Eureka, CA (August 28, 2017) – A packed house was in attendance this past weekend at Redwood Acres Raceway. It was Anderson Logging Driver Appreciation Night and the thrill of the racing was likely matched with the thrill of the opportunity for fans to meet their favorite drivers during the on-track meet and greet. With the packed schedule for the evening, track officials opted not to run heat races for all divisions with the exception of the Legends and late models.
Tim Buzzard, Jr. made his first visit to the Acres on the weekend as was fast time in the California State And Federal Employee’s Credit Union with a 20.750. The 20-lap main event was ran half forward and half backward around the 3/8-mile track. The first five laps saw the lead change hands between three drivers, Andy Savage, Tim Ratzlaff and Nick Ford. Buzzard, Jr. moved to the lead on lap six and held it until the mid-race caution flag where the field was turned around to race in the opposite direction. Daniel Buell gained the advantage on lap 11 before giving way to Buzzard, Jr. on lap 12. Buzzard, Jr. led until the final lap when he and Ford got together in turn four. Buell was able to sneak by the incident to claim the win. Buzzard, Jr. and Ford crossed the line in second and third. Rookie, Lindsey Zito continues to impress as she finished fourth and another Acres visitor, Michelle O’Dell placed fifth.
Qualifying for the Nor-Cal Automotive Legends division was paced by Cottonwood, California driver, Derek Copeland with an 18.064. Copeland followed up his fast time with wins in both the trophy dash and heat race. Daniel Whitley led the first four laps of the 25-lap main event. On lap five, Copeland powered to the lead, a position he would never relinquish. Whitley had a fight for second with Tyler Peach nipping at his heels. Whitley spun on lap 16 bringing out the caution. The yellow flag only delayed the inevitable for Copeland and he took the victory. Robert Miller was second followed by Joe Brattoli, Peach and Whitley.
Fast time for the Fortuna Wheel & Brake bombers was John Lally with an 18.461. Jim Redd came out on top in the four-lap dash. Kolby Jackson led the opening three laps of the 25-lap main event. On lap four, bomber rookie Sam Brown took over. Brown was impressive as he held the lead for the majority of the race. Sadly for him, the chance for victory was taken away. On lap 16, Jeff French maneuvered his car to the race lead. From there on it was French’s race. At the finish it was French taking his second main event win of the year. Brown took second as Jackson, Chris Naughton and Bethany Rapp rounded out the top five finishers.
As the season as progressed, Brett Murrell has served notice to the Humboldt Hydroponics mini stock class that he is the top driver in the division. He set fast time with an 18.830. Scott Taylor held on to claim the trophy dash. Troy Lee used his pole position staring spot to lead the first five laps of the 25-lap main event. On lap six, Brett Murrell took over. Brett’s older brother Brian made his first start of 2017 and showed no signs of rust as he ran in second for most of the race. On the seventeenth circuit, Eugene Palmer got by for second. Palmer did all he could to try to close in on the leader but just didn’t have enough. Brett Murrell crossed the finish line first ahead of Palmer. Taylor was third with Murrell, Jr. fourth and Lee fifth.
Ronnie O’Neil set quick time for the Lone Star Junction Thunder Roadsters. O’Neil’s time was 17.374. Tommy Payne was able to hold of O’Neil in the trophy dash to take the victory. O’Neil dominated the majority of the race but a late yellow flag bunched the field. The restart saw some of the best racing at the Acres all year as O’Neil and Payne went door-to-door for the final six laps. The lead changed between the two drivers three times before O’Neil was able to gain the advantage on the low line. Payne never gave up and on the final lap he made a last ditch effort to get by O’Neil. Payne didn’t have quite enough as O’Neil took the victory by only 43-thousandths of a second. Chris Lawrence was third, Tyler Peach fourth and Paul Baker fifth.
22 drivers showed up for the Super 6 Late Model Challenge Series race sponsored by Anderson Logging, Danielson Construction, Mid-City Motor World and North Coast Lighting And Electric. Brandon White narrowly was the fast qualifier with a 15.761. As always, the heat races determined the starting positions for the 75-lap main event. Eddie Klein won the first heat and Marty Walsh in second. Dennis Delbiaggio opened some eyes as he won the third heat which gave him pole position for the feature event.
The field narrowed down to 20 as both Jim Walker and Mike Bourbon had issues that prevented them from starting the event. Dane Nissen grabbed the lead briefly before giving way to Mic Moulton on lap four. Moulton led until lap 30 until it appeared a right front tire went down on his car. Moulton pitted under yellow handing the lead to David Henderson. When the race got going, it was clear that Henderson had one of, if not the best car in the field as he was able to pull away from second place, Brandon White.
The caution flew on lap 50 when George Young hit the wall hard coming off turn two. Thankfully Young was okay but his car showed severe damage from the incident. Several late race yellows put Henderson on the hot seat as he needed to make perfect restarts. Only once did White seriously challenge Henderson. Back in the pack, Moulton was making a fantastic recovery as he drove from the back of the pack in thrilling fashion. Nobody had anything for Henderson though and he was able to take his second win of the year by nearly two seconds. White held on for second while Moulton got by his lead title rival, Eric Gannon for third on the last lap. Dane Nissen returned from being away from on-track action as he rounded out the top five.
Racing takes a break at Redwood Acres for Labor Day weekend and will return September 9th. Joining the roadrunners, Legends, bombers, mini stocks and Thunder Roadsters will be the North State Modified Series which will be making their third and final stop at RAR this season. The Super 6 Late Model Challenge Series will return for the Fall Spectacular on September 30th and October 1st. The track champion for the late models as well as all five other divisions will be decided that weekend.
For full race results, points information and anything else, please visit Redwood Acres Raceway’s official website www.RacingTheAcres.com