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| #10 Mic Moulton took the late model win Saturday night |
EUREKA, CA (May 13, 2017) – The second race of the 2017 season at Redwood Acres Raceway took place this past Saturday night. It was the annual Pepsi Night at the races and another packed house witnessed another memorable night that featured exciting racing and some scary incidents.
In the Nor-Cal Automotive Legends division, Cody Winchel set quick time with a 17.888. Winchel followed up his fast time with a win in the trophy dash. M’Kinzy Uselton won her first ever race in the first heat while Winchel took the second. Two rookies in Uselton and Dominic Vogelsang led the field to the green in the 25-lap feature. Uselton took the initial lead but lost it on lap three to Brad Curtice. Spins by Robert Miller in turn two and Vogelsang didn’t result in caution flags. Curtice had a firm hold on the lead until lap 10 when Uselton spun out.
After another caution, Winchel was able to take the lead on the restart and pulled to a commanding lead. Brent Mack suffered a massive engine failure on lap 19 which brought out the red flag. When racing resumed, Winchel reasserted himself as the top competitor and was able to take the win. Brad Curtice placed second while Miller, Anissa Curtice and Mack rounded out the top five.
Donnie Brown was subbing for Jim Redd in the Fortuna Wheel & Brake bomber class and he set fast time for the night with a 18.400. Brown took the win in the trophy dash while Raymond Taylor won a spirited heat race. Ray Rapp was driving his daughter Bethany’s car for the night. He along with James Moore led the field to the green flag. The race was slowed on lap four when Jimmy Sorrels car stopped in the infield. Brown took the race lead on the restart but on lap seven, Moore maneuvered into first.
While moving through slower traffic, Moore tried to pass Chris Naughton on the outside of turn four. Unfortunately the two got together and hit the wall forcing both drivers out of the race. Brown resumed as race leader but spun in turns three and four on lap 20 giving Rapp the lead. With two laps remaining, Lally was able to get by Rapp for what proved to be the race win. At the checkered it was Lally winning over Rapp, Brown, Taylor and Moore.
Qualifying for the Humboldt Hydroponics mini stock division was paced by Brian Murrell, Sr. with a 18.855. Brett Murrell was the trophy dash winner while heat race winners were Trevor Eacert and Brett Murrell. Cole Peterson and Troy Lee led the field to the green in the 25-lap main event. After two early cautions, Murrell, Sr. took the lead from Lee as Murrell followed into second.
The middle stages of the main featured a spectacular duel between the father and son duo of Brian and Brett Murrell. On lap nine, Brett moved to the lead. A lap later, the lead exchanged yet again with Brian getting the upper-hand. On lap 12, Brett made what proved to be the winning move for the lead. A late caution due to a spin by Lee in turn four bunched the field but Murrell was able to hold off all challengers. At the finish it was Brett Murrell winning followed by Brian Murrell, Sr., Jarrett Mayo, Eugene Palmer and Trevor Eacert.
Paul Peeples, Jr. set fast time for the Lone Star Junction Thunder Roadster division with a 17.188. Ronnie O’Neill took the trophy dash win while the heat race went to Peeples. Jason Mitchell and Chris Sarvinski paced the field to the green in the 30-lap feature. The race proved to be caution-free as Sarvinski took the lead from the start over O’Neill. On lap four, O’Neill moved under and by Sarvinski and pulled out to a substantial lead. As the race progressed however, Peeples was able to close the gap. With five laps remaining, the margin between first and second was barely a car length. O’Neill was able to withstand the pressure from Peeples and took the feature win. Payne placed third over Sarvinski and Corey Toole.
Fast time for the California State and Federal Employee’s Credit Union roadrunners was set by Daniel Buell with a lap of 20.518. Buell followed his fast time up with wins in the trophy dash and heat race. Natya Hanson and Jennifer Murrell led the field for the 20-lap feature. The first 10 laps were raced in reverse fashion and immediately Buell took the lead and ran away from the field.
Even after reversing the course and going in the normal direction, Buell was dominant. Nick Ford made up ground in the final few laps and by the last lap, the two were less than a car length between each other. Coming off turn four, Ford made a last ditch effort for the win. Buell and Ford raced side-by-side to the checkered flag with Buell edging Ford. Jake Keeling took third while Jordon Paiment placed fourth and Tim Ratzlaff fifth.
The second race of the Super 6 Late Model Challenge Series presented by Danielson Construction, Mid-City Motor World and North Coast Lighting & Electric took place on the night. Brandon White set the pace for the field of 17 cars with a time of 15.759. The heat races determined the starting lineup for the 75-lap feature. Heat race one was won by Northern California racing legend, Jim Walker while the second heat was won by Riley Watson.
Mic Moulton used the outside pole position to his advantage as he shot out to the lead at the drop of the green flag. On lap nine, third place starter and winner of the first Super 6 race, White took the lead. White looked to have the dominant car yet again as he led the majority of the first half of the event. Fan favorite Walker lasted only 20 laps before he pulled into the pits for the night. By lap 25, Brandon Ash had moved his way to second and began slowly gaining ground on White. On lap 40, Ash maneuvered by White for the race lead. A few laps later, White pulled into the pits with problems. Ash looked to have the race in hand until a caution flew on lap 68 due to fluid on the track. It was determined that the fluid was coming from Ash’s car and the Oregon driver was forced out of the race.
Watson inherited the lead and had a duel with Moulton and Marty Walsh. Coming off turn four on lap 69, Walsh and Watson got together. Walsh slide into the infield and back onto the track in turn one collecting Watson. Both drivers hit the turn one and two wall hard but thankfully neither was injured. Moulton took the lead and held off David Henderson’s charge in the final handful of laps to take the victory. Eric Gannon placed third while Kenny Demello had another stellar run in fourth and Richard Knight took fifth.
Racing at the Acres takes a break and will return for a special Sunday afternoon race on Memorial Day weekend May 28th. Legends, bombers, Thunder Roadsters, mini stocks and roadrunners will be in action along with the North State Modified Series. For those who are looking for a racing fix during the break, RAR will host the first outlaw kart action of the season Saturday May 20th. The season opener was originally scheduled for May 12th but was cancelled due to rain. For more information of everything going on at Redwood Acres Raceway, please visit the track’s official website, www.RacingTheAcres.com