and Mosher following behind. Miller won the exciting heat race beating Demello, Mosher, Betournay and Young. Five cars started the 10 lap main event with Young not being able to make the start. Off the start, Duane Mayo and Demello raced side by side for the first lap and a half until Demello got loose on the high side giving Mayo the lead. On lap three, Demello moved back to Mayo’s outside. Coming off turn two, Betournay found room on the low side of the front two to make a daring three-wide pass going into the third turn. Miller was able to follow Betournay into the second position. For several laps, Miller looked for a way by Betournay. With one lap to go, Miller drove his car hard into the outside line going into turn one. His car stuck and the two drag raced doorhandle to doorhandle going into the third turn. Coming off four, the two were still side by side and as the two cars hit the start/finish line it was Betournay beating Miller by inches. Mosher finished third, Mayo fourth and Demello fifth.
Eleven mini stocks showed up to take time, unfortunately Justina Shaha had to wait to make her debut in the class as she hit the wall during her qualifying run. Two other drivers made their debut in the class; Max Cap and Robbie Robinson. Scott Baker set the fastest lap of 19.203. Bryan McIntosh won the heat race over Stacy Minnick, Chad Grammer and Baker. A multi-car incident in the heat race knocked out McIntosh as well as Denzel Barrett. Brian Murrell was able to win the heat followed by Baker, Glen Bernald, Grammer and Minnick. Eight cars made the start of the 20 lap main event with the front row comprised of Murrell and Bernald. The initial start saw contact between Murrell and Bernald in the first and second turns and Grammer spin out. The second start was much cleaner as Murrell took the lead while Bernald slotted into second and Minnick third. On lap two, Minnick made her way by Bernald and set her sights on Murrell’s lead. Grammer made his way to fifth by Byron McIntosh on lap three. On the fifth lap, Baker got by Bernald for third and tried to close on the front duo of Murrell and Minnick who had a six car length gap over him.
Grammer spun in turn two on lap nine but was able to get his car going not resulting in a caution flag. Baker moved past Minnick on lap 10 for second. A lap later, Baker moved by Murrell to take the lead. On lap 12, Minnick moved to Murrell’s outside to challenge him for the second position, but Murrell was able to hold her off. With two laps to go, Minnick tried the same maneuver again but got too high allowing Bernald to move to third. Meanwhile, Baker was able to cruise to victory followed by Murrell, Bernald, Minnick and Grammer.
Ryan Walters was fastest of the 13 real stock cars setting a mark of 19.380. Dan Browne won the dash followed by Bill Bradbury, Walters and Doug Way. Walters was able to win the first heat race over Barry Barnwell, Ray DeMello, Way and Ray Robinson. Browne won the second heat with Lima, Bradbury, Jim Redd and Steve Kimberling in his wake. Lima and Robinson lead the field to the green in the 25 lap main event. Lima took the initial lead but a restart had to come after Walters spun in the first and second turn. Walters was unable to take the green when it came out again as he was in the pits. Lima grabbed the lead again while Barnwell moved inside Robinson for second. On the second lap, Barnwell powered his way by Lima on the high side to take the lead. Coming off the second turn, Lima lost power and pulled his car into the infield.
Bradbury made his way by Way for second on lap three and began to close on the leader Barnwell. Redd was black flagged for leaking fluid, but before he could pit, he made contact with Way spinning Way out and bringing out the yellow. Coming to take the caution flag, Bradbury was able to beat Barnwell to the line to take the lead. The green came back out with Browne moving into the inside of Robinson for third. On lap 12, Way got by Kimberling for fifth. Browne began to challenge Barnwell for second on lap 17 before the caution came out on lap 19. When the green flew again, Browne moved quickly by Barnwell for second. Robinson and Barnwell made contact fighting for third sending Barnwell into the infield, however no caution came. For the last few laps, Browne and Bradbury battled for the lead, but Browne couldn’t gather enough steam to get by as Bradbury held him off for the win. Robinson took third, Way fourth and Kimberling fifth.
Marty Walsh set quick time for the sportsman division with a 16.791 lap. Rick Fox won the dash over Donnie Brown, Walsh and Brandon Barnwell. Larry Pries nabbed the win in the first heat over Walsh, Fox, Al Acuna and Lissa Uselton. Brown won the second followed by Jerry Peterson, Angelo Marcelli, Frank Billy and Barnwell. 12 cars started the 25 lap main event. Brown planned to merely take the start and earn points as he graciously donated his car for the use of North State Challenge Series driver Andrew Snider who suffered problems with his car. Joe Bonomini and Pries lead the field to the green flag. Pries took the early lead before Bonomini spun off turn four. Officials deemed Pries at fault and sent him to the rear.
Fox inherited the lead over Walsh, Barnwell, Marcelli and Peterson and the green came back out. The field strung out as Fox and Walsh battled for the top spot. After several nose to tail laps, Walsh managed to get by Fox to take the lead on lap seven. Uselton spun off the second turn on lap 12 but got her car going again. On lap 15, Peterson pulled into the pits from the fifth position. Meanwhile, Walsh had a sizeable gap over Fox and the rest of the field. Pries provided the excitement on the track as he moved by Acuna for fifth on lap 21. Barnwell closed on Fox’s bumper on lap 23 and tried to find a way by but by the end wasn’t able to. Walsh won handily over Fox, Barnwell, Marcelli and Pries.
The next race at the Acres is August 5, Fan Appreciation Night. Free tickets can be found at various locations. Sportsman, real stock, mini stock, limited streets will be racing along with the return of the thunder roadsters after a month hiatus from the 3/8 track.
Sunday, June 11, 2006
Three in a row for Peeples, two in a row for Pries
Three in a row for Peeples, two in a row for Pries
By Matthew J. Sullivan
Several close duels for the win made for a thrilling night at Redwood Acres Raceway. Though it was an unusually cold and windy June night, fans packed the grandstands to see some great racing. After a side-by-side duel for several laps with David Henderson, Paul Peeples, Jr. made it three races in a row with another win in the thunder roadsters. Longtime Acres ace Larry Pries was able to fend off Marty Walsh to take the victory in the sportsman division. After a several race layoff, Ryan Walters dusted off the field in the real stock main event while Jerry Peterson returned to the mini stock division and showed no signs of rust to score the victory.
The first of two powder puff races was held on this evening with the drivers driving real stock cars. The quickest driver in qualifying was Toni Brown with a very respectable lap of 21.173. Brown took the heat race win over Sharon Redd, Sharon Huffman, Debbie Huffman and Debra Daniels. Daniels prevailed in the main event winning the $200 prize. Second and $100 went to Brown while third and $50 went to Debbie Huffman. In all, eight female drivers participated in the special event. Among those not mentioned were Denise Carmichael who was driving Troy Wood’s car, Shannon Bailey who was behind the wheel of Jim Bailey’s car and Dee Kenny who was driving Dana DeVane’s car. The event was sponsored by Four Star Realty and was the first of two powder puff races for this season.
The limited street division added a new driver and vehicle to the class in Craig Huffman but only four cars showed up to race. Ken Demello set the quickest lap in qualifying with a 17.573 lap. Adrien Betournay fought off Orion Mosher to win the dash followed by Demello and Huffman. It was much of the same action in what was essentially the main event with Betournay holding off Mosher’s challenges and winning followed by Huffman. Demello was black flagged during the race due to fluid leaking from his car.
Byron McIntosh set the fastest lap in the mini stock division with a 19.134. Brian Murrell won the dash followed by Chad Grammer, McIntosh and Craig Baker. Baker won the heat race followed by Jerry Peterson, Denzel Barrett, Stacy Minnick and Glen Bernald. Barrett and Bryan McIntosh brought the field to the green flag in the 20 lap main event. Unfortunately, Byron McIntosh and Nick Karanopoulos were not able to make the start of the race. Bryan McIntosh nabbed the lead from Barrett going into the first turn but coming off the second, he got loose and spun in the infield. Amongst the chaos, Peterson was able to move to the lead dropping McIntosh to second.
The field began to settle out when Judge John Morrison spun off the second corner on lap five necessitating a yellow flag. Peterson got a good start when the green flag came out and pulled out to a gap over the rest of the field. Murrell moved by McIntosh to take second on lap six. Scott Baker followed suit to take third kicking McIntosh to fourth. On lap 10, Craig Baker moved to the outside of Bernald for position. On lap 11, Baker and Bernald made very slight contact, but it was enough to get Baker loose sending him head on into the wall. Bernald spun into the infield with his right rear tire flat. Thankfully Baker climbed out of his car okay, but his car looked to be in need of serious repair.
When the green came out again it was Peterson leading Murrell, Scott Baker, McIntosh and Grammer. On lap 13, Minnick moved by Grammer for fifth but Grammer was able to move back by later that same lap. Grammer got past McIntosh for fourth on lap 16. On lap 17, Minnick moved to the outside of McIntosh to take fifth. After looming in Murrell’s mirror for several laps, Baker was able to move by for second on lap 18. Peterson’s lead was insurmountable and when the checkered flag flew it was Peterson winning with Baker second, Murrell third, Grammer fourth and Minnick fifth.
Ryan Walters returned to the real stock division setting a quick lap of 19.610. Walters followed up his fast lap with a win in the trophy dash over Mike Peeples, Cecil Arispe and Jim Bailey. Bill Bradbury won the first heat over Walters, Arispe, Ray Rapp and Barry Barnwell. Jim Redd took the second heat followed by Bailey, Ryan Robinson, Doug Way and Bill Middleton who was driving Bob Lima’s car. Jim Furia and Redd lead the 19 car field to the green in the 20 lap main event. Redd took the early lead but by the end of lap one, Brad Bergquist spun off the fourth turn bringing out the yellow flag. Rapp moved by Redd for the lead coming to the yellow flag.
The green came out again as Troy Wood and Robinson moved by Furia to take third and fourth. Marvin Savage moved by Furia on lap five just as Dana DeVane spun off turn two bringing out the caution flag. After two more laps of green another yellow came out on lap 7 when Barnwell and Peeples spun. Behind them Arispe spun, however everyone was able to continue in the race. On the restart, Middleton made his way by Savage. At the same time, Robinson moved by Redd for the second slot. Middleton made his way around Wood for fourth on lap 9 bringing Walters in his wake. On lap 10, Robinson spun bringing out another yellow flag. Arispe and Bradbury also spun but continued. In the confusion, Walters moved by Middleton for second.
Another restart came and Walters looked to make full use of his opportunity. He got a great jump on Rapp on the start and took the lead. Middleton also made his way by Rapp to take second. On lap 11, Redd hit the wall. After another restart, another yellow flew when Robinson spun off turn two. The green flew again with Walters leading Middleton, Way, Rapp and Peeples. With two laps to go, Peeples got by Rapp for fourth. At the front though, it was all Ryan Walters as he scored the victory over Middleton, Way, Peeples and Rapp.
The sportsman division had their smallest car count of the season with nine cars showing up. Marty Walsh set the pace with a 16.528 lap in qualifying. Walsh won the dash over Larry Pries, Aaron Byers and Al Acuna. Joe Bonomini made an impressive debut in the sportsman heat race fending off Pries, Acuna, Brandon Barnwell and Lissa Uselton to win. Uselton and Fox lead the field to the green in the 25 lap main event. Fox took the initial lead while Pries fought on Uselton’s outside for second. In the third and fourth turn, Uselton and Barnwell made contact spinning Uselton into the infield and bringing the yellow out.
On the restart it was Fox leading Pries, Walsh, Acuna and Barnwell. The first three cars began to move away from Acuna as he tried to hold off Barnwell. On lap eight, Barnwell moved by Acuna to take fourth. Meanwhile, Pries was looking to get by Fox. Several times Pries looked inside of Fox, but Fox closed the door. On lap 14, Pries found the grip and moved to Fox’s inside. Fox fought hard but couldn’t hold off Pries as he took the lead with Walsh following behind moving Fox to third. Meanwhile, Byers had moved by Acuna for fifth and was now looking for a way by Barnwell for fourth. The race for the lead was close with Walsh looming in Pries’ mirror. On lap 22, Walsh looked to have the line on Pries going into the third turn but Pries slammed the door. That move was enough to break Walsh’s momentum and take the win for Pries. Fox finished third, Barnwell fourth and Byers fifth.
Paul Peeples, Jr lead the large roadster field in qualifying with a 16.945 lap. The trophy in the dash went to Peeples followed by Mark Baldwin, Troy Combs and Chris Banfill. Chris Sarvinski won the first heat over Mike Ward and Chris Lawrence while Ray Elliott won the second heat over Ron Borges and Ron Rosenthal. David Henderson took honors in the third heat followed by Combs and Bill O’Neil. There was a wild incident in the 10 lap B main when Rob Nelson got loose off the fourth turn and collected Lawrence. The hit briefly sent Lawrence on two wheels but he landed on all four and was able to drive his car to the pits. Sarvinski and Ward took the two transfer spots into the main event.
Bruce Ziemer and Henderson brought the 18 field to the green in the 30 lap main event. After a first lap side by side battle for the top spot, Henderson was able to prevail for the lead while O’Neil and Arroyo put Ziemer in the middle of a three wide situation. Unfortunately on the next lap, Ziemer and Combs tangled in turn one with Ziemer hitting the wall. Peeples got an excellent jump on the restart and was able to make his way by Baldwin, LeRoy Marsh and Arroyo, then he moved to the outside of O’Neil for second, making the pass. Arroyo made his way by O’Neil for third on lap six. On lap seven, Peeples moved to the inside of Henderson for the race lead. The two raced wheel to wheel for seven laps while Arroyo looked to find which car to follow. On lap 14, Peeples was finally able to get by Henderson for good to take the lead.
On lap 15, Baldwin moved his way by O’Neil. At the same time, Rosenthal and Combs made contact off the second turn collecting Elliott. The restart came once more and Henderson tried to get back by Peeples. Marsh moved his way by O’Neil for the fifth spot on lap 20. As the laps ticked away the field began to stretch out. On lap 26, Borges hit the wall bringing out the last caution. The restart bunched the field but didn’t change the top five running order as Peeples won his third consecutive race followed by Henderson, Arroyo, Baldwin and Marsh.
One of the biggest events of the year comes up next as racing will take place two nights in a row during the Redwood Acres Fair Friday June 23 and Saturday June 24. It should be another thrilling night with a full plate of action as the North State Challenge Series will be racing both nights along with the thunder roadsters, sportsman, real stock, mini stock and limited street stock classes.
By Matthew J. Sullivan
Several close duels for the win made for a thrilling night at Redwood Acres Raceway. Though it was an unusually cold and windy June night, fans packed the grandstands to see some great racing. After a side-by-side duel for several laps with David Henderson, Paul Peeples, Jr. made it three races in a row with another win in the thunder roadsters. Longtime Acres ace Larry Pries was able to fend off Marty Walsh to take the victory in the sportsman division. After a several race layoff, Ryan Walters dusted off the field in the real stock main event while Jerry Peterson returned to the mini stock division and showed no signs of rust to score the victory.
The first of two powder puff races was held on this evening with the drivers driving real stock cars. The quickest driver in qualifying was Toni Brown with a very respectable lap of 21.173. Brown took the heat race win over Sharon Redd, Sharon Huffman, Debbie Huffman and Debra Daniels. Daniels prevailed in the main event winning the $200 prize. Second and $100 went to Brown while third and $50 went to Debbie Huffman. In all, eight female drivers participated in the special event. Among those not mentioned were Denise Carmichael who was driving Troy Wood’s car, Shannon Bailey who was behind the wheel of Jim Bailey’s car and Dee Kenny who was driving Dana DeVane’s car. The event was sponsored by Four Star Realty and was the first of two powder puff races for this season.
The limited street division added a new driver and vehicle to the class in Craig Huffman but only four cars showed up to race. Ken Demello set the quickest lap in qualifying with a 17.573 lap. Adrien Betournay fought off Orion Mosher to win the dash followed by Demello and Huffman. It was much of the same action in what was essentially the main event with Betournay holding off Mosher’s challenges and winning followed by Huffman. Demello was black flagged during the race due to fluid leaking from his car.
Byron McIntosh set the fastest lap in the mini stock division with a 19.134. Brian Murrell won the dash followed by Chad Grammer, McIntosh and Craig Baker. Baker won the heat race followed by Jerry Peterson, Denzel Barrett, Stacy Minnick and Glen Bernald. Barrett and Bryan McIntosh brought the field to the green flag in the 20 lap main event. Unfortunately, Byron McIntosh and Nick Karanopoulos were not able to make the start of the race. Bryan McIntosh nabbed the lead from Barrett going into the first turn but coming off the second, he got loose and spun in the infield. Amongst the chaos, Peterson was able to move to the lead dropping McIntosh to second.
The field began to settle out when Judge John Morrison spun off the second corner on lap five necessitating a yellow flag. Peterson got a good start when the green flag came out and pulled out to a gap over the rest of the field. Murrell moved by McIntosh to take second on lap six. Scott Baker followed suit to take third kicking McIntosh to fourth. On lap 10, Craig Baker moved to the outside of Bernald for position. On lap 11, Baker and Bernald made very slight contact, but it was enough to get Baker loose sending him head on into the wall. Bernald spun into the infield with his right rear tire flat. Thankfully Baker climbed out of his car okay, but his car looked to be in need of serious repair.
When the green came out again it was Peterson leading Murrell, Scott Baker, McIntosh and Grammer. On lap 13, Minnick moved by Grammer for fifth but Grammer was able to move back by later that same lap. Grammer got past McIntosh for fourth on lap 16. On lap 17, Minnick moved to the outside of McIntosh to take fifth. After looming in Murrell’s mirror for several laps, Baker was able to move by for second on lap 18. Peterson’s lead was insurmountable and when the checkered flag flew it was Peterson winning with Baker second, Murrell third, Grammer fourth and Minnick fifth.
Ryan Walters returned to the real stock division setting a quick lap of 19.610. Walters followed up his fast lap with a win in the trophy dash over Mike Peeples, Cecil Arispe and Jim Bailey. Bill Bradbury won the first heat over Walters, Arispe, Ray Rapp and Barry Barnwell. Jim Redd took the second heat followed by Bailey, Ryan Robinson, Doug Way and Bill Middleton who was driving Bob Lima’s car. Jim Furia and Redd lead the 19 car field to the green in the 20 lap main event. Redd took the early lead but by the end of lap one, Brad Bergquist spun off the fourth turn bringing out the yellow flag. Rapp moved by Redd for the lead coming to the yellow flag.
The green came out again as Troy Wood and Robinson moved by Furia to take third and fourth. Marvin Savage moved by Furia on lap five just as Dana DeVane spun off turn two bringing out the caution flag. After two more laps of green another yellow came out on lap 7 when Barnwell and Peeples spun. Behind them Arispe spun, however everyone was able to continue in the race. On the restart, Middleton made his way by Savage. At the same time, Robinson moved by Redd for the second slot. Middleton made his way around Wood for fourth on lap 9 bringing Walters in his wake. On lap 10, Robinson spun bringing out another yellow flag. Arispe and Bradbury also spun but continued. In the confusion, Walters moved by Middleton for second.
Another restart came and Walters looked to make full use of his opportunity. He got a great jump on Rapp on the start and took the lead. Middleton also made his way by Rapp to take second. On lap 11, Redd hit the wall. After another restart, another yellow flew when Robinson spun off turn two. The green flew again with Walters leading Middleton, Way, Rapp and Peeples. With two laps to go, Peeples got by Rapp for fourth. At the front though, it was all Ryan Walters as he scored the victory over Middleton, Way, Peeples and Rapp.
The sportsman division had their smallest car count of the season with nine cars showing up. Marty Walsh set the pace with a 16.528 lap in qualifying. Walsh won the dash over Larry Pries, Aaron Byers and Al Acuna. Joe Bonomini made an impressive debut in the sportsman heat race fending off Pries, Acuna, Brandon Barnwell and Lissa Uselton to win. Uselton and Fox lead the field to the green in the 25 lap main event. Fox took the initial lead while Pries fought on Uselton’s outside for second. In the third and fourth turn, Uselton and Barnwell made contact spinning Uselton into the infield and bringing the yellow out.
On the restart it was Fox leading Pries, Walsh, Acuna and Barnwell. The first three cars began to move away from Acuna as he tried to hold off Barnwell. On lap eight, Barnwell moved by Acuna to take fourth. Meanwhile, Pries was looking to get by Fox. Several times Pries looked inside of Fox, but Fox closed the door. On lap 14, Pries found the grip and moved to Fox’s inside. Fox fought hard but couldn’t hold off Pries as he took the lead with Walsh following behind moving Fox to third. Meanwhile, Byers had moved by Acuna for fifth and was now looking for a way by Barnwell for fourth. The race for the lead was close with Walsh looming in Pries’ mirror. On lap 22, Walsh looked to have the line on Pries going into the third turn but Pries slammed the door. That move was enough to break Walsh’s momentum and take the win for Pries. Fox finished third, Barnwell fourth and Byers fifth.
Paul Peeples, Jr lead the large roadster field in qualifying with a 16.945 lap. The trophy in the dash went to Peeples followed by Mark Baldwin, Troy Combs and Chris Banfill. Chris Sarvinski won the first heat over Mike Ward and Chris Lawrence while Ray Elliott won the second heat over Ron Borges and Ron Rosenthal. David Henderson took honors in the third heat followed by Combs and Bill O’Neil. There was a wild incident in the 10 lap B main when Rob Nelson got loose off the fourth turn and collected Lawrence. The hit briefly sent Lawrence on two wheels but he landed on all four and was able to drive his car to the pits. Sarvinski and Ward took the two transfer spots into the main event.
Bruce Ziemer and Henderson brought the 18 field to the green in the 30 lap main event. After a first lap side by side battle for the top spot, Henderson was able to prevail for the lead while O’Neil and Arroyo put Ziemer in the middle of a three wide situation. Unfortunately on the next lap, Ziemer and Combs tangled in turn one with Ziemer hitting the wall. Peeples got an excellent jump on the restart and was able to make his way by Baldwin, LeRoy Marsh and Arroyo, then he moved to the outside of O’Neil for second, making the pass. Arroyo made his way by O’Neil for third on lap six. On lap seven, Peeples moved to the inside of Henderson for the race lead. The two raced wheel to wheel for seven laps while Arroyo looked to find which car to follow. On lap 14, Peeples was finally able to get by Henderson for good to take the lead.
On lap 15, Baldwin moved his way by O’Neil. At the same time, Rosenthal and Combs made contact off the second turn collecting Elliott. The restart came once more and Henderson tried to get back by Peeples. Marsh moved his way by O’Neil for the fifth spot on lap 20. As the laps ticked away the field began to stretch out. On lap 26, Borges hit the wall bringing out the last caution. The restart bunched the field but didn’t change the top five running order as Peeples won his third consecutive race followed by Henderson, Arroyo, Baldwin and Marsh.
One of the biggest events of the year comes up next as racing will take place two nights in a row during the Redwood Acres Fair Friday June 23 and Saturday June 24. It should be another thrilling night with a full plate of action as the North State Challenge Series will be racing both nights along with the thunder roadsters, sportsman, real stock, mini stock and limited street stock classes.
Sunday, May 21, 2006
Browne beats Bradbury by inches, completes trifecta
Browne beats Bradbury by inches, completes trifecta
By Matthew J. Sullivan
Another chilly night welcomed everyone in attendance at Redwood Acres Raceway Saturday night, but as usual the excitement on the track was enough to make people forget the cold. Craig Baker returned from engine woes the previous week to claim the main event victory in the mini stock division while Dan Browne held off Bill Bradbury by inches to claim the win in the real stock main event in what might be the race of the season. Track veteran, Angelo Marcelli took the win in the sportsman division main.
The limited street class was in action but once again the car count was very low with only four showing up. Of the four, Orion Mosher was the fastest in time trials with a 17.484 lap. Mosher won the closely contested trophy dash beating Adrien Betournay, Ken Demello and Vern Crowley who was driving the car normally piloted by Terry Vallee. Sadly, the heat race would end up being the classes main event. However, it was a very exciting race as Betournay was able to hold off all challenges from Mosher to take the win with Demello third and Crowley fourth. An attempt at a main event was made but before the green, Betournay had issues with fuel coming out of his car and the race was called off.
Chad Grammer set the fast mark in the mini stock division with a 19.083 time. Brian Murrell won the dash over Grammer, Craig Baker and Stacy Minnick. Baker moved his way through the field in the heat race to take the win followed by Bryan McIntosh, Glen Bernald, Grammer and Murrell. Nine cars started the 20 lap main event with the front row comprised of Bernald and Scott Baker. The green flew as Bernald and Baker battled for the lead. Baker battled hard on the outside for the first two laps before the inside line prevailed with Bernald getting the lead, Murrell getting by Baker for second. On lap five, Grammer and Bryan McIntosh made contact in the fourth turn. The incident forced Grammar into the pits while McIntosh had substantial right front damage. However, there was no yellow flag for the incident. Meanwhile, Murrell and Baker were able to get by Bernald for the first and second positions.
By lap nine, Craig Baker had moved his way by Bernald to the third position. Two laps later, he moved by brother Scott to take second while leader Murrell maintained a seven car gap. At the same time, Bernald and Minnick were fighting hard for the fourth position. As the laps wound down, Baker closed the gap on Murrell. Baker looked for a line by Murrell before making his move inside on lap 16 and taking the lead. Murrell fought back and stayed in Baker’s mirror hoping that he would falter in the final laps. To Murrell’s dismay he didn’t as Craig Baker took the win followed by Brian Murrell, Scott Baker, Glen Bernald and Stacy Minnick.
Jim Bailey blew the real stock field away in qualifying with a quick lap of 19.198. Dan Browne won the trophy dash over Bailey, Bill Bradbury and Barry Barnwell. Browne again took honors in the first heat winning over Barnwell, Troy Wood, Marvin Savage and Jim Redd. Bradbury won the second heat race followed by Bailey, Ukiah regular Danny Helm, Ray Robinson and Steve Kimberling. The two heat race winners would have a bit of a show-down in the main event.
The 12 car field was brought to the green flag by Browne and Barnwell. Browne got the jump off the start while Bradbury moved into the second position and Barnwell back to the third slot. On lap two, Bradbury found a way by Browne on the inside to take the lead. However, Browne was able to fall behind and maintain position in the second spot. In the meantime, Barnwell and Bailey were having a race of their own for the third position. For several laps, the two were doorhandle to doorhandle, Barnwell on the inside, Bailey on the outside. Bailey couldn’t find enough grip to get by, so he settled in behind Barnwell hoping to make a run past him later in the race. On lap seven, Browne moved past Bradbury to reclaim the lead. The duo of Brown and Bradbury had now pulled out to a sizeable gap over the Barnwell, Bailey battle. Bradbury would not be denied however. On lap 12, he used the front bumper to move by Browne to give the race another lead change. The bump allowed Bradbury to open a bit of a gap on Browne.
On lap 14, Bailey was able to find a way by Barnwell on the inside line to take the third spot. Things were heating up again for the lead as Browne had closed the margin on Bradbury and was now on his rear bumper. On sixteenth lap, Browne moved to the inside of Bradbury going three wide while lapping Ray Robinson to retake the lead once again. However, Browne could not pull away from Bradbury. The two leaders began to hit slower traffic coming to the white flag. Going into the third turn, Bradbury made contact with Browne sending Browne slightly into the infield. However, Browne was able to hang on and maintain the lead while Bradbury moved to the inside. It was a drag race coming off the fourth turn between the two with Browne finding just enough bite to claim a thrilling victory over Bradbury, Bailey, Barnwell and Danny Helm. However, in post race inspection, Bailey’s car was found to be illegal thus moving Barnwell to third, Helm to fourth and Jim Redd to fifth. Browne’s main event win made him three for three for the night, completing the dash-heat-main trifecta.
Qualifying for the sportsman division was tight with Marty Walsh prevailing with a 16.568 lap. Angelo Marcelli won the dash over Aaron Byers, Rick Fox and Walsh. The first heat was won by Jerry Peterson over Marcelli, Al Acuna, Fox and Mike Bourbon while the second heat was won on the last lap by Larry Pries followed by Lissa Uselton, Byers, Walsh and Brandon Barnwell. Donnie Brown started the first heat but had problems and didn’t return for the rest of the evening. 10 cars started the 30 lap main event. Originally, the front row was supposed to be shared by Peterson and Pries, however Pries had to pit prior to the green flag allowing Marcelli to take the outside position on the front row. Marcelli grabbed the lead off the drop of the green flag. On lap two, Fox moved by Byers for third. At the same time, Pries was black flagged after starting in the back of the field.
On lap three, Fox moved to the inside of Peterson for second, freight training Peterson all the way back to sixth. All the fighting for the second position allowed Marcelli to pull out to an eight car length gap over the rest of the field. By the fifth lap, the front five was Marcelli, Fox, Byers, Walsh and Acuna. Fox was able to break away from Byers and while Byers had his hands full with Walsh. The two raced bumper-to-bumper for several laps before Walsh was able to get by on the inside on lap 13. Meanwhile, Fox had closed the margin on Marcelli and was now challenging for the lead. Uselton spun off the fourth turn on lap sixteen bringing out the yellow flag and tightening the field.
Marcelli lead the field to the restart with Fox trying to find a way by, while Walsh tried to find a way by Fox. With seven to go, Walsh and Fox made contact allowing Walsh to grab second. On the next lap, going into the first turn, Byers turned Fox sending the two into the wall collecting Acuna and Pries and bringing out the red flag. Fox, Acuna and Pries were able to continue but Byers’ car was done for the night. The field was reset again and the green flew once more. Walsh tried several times to get to the inside of Marcelli but he couldn’t find enough grip. As the checkered flag fell it was Marcelli taking the win followed by Walsh, Barnwell, Peterson and Fox.
Racing at the Acres takes a weekend off before returning to action with all four classes of cars along with the thunder roadsters on June 3.
By Matthew J. Sullivan
Another chilly night welcomed everyone in attendance at Redwood Acres Raceway Saturday night, but as usual the excitement on the track was enough to make people forget the cold. Craig Baker returned from engine woes the previous week to claim the main event victory in the mini stock division while Dan Browne held off Bill Bradbury by inches to claim the win in the real stock main event in what might be the race of the season. Track veteran, Angelo Marcelli took the win in the sportsman division main.
The limited street class was in action but once again the car count was very low with only four showing up. Of the four, Orion Mosher was the fastest in time trials with a 17.484 lap. Mosher won the closely contested trophy dash beating Adrien Betournay, Ken Demello and Vern Crowley who was driving the car normally piloted by Terry Vallee. Sadly, the heat race would end up being the classes main event. However, it was a very exciting race as Betournay was able to hold off all challenges from Mosher to take the win with Demello third and Crowley fourth. An attempt at a main event was made but before the green, Betournay had issues with fuel coming out of his car and the race was called off.
Chad Grammer set the fast mark in the mini stock division with a 19.083 time. Brian Murrell won the dash over Grammer, Craig Baker and Stacy Minnick. Baker moved his way through the field in the heat race to take the win followed by Bryan McIntosh, Glen Bernald, Grammer and Murrell. Nine cars started the 20 lap main event with the front row comprised of Bernald and Scott Baker. The green flew as Bernald and Baker battled for the lead. Baker battled hard on the outside for the first two laps before the inside line prevailed with Bernald getting the lead, Murrell getting by Baker for second. On lap five, Grammer and Bryan McIntosh made contact in the fourth turn. The incident forced Grammar into the pits while McIntosh had substantial right front damage. However, there was no yellow flag for the incident. Meanwhile, Murrell and Baker were able to get by Bernald for the first and second positions.
By lap nine, Craig Baker had moved his way by Bernald to the third position. Two laps later, he moved by brother Scott to take second while leader Murrell maintained a seven car gap. At the same time, Bernald and Minnick were fighting hard for the fourth position. As the laps wound down, Baker closed the gap on Murrell. Baker looked for a line by Murrell before making his move inside on lap 16 and taking the lead. Murrell fought back and stayed in Baker’s mirror hoping that he would falter in the final laps. To Murrell’s dismay he didn’t as Craig Baker took the win followed by Brian Murrell, Scott Baker, Glen Bernald and Stacy Minnick.
Jim Bailey blew the real stock field away in qualifying with a quick lap of 19.198. Dan Browne won the trophy dash over Bailey, Bill Bradbury and Barry Barnwell. Browne again took honors in the first heat winning over Barnwell, Troy Wood, Marvin Savage and Jim Redd. Bradbury won the second heat race followed by Bailey, Ukiah regular Danny Helm, Ray Robinson and Steve Kimberling. The two heat race winners would have a bit of a show-down in the main event.
The 12 car field was brought to the green flag by Browne and Barnwell. Browne got the jump off the start while Bradbury moved into the second position and Barnwell back to the third slot. On lap two, Bradbury found a way by Browne on the inside to take the lead. However, Browne was able to fall behind and maintain position in the second spot. In the meantime, Barnwell and Bailey were having a race of their own for the third position. For several laps, the two were doorhandle to doorhandle, Barnwell on the inside, Bailey on the outside. Bailey couldn’t find enough grip to get by, so he settled in behind Barnwell hoping to make a run past him later in the race. On lap seven, Browne moved past Bradbury to reclaim the lead. The duo of Brown and Bradbury had now pulled out to a sizeable gap over the Barnwell, Bailey battle. Bradbury would not be denied however. On lap 12, he used the front bumper to move by Browne to give the race another lead change. The bump allowed Bradbury to open a bit of a gap on Browne.
On lap 14, Bailey was able to find a way by Barnwell on the inside line to take the third spot. Things were heating up again for the lead as Browne had closed the margin on Bradbury and was now on his rear bumper. On sixteenth lap, Browne moved to the inside of Bradbury going three wide while lapping Ray Robinson to retake the lead once again. However, Browne could not pull away from Bradbury. The two leaders began to hit slower traffic coming to the white flag. Going into the third turn, Bradbury made contact with Browne sending Browne slightly into the infield. However, Browne was able to hang on and maintain the lead while Bradbury moved to the inside. It was a drag race coming off the fourth turn between the two with Browne finding just enough bite to claim a thrilling victory over Bradbury, Bailey, Barnwell and Danny Helm. However, in post race inspection, Bailey’s car was found to be illegal thus moving Barnwell to third, Helm to fourth and Jim Redd to fifth. Browne’s main event win made him three for three for the night, completing the dash-heat-main trifecta.
Qualifying for the sportsman division was tight with Marty Walsh prevailing with a 16.568 lap. Angelo Marcelli won the dash over Aaron Byers, Rick Fox and Walsh. The first heat was won by Jerry Peterson over Marcelli, Al Acuna, Fox and Mike Bourbon while the second heat was won on the last lap by Larry Pries followed by Lissa Uselton, Byers, Walsh and Brandon Barnwell. Donnie Brown started the first heat but had problems and didn’t return for the rest of the evening. 10 cars started the 30 lap main event. Originally, the front row was supposed to be shared by Peterson and Pries, however Pries had to pit prior to the green flag allowing Marcelli to take the outside position on the front row. Marcelli grabbed the lead off the drop of the green flag. On lap two, Fox moved by Byers for third. At the same time, Pries was black flagged after starting in the back of the field.
On lap three, Fox moved to the inside of Peterson for second, freight training Peterson all the way back to sixth. All the fighting for the second position allowed Marcelli to pull out to an eight car length gap over the rest of the field. By the fifth lap, the front five was Marcelli, Fox, Byers, Walsh and Acuna. Fox was able to break away from Byers and while Byers had his hands full with Walsh. The two raced bumper-to-bumper for several laps before Walsh was able to get by on the inside on lap 13. Meanwhile, Fox had closed the margin on Marcelli and was now challenging for the lead. Uselton spun off the fourth turn on lap sixteen bringing out the yellow flag and tightening the field.
Marcelli lead the field to the restart with Fox trying to find a way by, while Walsh tried to find a way by Fox. With seven to go, Walsh and Fox made contact allowing Walsh to grab second. On the next lap, going into the first turn, Byers turned Fox sending the two into the wall collecting Acuna and Pries and bringing out the red flag. Fox, Acuna and Pries were able to continue but Byers’ car was done for the night. The field was reset again and the green flew once more. Walsh tried several times to get to the inside of Marcelli but he couldn’t find enough grip. As the checkered flag fell it was Marcelli taking the win followed by Walsh, Barnwell, Peterson and Fox.
Racing at the Acres takes a weekend off before returning to action with all four classes of cars along with the thunder roadsters on June 3.
Monday, May 1, 2006
Walsh wins, two in a row for Way
Walsh wins, two in a row for Way
By Matthew J. Sullivan
Another chilly evening welcomed the competitors and fans of the four classes of cars at the Acres, but it sure didn’t slow any of the competition down on the race track. Adrien Betournay nabbed the main event win in the depleted limited street class while Doug Way won the thrilling real stock main. Craig Baker ran away from the field in the mini stock main completing the dash/heat/main trifecta and Marty Walsh won the closely contested main in the sportsman division.
Orion Mosher returned to the limited street division in his truck and claimed the win in a thrilling trophy dash which saw Kavin Conn and Adrien Betournay tangle in the fourth turn on the final lap while battling for the lead. Unfortunately, Conn suffered nose damage which was enough to end his evening. Kenny Demello won the heat over Betournay and Terry Vallee with Mosher in the pits due to smoke which was coming from his vehicle. The eight lap main event was brought to its green flag by Betournay and Mosher. Betournay got the jump while Mosher slotted behind and tried to find a way around. On the fifth lap, Demello had problems and slowed. Mosher tried several times to make a move on Betournay but it wasn’t enough as Adrien Betournay took the win over Mosher, Vallee and Demello.
It appeared that Craig Baker was looking to make an early season statement in the mini stock class. Baker took the trophy dash win followed by his brother Scott Baker, Stacy Minnick and Chad Grammar. He followed that up with a win in the heat over Glen Bernald, Scott Baker, Grammer and Brian Murrell. Nick Karanopoulos and Bernald brought the ten car field to the green flag in the 20 lap main event. Karanopoulos got the jump and lead the first lap and Craig Baker moved into second as the field began to get into formation. On the second lap, Bernald spun. The same lap, Baker made his way by Karanopoulos for the lead taking the yellow flag. Under the caution, Grammer was sent to the back for his involvement in Bernald’s spin.
When the green flag flew, Craig Baker stretched his lead while Scott Baker made his way to the second position. The Bakers ran away from the field while Grammer tried to get to the front. By lap 13, Grammer had reached the third slot passing Karanopoulos, Brian McIntosh, Denzel Barrett and Murrell, but he was half the track distance behind Craig Baker who was maintaining a comfortable distance over Scott. On the last lap while working through traffic, Scott Baker made contact with Barrett in the middle of the back stretch. Fortunately, no other cars were involved. Craig Baker crossed the start/finish line first to take the win over Grammer, Karanopoulos, McIntosh and Murrell.
If Craig Baker was making a statement then so was Doug Way in the real stock class. Way won the trophy dash over Mike Peeples, Dan Browne and Jim Bailey. Jason Belt won the first heat followed by Browne, Peeples, Ray DeMello and Brian Belt while Bob Lima took the second over Way, Barry Barnwell, Bailey and Bill Bradbury. The 16 car field was brought to the green of the 25 lap main event by DeMello and Ryan Robinson. Browne had issues before the race started and had to pit but returned just as the field took the green. DeMello got the jump and took the early lead over Jim Redd and Bradbury. Way began to make his way to the lead early, getting by Bradbury on lap two and taking the second position from Redd on lap three. On lap five, Ryan Walters spun bringing out the yellow flag.
After the restart, Way began to try to find a way past DeMello. On lap six, Peeples got by Redd while Bailey followed in his tracks to also get past Redd. Way moved to the outside of DeMello on lap seven. A lap later, Barnwell and Brian Belt tangled between the third and fourth turns resulting in a caution flag. Barnwell continued but Belt’s night was over. The green flew again as Way continued to look for a line. Mike Peeples got loose of the second turn on lap nine and lost several positions. On lap 10, Way got to the outside of DeMello and was able to find some grip. Bradbury and Bailey were able to close up on the two to make it a four car race. After several side-by-side laps, Way was able to take the lead away. Bailey and Browne were also able to get past DeMello. The caution flag flew again on lap 15 for Jim Redd’s spin in turn two. The restart came again and it appeared to be a three car race between Way, Bailey and Browne. Bailey tried the outside line on Way several times but couldn’t make it work. By this time, Bradbury had caught the trio and made it a four car race. With two to go, Browne and Bradbury made their way past Bailey. Browne then moved to the outside, trying to pass Way. It wasn’t enough though as Way fought off Browne and Bradbury to take a thrilling victory followed by Bailey and Peeples.
Most of the cars involved in the previous week’s nine car tangle were able to make it back out. Rick Fox took the trophy home winning the dash over Aaron Byers, Marty Walsh and Al Acuna. Walsh took the heat race win followed by Byers, Jerry Peterson, Donnie Brown and Fox. 10 cars started the 25 lap main with Brandon Barnwell and Angelo Marcelli leading the field to the green. Barnwell got the drop on Marcelli on the start brining Walsh with him in second. Byers, the previous week’s main event winner, spun on the second lap bringing out the yellow. The green flag flew as Walsh made his move. On lap three, Walsh got to Barnwell’s inside and took the lead. By lap five it was Walsh, Barnwell, Marcelli, Acuna and Fox. It didn’t appear to be Byers’ night as he spun again in the first turn bringing out another yellow on lap six.
After the restart, Marcelli tried to pressure Barnwell enabling Walsh to pull to a five car length lead over the field. Barnwell held off Marcelli’s advances and began to pull away. On lap 18, Fox got by Acuna off turn four to take the fourth position. Barnwell tried to close the gap between he and Walsh several times but he just couldn’t find the grip allowing Walsh to win followed by Barnwell, Marcelli, Fox and Acuna.
The next race at the Acres is May 13 when the thunder roadsters have their second race of the season.
-notes-
- It’s ironic that Chad Grammer’s name is spelled with an “e” as opposed to the word grammar. Bad Grammer I guess... (bad joke.)
- It was great to see so many of the cars who had suffered damage the last race able to make it out to this one. It was also nice to not have to see the big sweeper out either as there weren’t any incidents that were severe enough to involve dry sweep.
- Hopefully the speaker problems will be fixed by next race. It was a bummer not being able to hear lap times in the pits.
- J.D. Frey brought his late (late) model car to the sportsman division but didn’t finish the main event.
- The North State series had a BEAUTIFUL field of cars. It was great to see so many of them out there.
- Get well Chuck Essex! We hope you’re back out as soon as possible.
By Matthew J. Sullivan
Another chilly evening welcomed the competitors and fans of the four classes of cars at the Acres, but it sure didn’t slow any of the competition down on the race track. Adrien Betournay nabbed the main event win in the depleted limited street class while Doug Way won the thrilling real stock main. Craig Baker ran away from the field in the mini stock main completing the dash/heat/main trifecta and Marty Walsh won the closely contested main in the sportsman division.
Orion Mosher returned to the limited street division in his truck and claimed the win in a thrilling trophy dash which saw Kavin Conn and Adrien Betournay tangle in the fourth turn on the final lap while battling for the lead. Unfortunately, Conn suffered nose damage which was enough to end his evening. Kenny Demello won the heat over Betournay and Terry Vallee with Mosher in the pits due to smoke which was coming from his vehicle. The eight lap main event was brought to its green flag by Betournay and Mosher. Betournay got the jump while Mosher slotted behind and tried to find a way around. On the fifth lap, Demello had problems and slowed. Mosher tried several times to make a move on Betournay but it wasn’t enough as Adrien Betournay took the win over Mosher, Vallee and Demello.
It appeared that Craig Baker was looking to make an early season statement in the mini stock class. Baker took the trophy dash win followed by his brother Scott Baker, Stacy Minnick and Chad Grammar. He followed that up with a win in the heat over Glen Bernald, Scott Baker, Grammer and Brian Murrell. Nick Karanopoulos and Bernald brought the ten car field to the green flag in the 20 lap main event. Karanopoulos got the jump and lead the first lap and Craig Baker moved into second as the field began to get into formation. On the second lap, Bernald spun. The same lap, Baker made his way by Karanopoulos for the lead taking the yellow flag. Under the caution, Grammer was sent to the back for his involvement in Bernald’s spin.
When the green flag flew, Craig Baker stretched his lead while Scott Baker made his way to the second position. The Bakers ran away from the field while Grammer tried to get to the front. By lap 13, Grammer had reached the third slot passing Karanopoulos, Brian McIntosh, Denzel Barrett and Murrell, but he was half the track distance behind Craig Baker who was maintaining a comfortable distance over Scott. On the last lap while working through traffic, Scott Baker made contact with Barrett in the middle of the back stretch. Fortunately, no other cars were involved. Craig Baker crossed the start/finish line first to take the win over Grammer, Karanopoulos, McIntosh and Murrell.
If Craig Baker was making a statement then so was Doug Way in the real stock class. Way won the trophy dash over Mike Peeples, Dan Browne and Jim Bailey. Jason Belt won the first heat followed by Browne, Peeples, Ray DeMello and Brian Belt while Bob Lima took the second over Way, Barry Barnwell, Bailey and Bill Bradbury. The 16 car field was brought to the green of the 25 lap main event by DeMello and Ryan Robinson. Browne had issues before the race started and had to pit but returned just as the field took the green. DeMello got the jump and took the early lead over Jim Redd and Bradbury. Way began to make his way to the lead early, getting by Bradbury on lap two and taking the second position from Redd on lap three. On lap five, Ryan Walters spun bringing out the yellow flag.
After the restart, Way began to try to find a way past DeMello. On lap six, Peeples got by Redd while Bailey followed in his tracks to also get past Redd. Way moved to the outside of DeMello on lap seven. A lap later, Barnwell and Brian Belt tangled between the third and fourth turns resulting in a caution flag. Barnwell continued but Belt’s night was over. The green flew again as Way continued to look for a line. Mike Peeples got loose of the second turn on lap nine and lost several positions. On lap 10, Way got to the outside of DeMello and was able to find some grip. Bradbury and Bailey were able to close up on the two to make it a four car race. After several side-by-side laps, Way was able to take the lead away. Bailey and Browne were also able to get past DeMello. The caution flag flew again on lap 15 for Jim Redd’s spin in turn two. The restart came again and it appeared to be a three car race between Way, Bailey and Browne. Bailey tried the outside line on Way several times but couldn’t make it work. By this time, Bradbury had caught the trio and made it a four car race. With two to go, Browne and Bradbury made their way past Bailey. Browne then moved to the outside, trying to pass Way. It wasn’t enough though as Way fought off Browne and Bradbury to take a thrilling victory followed by Bailey and Peeples.
Most of the cars involved in the previous week’s nine car tangle were able to make it back out. Rick Fox took the trophy home winning the dash over Aaron Byers, Marty Walsh and Al Acuna. Walsh took the heat race win followed by Byers, Jerry Peterson, Donnie Brown and Fox. 10 cars started the 25 lap main with Brandon Barnwell and Angelo Marcelli leading the field to the green. Barnwell got the drop on Marcelli on the start brining Walsh with him in second. Byers, the previous week’s main event winner, spun on the second lap bringing out the yellow. The green flag flew as Walsh made his move. On lap three, Walsh got to Barnwell’s inside and took the lead. By lap five it was Walsh, Barnwell, Marcelli, Acuna and Fox. It didn’t appear to be Byers’ night as he spun again in the first turn bringing out another yellow on lap six.
After the restart, Marcelli tried to pressure Barnwell enabling Walsh to pull to a five car length lead over the field. Barnwell held off Marcelli’s advances and began to pull away. On lap 18, Fox got by Acuna off turn four to take the fourth position. Barnwell tried to close the gap between he and Walsh several times but he just couldn’t find the grip allowing Walsh to win followed by Barnwell, Marcelli, Fox and Acuna.
The next race at the Acres is May 13 when the thunder roadsters have their second race of the season.
-notes-
- It’s ironic that Chad Grammer’s name is spelled with an “e” as opposed to the word grammar. Bad Grammer I guess... (bad joke.)
- It was great to see so many of the cars who had suffered damage the last race able to make it out to this one. It was also nice to not have to see the big sweeper out either as there weren’t any incidents that were severe enough to involve dry sweep.
- Hopefully the speaker problems will be fixed by next race. It was a bummer not being able to hear lap times in the pits.
- J.D. Frey brought his late (late) model car to the sportsman division but didn’t finish the main event.
- The North State series had a BEAUTIFUL field of cars. It was great to see so many of them out there.
- Get well Chuck Essex! We hope you’re back out as soon as possible.
Sunday, June 26, 2005
Brandon sweeps fair races
Brandon sweeps fair races
By Matthew J. Sullivan
Geoff Brandon might want to take a trip to Las Vegas pretty soon because if he is as good at gambling as he is at racing, he’ll win big. That is just what he did both Friday and Saturday nights at Redwood Acres Raceway winning both main events in the sportsman division. Jason Belt won the real stock main event Friday night but his three race winning streak was stopped Saturday thanks to Shane Toole. Jaison Chand won Friday but also had his own two race win streak (three races for his car) come to a halt when Joe Bonomini won on night two. J.D. Frey continued his dominance in the limited street division winning on the first night but coming up short the next night to Adrian Betournay, driving the car normally piloted by his father.
Due to the low car turnout for the limited street stock cars, a trophy dash was not held both nights. J.D. Frey won Friday’s heat race with Kavin Conn, Duane Mayo and Ken Demello behind. In the ten lap main event, Mayo and Conn brought the six car field to the green. Mayo grabbed the lead on the first lap but on the second, Frey took charge taking the lead. After a spin on lap two by Terry Vallee which brought out the yellow, Frey pulled to a comfortable lead and took the win over Demello, Mayo, Conn and Vallee.
Demello held off a furious charge from Frey in Saturday night’s heat race for the win. In the main event, Mayo and Conn paced the field to the green for the second straight night. Unfortunately for Mayo, coming to the green he spun to the infield. Fortunately nobody suffered any damage and the race was able to restart with all six cars that started. On the restart, Vallee hit the front stretch wall hard bringing out the red flag. Vallee was fine but his car wasn’t. When the green came out again, Conn was leading the field. Meanwhile, Adrian Betournay who didn’t make it out Friday was moving himself into position and on lap four he snatched the lead away from Conn. Betournay never looked back taking the win over Demello, Frey, Conn and Mayo.
Jaison Chand continued his winning ways in the trophy dash for the mini stock division in Friday night’s racing action. In the heat race, Craig Baker did an excellent job fending off Chand and Jerry Peterson taking the win. Scott Baker and Chad Grammer lead the ten car field to the green flag in the main event Baker grabbed the lead early while Grammer had issues with his car and went to the pits. Peterson began to apply pressure to Baker while Chand moved his way to the front. On lap four, Chand saw an opening and took it going to the inside and passing Peterson and Baker. That same lap, Joe Bonomini drove his car to the pits. From there on, it was all Jaison Chand as he took the main event win followed by Peterson, Craig Baker, Brian McIntosh and Scott Baker.
Peterson won Saturday night’s trophy dash while Chand took heat race honors. Grammer and Bonomini took the field to the green in the main event. Bonomini nabbed the lead but he and the rest of the field were slowed on lap two due to a caution for debris. When the green flew again, so did Bonomini pulling out to what would be an insurmountable lead. Chand and Peterson were both able to maneuver their way to second and third but it was Joe Bonomini’s night as he cruised to the win followed by Chand, Peterson, Glen Bernald and Grammer.
The real stock division had their usual fine turnout of cars for both nights of racing. Jim Bailey won Friday night’s trophy dash and followed it up with a win in his heat race. Troy Wood also won in his heat. Bill Middleton and Barry Barnwell brought the field to the green in the main. However Middleton spun on the race’s initial start and was sent to the back for causing the caution. When the race resumed Shane Toole inherited the pole and took the lead. It didn’t take long for Bailey to find his way to the front as he grabbed the lead on lap three. Points leader Jason Belt also made his way quickly through the field getting to second by lap seven before a caution between Middleton and Wood brought out the yellow flag. After a few caution flags, Belt settled in and began to pressure Bailey for the lead. His persistence would pay off on lap seventeen in turn three when Bailey’s car bobbled leaving just enough room for Belt to take the position and go on to the win over Bailey, Trevor Miller, Ryan Walters and Middleton.
Wood won Saturday night’s trophy dash while Belt and Arispe both earned heat race winning honors. George Young and Toole took the field to the green flag in the main event and dueled side by side early in the going. Toole pulled his car out to a large lead after an early caution over Redd and Fred Taylor. The big battle was for second all race as Redd tried to fend off the challenges of Bailey and Middleton. Toole was too strong and took the main event win ahead of Middleton, Bailey, Redd and Young. Toole was driving the car normally driven by Bill Bradbury. Due to shoulder surgery for Bradbury, Toole will be driving the vehicle for the rest of the season.
The sportsman division had a stellar turnout of cars for both nights; eighteen for Friday, fourteen for Saturday. Acres veteran Larry Pries won the trophy dash while Frank Billy and Donnie Brown both took heat race wins. Donnie Brown and Phil Wood head the front row positions and lead the field to the green flag in the main event. Wood took the lead from Brown while Geoff Brandon tried to take second. After an early caution involving Brandon Barnwell, Mike Bourbon and visiting driver Dustin Knight, Wood pulled out to a twenty car length lead. On lap eight, Brandon made his way past Brown and set his sights on Wood. As the green flag racing wore on, Wood was able to maintain his distance over Brandon. It wasn’t until Wood got into slower traffic that Brandon really closed the gap.
By lap 22, Brandon was right in Wood’s tire tracks as the two tried to put a lap on Barnwell. Wood followed Barnwell for several laps before getting into the back of him in turn three, sending up a cloud of smoke and dirt. Unfortunately, Pries running third had nowhere to go and hit Barnwell, demolishing his car and ending his racing for the weekend. To Wood’s displeasure, he was sent to the rear of the field but was eventually pushed to the pits for the night. After the restart, the red flag flew when Ken Hallis, Knight, Billy and Mike Peeples were involved in an incident in turn three. The wreck ended the racing weekend for both Hallis and Knight. When the green flag came back, Brandon pulled away to the victory over Hyman, Rick Fox, Aaron Byers and Fergie Ferguson.
Brandon continued his winning ways Saturday night starting with a win in the trophy dash. Brown and Byers each won in their respective heat races and those two were the ones who brought the sportsman division to the green flag in the main event. Byers took charge with the lead while Ferguson and Brandon both were able to get by Hyman. On lap three, Peeples spun collecting Bourbon. Under the yellow, Wood’s drive line decided to leave his car and he was done for the evening. After the restart, Byers did his best to hold off the faster cars of Ferguson and Brandon. On lap ten, Brandon moved his way to the high side of Ferguson, got past him and then on lap twelve he got past Byers for the lead and the eventual race win. Byers was able to hold onto second followed by Ferguson, Brown and Barnwell.
The racing action resumes at Redwood Acres Raceway July 9th with the regular schedule of cars. The racing is sponsored by Sun Valley Floral Farms and is presented by KFMI Power 96.3.
By Matthew J. Sullivan
Geoff Brandon might want to take a trip to Las Vegas pretty soon because if he is as good at gambling as he is at racing, he’ll win big. That is just what he did both Friday and Saturday nights at Redwood Acres Raceway winning both main events in the sportsman division. Jason Belt won the real stock main event Friday night but his three race winning streak was stopped Saturday thanks to Shane Toole. Jaison Chand won Friday but also had his own two race win streak (three races for his car) come to a halt when Joe Bonomini won on night two. J.D. Frey continued his dominance in the limited street division winning on the first night but coming up short the next night to Adrian Betournay, driving the car normally piloted by his father.
Due to the low car turnout for the limited street stock cars, a trophy dash was not held both nights. J.D. Frey won Friday’s heat race with Kavin Conn, Duane Mayo and Ken Demello behind. In the ten lap main event, Mayo and Conn brought the six car field to the green. Mayo grabbed the lead on the first lap but on the second, Frey took charge taking the lead. After a spin on lap two by Terry Vallee which brought out the yellow, Frey pulled to a comfortable lead and took the win over Demello, Mayo, Conn and Vallee.
Demello held off a furious charge from Frey in Saturday night’s heat race for the win. In the main event, Mayo and Conn paced the field to the green for the second straight night. Unfortunately for Mayo, coming to the green he spun to the infield. Fortunately nobody suffered any damage and the race was able to restart with all six cars that started. On the restart, Vallee hit the front stretch wall hard bringing out the red flag. Vallee was fine but his car wasn’t. When the green came out again, Conn was leading the field. Meanwhile, Adrian Betournay who didn’t make it out Friday was moving himself into position and on lap four he snatched the lead away from Conn. Betournay never looked back taking the win over Demello, Frey, Conn and Mayo.
Jaison Chand continued his winning ways in the trophy dash for the mini stock division in Friday night’s racing action. In the heat race, Craig Baker did an excellent job fending off Chand and Jerry Peterson taking the win. Scott Baker and Chad Grammer lead the ten car field to the green flag in the main event Baker grabbed the lead early while Grammer had issues with his car and went to the pits. Peterson began to apply pressure to Baker while Chand moved his way to the front. On lap four, Chand saw an opening and took it going to the inside and passing Peterson and Baker. That same lap, Joe Bonomini drove his car to the pits. From there on, it was all Jaison Chand as he took the main event win followed by Peterson, Craig Baker, Brian McIntosh and Scott Baker.
Peterson won Saturday night’s trophy dash while Chand took heat race honors. Grammer and Bonomini took the field to the green in the main event. Bonomini nabbed the lead but he and the rest of the field were slowed on lap two due to a caution for debris. When the green flew again, so did Bonomini pulling out to what would be an insurmountable lead. Chand and Peterson were both able to maneuver their way to second and third but it was Joe Bonomini’s night as he cruised to the win followed by Chand, Peterson, Glen Bernald and Grammer.
The real stock division had their usual fine turnout of cars for both nights of racing. Jim Bailey won Friday night’s trophy dash and followed it up with a win in his heat race. Troy Wood also won in his heat. Bill Middleton and Barry Barnwell brought the field to the green in the main. However Middleton spun on the race’s initial start and was sent to the back for causing the caution. When the race resumed Shane Toole inherited the pole and took the lead. It didn’t take long for Bailey to find his way to the front as he grabbed the lead on lap three. Points leader Jason Belt also made his way quickly through the field getting to second by lap seven before a caution between Middleton and Wood brought out the yellow flag. After a few caution flags, Belt settled in and began to pressure Bailey for the lead. His persistence would pay off on lap seventeen in turn three when Bailey’s car bobbled leaving just enough room for Belt to take the position and go on to the win over Bailey, Trevor Miller, Ryan Walters and Middleton.
Wood won Saturday night’s trophy dash while Belt and Arispe both earned heat race winning honors. George Young and Toole took the field to the green flag in the main event and dueled side by side early in the going. Toole pulled his car out to a large lead after an early caution over Redd and Fred Taylor. The big battle was for second all race as Redd tried to fend off the challenges of Bailey and Middleton. Toole was too strong and took the main event win ahead of Middleton, Bailey, Redd and Young. Toole was driving the car normally driven by Bill Bradbury. Due to shoulder surgery for Bradbury, Toole will be driving the vehicle for the rest of the season.
The sportsman division had a stellar turnout of cars for both nights; eighteen for Friday, fourteen for Saturday. Acres veteran Larry Pries won the trophy dash while Frank Billy and Donnie Brown both took heat race wins. Donnie Brown and Phil Wood head the front row positions and lead the field to the green flag in the main event. Wood took the lead from Brown while Geoff Brandon tried to take second. After an early caution involving Brandon Barnwell, Mike Bourbon and visiting driver Dustin Knight, Wood pulled out to a twenty car length lead. On lap eight, Brandon made his way past Brown and set his sights on Wood. As the green flag racing wore on, Wood was able to maintain his distance over Brandon. It wasn’t until Wood got into slower traffic that Brandon really closed the gap.
By lap 22, Brandon was right in Wood’s tire tracks as the two tried to put a lap on Barnwell. Wood followed Barnwell for several laps before getting into the back of him in turn three, sending up a cloud of smoke and dirt. Unfortunately, Pries running third had nowhere to go and hit Barnwell, demolishing his car and ending his racing for the weekend. To Wood’s displeasure, he was sent to the rear of the field but was eventually pushed to the pits for the night. After the restart, the red flag flew when Ken Hallis, Knight, Billy and Mike Peeples were involved in an incident in turn three. The wreck ended the racing weekend for both Hallis and Knight. When the green flag came back, Brandon pulled away to the victory over Hyman, Rick Fox, Aaron Byers and Fergie Ferguson.
Brandon continued his winning ways Saturday night starting with a win in the trophy dash. Brown and Byers each won in their respective heat races and those two were the ones who brought the sportsman division to the green flag in the main event. Byers took charge with the lead while Ferguson and Brandon both were able to get by Hyman. On lap three, Peeples spun collecting Bourbon. Under the yellow, Wood’s drive line decided to leave his car and he was done for the evening. After the restart, Byers did his best to hold off the faster cars of Ferguson and Brandon. On lap ten, Brandon moved his way to the high side of Ferguson, got past him and then on lap twelve he got past Byers for the lead and the eventual race win. Byers was able to hold onto second followed by Ferguson, Brown and Barnwell.
The racing action resumes at Redwood Acres Raceway July 9th with the regular schedule of cars. The racing is sponsored by Sun Valley Floral Farms and is presented by KFMI Power 96.3.
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