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| Late model winner, David Henderson |
Eureka, CA (June 11, 2017) – It was Harper Motors Night this past Saturday at Redwood Acres Raceway. Joining the roadrunners, Legends, bombers, mini stock and Thunder Roadsters for the night were the late models for their third race of the Super 6 Late Model Challenge series.
Fast time for the California State and Federal Employee’s Credit Union roadrunner division was set by Daniel Buell with a 20.499. The first of the two main events for the division was ran backwards as Tim Ratzlaff took the lead on lap two and dominated the 20-lap event, leading 14 laps. Lap 16 proved to be Ratzlaff’s downfall as he hit the wall in turn three and fell out of the race. This handed the lead to Natya Dawn who had her hands full with Nick Ford. Dawn held the advantage on the white flag lap but going down the back stretch, Ford got the lead. At the finish it was Ford taking the win over Dawn, Daniel Buell, Bob Ratzlaff and Lindsey Zito.
Daniel Buell quickly raced to the lead of the second feature which was run under normal circumstances. The 21-second breakout rule came into effect in the latter stages of the race as both Buell and Tim Ratzlaff were forced to slow and allow the position behind to pass them. This played into Dawn’s favor as she was able to wrangle the lead with three laps to go. Unfortunately for her, just as in the previous race, Dawn was unable to hold off second place. Buell was able to get by on the final lap to take the win. Dawn held on for another second over Tim Ratzlaff, Ford and Jennifer Murrell.
Tyler Peach was the quickest in qualifying for the Nor-Cal Automotive Legends division with a time of 18.699. The night proved to belong to Peach as he was able to sweep the event with wins in the trophy dash, heat race and main event. Dominic Vogelsang placed second in the main followed by MKinzy Uselton.
In the Fortuna Wheel & Brake bomber division, R.J. Randall set fast time with an 18.207. Donnie Brown won the trophy dash and the heat race victories. A big incident ensued on the first lap of the 25-lap main event with Kolby Jackson and John Lally getting the worse end of it as both cars suffered damage. Lally was forced out of the race. On the restart, Randall took over and pulled out to a comfortable lead. Mike Sullivan slowly reeled in Randall in the closing stages but could only manage to get a little over a second to Randall. At the checkered it was Randall winning over Sullivan, James Moore, Brown and Bethany Rapp.
Brett Murrell set fast time in the Humboldt Hydroponics mini stock division with an 18.987. Murrell followed his top qualifying time with a win in the trophy dash. Rick Estes was the winner of the first heat race while Scott Taylor narrowly won the second heat. It didn’t take Brett Murrell long to move to the lead as he was able to move from the back of the pack to first in only two laps. Jarrett Mayo looked to be Murrell’s stiffest competitor in the early going but heavy smoke began to pour from his car and he was forced into the pits. Murrell pulled out to what proved to be an insurmountable lead. At the finish it was Murrell taking the win over his father, Brian Murrell, Sr. Eugene Palmer was third followed by Estes and Taylor.
Paul Peeples, Jr. was the top driver in qualifying for the Lone Star Junction Thunder Roadster division. Peeples timed in with a 17.194. Tommy Payne won the trophy dash while Peeples took heat race honors. The main event proved to be Peeples’ playground as he was in the lead by lap two. As Peeples pulled away, the battle for second was as good as it gets with Payne and O’Neil trading the spot numerous times. With five laps remaining in the 30-lap feature, Payne was able to secure second from O’Neil. Peeples advantage at the finish was nearly four seconds over Payne and O’Neil. Chris Lawrence took third while Tyler Peach placed fourth in his first time in a Thunder Roadster.
15 late models took time in the Super Six Late Model Challenge series presented by Danielson Construction, Mid-City Motor World and North Coast Lighting and Electric. Mic Moulton set the standard in qualifying with a time of 15.922. The finish of the heat races determined the starting lineup for the 75-lap feature. Richard Knight won the first heat which garnered him the ninth starting position for the main. Eric Gannon won the second heat race and secured the pole position for the feature. Gannon took the lead at the start of the main but had his hands full as David Henderson was tight in his mirror. The two ran nose-to-tail for the first 28 laps. On lap 29, Henderson maneuvered under Gannon to take the lead.
A spin by Richard Knight on lap 34 brought out a rash of cautions. Tyler Avelar and George Young had a meeting with the water barrels at the turn two pit entrance forcing a caution flag and a lengthy cleanup. Two more lengthy cleanups ensued as oil was dropped on the track. When things got going again, Henderson got to moving. By lap 40, Henderson was out to a comfortable lead as Marty Walsh took second from Gannon.
As the race went on, Henderson’s strength did not wane. Moulton took second from Walsh in the final few laps but had no chance of catching Henderson without the aid of a caution flag. Henderson took the victory by over half the length of the 3/8-mile paved oval. Moulton placed second with Walsh, Gannon and Tim Crenshaw rounding out the top five.
Racing at Redwood Acres Raceway takes a two week break before returning Saturday July 1st for the Don Graham Memorial Firecracker 100 for the late models. While Legends and Thunder Roadsters will have the night off, roadrunners, mini stocks and bombers will also be in action. Following the races will be the annual fireworks spectacular which has become a huge attraction for fans. For those looking for their oval-racing fix in the next few weeks, outlaw kart action will take place Saturday June 17th.
The Best Of Humboldt Fair at Redwood Acres is set to take place in two weeks and Redwood Acres Raceway plays host to the MLM Motorsports tractor pulls Saturday June 24th. VIP tickets can be purchased for $20.00 on the track’s official website, www.RacingTheAcres.com as well as Fortuna Wheel & Brake and the Redwood Acres Fair office. For more information on the upcoming events at the Acres, please visit www.RacingTheAcres.com