Redwood Acres Raceway track champions officially crowned

Redwood Acres Raceway track champions officially crowned

By Matthew J. Sullivan

Redwood Acres Raceway held its 2009 banquet this past Saturday evening. The track champions in the six local divisions were crowned while various other awards were presented throughout the duration of the evening. A great time was had by all and it was a nice way to finish out an excellent year of racing on the north coast.

Kenny Demello took the championship trophy over Acres veteran, Fergy Ferguson in the limited street stock division. Stan Young and Bill Middleton were the only two other drivers who had scored points in the division during the season. Craig Baker notched another mini stock track championship on the year, however it was by a scant two points ahead of his brother Scott. The Baker brothers were the dominant forces in the division throughout the entire season. Brian McIntosh took third, while Steve Smith placed fourth. Both drivers were able to sneak main event victories away from the Bakers during the year. Brian Murrell, Jr. maintained a solid and steady pace all season and placed fifth in the standings. Smith took rookie of the year honors in the class while Scott Baker won the fast time award.

After a brief hiatus away from racing at the Acres, Ryan Walters returned to the real stock division in fine fashion as he took home the championship. Casey Mitchell placed a solid second in points with a main event win, his first ever and rookie of the year honors in the division. Pat Conway was a regular front runner, taking home a main event win early in the season and finishing third in the standings. Defending division champion, Jim Redd had somewhat of a tough season with several misfortunes. Redd did win a couple main events and placed fourth in points. The duo of Ryan and Russell Robinson finished fifth in points and were also victorious during the year.

It was most definitely a successful maiden voyage for the roadrunner division in 2009. Charlie Anderson won the first-ever championship by pacing himself and driving smart. Late in the season, Anderson and his team were forced to use a completely new car after he was involved in a wreck that wrote off the car he had been in for most of the year. The efforts of both driver and crew definitely paid off. Kent Campbell and Carrie Cook finished second in the points, only seven behind Anderson. Cook drove most of the first half of the season while Campbell took over for the second half. Dustin DelBiaggio was third in points, five behind second place and 12 behind first. DelBiaggio looked to be one of the stronger cars at the end of the year. Jimmy Murray ran a consistent and smooth pace throughout the year placing fourth in the points, while the Redwood Acres Raceway track car was good enough to place fifth thanks to numerous drivers who were behind the wheel during the season. Several drivers won main events but didn’t place high in points. Nick Bundy was the man to beat for the better part of the first half of the year, but did not race the second half of the season. Wyatt Roach got a late start to the year but looks to be the favorite in the division going into the 2010 season. Roach won the fast time award for the roadrunners. The team of Bill Snow and Dylan Cook were also winners along with Oscar Koskinen, III and Dax Kinsey.

David Henderson won his third track championship out of four seasons in the thunder roadster division. Henderson was dominant all year winning the most main events in the division for the year. Robert Miller placed second in the standings and was a regular top 5 contender. The same could be said for Tommy Payne who took third in points. Both Miller and Payne appear to be the two drivers on the cusp of being able to upset Henderson going into 2010. Mike Ward was fourth in the standings, while Bruce Ziemer took fifth. Henderson’s dominance in the class was felt through the number of main event victors. Other than Henderson, only Paul Peeples, Jr. and Randy Olson took home main event trophies. Peeples proved to be Henderson’s equal in the first part of the year, but unfortunately Peeples missed several races in the mid-point which knocked him out of contention. Olson had a late start in 2009, but still took three main event wins in a row. Still though, it was Henderson’s year as he also took fast time honors. Dan Browne earned rookie of the year for the division.

Dennis DelBiaggio was smooth and strong all season long in the sportsman division. DelBiaggio was able to win several main events and was fortunate enough to avoid major incident until the final race of the season, taking the 2009 track title. Angelo Marcelli was able to use the same tactics, but did not have the pace that DelBiaggio had for most of the year. Marcelli did notch a main event win early in the year. Jerry Peterson placed third in points and looked to be DelBiaggio’s toughest competition. Unfortunately, Peterson lost his primary car late in the season and though he was strong in a backup car, he was not able to close the gap to the leader. Larry Pries placed fourth on the year and might have been higher had he not missed the Fair Night races due to a qualifying crash on the first night. Brandon Barnwell was fifth on the year. Barnwell won several main events, but did most of his racing in the last part of the season in Donn Cole’s thunder roadster. Joe McDonald and Aaron Byers were the only other drivers who scored main event victories in the division. DelBiaggio won the fast time award for the class.

There were several highlights throughout the 2009 season. Two of the most memorable involved unfortunate incidents for two roadrunner drivers. Robbie Nelson had an unfortunate meeting with the turn two water barrels during the year, while Raleigh Willoughby flipped while trying to correct his car in the next to last race of the season. Several drivers made the trek from Oregon to race at the Acres in the limited street stock class during the Fair races. The Northern California Pro-4 cars made three visits to the Acres with Codi Barba winning the third event. The season finished out with a 100-lap late model event that was won by Noel McCormack, Jr.

2010 is just around the corner and it won’t be long until racing at the Acres returns for yet another season.

2009 Final Points Standings

Limited Street Stocks
Track Record: Trevor Miller 17.143
Kenny Demello 398, Fergy Ferguson 390, Stan Young 331, Bill Middleton 109

Mini Stocks
Track Record: Craig Baker 18.597
Craig Baker 973, Scott Baker 971, Brian McIntosh 919, Steve Smith 778, Brian Murrell, Jr. 687, Len Bowman/Jesse Chown 565, Brian Murrell, Sr. 272, Norm Carmichael 143, Nick Karanopoulos 117, Mike Weekly 111, Denzil Barrett 59

Real Stocks
Track Record: Shawn Craig 18.763
Ryan Walters 1009, Casey Mitchell 937, Pat Conway 896, Jim Redd 856, Ryan/Russell Robinson 752, Nick Green 624, Dustin Walters 596, Roger Linn, Jr. 526, Doug Way 301, Don Hyman 217, Ray Middleton 123, Bob Lima 111, Jim Bailey 11

Roadrunners
Track Record: Wyatt Roach 21.634
Charlie Anderson 825, Kent Campbell/Carrie Cook 818, Dustin DelBiaggio 813, Jimmy Murray 796, Track Car 725, Nick Bundy 579, Wyatt Roach 571, Bill Snow/Dylan Cook 454, Raleigh Willoughby 432, Oscar Koskinen III 391, Eric Rice/Rick Crawley 374, Aaron Sandifer 341, Eric Mendes 236, Robbie Nelson 175, Nick Hansen 129, Dax Kinsey 119, Landon Newell 49

Thunder Roadsters
Track Record: Paul Peeples, Jr. 16.839
David Henderson 938, Robert Miller 836, Thomas Payne 825, Mike Ward 742, Bruce Ziemer 675, Paul Peeples, Jr. 644, Rob Nelson 599, Chris Sarvinski 590, Belinda Ward 572, Jay Bahner 551, Dan Browne 522, Mark Arroyo 500, Jim Rich 474, Brandon Barnwell 333, Dave McMurray 312, Randy Olson 250, Shane Toole 203, Mic Moulton 191, Chris Banfill 141, Ray Elliott 98, Donn Cole 59, Gerhy Foster 54, Mark Baldwin 48, Doug Pulver 43, Al Olson 38, Bill Bradbury 19, Rick Crawley, Jr. 12

Sportsman
Track Record: Shawn Andrews 15.794
Dennis DelBiaggio 927, Angelo Marcelli 852, Jerry Peterson 815, Larry Pries 780, Brandon Barnwell 444, Joe McDonald 392, Frank Billy, Jr. 328, Lissa Uselton 311, Aaron Byers 297, Shawn Craig 271, Kenny Demello 263, Kavin Conn 230, Ken Hallis 158, Al Acuna 149, Jim Walker 134, Rick Fox 14.

McCormack makes late pass to win 100 lapper

McCormack makes late pass to win 100 lapper

By Matthew J. Sullivan

Beautiful weather graced Eureka, California’s Redwood Acres Raceway this past Friday and Saturday for the season finale Fall Spectacular event. Friday evening featured local divisions of real stocks, mini stocks, roadrunners and thunder roadsters along with late models while real stocks, roadrunners, thunder roadsters and late models returned on Saturday as well as the Northern California Pro-4 Modifieds. The track championships in the real stock, mini stock and roadrunner divisions were still up for grabs going into the weekend, making it very important to survive and race both nights.

It appeared as though the battle for the track championship was going to take a major turn in the mini stock trophy dash when points leader Craig Baker’s car broke. Scott Baker won the dash over Brian Murrell, Jr. and Jesse Chown. Fortunately for Craig Baker, fellow driver Steve Smith turned his car over to him allowing Baker to continue to race for the night. Brian Murrell won the heat race ahead of Craig Baker, Chown, Scott Baker and Murrell, Jr. Scott Baker held off Chown to win the main event while Craig Baker took third and the mini stock track championship. McIntosh was fourth and Murrell fifth.

Shawn Craig took the Friday night real stock trophy dash victory driving Dustin Walters’ car. Casey Mitchell, Pat Conway and Ryan Walters rounded out the finishers. Conway took the heat race win over Craig, Mitchell, Walters and Ray Middleton. Walters took the Friday night main event win ahead of Mitchell, Russell Robinson, Craig and Middleton. There was a big scare in the Saturday night dash when Mitchell and Redd made contact sending Redd headlong into the pit entrance. Fortunately Redd was okay, but his car was destroyed and he was finished for the night. Walters took the dash over Mitchell and Craig. Mitchell won the heat ahead of Craig, Walters, Ray Middleton and Bill Middleton. Walters then went on to win the main event and wrap up the track championship for the real stocks. Mitchell was second while Conway, Ray Middleton and Bill Middleton finished out the top five.

Things got a bit heated between Wyatt Roach and Dax Kinsey in the Friday night trophy dash resulting in Kinsey receiving a black flag. Dustin DelBiaggio took the win over Jimmy Murray. Kinsey won the heat over Roach, Kent Campbell, Eric Rice and DelBiaggio. Roach took the main event victory ahead of Murray, DelBiaggio, Kinsey and Rice but the big story happened when Raleigh Willoughby was coming to the finish line. Coming off the fourth corner, Willoughby got sideways and tried to correct his car. Willoughby’s tires dug into the pavement and sent his car flipping approximately four times before landing on its wheels. Willoughby climbed out of his car and let the fans know he was all right by climbing to his car’s roof and standing with his arms in the air. Roach continued his winning ways Saturday with the dash victory over DelBiaggio, Murray and Bill Snow. Roach followed up with the heat race victory over DelBiaggio, Aaron Sandifer, Snow and Campbell. Roach made it a clean sweep on the night with the main event victory ahead of DelBiaggio, Rice, Campbell and Charlie Anderson who took the roadrunner track championship.

The Northern California Pro-4 Modifieds visited the Acres for a non-points event on Saturday evening. Ken Gifford took the trophy dash over Curt Lewis, Kevin Barba and Codi Barba. Lewis took the heat race victory over Gifford, Codi Barba, Kevin Barba and Stan Buschman. Codi Barba won the main event ahead of Kevin Barba, Gifford, Buschman and Steve Smith.

The thunder roadsters took to the track for a non-points event for the weekend. Brandon Barnwell won the trophy dash on Friday night ahead of Paul Peeples, Jr., 2009 thunder roadster track champion, David Henderson and Mike Ward. The finishes of the heat races determined the start of the Saturday evening main event. Peeples, Jr. won the first head ahead of Barnwell, Ray Elliott, Rob Nelson and Belinda Ward. Henderson won the second heat over Robert Miller, Tommy Payne, Bruce Ziemer and Mike Ward. With the first six positions getting the invert, this gave the pole position to Payne with Elliott on his outside. Payne grabbed the lead from the start of the 50-lap feature before the field was slowed when caution flew for Chris Sarvinski. The rest of the race ran clean and green from that point on. Henderson was clearly the class of the field on this night as he took the lead from his fifth starting position on lap four and never looked back. The best battle of the race was for third, fourth and fifth between Miller, Peeples and Barnwell. At the checkered flag it was Henderson winning by nearly a straightaway over second place Payne. Miller, Peeples and Barnwell finished third through fifth.

Randy Houston set quick time for the late model cars but his car broke while warming up prior to the trophy dash ending his weekend prematurely. Mike Lovell took the dash over Jeremy Hopkins and Junior Roddy. Like the thunder roadster cars, the finish of the late model heats determined the starting lineup of the main event. Northern California racing legend and local favorite, Jim Walker excited the fans in the first heat taking the victory over Joe McDonald, Noel McCormack, Roddy and Rod McCombs. Unfortunately, Berndt Akerstrom broke during the first heat and was finished for the event. Local sportsman driver, Jerry Peterson surprised folks by taking the victory in the second heat ahead of Keith Nelson, Robert Miller, Corey James and Kevin Ostern.

The first six were inverted giving pole position to Miller with McCormack starting outside the front row. It was a clean start for the 100-lap feature before caution fell on lap two when Ostern spun in the first turn infield. After the restart, the caution flew quickly when Walker and Roddy made contact going into turn three. Walker suffered minor damage and returned to the track briefly before retiring shortly thereafter. The racing went green for another 10 circuits until the caution dropped on lap 12 for Nelson’s car in the turn four wall. The best racing of the night took place for what would be the longest period of green flag action. McCormack rode constantly in Miller’s mirror while McDonald in third looked to take advantage of any mistake made by either driver. Things got interesting when the field caught up to lap McCombs. Though McCombs tried his best to give the leaders room to race, the pack bunched up behind him. Miller was able to clear McCombs while McDonald was able to sneak into second as McCormack tried his best to fend off Peterson for third. McCormack was able to hold off Peterson while on the high line, and then get back by McDonald for second before the caution flew on lap 49 when Mike Doss went for a ride through the front stretch infield.

The action slowed several times between the halfway and three-quarter lap marks. On lap 58, the yellow came for Scott Lenz who had spun in turn four. The caution flew on lap 59 to clean up debris from contact between Roddy and Peterson. After a brief period of racing, the caution flew again on lap 68 when Lovell spun out from fourth position. Corey James also spun to avoid Lovell and both were able to continue racing. Racing resumed and things remained status quo up front between Miller, McCormack and McDonald until lap 76 when McCormack found the low line under Miller going into the first turn to take the lead. McDonald was able to follow behind to take the second position. Miller now had to fight off Doss for third. The two raced door-handle-to-door-handle for several laps before Doss took the position on lap 82. On lap 83, Hopkins and Roddy made contact while racing for the fifth position in turns three and four bringing out the caution flag for the final time. On the restart, Doss’ car slowed and he drove his car to the pits. While McCormack and McDonald drove away from the field, Ostern began to give Miller trouble for third. On lap 90, Ostern moved high and past Miller for third. At the front, McDonald was unable to mount a challenge on McCormack for the lead and at the finish it was McCormack winning over McDonald, Ostern, Miller and Lovell. Allen Gibney, James, Roddy, Hopkins and Lenz finished out the top 10.

Congratulations to Redwood Acres Raceway’s 2009 track champions, sportsman driver, Dennis DelBiaggio; thunder roadster driver, David Henderson; roadrunner driver, Charlie Anderson; mini stock driver, Craig Baker and real stock driver, Ryan Walters.

Airport Auto Brokers Late Models - Fall Classic - Redwood Acres Raceway - September 27, 2009

Trophy Dash
1. 15 Mike Lovell
2. J15 Jeremy Hopkins
3. 41 Junior Roddy
4. 9 Randy Houston

Heat Race 1
1. 48 Jim Walker
2. 09 Joe McDonald
3. 93 Noel McCormack
4. 41 Junior Roddy
5. O4 Rod McCombs
6. 44 Allen Gibney
7. 51 Scott Lenz
8. 36X Berndt Akerstrom
9. 15 Mike Lovell

Heat Race 2
1. 07 Jerry Peterson
2. 6 Pete Nelson
3. 22 Dave Miller
4. 34 Corey James
5. 36 Kevin Ostern
6. 15 Mike Lovell
7. 75 Mike Doss

Main Event
1. 93 Noel McCormack
2. 09 Joe McDonald
3. 36 Kevin Ostern
4. 22 Dave Miller
5. 15 Mike Lovell
6. 44 Allen Gibney
7. 34 Corey James
8. 41 Junior Roddy
9. 15J Jeremy Hopkins
10. 04 Rod McCombs
11. 51 Scott Lenz
12. 07 Jerry Peterson

Racing at the Acres closes with the Fall Spectacular this weekend

Racing at the Acres closes with the Fall Spectacular this weekend

By Matthew J. Sullivan

It should be a big weekend of racing this Friday and Saturday at Redwood Acres Raceway in Eureka, CA. Besides local championship races being decided in the real stocks, mini stocks and roadrunners, late models along with the Northern California Pro-4 Modifieds will also be joining the show.

The real stock and mini stock divisions are slated to run on Friday evening only unless both divisions are able to pick up enough cars to warrant racing for both nights. In the real stocks, Ryan Walters holds a firm 69 point lead over Casey Mitchell in second place. It is highly unlikely that Walters will lose his lead unless he is unable to race at all this weekend. In the mini stock division, Craig Baker leads his brother Scott by six points. The two brothers dueled for the victory in the main event on September 12th and its almost certain that they will be fighting each other head-to-head once again for the track championship. The race for the roadrunner track title has closed significantly. Points leader, Charlie Anderson has had misfortune the past two events which has allowed Dylan Cook to close the gap to eight points. Dustin DelBiaggio and Jimmy Murray are also still within striking distance to claim the title if both Anderson and Cook falter this weekend.

The Northern California Pro-4 Modifieds are slated to join the action for Saturday evening. Curt Lewis was able to beat Codi Barba by a mere five points this past weekend at Shasta Raceway Park to claim the series crown for 2009. With no points on the line, it should be an exciting and wide-open race for the win. 14 cars have pre-entered for the 100 lap late model show with several other drivers having stated commitment to show up as well. Among the notables are Northern California racing legend, Jim Walker of Ferndale, CA; 2009 Airport Auto Brokers Late Model series champion, Kevin Ostern of Lucerne, CA; 2009 Redwood Acres Raceway sportsman track champion, Dennis DelBiaggio of Ferndale, CA; former Acres open winner, David Miller of Coquille, OR and former North State Challenge Series late model champion, Mike Doss of Lakeport, CA.

Friday night will feature qualifying, trophy dashes and heat races for the late models while the local divisions will run main events in addition to the preliminary races. Saturday night the Northern California Pro-4 Modifieds will join the show. The roadrunners will likely run heats and another main event while the real stocks and mini stocks will do the same if the car count allows. Finally, the late models will run their 100-lap feature to close out the 2009 season of racing at Redwood Acres Raceway. Racing begins at 6:30PM both nights. Don’t miss out on what’s likely to be a very exciting weekend of racing at the Acres.

Drivers Pre-Entered for the 100-lap Late Model Event:
01 - Larry Pries
04 - Rod McCombs
07 - Jerry Peterson
9 - Randy Houston
09 - Joe McDonald
15 - Mike Lovell
19 - Dennis DelBiaggio
22 - Dave Miller
36 - Kevin Ostern
37 - Berndt Akerstrom
41 - Junior Roddy
48 - Jim Walker
51 - Scott Lenz
75 - Mike Doss

2009 champs decided on Judy Fox Memorial night

2009 champs decided on Judy Fox Memorial night

By Matthew J. Sullivan

The race for the 2009 championships in all but one of the six divisions was decided this past Saturday evening at Redwood Acres Raceway. It was Judy Fox Memorial night at the Acres making the event even more special and prestigious. Prior to the start of the trophy dashes, nearly all of the drivers in all of the divisions pulled their race cars out onto the track for a few memorial laps while track announcer Rollin Trehearne read off names of dozens of those who drivers wanted to remember on the evening.

The limited street stock class did not race on the night allowing Kenny Demello to claim the 2009 track title in that division over Fergy Ferguson. Ryan Walters had to feel very comfortable going into the night as he held a margin of nearly 70 points over second place Casey Mitchell in the points standings for the real stock division. Jim Redd held off Mitchell, Walters and Bill Middleton to win the trophy dash. Mitchell took the heat race victory over Redd, Walters, Nick Green and Ryan Robinson. In the 15-lap feature, Walters quickly moved his way into the lead, passing front row starters Ray Middleton and Bob Lima. A lap 6 caution bunched the field for a brief period, but nobody had enough strength to challenge Walters for the win. At the checkered flag it was Walters cruising to the victory and the 2009 real stock track championship. Mitchell was second followed by Robinson, Redd and Lima.

The points race in the mini stock class was a family affair as Craig Baker held a one point margin over brother Scott Baker going into the night. Brian Murrell, Jr. won the trophy dash over Scott Baker, Steve Smith and Craig Baker. Craig Baker took the heat win ahead of Scott Baker, Brian Murrell, Brian Murrell, Jr. and Jessie Chown. Going into the 15-lap feature, the Baker brothers were tied in the points. After Murrell, Jr. spun on the initial start, the race restarted with Craig Baker taking the lead over Scott. The best battles on the track during the race were between family members. In the early stages, the father/son duo of Murrell and Murrell, Jr. battled hard for the third position. In the closing laps, the Baker brothers dueled for the race lead and the 2009 mini stock track championship. Scott Baker tried to make his move on the final lap, driving inside of Craig going into the third turn. Coming off turn four, Craig’s momentum from the outside line prevailed and he was able to cross the line just a few feet ahead of Scott. Murrell was able to take third while Murrell, Jr. spun off turn four while trying to mount a challenge on his father. Brian McIntosh crossed the line fourth while Jessie Chown was fifth.

The race for the 2009 track title in the roadrunner division didn’t end on this evening, making it important for points leader Charlie Anderson to survive the night and make it for the September 26th and 27th events. Wyatt Roach won the dash over Dustin DelBiaggio, Jimmy Murray and Nick Hansen. Roach followed up with a heat race victory ahead of DelBiaggio, Eric Rice, Aaron Sandifer and Dillon Cook. Rice wrestled away the lead from Raleigh Willoughby early on in the 15-lap main event and pulled away from the field. Meanwhile, Willoughby had his hands full with the likes of Sandifer, Cook and Roach all vying for the second position. On lap five, Roach moved past Willoughby for second. On lap 9, Anderson and Willoughby made contact in turn two sending Willoughby spinning into the infield. Behind that, Dylan Fox who was driving the track car got too high in turns one and two and hit the water barrels that protect the wall going into the pits. Fortunately neither car suffered serious damage with Willoughby returning to the field and Fox exiting the race. Nobody was able to mount a challenge on Roach for the race lead and at the checkered flag it was Roach taking the win over DelBiaggio, Cook, Rice and Anderson.

Dennis DelBiaggio had the track championship sealed up for the sportsman division as he held an insurmountable 88 point margin over Angelo Marcelli headed into the night. DelBiaggio padded his lead with a win in the trophy dash over Larry Pries, Jerry Peterson and Marcelli. The heat race had an unfortunate incident that ended the evening for several cars. While dueling for the lead, Lissa Uselton and Rick Fox made contact in between turns three and four. Both cars came together and hit the turn four wall head on collecting DelBiaggio, Kavin Conn, Pries and Kenny Demello. Uselton, Fox, Conn and DelBiaggio all suffered severe damage while Conn and Pries came out more or less okay. Marcelli won the heat over Peterson, Shawn Craig and Demello. With the field significantly reduced, the laps for the main event were reduced to 15. DelBiaggio was able to bring his car out to take the start and be awarded points, but quickly pulled his car back into the pits. After racing side-by-side the first three laps, Peterson was able to snatch the lead from Marcelli. The main event ran quick and smooth with Peterson winning over Marcelli, Pries, Craig and Demello.

David Henderson would have had to not show up for Robert Miller to have any chance of taking the 2009 thunder roadster track championship. Paul Peeples, Jr. won the trophy dash over Randy Olson, Tommy Payne and Mic Moulton. Ray Elliott won the first heat over Dan Browne, Bruce Ziemer, Gehry Foster who was making his first start of the year and Jay Bahner. Henderson took the second dash over Olson, Miller, Payne and Brandon Barnwell. The caution flag flew early in the 35-lap main event for debris in turn three. While slowing down on the front stretch, several cars got together, most notably Mike Ward. Ward spun into the infield and back onto the track in front of Barnwell. Barnwell avoided serious damage but Ward was finished for the night.

Browne led the field to the restart but he had a fight on his hands holding off Ziemer in second. On lap four, Ziemer moved under Browne for the lead while Miller and Olson followed into second and third. On lap seven, Miller found the opening he needed going into the first turn inside of Ziemer. Coming off the corner Miller took the spot with Olson following closely behind. The two ran nose-to-tail until lap 11 when Olson moved under Miller off the second turn to take the lead. Miller didn’t give up easily though has he moved under Olson off turn two the next lap to try to take the lead back but he didn’t have the muscle coming off the fourth turn giving Olson the clear lead. Henderson began making his presence known as the race entered the late stages as he began to mount a challenge on Miller for second. On lap 27, the caution flew for a spin by Elliott. Under the yellow, Olson’s engine began to sour and he was forced out of the race. The red flew briefly for a fire under Olson’s car in the pits, but it was quickly put out.

Miller now led the restart over Henderson and Peeples, Jr. Miller couldn’t hold off Henderson as he took the lead on lap 28 with Peeples behind. Miller tried to get second back from Peeples in turn one but the two came together sending Miller spinning in front of the rest of the field. Moulton had nowhere to go and hit Miller and several cars were collected into the wreck including Bahner and Rob Nelson while Elliott took evasive maneuvers by driving into the pits. After the restart, Henderson was able to withstand the pressure provided by Peeples to hold on and take the win. Barnwell finished third with Payne fourth and Moulton fifth.

The next event at the Acres is the Fall Spectacular on September 26th and 27th. Real stocks and mini stocks will be racing Friday night and could Saturday as well pending the car count in both classes. Roadrunners and Thunder Roadsters will be racing both nights. The late models will have qualifying and the heat races Friday with their 100-lap main Saturday evening while the Northern California Pro-4 Modified will be joining the show Saturday as well.

Redwood Acres Raceway points update

Redwood Acres Raceway points update

By Matthew J. Sullivan

There are only three races left in the 2009 season for the drivers in the five divisions at Redwood Acres Raceway. In the case of the limited street stock, mini stock and sportsman divisions, there are only two points paying events left. The next one is tomorrow Saturday August 29th, Fan Appreciation Night at Redwood Acres Raceway.

The closest points battles are in the limited street stock and mini stock divisions. After last Saturday evening’s events, Scott Baker was able to break a tie with his brother Craig and now leads him by six points. Though the margin between limited street stock drivers Kenny Demello and Fergy Ferguson is a mere eight points, unless the division is able to add a few cars in the next two events, it’s unlikely that Ferguson will be able to overtake Demello. Charlie Anderson was able to take the points lead from Nick Bundy in the roadrunner division and holds a 24 point margin over Bundy in second place. Though not having won a main event during this year, Anderson had finished strong in nearly all the events while Bundy, the early season dominator has been unable to make several of the races as of late.

Ryan Walters has a 62 point margin over Casey Mitchell in the real stock division. Though Mitchell has been a strong competitor in the class this season, it’s Walters’ race to lose at this point. David Henderson has been a top 5 finisher in all but one main event in the thunder roadster class this season. It’s a testament to Robert Miller that Henderson’s lead is 60 points in sight, but it would take a disaster for the track championship not to be Henderson’s at this point. The same holds true for the sportsman division as Dennis DelBiaggio holds a 62 point lead ahead of Angelo Marcelli. All DelBiaggio has to do is stay on track for the final two events and the 2009 sportsman division track championship is his.

Again, racing at Redwood Acres Raceway will be tomorrow night, August 29th. The next two scheduled events are September 12th, the Judy Fox Memorial race and September 25th and 26th, the Fall Spectacular featuring a 100-lap late model main event. Further details for the Fall Spectacular are still being laid out and will be made available very soon.

2009 Redwood Acres Raceway Points Standings (after August 22nd)

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

Real Stocks
Track Record: Shawn Craig 18.763
Ryan Walters 805, Casey Mitchell 743, Pat Conway 707, Jim Redd 689, Dustin Walters 596, Ryan/Russell Robinson 571, Roger Linn, Jr. 526, Nick Green 520, Doug Way 301, Don Hyman 217, Bob Lima 57, Jim Bailey 11

Mini Stocks
Track Record: Craig Baker 18.597
Scott Baker 777, Craig Baker 770, Brian McIntosh 743, Steve Smith 666, Brian Murrell, Jr. 520, Len Bowman/Jesse Chown 391, Brian Murrell, Sr. 130, Nick Karanopoulos 117, Mike Weekly 111, Norm Carmichael 100, Denzil Barrett 59

Roadrunners
Track Record: Wyatt Roach 21.634
Charlie Anderson 603, Nick Bundy 579, Dillon/Carrie Cook 569, Jimmy Murray 569, Dustin DelBiaggio 548, Track Car 532, Oscar Koskinen III 391, Bill Snow 324, Wyatt Roach 271, Raleigh Willoughby 265, Eric Mendes 236, Aaron Sandifer 159, Eric Rice 153, Nick Hansen 53, Dax Kinsey 51, Robbie Nelson 11

Thunder Roadsters
Track Record: Paul Peeples, Jr. 16.839
Dave Henderson 796, Robert Miller 736, Thomas Payne 700, Mike Ward 666, Bruce Ziemer 563, Paul Peeples, Jr. 540, Chris Sarvinski 529, Rob Nelson 508, Belinda Ward 492, Mark Arroyo 462, Jay Bahner 442, Dan Browne 424, Jim Rich 386, Dave McMurray 274, Brandon Barnwell 209, Randy Olson 209, Shane Toole 160, Chris Banfill 141, Mic Moulton 92, Donn Cole 59, Mark Baldwin 48, Ray Elliott 43, Doug Pulver 43, Al Olson 38, Bill Bradbury 19, Rick Crawley, Jr. 12

Sportsman
Track Record: Shawn Andrews 15.794
Dennis DelBiaggio 795, Angelo Marcelli 733, Jerry Peterson 682, Larry Pries 648, Brandon Barnwell 444, Joe McDonald 330, Aaron Byers 297, Frank Billy, Jr. 269, Lissa Uselton 236, Kavin Conn 217, Shawn Craig 209, Kenny Demello 157, Al Acuna 149, Jim Walker 134, Ken Hallis 108.

Henderson returns to victory circle

Henderson returns to victory circle

By Matthew J. Sullivan

It was an unseasonably cool and cloudy day this past Saturday at Redwood Acres Raceway, however halfway through qualifying the sun poked out to warm things up and make for a nicer, but still cooler summer evening. It was Back-To-School Night at the Acres and during the down time between heat races and the main events, names of several youngsters were drawn to win backpacks. With only three races left after this night (two in a few of the divisions,) finishing well and earning points became even more crucial.

One unfortunate aspect for the night was that the car count in four of the six divisions was very low. The limited street stocks did not race again on the night because there were not enough cars. Prior to qualifying, Jim Redd’s car blew up and he was unable to race his real stock for the night. Nick Green beat Casey Mitchell, Ryan Walters and Pat Conway to win the trophy dash. There was some trouble getting the heat race going but once things got settled, Walters was able to win ahead of Mitchell, Green, Russell Robinson and Conway. Walters took the lead early in the main event and was able to take the win easily over Mitchell, Dustin Walters, Green and Conway.

With the mini stock points tied between brothers Craig and Scott Baker, it was a duel to see which brother would out-perform the other on this night. Craig Baker fired the first shot with the dash win ahead of Brian Murrell, Jr., Scott Baker and Jessie Chown. Craig Baker followed up with the heat race win over Scott Baker, Chown, Brian McIntosh and Steve Smith. Prior to the start of the main event, Murrell, Jr. suffered a leak and his car was relegated to the pits for the duration of the main event Scott Baker was able to take the lead away from McIntosh after a side-by-side duel in the early going. On lap 5 while racing for second, McIntosh pushed up in turn four into Craig Baker’s car sending the two drivers spinning. While neither had any damage, Craig Baker was forced into the pits causing him to miss the restart and costing him a lap. Scott Baker was able to withstand a surprising charge by the inexperienced Chown to take the win. McIntosh placed third while Craig Baker was fourth and Steve Smith was fifth.

It seems as though with every race the roadrunner class adds another one or two cars to the division and it was no different on the night. Wyatt Roach claimed the trophy dash victory over Dustin DelBiaggio, Jimmy Murray and Charlie Anderson. Nick Hansen was making his first start in the division and won his first race, taking the heat win ahead of DelBiaggio, Murray, Roach and Dylan Cook. Unfortunately for Hansen, his luck would turn in the main event. Aaron Sandifer took the lead in the early stages of the main event but on lap five Cook moved under and by for the top spot. Later that same lap, things got bunched up and Hansen’s car hit the turn four wall severely damaging his right front and ending his race.

After the restart, Cook and DelBiaggio battled for the lead briefly before the two came together off the second turn giving Sandifer the lead back. He wouldn’t hold it long though as Roach was able to take the lead a lap later. Roach was able to pull away and cruise to the victory over Anderson and Murray. Sandifer finished fourth while Cook was able to beat Raleigh Willoughby to the line to place fifth.

It was a bad night for the sportsman division. In qualifying, Brandon Barnwell hit the wall coming off turn four and was unable to make repairs to his car. Larry Pries won the trophy dash over Dennis DelBiaggio, Jerry Peterson and Angelo Marcelli. The heat race featured an unfortunate incident between Marcelli, Ken Hallis and Peterson. Coming off turn two, Marcelli made it three wide under Hallis and Peterson. Marcelli and Hallis came together in turn three with Hallis and Peterson spinning into the wall. Both drivers were finished for the evening. DelBiaggio took the heat victory over Pries, Marcelli and Kenny Demello. The main event was uneventful but featured a close duel for the lead between Pries and DelBiaggio. Pries went wire-to-wire and held off DelBiaggio to win while Marcelli and Demello rounded out the finishers.

David Henderson took the trophy dash win for the thunder roadster cars over Randy Olson, Robert Miller and Brandon Barnwell who was once again wheeling Donn Cole’s car. Dan Browne won the first heat race over Dave McMurray, Rob Nelson, Mike Ward and Jim Rich. Olson took the second heat ahead of Henderson, Barnwell, Tommy Payne and Miller. Browne took the lead from his pole position starting spot in the first laps of the main event. Barnwell had an unfortunate start though, somehow getting lose and driving through the infield safely back on the track but in the back of the pack. On lap four, McMurray showed his strength moving under Browne to take the lead and opening the door for Payne, Olson and Henderson to follow through. On lap 6, Payne made slight contact with McMurray between turns one and two sending McMurray spinning into the infield grass and bringing out the caution flag. Payne was sent to the rear of the field by track officials and the race resumed with Olson leading Henderson.

On lap 8, Henderson was able to power under Olson coming off the second turn to take the lead. Olson briefly closed in on Henderson and tried to fight back. With ten laps remaining, third place Miller got sideways off turn four. Miller held on while driving through the infield dirt, but it allowed Barnwell to move into third. As the laps wound down, Henderson was able to pull out to a comfortable gap between himself and Olson. At the finish it was Henderson winning over Olson, Barnwell, Miller while Payne was able to recover and finish fifth.

Prior to the evening, it was confirmed that there will be a 100-lap late model event for the final race of the season, the Fall Spectacular. Racing for the event will take place Friday September 25th and Saturday September 26th. There are still two races left before the season finale though. Fan Appreciation Night is this Saturday August 29th while the Judy Fox Memorial Race will be held September 12th. Tickets for this weekend’s races are free pending that you pick them up at any of the various businesses that have them. Questions regarding where you can pick up tickets for Fan Appreciation Night along with information regarding the Fall Spectacular should be directed to Redwood Acres Raceway by calling 707-442-3232.

Championship races tight as season draws to an end

Championship races tight as season draws to an end

By Matthew J. Sullivan

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Points Standings Through 11 Races

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

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

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

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

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

DelBiaggio, Olson and Lewis victorious

DelBiaggio, Olson and Lewis victorious

By Matthew J. Sullivan

It was another glorious evening at Redwood Acres Raceway this past Saturday night. The beautiful summer sunshine bathed the 3/8-mile paved oval for the Acres’ 11th event of the season. Although the limited street stock class was again missing from the night’s scheduled events, the other five local divisions were joined by the Northern California Pro-4 Modifieds who were making their second and final visit to the raceway this season.

Scott Baker was the winner in the mini stock trophy dash over Craig Baker, Brian Murrell, Jr. and Brian McIntosh. Because the division only had five cars on the night, officials chose to skip running a heat race for the class. The 15-lap main event was shortened to 10 laps after Scott Baker, McIntosh and Steve Smith wrecked in turns one and two. Baker recovered and was able to continue but McIntosh and Smith were forced to the pits for the rest of the race. Murrell, Jr. had issues spinning in turn two and bringing a caution out after the first restart, and then again a few laps later. Unfortunately, Murrell’s car was unable to continue leaving the two Baker brothers to duel for the lead. On the last lap, Scott pushed his car a bit too hard and spun. This allowed Craig to cruise to the victory helping close the points gap that Scott had going into the race.

The real stock trophy dash was taken by Dustin Walters over his brother Ryan, while Pat Conway and Casey Mitchell finished the pack out. Ryan Robinson won the heat race ahead of Jim Redd, Ryan Walters, Mitchell and Donnie Hyman. Unlike the previous race on July 25th, the 15-lap real stock main event was clean, save for an unfortunate spin off turn two by Redd. Robinson was able to use his pole position start to full advantage as he was able to lead wire-to-wire taking the checkered flag over Mitchell, Ryan Walters, Conway and Dustin Walters.

The roadrunner division had its lowest car count in a number of weeks. Wyatt Roach took the trophy dash win over Charlie Anderson, Dustin DelBiaggio and Bill Snow. Anderson won the heat race ahead of Snow, Dylan Cook, DelBiaggio and Roach. Things got a bit too exciting in the 15-lap feature event when the track car driven by Evon Schumeier and Snow made contact coming out of turn two. Schumeier’s front bumper fell off in front of his front tires while Snow hit the turn-three wall likely due to a cut tire from the bumper. After the complete restart, DelBiaggio and Roach quickly moved to the first and second positions by the end of the first lap. On lap 2, Roach moved inside and past DelBiaggio for the race lead. The best battle for the rest of the race was for fifth between Erin Sandiferd and Raleigh Willoughby. Willoughby was able to take the lead late in the going. At the checkered flag, it was Roach taking the comfortable win over Cook, DelBiaggio, Anderson and Willoughby.

Johnny Barker took the trophy dash victory for the Northern California Pro-4 Modified cars over Curt Lewis, Greg Van Cleave and Jake Tillman. Barker followed that up with a heat race victory ahead of Van Cleave, Codi Barba, Tillman and Curt Lewis. Barker swiftly maneuvered his way to the front of the field from the rear in the 25-lap main event. Caution flew early on for Tillman who was leaking fluid onto the track. After the restart, Van Cleave moved into second behind Barker. The front two cars were the class of the field as Barker held a five to six car-length gap over Van Cleave in second. With only four laps remaining, Van Cleave spun in turn two. Unfortunately, Van Cleave was not able to get going again and was finished for the race. The restart allowed Barba to try to put up a fight for the lead but coming off turn four with two laps remaining Barba spun. At the same time, Barker’s car started to misfire. Coming to the white flag, Curt Lewis and Marty Lewis both got by Barker for first and second. It was a drag race to the line but Curt Lewis was able to beat Marty Lewis to the line for the win. Barker held on for third while Barba was fourth and Stan Bushman took fifth.

Thunder Roadster driver, Paul Peeples, Jr. returned to the Acres after a two race absence but had engine problems in practice and did not race on the evening. David Henderson fought off Randy Olson, Mike Ward and Tommy Payne in the trophy dash to win. After a long absence from the Acres, Ray Elliott returned to win the first heat race for the roadsters over Jay Bahner, Chris Sarvinski, Dave McMurray and Belinda Ward. Olson won the second heat beating Henderson, Robert Miller, Bruce Ziemer, Payne and Mike Ward. McMurray led the field to the green in the 30-lap feature event and put the pole position to good use, taking the lead from the start. The caution fell on lap two when Dan Browne and Payne made contact between turns three and four sending Payne spinning. Browne was sent to the rear of the field with Payne and the race resumed.

On the restart, Elliott tried to put pressure on the leader McMurray. Meanwhile, Sarvinski, Miller, Henderson and Olson were quickly moving to the front. Miller pushed high in turns one and two on lap four allowing Henderson and Olson to use the low line to get by. The next lap, Henderson moved under Sarvinski for third with Olson following in his path. On lap seven, Elliott spun off turn four while battling Henderson for the second position. McMurray had his hands full on the restart with both Henderson and Olson filling his mirrors. Henderson tried to use the high line to quickly get by McMurray for the lead but it left a spot for Olson to fall in on the bottom behind McMurray. Coming off turn four on lap 9, Olson was able to get under McMurray. Olson took the position the next lap with Miller following by past Henderson and McMurray.

Henderson quickly regrouped and moved by McMurray and then Miller on subsequent laps to get into second. Henderson rode in Olson’s mirror before lap 25 when he found a line under Olson coming off the fourth turn. The two raced wheel-to-wheel going into turn one, but Olson managed to shut the door on Henderson. The duo ran nose-to-tail until the final lap when Henderson moved under Olson coming off turn four. Olson was able to win the drag race to the line to take his second straight victory. Miller finished third with Mike Ward fourth and McMurray taking fifth.

Northern California racing legend, Jim Walker qualified his familiar blue 48 car for the sportsman division but did not take part in the racing action. Dennis DelBiaggio took the honors in the trophy dash winning ahead of Brandon Barnwell, Jerry Peterson and Larry Pries. Lissa Uselton fought off the pack to take the heat race win over Peterson, Angelo Marcelli, Barnwell and DelBiaggio. Uselton started on the pole position for the 30-lap main event and took the lead in the early going. Kavin Conn spun off the fourth turn on lap two. While Conn was coming back on the track, Uselton had to quickly slow down allowing to pass and take the lead. Pries, Barnwell and Peterson also took advantage of Uselton’s misfortune getting by her.

On lap 6, Pries moved outside and past Marcelli bringing DelBiaggio with him. A few laps later, DelBiaggio took the lead from Pries while Barnwell and Peterson moved by Marcelli at the same time. DelBiaggio was on rails and went unchallenged the rest of the race winning over Pries, Barnwell, Peterson and Marcelli.

Racing at the Acres returns in two weeks on August 22nd with Back-To-School Night. Only three races remain after that with Fan Appreciation Night on August 29th, the Judy Fox Memorial Race on September 12th and the Fall Spectacular on September 26th featuring late models and the I.M.C.A. Modifieds.

Olson breaks through to win, Barnwell victorious

Olson breaks through to win, Barnwell victorious

By Matthew J. Sullivan

Race number ten of the 2009 racing season at Redwood Acres Raceway occurred this past Saturday night. A beautiful Summer day turned to a cool and cloudy evening that was more akin to Spring. Nevertheless, it was another thrilling night of action on the 3/8-mile paved oval.

Five of the six local divisions partook in the night’s events. Unfortunately the limited street stock class did not race due to a low car turnout. Donnie Hyman won the real stock trophy dash beating Ryan Walters, Pat Conway and Jim Redd. Hyman followed up with a victory in the heat race ahead of Ryan Walters, Casey Mitchell, Dustin Walters and Conway. The 20 lap feature race proved to be a rough-and-tumble affair as there were an unusual number of incidents in what has been a very clean division throughout the 2009 season. Coming to the green flag, Dustin Walters who was outside of row one and Jim Redd who was outside of row two got sideways and spun at the same time. Redd hit the wall while Walters spun into the infield. Redd’s car was severely damaged but both were able to continue.

After a complete restart, Russ Robinson took the lead before he was turned by Dustin Walters in turn four bringing out a yellow flag before lap one had been completed. Walters was given the black flag and was forced into the pits for the rest of the race. Hyman inherited the lead over Conway, but by lap two Ryan Walters had moved into second. The top two pulled away from the rest of the field and dueled for the top spot. It was a tooth-and-nail duel as Walters occasionally used his bumper to try to pressure Hyman out of the lead. On lap 14, Robinson spun off turn four. At the same point, Walters and Hyman made contact off turn two sending Hyman spinning into the infield. Walters suffered damage to his nose and was forced to restart at the rear for his involvement in the incident. Doug Way took the lead on the restart, but coming off turn two he and Conway made contact spending Way spinning out of the lead. Conway was put to the rear of the field allowing Nick Green to take the lead. Green was able to lead the final four laps to take the victory over Redd, Hyman, Walters and Conway for his first main event victory of the year.

Brian McIntosh won the mini stock trophy dash over Craig Baker, Scott Baker and Brian Murrell, Jr. He backed that up with a heat race victory over Craig Baker, Scott Baker, Steve Smith and Jesse Chown. McIntosh took the lead from the front row in the 15-lap main event and held it before lap 2 when Murrell, Jr. got loose in turn two and spun bringing out the yellow flag. Craig Baker got a good jump on the restart and was able to pass McIntosh for the lead. Baker was able to pull out several car lengths over McIntosh, but with the laps winding down McIntosh was able to close in. On lap 11, McIntosh and Craig Baker made contact in turn one sending Baker spinning. Scott Baker was unable to slow down quick enough and hit McIntosh sending him into the infield and giving Baker the apparent lead. Under caution, Scott Baker was told to go to the rear by the officials. Baker decided to pull his car into the pits while McIntosh was able to keep his lead. The final three laps were incident free as McIntosh made a clean sweep on the night, taking the win over Murrell, Jr., Chown and Craig Baker.

The roadrunner division had a stout car count on the night with the addition of several new drivers. Joe Mitchell took the trophy dash over Wyatt Roach, Scott Campbell and Dustin DelBiaggio. Dylan Cook took the heat race win over Nick Bundy, Campbell, Roach and Charlie Anderson. The 20-lap feature was clean from the drop of the green to the drop of the checkered flag. Cook took the lead from the start while the field sorted out. While Cook pulled out to a comfortable margin, the best race in the field was between Anderson and Roach. The two raced side-by-side for the duration of the race. Roach was never able to use the high line to his advantage though. Mitchell was able to get by Roach and by Anderson by lap 18. At the front though, Cook had the field covered winning over Campbell handily. Mitchell finished third, Anderson fourth and Roach fifth.

Brandon Barnwell was doing double-duty on the night. In addition to driving his sportsman car, Barnwell was behind the wheel of Donn Cole’s thunder roadster. David Henderson won the thunder roadster trophy dash over Barnwell, Tommy Payne and Bruce Ziemer. Robert Miller won the first heat race ahead of Mike Ward, Shane Toole, Rob Nelson and Dave McMurray. Randy Olson made his first appearance of the 2009 season sporting an orange and white car. Olson won the second heat race over Jay Bahner, Ziemer, Barnwell and Payne. Ward took the lead early on in the 30-lap main event from his outside front row starting position. By lap two, Miller and Olson had moved into the third and fourth positions and looked prime to give Ward a challenge for the lead. Miller found the traction off turn two on lap three and got inside of Ward going into the third turn. Coming off turn four, both Ward and Miller pushed up allowing Olson to dive under making it three-wide across the stripe. The three went into turn one together but coming off turn two Olson was able to take the lead over Miller and Ward. Going into the third turn, Barnwell was able to take third from Ward. Two laps later, Barnwell was past Miller for second.

The caution flew on lap six when Henderson and Payne made contact off turn four. Payne’s left front tire got in touch with Henderson’s right rear sending Payne into the wall. Payne was okay but his car was done for the night. Henderson didn’t suffer any noticeable damage, but the incident seemed to hinder his car. Unlike all of the races prior, Henderson was not a factor for the race win on this night. After the restart, the best battle on the track was for the race lead. Olson and Barnwell fought a very clean battle for the top spot. On several occasions, it appeared as though Barnwell was going to use the low line to get by Olson, however Olson managed to pull his car out enough to prevent Barnwell from getting the positioning needed to challenge him for the lead. At the checkered flag it was Olson winning over Barnwell and Miller. Henderson claimed fourth while Ward finished fifth. Olson’s victory made him only the third different winner in the thunder roadster division this season. Prior to this race, every main event victory had been claimed by either David Henderson or Paul Peeples, Jr.

Larry Pries held off Brandon Barnwell, Dennis DelBiaggio and Angelo Marcelli to take the trophy dash win in the sportsman division. Jerry Peterson took the heat race win over DelBiaggio, Pries, Barnwell and Marcelli. In the 25-lap feature, Marcelli took the lead from the start. While Lissa Uselton dropped out after the first lap, Barnwell was quick to pounce on Peterson for second. On lap three, Barnwell moved high on Marcelli for the lead. The two went door handle-to-door handle for the next few laps before Barnwell was able to take the lead. On lap 8, Barnwell got under Marcelli for second. This opened the door for DelBiaggio and Pries to take third and fourth. It was single file after that and at the checkered flag it was Barnwell winning over Peterson, DelBiaggio, Pries and Marcelli.

The next event at Redwood Acres Raceway takes place Saturday August 8. Joining the local divisions will be the Pro-4 Modifieds who will be making their second appearance of 2009.

Water barrels, loose wheels and a wedding mark an interesting night at the Acres

Water barrels, loose wheels and a wedding mark an interesting night at the Acres

By Matthew J. Sullivan

It was a crazy night of racing this past Saturday evening at Redwood Acres Raceway. An unusually high number of incidents stalled the racing on several occasions throughout the evening. One of the highlights of the night though was the marriage of real stock driver, Roger Linn. Linn and his now wife Stephanie were married at the start/finish line in front of friends, family and race fans.

The limited street stock division only ran a trophy dash on the night. Fergy Ferguson won over Kenny Demello, Stan Young and Bill Middleton. The mini stock class also had a low car count on the evening and only ran a dash and a main event. Scott Baker won the dash over Brian Murrell, Jr., Steve Smith and Craig Baker. In the main event, Craig was able to hold off Scott to win while Brian McIntosh, Murrell, Jr. and Smith rounded out the finishers.

Ryan Walters held off Jim Redd, Nick Green and Casey Mitchell for the trophy dash win for the real stock division. Dustin Walters was sporting a new right on the night, but unfortunately hit the wall between turns one and two in the heat race and was finished for the rest of the evening. Pat Conway was able to take the heat race victory ahead of Ryan Walters, Roger Linn, Ryan Robinson and Green. The real stock main event was eventful to say the least. Conway held the lead early over the field, but on lap three in between turns three and four, Conway’s left rear wheel came off his car. The rest of the pack bunched up and was able to avoid further trouble, but this allowed Mitchell to take the race lead.

After the restart, Green was able to stretch his lead ahead of second place Robinson and the remainder of the field. The best battle on the track at this point was for third between Redd and Walters. The caution flew once more when one of Doug Way’s rear wheels came loose coming off turn two, sending him spinning into the infield. Mitchell brought the field to the restart once again, and spent the rest of the race mostly unchallenged as he brought home his first ever main event victory. Robinson took second, Redd third, Walters fourth and Linn fifth.

The roadrunner division saw another influx of new cars and drivers turnout for the night. Several notable drivers were missing on the evening including division points leader, Nick Bundy who has been the dominant driver in the division in its inaugural season, Oscar Koskinen who has been Bundy‘s toughest competition and Raleigh Willoughby. Wyatt Roach took the dash victory over Carrie Cook, Joe Mitchell and Dustin DelBiaggio. The heat race had a scary accident on the start as Robby Nelson got too high in turns one and two and hit the water barrels protecting the turn two pit wall. Thankfully Nelson was unhurt and was in fact able to return to the race. Dylan Cook took the win in the car normally driving by Bill Snow. Carrie Cook took second, Charlie Anderson third, Dustin DelBiaggio fourth and Jimmy Murray fifth.

Dylan Cook held the lead from the pole position in the main event but on lap three Anderson was able to take the lead coming out of turn two. Roach had the car to beat on this night. He was able to quickly dice his way through the field and by lap seven he passed Cook for the second position. Caution flew on lap 12 for debris on the track. After the restart, Roach pulled out a sizeable lead while Anderson and DelBiaggio battled for the second spot. On lap 15, DelBiaggio drove his car a bit too hard going into the third turn, slamming into the wall, severely damaging his car and ending his night. The restart bunched up the field, but nobody had anything to challenge Roach for the lead and he was able to take his first main event victory over Anderson, Erik Mendes, Jimmy Murray and Dylan Cook.

The thunder roadster division had one of its strongest competitors missing the evening as Paul Peeples, Jr. was not in attendance. David Henderson won the trophy dash over Mark Arroyo, Tommy Payne and Robert Miller. Belinda Ward won the first head ahead of Shane Toole, Mark Baldwin, Bruce Ziemer and Dan Browne while Payne narrowly edged Miller to the line in the second heat over Arroyo, Mike Ward and Henderson.

The thunder roadster main event was a quick and clean caution-free race. Pole-sitter, Rob Nelson used the position to his advantage as he took the lead on the first lap and maintained it over the field. Chris Sarvinski was the first of the faster cars to maneuver his way to the front, getting to third position by lap seven, but it wasn’t long before Henderson made his presence known. A lap later, second place Toole got loose allowing Sarvinski to pull into the position and Henderson to take third.

Nelson did all he could to hold off the faster cars of Sarvinski and Henderson, but on lap 12 it wasn’t enough. Henderson was able to move under Sarvinski for second coming off turn two, then going into turns three and four he was able to get by Nelson for the lead. While Henderson ran away, Miller began to make his charge. On lap 19, Miller took second away from Sarvinski. There was no beating Henderson on this night though has he built and maintained an insurmountable lead and handily took the race win over Miller, Sarvinski, Arroyo and Payne.

Dennis DelBiaggio took the trophy dash accolades in the sportsman division ahead of Angelo Marcelli, Larry Pries and Jerry Peterson. In the heat race, Marcelli was able to beat Aaron Byers, Lissa Uselton, DelBiaggio and Peterson for the victory. Byers took the lead early and held it until DelBiaggio took it on lap eight. However on that same lap, Frank Billy spun in turns three and four bringing out the yellow. Since the division no longer races to the flag and reverts to scoring on the previous lap, Byers was able to regain the lead while DelBiaggio slotted into second.

Byers had his hands full with DelBiaggio after the restart and unfortunately he lost the lead to DelBiaggio on lap eight. DelBiaggio’s move opened the door for Peterson and Marcelli to take second and third away from Byers. On lap 14 while trying to pass Byers for fourth, Uselton’s right front tire and Byers’ left rear tire touched in turns three and four. Uselton’s car drove over the side of Byers’ car, tearing off his left side sheet metal and nearly sending Uselton onto her side. Amazingly both drivers were able to continue on in the race. DelBiaggio ran away from the field after the restart and was able to cruse to victory over Peterson, Marcelli, Pries and Billy.

There are only six events left at Redwood Acres Raceway in 2009. Racing takes a two week break before returning Saturday July 25th. There are three events in the month of August; August 8th, August 22nd (Back-To-School Night) and August 29th (Fan Appreciation Night). The regular season rounds out for a few of the divisions on September 12th for the Judy Fox Memorial Race and the season finale is September 26th for the annual Fall Spectacular.

Fair races live up to their expectations

Fair races live up to their expectations

By Matthew J. Sullivan

The grandstands were packed this past Friday and Saturday night at Redwood Acres Raceway for the annual Redwood Acres Fair Classic. As has been the case in previous years, the Fair Classic brought out a number of drivers who have not raced at the Acres full-time or in some cases at all this season. This made for some electrifying racing and unluckily several incidents.

The limited street stock division had its highest car count in several years thanks in part to several Oregon drivers who made the trek to race at the Acres; Bob Barnes, Bob Brumbrack, Dan Fouts, Gary Perry, Doug Risely and Bobby Wright. Their attendance for this weekend’s racing was very much appreciated by everyone at Redwood Acres Raceway. Wright won the Friday night trophy dash over Risely, Kenny Demello and Bob Barnes. The heat race victory went to Barnes ahead of Fergy Ferguson, Demello, Risely and Perry.

Stan Young held the lead early on in the main event but by lap five he faced the challenge of both Fouts and Demello. On lap seven, Fouts went to the high side on Young. Demello found a groove inside of Young and the trio went three-wide into turn three. Demello came out with the lead with Fouts second and Young third. The rest of the main event was nip and tuck between Demello and Fouts. It appeared as though Fouts had the faster machine, but he was unable to find the speed necessary to get by Demello and at the checkered flag it was Demello the victor over Fouts, Wright, Perry and Ferguson.

The starting lineup for all of the divisions on Saturday night were determined by the results of the races on the previous night, only inverted. Risely won the Saturday night dash followed by Barnes, Wright and Demello. Risely followed the dash win with a victory in the heat race beating out Fouts, Wright, Young and Ferguson. Brumbrack took the lead early on in the feature event before the caution fell on lap two when Risely nailed the turn four wall severely damaging his right front and putting an end to his evening.

After the restart, on lap eight Brumbrack’s car lost power going down the back stretch giving the lead to Young with Barnes following into second. Two laps later, Barnes touched Young between turns three and four sending Young spinning into the infield. Barnes was sent to the rear of the field allowing Wright to take the helm. From that point on it was all Wright as he was able to cruise away to victory over Demello, Fouts, Ferguson and Barnes.

Craig Baker won the Friday night mini stock trophy dash over Brian McIntosh, Brian Murrell, Jr. and Scott Baker. The Baker brothers dueled in the heat race with Scott beating Craig while Murrell, Jr., McIntosh and Norm Carmichael. In the main event, it was Craig beating out Scott this time. Murrell, Jr. took third, Steve Smith fourth and McIntosh fifth. Scott Baker started off Saturday night with the dash win over McIntosh, Craig Baker and Murrell, Jr. McIntosh held off Craig Baker to win the heat race while Scott Baker, Murrell, Jr. and Mike Weekley. The Bakers dueled once again in the future and this time it was Scott beating Craig for the win. McIntosh, Len Bowman took third and fourth while Smith and Murrell, Jr. crossed the line in a virtual dead heat for fifth.

Real stock trophy dash honors on Friday evening went to Ryan Walters over Casey Mitchell, Bill Middleton who was driving Jim Redd’s car for the weekend and Dustin Walters. Nick Green held off Roger Linn, Pat Conway, Middleton and Mitchell for the heat race victory. One of the more scary incidents occurred early on in the main event when Ryan Robinson lost his right front wheel in turn four. The wheel rolled off the track then back on in front of Dustin Walters and Conway who both made contact with the wheel sending it bouncing approximately 20 feet in the air. Thankfully the wheel rolled safely and harmlessly into the infield and neither Walters or Conway suffered extensive damage to their cars. Middleton held off Ryan Walters for the win in the feature while Green, Linn and Conway rounded out the top five.

Dustin Walters started off Saturday night with a trophy dash victory over Middleton, Mitchell and Ryan Walters. The win in the heat race was taken by Ryan Walters followed by Robinson, Middlton, Mitchell and Dustin Walters. Ryan Walters chalked up another main event victory in 2009 beating Mitchell, Linn, Green and Middleton.

Carrie Cook beat Oscar Koskinen to the line in the roadrunner dash on Friday with Jimmy Murray and Bill Snow rounded out the finish. Nick Bundy claimed the heat race win over Cook, Koskinen, Charlie Anderson and Murray. Koskinen took the main event victory over Bundy, Anderson, Murray and Cook. On Saturday night, Bundy found himself the trophy dash winner over Murray, Cook and Koskinen. Anderson proved victorious in the heat race over Murray, Bundy, Koskinen and Erik Mendes. Bundy was able to withstand and fend off a furious charge my Mendes to win the main event. Murray took third while Anderson was able to beat Koskinen back to the finish line for fourth.

The familiar battle in the thunder roadster division between Paul Peeples, Jr. and David Henderson resumed in the Friday night dash as Peeples beat Henderson, Robert Miller and Tommy Payne to win. Bill Bradbury won the first heat race Chris Sarvinski, Dave McMurray, Jim Rich and Dan Browne. Peeples took the second heat over Henderson, Brandon Barnwell driving Donn Cole’s car, Mike Ward and Payne. Peeples grabbed the lead early on in the main event and held off a late race charge by Henderson to take the narrow victory while Miller finished third, Payne fourth and Mark Arroyo fifth. Saturday night’s dash win was claimed by Henderson over Payne, Peeples and Miller. Arroyo won heat one over Rob Nelson, Browne, McMurray and Belinda Ward while heat two was taken by Chris Sarvinski ahead of Henderson, Peeples, Mike Ward and Barnwell. Peeples was able to take the main event on the night over Miller, Arroyo, Barnwell and Payne.

The sportsman division saw the surprise return of a West Coast stock car racing legend. Two time super stock track champion, Jim Walker made his first start in a local division at the Acres since 1990. Unfortunately prior to the events on Friday night, one of Walker’s long-time on-track rivals, Larry Pries severely injured his thumb after getting involved in a wreck in practice that was started by a flat left-rear tire on Brandon Barnwell’s machine. Pries was unable to race both Friday and Saturday night.

In the Friday trophy dash, Jerry Peterson narrowly beat Dennis DelBiaggio to the line for the victory while Brandon Barnwell and Joe McDonald followed behind. The first heat race went to Lissa Uselton over Al Acuna, Preston O’Dell, Ken Hallis and Ryan Peeples. Walker won the second heat to the delight of the crowed over Aaron Byers, McDonald, Peterson and Barnwell. The main event saw several incidents in the early stages. In fact, it wasn’t until a third restart on that the cars were able to accrue more than a single lap. McDonald was able to stave off a last corner charge by Walker to take his first main event of the season, making him the seventh different main event winner in as many races. Delbiaggio placed third, Marcelli fourth and Peterson fifth.

McDonald returned on Saturday to take the trophy dash victory over Delbiaggio, Peterson and Marcelli. Peeples took the win in heat one over Shawn Craig, Acuna, Uselton and Kavin Conn. The second heat race went to McDonald ahead of DelBiaggio, Marcelli, Peterson and Walker. McDonald and DelBiaggio carried on their fight in the main event with DelBiaggio able to withstand several late race restarts and beat McDonald for his second main event of the season, breaking the string of different winners. Byers narrowly edged out Walker for third while Marcelli took fifth.

Racing at Redwood Acres Raceway goes on hiatus for two weeks before returning Saturday July 11th.

Championships favorites becoming clearer at Redwood Acres Raceway

Championships favorites becoming clearer at Redwood Acres Raceway

By Matthew J. Sullivan

The 2009 racing season at Redwood Acres Raceway is more than 1/3rd of the way through the year’s schedule. The points standings in the six local classes after six of the scheduled 15 events are tight in some of the divisions while in others, the margin is much larger and the points standings are more spread out.

The limited street stock division points are led by Fergy Ferguson with 215. He holds a two point lead over Kenny Demello in second and a 14 point lead over Stan Young in third. The closeness of the standings are unfortunately a reflection of the lack of cars in the division. Bill Middleton stands fourth with 66 points garnered.

It’s a battle of brothers in the mini stock class. Scott Baker leads brother Craig 393-382. Brian McIntosh is third with 372 points while rookie Steve Smith isn’t too far behind in fourth with 342. Brian Murrell, Jr. is fifth with 176. Nick Bundy has been the dominant force in the roadrunner divisions first season at Redwood Acres Raceway, winning five of the six main events on the year. Bundy has 390 points, 127 more than second place Oscar Koskinen at 263. Jimmy Murray is third with 261 followed by Carrie Cook with 241 and the Redwood Acres track car with 238.

Ryan Walters has been the man to beat in the real stock division winning four of the six main events. Walters has scored 410 points thus far. Casey Mitchell has been a consistent top three runner and stands in second place with 368 points. Jim Redd is third with a main event win and 366 points, while Pat Conway also has a main event victory and is one point behind Redd in fourth place. Roger Linn, Jr. is in fifth with 342 points.

In the thunder roadster division, David Henderson was able to stretch his points lead over Paul Peeples, Jr. in the June 6th race at Redwood Acres. Henderson swept the night winning the trophy dash, the heat race and the main event while Peeples struggled with his car after having to change his engine earlier in the day. Henderson has 414 points while Peeples in second has 390. While those two have been the dominant drivers in the division, Robert Miller has been the “best of the rest” and is third in points with 362. Fourth place is only five behind miller with 357 while Mike Ward is fifth with 330.

Out of all the divisions, the sportsman class has been the most competitive without question. Through the six races this year, there have been six different winners. Dennis Delbiaggio has a 10 point lead over Larry Pries, 381-371, both drivers having scored a main event win this year. Angelo Marcelli is third, three points behind Pries with 368 and a main event victory. Jerry Peterson is another five points behind Marcelli with 363 and a main event victory in the last race at the Acres on June 6th. Brandon Barnwell sits fifth with a main event and 251 points. The top four drivers are the only ones who have been in all six races this season.

Racing at Redwood Acres Raceway returns on Friday June 26th and Saturday 27th for the Redwood Acres Fair Classic. This event is the second biggest race of the season at the speedway next to the Fall Classic season finale in September. A number of cars are expected to show up for both nights in several of the divisions and its expected to be a pair of thrilling nights at the Acres.

Limited Street Stocks
Track Record: Trevor Miller 17.143
Fergy Ferguson 215, Kenny Demello 213, George Young 201, Bill Middleton 66

Mini Stocks
Craig Baker 18.597
Scott Baker 393, Craig Baker 382, Brian McIntosh 372, Steve Smith 342, Brian Murrell, Jr. 176, Len Bowman 161, Brian Murrell, Sr. 130, Nick Karanopoulos 117, Norm Carmichael 88, Denzil Barrett 59

Roadrunners
Nick Bundy 21.825
Nick Bundy 390, Oscar Koskinen III 263, Jimmy Murray 261, Carrie Cook 241, Track Car 238, Charlie Anderson 221, Dustin DelBiaggio 200, Bill Snow 120, Erik Mendes 111, Raleigh Willoughby 59

Real Stocks
Shawn Craig 18.763
Ryan Walters 410, Casey Mitchell 368, Jim Redd 366, Pat Conway 365, Roger Linn, Jr. 342, Dustin Walters 318, Ryan/Russ Robinson 227, Nick Green 210, Doug Way 101, Bob Lima 57, Jim Bailey 11

Thunder Roadsters
Paul Peeples, Jr. 16.839
Dave Henderson 414, Paul Peeples, Jr. 390, Robert Miller 362, Thomas Payne 357, Mike Ward 330, Chris Sarvinski 303, Rob Nelson 281, Mark Arroyo 281, Bruce Ziemer 257, Belinda Ward 245, Jim Rich 213, Dan Browne 187, Jay Bahner 148, Chris Banfill 141, Donn Cole 59, Dave McMurray 50, Doug Pulver 43

Sportsman
Shawn Andrews 15.794
Dennis DelBiaggio 387, Larry Pries 377, Angelo Marcelli 368, Jerry Peterson 363, Brandon Barnwell 251, Joe McDonald 197, Frank Billy, Jr. 126, Aaron Byers 124, Kavin Conn 116, Shawn Craig 107, Ken Hallis 56, Al Acuna 53, Lissa Uselton 11.

Henderson notches fourth win, Peterson sneaks his first

Henderson notches fourth win, Peterson sneaks his first

By Matthew J. Sullivan

It was an exceptionally quick night of racing this past Saturday night at Redwood Acres Raceway. The events started at 6:30 in the evening and it was just before 9:00 when fans were filing out of the grandstands following the final checkered flag. Unfortunately, part of that was due to a low car count in all of the divisions on the night, but also there were not any serious incidents that ended up causing any on-track cleanup.

Kenny Demello and Stan Young were the only two drivers in the limited street stocks to make a qualifying attempt and unfortunately there were no races for the division. The mini stocks had only five cars show up. Craig Baker won the trophy dash and narrowly beat Brian McIntosh to the line in the heat race. McIntosh and Baker dueled again in the 10-lap main event. Baker looked to have the better car, but got loose in the second turn with a few laps left and spun. McIntosh was able to cruise to his first main event victory of the season ahead of Scott Baker, Steve Smith and Norm Carmichael, while Craig Baker finished fifth.

Jim Redd held off Casey Mitchell, Ryan Walters and Pat Conway to win the real stock trophy dash. Ryan Robinson took the heat race victory ahead of Mitchell, Dustin Walters, Ryan Walters and Roger Linn. The action kicked off right at the get-go of the 15 lap main event. A huge jam-up between several cars ended up giving Mitchell the lead and a huge margin over the rest of the pack. As he has done several times this year, Ryan Walters maneuvered his way through the field and to second position in only a few laps. With two laps to go, Walters used the low line to get past Mitchell for the lead. Walters crossed the finish line first with Mitchell second, Dustin Walters third, Robinson fourth and Redd fifth.

Carrie Cook won the roadrunner dash ahead of Oscar Koskinen, Charlie Anderson and Jimmy Murray. A last lap incident involving Murray and Anderson ended up damaging Murray’s car enough to where he was unable to race in the main event. Bill Snow was able to take the win over Cook, Koskinen, Nick Bundy and Murray. Bundy returned to the form he had shown in the first four events of the season as he took the lead early on in the main event and then held off Koskinen to take the victory. Eric Mendes ended up third ahead of Cook and Snow.

The sportsman trophy dash was won by Dennis Delbiaggio over Angelo Marcelli, Joe McDonald and Larry Pries. Jerry Peterson took the dash win over McDonald, Ken Hallis, Delbiaggio and Brandon Barnwell. Peterson and Hallis comprised the front row of the 25-lap main event and the two fought door-handle-to-door-handle the first several laps before Hallis was able to firmly take control of the top spot. Delbiaggio looked to be the best car on the track as he was able to dice through the field, moving by Peterson for the second position on lap 13. The field bunched up after a lap 18 spin by Marcelli. The restart allowed Delbiaggio to put some real pressure on Hallis. With two laps to go, Hallis and Delbiaggio got together coming off of turn two sending both sliding through the infield grass. This allowed Peterson to inherit the lead. On the last lap, Pries and Barnwell touched while racing for second going into the third turn. McDonald was able to get by both drivers to take second. Peterson was safely in front through and took the checkered flag over McDonald and Barnwell. Former real stock driver, Shawn Craig brought his car home in fourth in only his second sportsman main event while Pries was able to get going again to finish fifth.

David Henderson has made victory lane his personal home this season in the thunder roadster division and he was there once again after the trophy dash. Robert Miller, Mike Ward and Chris Sarvinski were the other drivers in the dash. Gary Payne won the first dash over Rob Nelson, Dan Browne, Belinda Ward and Jim Rich. The second dash saw the loss of two cars. Bruce Ziemer appeared to get loose going into turn one. As Ziemer slid down the track, he collected Sarvinski and Mike Ward. Both Ziemer and Sarvinski were finished for the night. In the end, Henderson won the heat over Miller.

Racing for the top spot in the 25-lap thunder roadster main event was fast and furious in the early going. Nelson and Browne fought tooth and nail for the top position. Nelson briefly took the lead before Payne was able to get by on the third lap. Mike Ward, Henderson and Miller fought hard amongst themselves for the second position before Henderson was able to take the position away on lap five. Miller was able to get by Ward on lap seven just as Henderson moved under Payne to take the lead. On lap 12, Miller moved under Payne for second in turn three but got tight in turn four, got into Payne and spun into the infield resulting in a caution flag. After the restart, the best racing proved to come from Miller who was moving his way through the field back to the front as quick as he could. On lap 23, Miller took third away from Mike Ward, but unfortunately for him that was as high as he would get. Henderson was able to more or less cruise to the win ahead of Payne, Miller, Ward and Nelson.

A reminder to fans, the scheduled June 13th event at Redwood Acres Raceway has been cancelled. Racing returns to the Acres on Friday June 26th and Saturday June 27th during the Redwood Acres Fair.

Peeples ends Henderson’s streak, DelBiaggio notches first win of the season

Peeples ends Henderson’s streak, DelBiaggio notches first win of the season

By Matthew J. Sullivan

Race number five of the 2009 racing season at Redwood Acres Raceway completed this past Saturday night under cool and cloudy conditions, weather akin more to early springtime weather rather than late. Nevertheless, another good fan count showed up to watch another thrilling night of racing on Eureka’s 3/8-mile paved oval.

With only four cars racing in each division, both the limited street stocks and the mini stocks saw a limited number of laps. Kenny Demello won the trophy dash for the limited streets while Fergy Ferguson won the 10-lap feature over Demello, Stan Young and Bill Middleton who was making his first start of the season. Craig Baker won the dash, the heat and the main event for the mini stock class. Brian McIntosh was able to hold off Scott Baker in the main for second while Steve Smith rounded out the field.

Jim Redd won the real stock trophy dash holding off Ryan Walters, Jim Hathaway and Roger Linn. Dustin Walters won the heat ahead of Hathaway, Nick Green, Redd and Ryan Walters. Coming from the second row, Redd moved to the lead going into the first turn of the 15-lap main event. By the end of the first lap, Ryan Walters had moved from the back to second position. The field spread out and the race was relatively calm until the final laps when Walters tried to make a move by Redd for the lead and the race win. Walters tried to get Redd loose in turns three and four on the last lap with a bump. Redd’s bumper fell off and slid up to the wall harmlessly and it wasn’t enough to shake him out of the lead as he took the checkered flag first over Walters, Linn, Dustin Walters and Casey Mitchell.

Redwood Acres Raceway’s newest division, the roadrunners, continues to see an increase in the number of cars showing up. Bill Snow won the dash over Nick Bundy, Dustin Delbiaggio and Carrie Cook. Oscar Koskinen took the heat race victory over Delbiaggio, Eric Mendes, Bundy and Snow. The main event for the roadrunners proved to be a rough and tumble affair. Upon starting from the outside position on the front row of the main event, Koskinen took the lead from Charlie Anderson. The first caution flew early on when Anderson got loose going into turn three, got into Snow sending Snow into the wall. A few laps after the restart, Delbiaggio drove a bit too hard going into the third turn getting into Cook and sending both drivers spinning and bringing out the caution flag. Both drivers were able to avoid suffering any damage and were able to continue in the race.

Koskinen continued to hold lead over Bundy in second and Snow in third. On the tenth lap, Snow got into Bundy in turn three. Bundy did a 360 and kept going without a yellow flag. On the final lap in the final corner, Snow bumped Koskinen going into the third turn. Behind those two, Bundy got into Cook sending her spinning in the fourth turn. In the end Snow crossed the line first ahead of Koskinen while Bundy was third, Wyatt Roach in the track car in fourth and Cook fifth. After the race, officials deemed Snow‘s driving to be too aggressive. The end result was Koskinen the main event winner, his first of the year breaking Bundy’s streak of four.

Joe McDonald made his second appearance in the sportsman division this year and took home the trophy dash victory beating Brandon Barnwell, Dennis Delbiaggio and Angelo Marcelli. Jerry Peterson took the heat race win over Barnwell, Pries, Marcelli and McDonald. Peterson used the pole position to his advantage as he took the lead early on in the 25 lap sportsman main event. On lap three, Barnwell moved to the high side of Peterson and the duo dueled side-by-side until lap five when Barnwell took the position away. Delbiaggio was able to use the same move a lap later to take the second position. A lap later, McDonald did the same thing to move by Peterson into third.

On lap seven, former real stock driver Shawn Craig, who was making his debut in the division on this night, got loose off the fourth turn, got into the infield but was able to safely maneuver his car on the track not causing a serious accident. On the ninth lap, Delbiaggio found the inside line under Barnwell to take the lead away. With a few laps to go, Barnwell got loose off turn four and spun. Fortunately nobody else got involved, but unfortunately Barnwell was forced to the rear of the field on the restart. Delbiaggio took the restart over McDonald with two laps left in the race. McDonald couldn’t muster the strength to make a move on Delbiaggio and at the line it was Delbiaggio first over McDonald, Larry Pries, Peterson and Marcelli.

David Henderson was able to beat Paul Peeples, Jr. in the thunder roadster trophy dash by literally inches. Chris Sarvinski and Robert Miller rounded out the finishers. The first roadster heat featured an incident that unfortunately ended Belinda Ward’s night. Jay Bahner took the heat win over Dave McMurray who was making his first start of the year, Rob Nelson, Dan Browne and Jim Rich. Miller held off Peeples for the win in the second heat while Mark Arroyo, Mike Ward and Sarvinski were the other top five finishers. Nelson and Bahner took the field to the green in the 35 lap thunder roadster feature. The two battled side-by-side in the opening laps before Bahner, who was sporting the new roadster body style took the lead. Meanwhile, the faster cars of Tommy Payne, Miller, Peeples and Henderson were quickly dicing their way through the field. By the third lap they were third through fifth in that order.

Miller tried to use the high line to get by Peeples on the fourth lap, but just as quickly as he made that move, Peeples found room under Payne to take the second spot. Henderson filled the hole behind Peeples and moved under Miller for fourth. On completion of the same lap, Bahner got too high off turn four allowing Peeples to get under to take the lead. Peeples began to pull away as Banher, Payne, Henderson and Miller all battled for position. It wasn’t until lap eight until Henderson was able to get under Payne for third.

After a brief caution period, Peeples got a fantastic jump on Bahner on the restart and was able to pull to a sizeable gap. Henderson got under Bahner on lap 11, opening the door for Payne and Miller. Three laps later, Miller moved by Payne for third. It appeared as though Peeples would go unchallenged as he had built up what looked to be an insurmountable lead over Henderson before the caution flew for Rich’s spun car in turn four with just six laps left. Peeples led the field to the restart, but unlike the races past this season, Henderson didn’t seem to have the strength to provide a challenge for the lead. Miller was able to pounce on Henderson for second and was able to take the position. By then though, it was too late for Miller to mount a challenge on Peeples and it was Peeples winning over Miller, Henderson, Payne and Sarvinski.

Racing returns to the Acres this coming Saturday night. Of note is a schedule change. The June 13th Father’s Day Weekend race has been cancelled. Another race has been added for the Redwood Acres Fair Classic on June 28th.

Henderson, DelBiaggio and Walters early season points leaders

Henderson, DelBiaggio and Walters early season points leaders

By Matthew J. Sullivan

Four of the scheduled 15 races have already been completed for the 2009 season at Redwood Acres Raceway and the points standings for most of the five divisions are still fairly close. There are a few drivers than have flexed their muscle thus far and have made it known that they are the driver to beat every night.

The limited street stocks have only raced on three of the four scheduled race nights due to a lack of cars in the division. Kenny Demello is the points leader with 143 total over Fergy Ferguson by only two points. George Young has scored 133 points thus far and is in third place while Bill Middleton has 10 points.

Scott Baker has been a dominant force in the mini stock class. Baker has two main event wins and has 269 total points. Brother Craig Baker is second with 255 and a main event victory followed by Brian McIntosh (242), Steve Smith (225) and Brian Murrell, Jr. (166). Smith won the most recent event on May 16th.

The new roadrunner division has seen an influx of cars from the first race of the season. Of all the drivers though, Nick Bundy has proven to be the class of the field. Bundy has won all four main events and has 266 points. Jimmy Murray is second with 232 while the raceway’s track car is third in points with 166. Despite missing two races, Dustin Delbiaggio is fourth with 135 points and Oscar Koskinen is fifth with 125.

Ryan Walters returned to the real stock division for 2009 and has shown not to have any rust behind the wheel. Walters has won three main events and has a total of 276 points. Pat Conway is the other driver in the division who has won this season, winning the April 25th event. Conway is second with 252 points. Casey Mitchell is third (246) while Jim Redd and Roger Linn, Jr. round out the top five with 238 and 227 points respectively.

Of all the divisions at the Acres, the sportsman class has been the most competitive. No driver has scored more than one main event during the season and the points standings show the closeness of the racing that’s been seen so far. Despite not having won a main event, Dennis Delbiaggio is the points leader with 261. Angelo Marcelli, who scored a win on April 25th is second, a mere point behind. Larry Pries who won the season opener is third with 254 points while Jerry Peterson is fourth with 230. Brandon Barnwell sits at fifth with 134 and a main win on May 9th. The other main event winner this year was Aaron Byers who won May 16th.

Though the points do not reflect it, David Henderson has clearly been the man to beat in the Thunder Roadsters. Henderson has won the past three main events and sits first in points with 283 scored. Last season’s dominator, Paul Peeples, Jr. is second with a main event win and 271 points. Tommy Payne is third at 235 while Chris Sarvinski has 231 and Mark Arroyo has 229.

Racing at the Acres resumes this Saturday night, June 6th and will be followed up next Saturday night with Father’s Day race on June 13th.

Redwood Acres Raceway Points Standings after 4 events:

Limited Street Stocks
Track Record: Trevor Miller 17.143
Kenny Demello 143, Fergy Ferguson 141, George Young 133, Bill Middleton 10

Mini Stocks
Craig Baker 18.597
Scott Baker 269, Craig Baker 255, Brian McIntosh 242, Steve Smith 225, Brian Murrell, Jr. 166, 50 Len Bowman/Frank Billy 161, Brian Murrell, Sr. 130, Nick Karanopoulos 117, Denzil Barrett 89, Norm Carmichael 22

Roadrunners
Nick Bundy 21.825
Nick Bundy 266, Jimmy Murray 232, Track Car 166, Dustin DelBiaggio 135, Oscar Koskinen 125, Carrie Cook/Kent Campbell 123, Charlie Anderson 109

Real Stocks
Shawn Craig 18.763
Ryan Walters 276, Pat Conway 252, Casey Mitchell 246, Jim Redd 238, Roger Linn, Jr. 227, Dustin Walters 191, Ryan/Russell Robinson 153, Nick Green 106, Bob Lima 57, Doug Way 51, Jim Bailey 11

Sportsman
Shawn Andrews 15.794
Dennis DelBiaggio 261, Angelo Marcelli 260, Larry Pries 254, Jerry Peterson 230, Brandon Barnwell 134, Frank Billy, Jr. 126, Kavin Conn 116, Aaron Byers 76, Joe McDonald 63, Al Acuna 53, Lissa Uselton 11

Thunder Roadsters
Paul Peeples, Jr. 16.839
Dave Henderson 283, Paul Peeples, Jr. 271, Thomas Payne 236, Chris Sarvinski 231, Mark Arroyo 229, Robert Miller 228, Mike Ward 218, Bruce Ziemer 203, Rob Nelson 183, Belinda Ward 181, Chris Banfill 141, Jim Rich 129, Dan Browne 93, Jay Bahner 89, Shane Toole 48, Donn Cole 10.

Henderson scores win number two on the season

Henderson scores win number two on the season

By Matthew J. Sullivan

Racing at Redwood Acres Raceway returned for the third time this season this past Saturday night. A large crowd turned out to watch all six local classes return to action once again at the 3/8-mile paved oval. As usual, there was much close racing but unfortunately there were a number of incidents that cut short the night of several racers.

The limited street stock class timed in only three cars and only ran the trophy dash. Fergy Ferguson took the dash win over Kenny Demello and George Young. The roadrunner division saw an influx of several cars on the night. Keri Cook won the dash in her first ever start beating Nick Bundy, Oscar Koskinen and Dustin Delbiaggio. Costinin won the heat race ahead of Bundy, Delbiaggio, Cook and Jimmy Murray. The first lap of the main event was led by Murray before Bundy took the top position on the second lap. Bundy would not look back from that point on. On the last lap of the race, Murray and Delbiaggio made contact and spun on the front stretch. Bundy crossed the line the winner while Delbiaggio and Koskinen finished second and third.

The real stock trophy dash winner was Casey Mitchell followed by Ryan Walters, Jim Redd and Roger Linn. Walters followed that win with another in the heat race over Pat Conway, Mitchell, Redd and Dustin Walters. The battle for the lead on lap one of the main event was between Ryan and Dustin Walters with Mitchell right in the mix. By lap two, Ryan took the lead away from Dustin and set sail while Mitchell was able to follow through into the second position. Redd was able to pass Walters for third on lap three. The best battle on the track was for second between Mitchell and Redd. Redd was able to successfully take the position on lap 10 after dueling side-by-side with Mitchell for several laps. On lap 19, Redd spun on his own in the second turn bringing out the yellow flag. The restart was merely a delay to victory lane for Walters as he was able to hold off Mitchell at the line to win his second main event on the year. Conway finished third with Dustin Walters fourth and Linn fifth.

The mini stock division has a few more cars show up to race for the evening. Scott Baker won the dash over Brian Murrell, Brian McIntosh and Denzil Barrett. Baker followed that up with the heat race win over McIntosh, Murrell, Barrett and Craig Baker. The main event proved to be a wild one. On lap three, Scott Baker, Barrett and Brian Murrell, Jr. came together along the front straightaway sending Barrett’s vehicle over the rear wheel of Murrell’s car. Murrell was finished for the night. On the restart it was his father leading Nick Karanopoulos, McIntosh and the Baker brothers, Scott and Craig. On lap five, Steve Smith spun in the fourth corner. While coming back to the flag, McIntosh and Scott Baker spun. Barrett had nowhere to go and slammed head on into Baker’s car. McIntosh was able to continue while Baker, Barrett and Smith were forced out for the rest of the event. After the restart, McIntosh broke and brought out another yellow. The race was shortened to 10 laps and Murrell was able to hold off Craig Baker and Karanopoulos for the victory. Afterwards, Murrell was disqualified for not going through post-race teardown so the win was awarded to Baker.

Defending sportsman division champion, Brandon Barnwell returned to the Acres for the first time this season winning the trophy dash followed by Larry Pries, Dennis Delbiaggio and Angelo Marcelli. The heat race featured an unfortunate incident in turn one. Pries spun and collected Frank Billy ending Billy’s evening. Barnwell took the dash win ahead of Jerry Peterson, Marcelli and Delbiaggio. The first few laps of the main were led by Delbiaggio. Coming off of turn four on the fifth lap, Delbiaggio got severely loose, nearly wrecking. This allowed Barnwell to take the lead away. Delbiaggio got loose and spun on lap 10 bringing out the caution flag. Barnwell was able to race comfortably after the restart and took the victory over Pries, Delbiaggio, Marcelli and Peterson.

David Henderson won the thunder roadster heat race over Paul Peeples, Jr., Mike Ward and Tommy Payne. Mark Arroyo won the first heat ahead of Bruce Ziemar, Rob Nelson, Jay Bahner and Belinda Ward. Peeples held off Henderson for the victory in the second heat race while Robert Miller, Payne and Mike Ward rounded out the top five. Chris Sarvinski took the lead early on in the main event and it looked as though it might be his night. However as both Henderson and Peeples knifed their way through traffic, it was obvious that once again the battle for the race win would be between them. After holding both Henderson and Peeples off for the first 15 laps, Sarvinski had to make way for the two, falling back to the third position. Henderson was clearly the fastest car on the track on the night as he was able to pull out and maintain a comfortable lead over Peeples. At the checkered flag it was Henderson over Peeples, Sarvinski, Arroyo and Payne.

Racing resumes this coming Saturday night at Redwood Acres Raceway. Along with the six local classes will be the Pro-4 Modifieds making a visit on what will be Pepsi Night at The Acres.