Season ends with champions crowned, race cars destroyed
By Matthew J. Sullivan
The 2007 points season came to a close for four of the five divisions at Redwood Acres Raceway this past weekend, thankfully for many drivers and teams. As has been displayed over the duration of the 2007 schedule, there was some great, tight racing as well as some spectacular crashes which severely damaged several cars. Orion Mosher capped off a spectacular season, winning another limited street stock main event, however rookie Scott Lyons claimed the division championship. Second year driver, Byron McIntosh took another main event victory in the mini stock division, which only added to his joy of being the division’s champion. While the real stock class didn’t finish their points season, the racing was just as close as Barry Barnwell took the trophy in the main. Paul Peeples, Jr. finished off a dominating season in the thunder roadster division with the main event win and the championship. Finally, in the sportsman division, Rick Fox took his first main event win of 2007 but Brandon Barnwell took the championship, unfortunately with a demolished race car at night’s end.
Scott Lyons took fast time honors for the limited street stock cars with a 17.505 lap. The dash victory went to Orion Mosher ahead of Stan Young, Robert Miller and Lyons. The heat was claimed by Mosher ahead of Duane Mayo, Miller, Lyons and Fergy Ferguson who made his lone appearance of the 2007 season. Mayo and Young led the field to the green flag in the 20 lap main event. Young led from the start while Mayo held of Miller and Mosher. On lap four, Miller moved inside of Mayo and took the position the next lap while Mosher followed into third. Mosher moved inside of Miller on lap six and the two raced side-by-side until lap nine when Mosher cleared Miller for the position. On lap 10, Mosher swept past Young for the lead.
While Mosher pulled away from the rest of the field, Young, Miller and Mayo fought for the second spot. On lap 14, the yellow came out for debris on the race track. Just after the restart, Miller pulled his car into the pits. As Mosher continued to pull away, Young and Mayo continued to duel for second. On the last lap the two tangled. Mosher won while Lyons moved into second. Mayo took third, Young fourth and Romeo Venza finished fifth. Lyons second place helped him finish off a spectacular season with the 2007 championship in the division.
Fast time for the mini stock division was set by Max Capps with a 19.095 time. Craig Baker won the dash over Capps, Denzil Barrett and Nick Karanopoulos. The heat was won by Bill Wood. Brian McIntosh took second, Glenn Bernald third, Barrett fourth and Capps fifth. Nine cars started the 20 lap main with Wood and Stacy Minnick taking the field to the green flag. Off the start, By. McIntosh took the front row three wide to take the lead. The next lap Karanopoulos tried the same maneuver but unfortunately contact was made with Wood causing a huge melee.
After the mess was cleaned up, Baker and Barrett were the two who weren’t able to make the restart. McIntosh led Wood, Minnick, Br. McIntosh and Capps. Byron pulled away from the field while Brian maneuvered his way through the field. He moved by Minnick for third off the restart and then by Wood on lap six. For the rest of the race, the excitement was whether or not Brian could catch brother Byron. By the time the race ended, Brian had closed on Byron’s bumper but that was it. It was Byron winning the race and clinching the title over Brian McIntosh, Wood, Capps and Karanopoulos.
Ryan Peeples laid down a blistering 19.238 lap time in the real stock division to claim fast time. Peeples won the dash ahead of Dan Brown, Troy Wood and Ray Robinson. Wood won the first heat over Chuck Essex, Barry Barnwell, Marvin Savage and Brown. Doug Way won the second followed by Peeples, Bill Middleton, Robinson and Steve Kimberling. Pat Conway and Way brought the field to the green in the 25 lap main event. Conway took the lead early before a lap two yellow flag. After the restart, Middleton moved inside of Nick Green for the fourth position on lap four bringing Barnwell with him. Peeples moved outside of Barnwell on lap six for fifth, while ahead of them Middleton moved outside of Savage for third. The four raced in a tight formation for several laps before Barnwell moved under and past Middleton on lap 10.
On lap 11, Barnwell moved outside of Savage but couldn’t pull off the pass. At the same time, Peeples moved by Middleton for fourth. The two leaders Conway and Way pulled away while Savage and Barnwell continued their duel. On lap 14, Barnwell moved into second. Peeples really began to show his strength, as he moved by Savage at the same time and moved by Barnwell for second a lap later, just as Way pulled his car into the pits and out of the race. Peeples rapidly began to close in on Conway. On lap 19, Brown moved by Barnwell but pushed up the track allowing Barnwell to move back inside.
On lap 20, Peeples and Conway made contact in the first turn sending Conway into a spin and bringing out the yellow flag. Officials determined Peeples to be at fault for the incident and he was sent to the rear of the field. Brown would have inherited the lead but pulled his car into the pits under the caution period handing the top spot over to Barnwell over Savage and Middleton. Barnwell got a good restart and stretched out a comfortable lead over Savage. Barnwell maintained a comfortable margin and took the win over Savage and Middleton. Kimberling was running in fourth on the last lap but got severely loose off the final corner allowing Wood and Peeples to take fourth and fifth at the end.
Paul Peeples, Jr. once again set the fastest time in qualifying for the thunder roadster cars with a very fast 16.898 time in. Peeples won the dash over David Henderson, Mike Ward. Unfortunately fourth place finisher Leroy Marsh, Jr. wrecked in the dash. Mark Baldwin won heat one over Ron Rosenthal, Chris Banfill, Mark Arroyo and Bruce Ziemer. Bill O’Neill won the second heat ahead of Troy Combs, Henderson, Thomas Payne and Peeples.
A strong 19 car field was brought to the green flag of the 30 lap main event by Arroyo and Payne. Arroyo grabbed the lead early. By lap three, Peeples had quickly maneuvered his way into the top five, getting by O’Neill. Donn Cole moved by Payne for second on lap five. Gehry Foster took the fifth position, moving by O’Neill on lap six. On the same lap, Cole spun in turn four causing cars to scatter left and right of his car. Fortunately everyone missed Cole’s car. Unfortunately for Combs, he was caught up in the aftermath of the melee and hit the wall, ending his evening.
At this time Arroyo held the lead over Peeples, Payne, Henderson and Foster. Henderson used the restart to his advantage moving by Payne. On lap seven, Peeples made his bid for the lead, taking it away from Arroyo. On lap 8, Ward and Banfill spun with Banfill having right front damage putting an end to his night. On the restart, Baldwin moved by O’Neill for fifth. Lap nine, Henderson moved inside of Arroyo for second. The duo dueled side-by-side until lap 11 when Henderson gained the upper hand down the back stretch. The field spread out and try as he might, Henderson just could not close the gap on Peeples. The race concluded with Peeples winning by several car lengths over Henderson, Arroyo, Baldwin and Foster. The win capped off what was a season of pure domination by Peeples, resulting in the division championship.
Dennis Delbiaggio returned to the Acres in the sportsman division and laid down fast time with a 16.493. Angelo Marcelli won the dash over Brandon Barnwell, Rick Fox and Delbiaggio. The dash saw two unfortunate incidents, one of which involved Lissa Uselton and Marcelli making contact off the fourth turn, another which saw Frank Billy, Jr. hit the turn four wall ending racing action for him. Barnwell won the heat over Delbiaggio, Uselton, Fox and Larry Pries.
Delbiaggio and Fox took the field to the green flag for the 25 lap main event. Delbiaggio took the early lead while the field settled into single file formation. On lap two, Barnwell moved by Usleton into fourth. On lap seven, Barnwell moved outside of Pries for third, but Pried found room under Fox to take the second spot, allowing Barnwell to follow him into third. Pries and Barnwell closed in on Delbiaggio quickly and the three raced nose-to-tail until lap 24 when Pries finally found room under Delbiaggio down the back stretch. Unfortunately the two tangled in the third turn collecting Barnwell. Fox slowed down and drove under the wreck while Uselton had to spin her car out to avoid a more serious situation. Fortunately, all cars involved received little to no damage.
With the field regrouped, it was Fox leading Delbiaggio, Barnwell, Marcelli and Pries to the green and white flag restart. Coming off the fourth turn, Barnwell moved outside of Delbiaggio for second but the two tangled causing a major incident involving Marcelli, Pries and Uselton behind them. At the line, Fox was the lone car without damage. Barnwell took second, Delbiaggio third, Marcelli fourth and Uselton fifth. Barnwell was crowned the sportsman division champion for 2007 after an impressive season.
Racing returns to the Acres September 28 and 29 for the annual Fall Spectacular. The championship for the real stock division will be determined. Joining them will be the thunder roadsters, the I.M.C.A./Grand American Modifieds and the North State Challenge Series late models. It promises to be an exciting close to what has been an exciting 2007 season.
Historic videos, race reports and race results from various Northern California race tracks
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Showing posts with label Barry Barnwell. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Barry Barnwell. Show all posts
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Barnwell finally beaten, Peeples still unbeaten
Barnwell finally beaten, Peeples still unbeaten
By Matthew J. Sullivan
It was another typical night of action packed racing at Redwood Acres Raceway this past Saturday night as all five local classes returned to put on the fourth race of the 2007 season. All but one of the five divisions had a repeat winner from this season’s first three races. Paul Peeples, Jr., Bill Middleton, Byron McIntosh and Orion Mosher each returned to claim main event victories in the thunder roadster, real stock, mini stock and limited street stock divisions while North State Challenge Series driver Luke Hall won in the sportsman division.
Fast time for the limited street stocks was set by Orion Mosher with a 17.513. Mosher took the dash win over Robert Miller, Scott Lyons and Todd Freeman. Mosher continued his winning ways in the heat race winning over Duane Mayo, Kenny Demello, Stan Young and Freeman. Unfortunately during the heat race, contact between Demello and Miller on the back stretch sent Miller into the wall and taking him out for the rest of the night. Mosher made quick work of his competition in the main event, taking the lead on lap five and scoring his third straight victory for the season.
Jason Shaha set the fastest lap for the mini stock division with a 19.004 lap. Shaha won the dash followed by Brian Murrell, Byron McIntosh and Max Capps. McIntosh won the heat over Shaha, Murrell, Brian McIntosh and Capps. The main event was almost over as quickly as it started. By lap three, Byron McIntosh took the lead away from Glenn Bernald and built up a substantial lead. By the time Shaha and Murrell moved into second and third, there wasn’t enough time for either driver to close the gap on McIntosh. The win was McIntosh’s third of the season.
The quickest qualifier for the real stock division was Steve Kimberling who set a lap of 19.488. Barry Barnwell won the trophy dash over Kimberling, Ryan Peeples and Troy Wood. Chuck Essex won the first heat race over Wood, Marvin Savage, Peeples and Ray Robinson. Jim Redd took the win in the second heat followed by Bill Middleton, Kimberling, Barnwell and Mark Mullan. Savage took the lead early in the main event and held it comfortably for the entire race. The best battles on the track proved to be between Middleton and Barnwell along with Kimberling and Chuck Essex who raced side by side for many laps. Savage crossed the line first, but in post race inspection, his car was deemed illegal giving the win to Middleton who had finished second.
Paul Peeples, Jr. set what was a relatively slow fast time for the thunder roadsters with a 17.249 lap. Peeples won the dash over Mark Arroyo, Chris Banfill and Jay Bahner. The win in the first heat race went to Rob Nelson over Donn Cole, Gerhy Foster, Fred Hanks and Chris Lawrence. Peeples took the second heat in a close finish over Mike Ward, Leroy Marsh, Jr., David Henderson and Banfill. The main event proved to be an exciting one as it featured an exciting battle for the lead between Marsh, Peeples and Henderson. Peeples was able to gain the upper hand, but had to hold off Henderson who followed closely but could never mount a challenge. At the line it was Peeples winning his fourth straight race.
Rick Fox set the fast lap for the sportsman cars with a 16.493 lap. Larry Pries won the trophy dash followed by Luke Hall, Rick Fox and Jerry Peterson who was making his first start of the season. The heat race saw a bit too much excitement when Ken Hallis spun collecting Hall, Peterson, Donnie Brown and Joe Bonomini, the worst damage going to the cars of Hallis and Bonomini. Luke Hall won the heat over Angelo Marcelli, Pries, Fox and Aaron Byers. Hall used his experience to dice his way to the lead by lap three and pull away to a sizeable gap. Brandon Barnwell, winner of the previous three main events put on a show moving from the back of the field to the front by the time there were ten laps left in the race. As time ran down, Barnwell edged closer and closer to Hall’s car. Barnwell was able to get within car lengths with two laps remaining but got loose off the second turn, ending his chances at the win. Hall was able to break Barnwell’s stranglehold on the division to take the victory.
As quickly as the show ran this past Saturday night, starting at 6:30 and ending just after 9, the drivers and crew members have a quick week to fix any damage and get back out for this weekend’s race. Along with the five local divisions will be a special Powder Puff race, so it will only add more excitement to should already be a great show.
Race Results
Limited Street Stocks
Fast Time: Orion Mosher 17.513
Dash: Mosher, Robert Miller, Scott Lyons, Todd Freeman
Heat: Mosher, Duane Mayo, Kenny Demello, Stan Young, Freeman, Lyons, Romeo Venza, Miller
Main: Mosher, Demello, Mayo, Young, Lyons, Freeman, Venza
Mini Stocks
Fast Time: Jason Shaha 19.004
Dash: Shaha, Brian Murrell, Byron McIntosh, Max Capps
Heat: By. McIntosh, Shaha, Murrell, Brian McIntosh, Capps, Bernald, Nick Karanopoulas
Main: By. McIntosh, Shaha, Murrell, Capps, Bernald, Karanopoulas, Br. McIntosh
Real Stocks
Fast Time: Steve Kimberling 19.488
Dash: Barry Barnwell, Kimberling, Ryan Peeples, Troy Wood
Heat 1: Chuck Essex, Wood, Peeples, Ray Robinson, Mike Cataldi, Donnie Hyman
Heat 2: Jim Redd, Bill Middleton, Kimberling, Barnwell, Mark Mullan, Nick Mitchell, Rick Stone
Main: Middleton, Barnwell, Kimberling, Essex, Wood, Robinson, Mullan, Mitchell, Redd, Peeples
Thunder Roadsters
Fast Time: Paul Peeples, Jr. 17.249
Dash: Peeples, Mark Arroyo, Chris Banfill, Jay Bahner
Heat 1: Rob Nelson, Donn Cole, Gerhy Foster, Fred Hanks, Chris Lawrence, Thomas Payne, Bruce Ziemer, Belinda Ward
Heat 2: Peeples, Mike Ward, Leroy Marsh, Jr., David Henderson, Arroyo, Bahner, Sarvinski
Main: Peeples, Henderson, Marsh, M. Ward, Sarvinski, Banfill, Bahner, Ziemer, Foster, Cole, Hanks, Nelson, Arroyo, B. Ward, Lawrence, Payne
Sportsman
Fast Time: Rick Fox 16.493
Dash: Larry Pries, Luke Hall, Fox, Jerry Peterson
Heat: Brandon Barnwell, Angelo Marcelli, Pries, Fox, Aaron Byers, Peterson, Lissa Uselton, Donnie Brown, Ken Hallis, Joe Bonomini, Hall
Main: Hall, Barnwell, Pries, Marcelli, Byers, Fox, Brown, Peterson, Uselton.
By Matthew J. Sullivan
It was another typical night of action packed racing at Redwood Acres Raceway this past Saturday night as all five local classes returned to put on the fourth race of the 2007 season. All but one of the five divisions had a repeat winner from this season’s first three races. Paul Peeples, Jr., Bill Middleton, Byron McIntosh and Orion Mosher each returned to claim main event victories in the thunder roadster, real stock, mini stock and limited street stock divisions while North State Challenge Series driver Luke Hall won in the sportsman division.
Fast time for the limited street stocks was set by Orion Mosher with a 17.513. Mosher took the dash win over Robert Miller, Scott Lyons and Todd Freeman. Mosher continued his winning ways in the heat race winning over Duane Mayo, Kenny Demello, Stan Young and Freeman. Unfortunately during the heat race, contact between Demello and Miller on the back stretch sent Miller into the wall and taking him out for the rest of the night. Mosher made quick work of his competition in the main event, taking the lead on lap five and scoring his third straight victory for the season.
Jason Shaha set the fastest lap for the mini stock division with a 19.004 lap. Shaha won the dash followed by Brian Murrell, Byron McIntosh and Max Capps. McIntosh won the heat over Shaha, Murrell, Brian McIntosh and Capps. The main event was almost over as quickly as it started. By lap three, Byron McIntosh took the lead away from Glenn Bernald and built up a substantial lead. By the time Shaha and Murrell moved into second and third, there wasn’t enough time for either driver to close the gap on McIntosh. The win was McIntosh’s third of the season.
The quickest qualifier for the real stock division was Steve Kimberling who set a lap of 19.488. Barry Barnwell won the trophy dash over Kimberling, Ryan Peeples and Troy Wood. Chuck Essex won the first heat race over Wood, Marvin Savage, Peeples and Ray Robinson. Jim Redd took the win in the second heat followed by Bill Middleton, Kimberling, Barnwell and Mark Mullan. Savage took the lead early in the main event and held it comfortably for the entire race. The best battles on the track proved to be between Middleton and Barnwell along with Kimberling and Chuck Essex who raced side by side for many laps. Savage crossed the line first, but in post race inspection, his car was deemed illegal giving the win to Middleton who had finished second.
Paul Peeples, Jr. set what was a relatively slow fast time for the thunder roadsters with a 17.249 lap. Peeples won the dash over Mark Arroyo, Chris Banfill and Jay Bahner. The win in the first heat race went to Rob Nelson over Donn Cole, Gerhy Foster, Fred Hanks and Chris Lawrence. Peeples took the second heat in a close finish over Mike Ward, Leroy Marsh, Jr., David Henderson and Banfill. The main event proved to be an exciting one as it featured an exciting battle for the lead between Marsh, Peeples and Henderson. Peeples was able to gain the upper hand, but had to hold off Henderson who followed closely but could never mount a challenge. At the line it was Peeples winning his fourth straight race.
Rick Fox set the fast lap for the sportsman cars with a 16.493 lap. Larry Pries won the trophy dash followed by Luke Hall, Rick Fox and Jerry Peterson who was making his first start of the season. The heat race saw a bit too much excitement when Ken Hallis spun collecting Hall, Peterson, Donnie Brown and Joe Bonomini, the worst damage going to the cars of Hallis and Bonomini. Luke Hall won the heat over Angelo Marcelli, Pries, Fox and Aaron Byers. Hall used his experience to dice his way to the lead by lap three and pull away to a sizeable gap. Brandon Barnwell, winner of the previous three main events put on a show moving from the back of the field to the front by the time there were ten laps left in the race. As time ran down, Barnwell edged closer and closer to Hall’s car. Barnwell was able to get within car lengths with two laps remaining but got loose off the second turn, ending his chances at the win. Hall was able to break Barnwell’s stranglehold on the division to take the victory.
As quickly as the show ran this past Saturday night, starting at 6:30 and ending just after 9, the drivers and crew members have a quick week to fix any damage and get back out for this weekend’s race. Along with the five local divisions will be a special Powder Puff race, so it will only add more excitement to should already be a great show.
Race Results
Limited Street Stocks
Fast Time: Orion Mosher 17.513
Dash: Mosher, Robert Miller, Scott Lyons, Todd Freeman
Heat: Mosher, Duane Mayo, Kenny Demello, Stan Young, Freeman, Lyons, Romeo Venza, Miller
Main: Mosher, Demello, Mayo, Young, Lyons, Freeman, Venza
Mini Stocks
Fast Time: Jason Shaha 19.004
Dash: Shaha, Brian Murrell, Byron McIntosh, Max Capps
Heat: By. McIntosh, Shaha, Murrell, Brian McIntosh, Capps, Bernald, Nick Karanopoulas
Main: By. McIntosh, Shaha, Murrell, Capps, Bernald, Karanopoulas, Br. McIntosh
Real Stocks
Fast Time: Steve Kimberling 19.488
Dash: Barry Barnwell, Kimberling, Ryan Peeples, Troy Wood
Heat 1: Chuck Essex, Wood, Peeples, Ray Robinson, Mike Cataldi, Donnie Hyman
Heat 2: Jim Redd, Bill Middleton, Kimberling, Barnwell, Mark Mullan, Nick Mitchell, Rick Stone
Main: Middleton, Barnwell, Kimberling, Essex, Wood, Robinson, Mullan, Mitchell, Redd, Peeples
Thunder Roadsters
Fast Time: Paul Peeples, Jr. 17.249
Dash: Peeples, Mark Arroyo, Chris Banfill, Jay Bahner
Heat 1: Rob Nelson, Donn Cole, Gerhy Foster, Fred Hanks, Chris Lawrence, Thomas Payne, Bruce Ziemer, Belinda Ward
Heat 2: Peeples, Mike Ward, Leroy Marsh, Jr., David Henderson, Arroyo, Bahner, Sarvinski
Main: Peeples, Henderson, Marsh, M. Ward, Sarvinski, Banfill, Bahner, Ziemer, Foster, Cole, Hanks, Nelson, Arroyo, B. Ward, Lawrence, Payne
Sportsman
Fast Time: Rick Fox 16.493
Dash: Larry Pries, Luke Hall, Fox, Jerry Peterson
Heat: Brandon Barnwell, Angelo Marcelli, Pries, Fox, Aaron Byers, Peterson, Lissa Uselton, Donnie Brown, Ken Hallis, Joe Bonomini, Hall
Main: Hall, Barnwell, Pries, Marcelli, Byers, Fox, Brown, Peterson, Uselton.
Sunday, June 3, 2007
Hall breaks Barnwell’s stranglehold, Peeples continues dominance
Hall breaks Barnwell’s stranglehold, Peeples continues dominance
By Matthew J. Sullivan
One winning streak ended while another continued this past Saturday night at Redwood Acres Raceway. With the race track under cloudy and cold conditions, fans were treated to another night of spectacular racing and close finishes. North State Challenge Series competitor Luke Hall broke Barry Barnwell’s winning streak in the sportsman division to win the 30-lap main event. Paul Peeples, Jr. notched his fourth consecutive win in the thunder roadsters continuing his season of dominance. Bill Middleton was declared the winner of the real stock main event after Marvin Savage failed post race tech inspection. Byron McIntosh and Orion Mosher each won their third main event of the season in the mini stock and limited street stock divisions respectively.
In what has become the norm for the limited street stock class, Orion Mosher set fast time clocking in at 17.513. Mosher took the dash win over Robert Miller, Scott Lyons and Todd Freeman. Mosher continued his winning ways in the heat race winning over Duane Mayo, Kenny Demello, Stan Young and Freeman. Unfortunately during the heat race, contact between Demello and Miller on the back stretch sent Miller into the wall and taking him out for the rest of the night.
With Miller unable to make the main event, seven cars took the green flag in the 15 lap feature. Off the start, Young took the lead while Demello moved by Freeman into the second position. Meanwhile, Mosher quickly threaded his car though the field. On lap three, Mosher moved by Freeman for third. On lap four, Mosher passed Demello on the outside to take second while Mayo got by Freeman for fourth at the same time. On lap five, Mosher took the lead away from Young and began to pull away.
Demello got by Young for second on the eleventh lap bringing Mayo with him. With two laps to go, Freeman spun off the fourth turn bringing out the yellow. Under caution Romeo Venza took his car into the pits smoking heavily. The restart only delayed the inevitable victory for Mosher who crossed the line first, several car lengths ahead of Demello, Mayo, Young and Lyons. Mosher’s main event win sealed a perfect night for him in addition to setting quick time and the trophy dash and heat race victories.
Jason Shaha set the fastest lap for the mini stock division with a 19.004 lap. Shaha won the dash followed by Brian Murrell, Byron McIntosh and Max Capps. McIntosh won the heat over Shaha, Murrell, Brian McIntosh and Capps. The seven car field was brought to the green flag of the 15 lap main event by Nick Karanopoulos and Glenn Bernald. Bernald took the lead off the drop of the green flag. On lap two, Brian McIntosh spun off the fourth turn, but the yellow flag did not come out. On the third lap, Byron McIntosh took the lead position away from Bernald.
With Bernald fighting with Murrell and Shaha for second, McIntosh pulled out to what would be an insurmountable lead. On lap five, Murrell moved inside Bernald for second allowing Shaha to follow though into third. After several laps of racing, Shaha moved inside and by Murrell on lap seven going into the third turn. By this time, McIntosh had almost a full straightaway lead on Shaha. On lap nine, Capps moved past Bernald for fourth. With the field stretched out and no pressure from behind, McIntosh was able to cruise and take the victory followed by Shaha, Murrell, Capps and Bernald.
The quickest qualifier for the real stock division was Steve Kimberling who set a lap of 19.488. Barry Barnwell won the trophy dash over Kimberling, Ryan Peeples and Troy Wood. Chuck Essex won the first heat race over Wood, Marvin Savage, Peeples and Ray Robinson. Jim Redd took the win in the second heat followed by Bill Middleton, Kimberling, Barnwell and Mark Mullan. 11 real stock cars took the green flag in the 25 lap feature event. Robinson and Mullan lead the field to the green. Immediately after taking the green, Peeples pulled his car into the pits. Robinson took the early lead while everyone jockeyed for position.
On lap three, Savage moved by Essex for third. Later that same lap, Savage moved by Mullan into second. On lap four, Middleton moved into third. Barnwell moved by Mullan into fourth on lap six. On lap seven the caution flag flew for Kimberling who had spun in the second turn. On the restart, Middleton and Barnwell fought for the third spot, while Savage moved outside of Robinson to take the lead. Middleton followed through into second immediately after, but Barnwell had to wait until the next lap to take third from Robinson. Redd moved into fourth passing Robinson on lap 10. On lap 11, Barnwell moved to the outside of Middleton but got too high and lost several spots. On lap 13, Mullan and Nick Mitchell spun in the fourth turn resulting in the yellow flag.
Under the yellow flag, Redd pulled his car behind the wall with heavy smoke trailing. The green flag flew again and the field went racing once more. Essex moved inside of Robinson for fourth while Barnwell made his way back to third and challenged Middleton for second. Their duel allowed Savage to stretch his lead out. On lap 17, Kimberling moved outside of Essex for fourth. Their battle lasted all the way up until lap 23 when Kimberling finally cleared Essex. Meanwhile, Savage maintained a comfortable lead over Middleton and crossed the line first, while Barnwell, Kimberling and Essex completed the top five. However, Savage failed post race tech inspection and Middleton was awarded the win. The change in position moved everyone else behind him up one spot, moving Troy Wood into fifth.
Paul Peeples, Jr. set what was a relatively slow fast time for the thunder roadsters with a 17.249 lap. Peeples won the dash over Mark Arroyo, Chris Banfill and Jay Bahner. The win in the first heat race went to Rob Nelson over Donn Cole, Gerhy Foster, Fred Hanks and Chris Lawrence. Peeples took the second heat in a close finish over Mike Ward, Leroy Marsh, Jr., David Henderson and Banfill. Ward and Thomas Payne lead the 16 car field to the 30 lap main event. After the initial start was waved off, the green flew and Ward took the early lead over Marsh. On lap five, Henderson moved inside of Payne for third. On lap seven, Peeples moved inside of Chris Sarvinski for the fifth position. That same lap, Peeples moved past Payne to take fourth.
On the ninth lap after several laps of battling, Marsh moved inside of Ward to take the lead bringing Henderson and Peeples with him. Coming off the fourth turn, Payne hit the wall and pulled his car into the pits. On lap 12, Peeples moved to Henderson’s outside but fell back. Two laps later, Peeples tried the same maneuver and made it work taking second on lap 15. On lap 17, Peeples moved to the outside of Marsh for the lead. Henderson briefly moved inside of Marsh to make it three wide, but used better judgement and fell back.
Marsh and Peeples raced side-by-side until lap 20 when Peeples was able to compete the pass for the top spot. A few laps later, Henderson moved inside of Marsh for second. Unlike the previous three races this season, Peeples did not pull away from Henderson. Henderson stayed locked on Peeples’ bumper, but could never mount a charge for the lead. The best action as the race concluded was the battle for fifth between Sarvinski, Arroyo and Banfill. On lap 28, Arroyo spun off the fourth turn but did not bring out the yellow. In the end, Peeples had enough to hold off Henderson to take the win. Marsh finished third over Ward and Sarvinski. Like Orion Mosher, Peeples’ win made for a perfect evening as he also took quick time, the trophy dash and heat race win.
Rick Fox set the fast lap for the sportsman cars with a 16.493 lap. Larry Pries won the trophy dash followed by Luke Hall, Rick Fox and Jerry Peterson who was making his first start of the season. The heat race saw a bit too much excitement when Ken Hallis spun collecting Hall, Peterson, Donnie Brown and Joe Bonomini, the worst damage going to the cars of Hallis and Bonomini. Brandon Barnwell won the heat over Angelo Marcelli, Pries, Fox and Aaron Byers.
The nine car, 30 lap feature was brought to the green flag by Brown and Byers. Byers got the jump off the drop of the green and took the lead. On lap two, Brown spun off the fourth turn bringing out the yellow flag. Hall took advantage of Byers on the restart and moved by to take the lead bringing Pries into second. On lap eight, Fox moved outside and by Lissa Uselton for the fourth spot. Marcelli moved inside and by Uselton for fifth on lap 10. Hall began to pull away from Pries until lap 13 when Uselton and Brown spun bringing out the yellow flag.
Two laps after the restart, Fox and Peterson made contact sending Peterson into a spin off turn four. Peterson got going again and the yellow flag was not thrown. On lap 18, Barnwell moved inside of Byers for third. Two laps later, Barnwell moved by Pries to take second. It was nearly a mirror image of the previous race, just with the roles reversed as Hall held a large lead over Barnwell with 10 laps remaining. Slowly but surely Barnwell closed the gap. With two laps to go and only four car lengths behind Hall, Barnwell got loose off the second turn severely diminishing his hopes to win a fourth straight race. Meanwhile, Marcelli was picking his way past cars. With two laps to go he got by Fox for fifth. On the white flag lap, Marcelli moved by Byers for fourth. Up at the front, Hall was able to take the win over Barnwell and Pries with Marcelli taking fourth over Byers in fifth.
The drivers and teams have a quick turnaround this week as the next event at the Acres is set for this Saturday, June 9th. Joining the five local classes will be the first of two Powderpuff Races scheduled for the 2007 season.
By Matthew J. Sullivan
One winning streak ended while another continued this past Saturday night at Redwood Acres Raceway. With the race track under cloudy and cold conditions, fans were treated to another night of spectacular racing and close finishes. North State Challenge Series competitor Luke Hall broke Barry Barnwell’s winning streak in the sportsman division to win the 30-lap main event. Paul Peeples, Jr. notched his fourth consecutive win in the thunder roadsters continuing his season of dominance. Bill Middleton was declared the winner of the real stock main event after Marvin Savage failed post race tech inspection. Byron McIntosh and Orion Mosher each won their third main event of the season in the mini stock and limited street stock divisions respectively.
In what has become the norm for the limited street stock class, Orion Mosher set fast time clocking in at 17.513. Mosher took the dash win over Robert Miller, Scott Lyons and Todd Freeman. Mosher continued his winning ways in the heat race winning over Duane Mayo, Kenny Demello, Stan Young and Freeman. Unfortunately during the heat race, contact between Demello and Miller on the back stretch sent Miller into the wall and taking him out for the rest of the night.
With Miller unable to make the main event, seven cars took the green flag in the 15 lap feature. Off the start, Young took the lead while Demello moved by Freeman into the second position. Meanwhile, Mosher quickly threaded his car though the field. On lap three, Mosher moved by Freeman for third. On lap four, Mosher passed Demello on the outside to take second while Mayo got by Freeman for fourth at the same time. On lap five, Mosher took the lead away from Young and began to pull away.
Demello got by Young for second on the eleventh lap bringing Mayo with him. With two laps to go, Freeman spun off the fourth turn bringing out the yellow. Under caution Romeo Venza took his car into the pits smoking heavily. The restart only delayed the inevitable victory for Mosher who crossed the line first, several car lengths ahead of Demello, Mayo, Young and Lyons. Mosher’s main event win sealed a perfect night for him in addition to setting quick time and the trophy dash and heat race victories.
Jason Shaha set the fastest lap for the mini stock division with a 19.004 lap. Shaha won the dash followed by Brian Murrell, Byron McIntosh and Max Capps. McIntosh won the heat over Shaha, Murrell, Brian McIntosh and Capps. The seven car field was brought to the green flag of the 15 lap main event by Nick Karanopoulos and Glenn Bernald. Bernald took the lead off the drop of the green flag. On lap two, Brian McIntosh spun off the fourth turn, but the yellow flag did not come out. On the third lap, Byron McIntosh took the lead position away from Bernald.
With Bernald fighting with Murrell and Shaha for second, McIntosh pulled out to what would be an insurmountable lead. On lap five, Murrell moved inside Bernald for second allowing Shaha to follow though into third. After several laps of racing, Shaha moved inside and by Murrell on lap seven going into the third turn. By this time, McIntosh had almost a full straightaway lead on Shaha. On lap nine, Capps moved past Bernald for fourth. With the field stretched out and no pressure from behind, McIntosh was able to cruise and take the victory followed by Shaha, Murrell, Capps and Bernald.
The quickest qualifier for the real stock division was Steve Kimberling who set a lap of 19.488. Barry Barnwell won the trophy dash over Kimberling, Ryan Peeples and Troy Wood. Chuck Essex won the first heat race over Wood, Marvin Savage, Peeples and Ray Robinson. Jim Redd took the win in the second heat followed by Bill Middleton, Kimberling, Barnwell and Mark Mullan. 11 real stock cars took the green flag in the 25 lap feature event. Robinson and Mullan lead the field to the green. Immediately after taking the green, Peeples pulled his car into the pits. Robinson took the early lead while everyone jockeyed for position.
On lap three, Savage moved by Essex for third. Later that same lap, Savage moved by Mullan into second. On lap four, Middleton moved into third. Barnwell moved by Mullan into fourth on lap six. On lap seven the caution flag flew for Kimberling who had spun in the second turn. On the restart, Middleton and Barnwell fought for the third spot, while Savage moved outside of Robinson to take the lead. Middleton followed through into second immediately after, but Barnwell had to wait until the next lap to take third from Robinson. Redd moved into fourth passing Robinson on lap 10. On lap 11, Barnwell moved to the outside of Middleton but got too high and lost several spots. On lap 13, Mullan and Nick Mitchell spun in the fourth turn resulting in the yellow flag.
Under the yellow flag, Redd pulled his car behind the wall with heavy smoke trailing. The green flag flew again and the field went racing once more. Essex moved inside of Robinson for fourth while Barnwell made his way back to third and challenged Middleton for second. Their duel allowed Savage to stretch his lead out. On lap 17, Kimberling moved outside of Essex for fourth. Their battle lasted all the way up until lap 23 when Kimberling finally cleared Essex. Meanwhile, Savage maintained a comfortable lead over Middleton and crossed the line first, while Barnwell, Kimberling and Essex completed the top five. However, Savage failed post race tech inspection and Middleton was awarded the win. The change in position moved everyone else behind him up one spot, moving Troy Wood into fifth.
Paul Peeples, Jr. set what was a relatively slow fast time for the thunder roadsters with a 17.249 lap. Peeples won the dash over Mark Arroyo, Chris Banfill and Jay Bahner. The win in the first heat race went to Rob Nelson over Donn Cole, Gerhy Foster, Fred Hanks and Chris Lawrence. Peeples took the second heat in a close finish over Mike Ward, Leroy Marsh, Jr., David Henderson and Banfill. Ward and Thomas Payne lead the 16 car field to the 30 lap main event. After the initial start was waved off, the green flew and Ward took the early lead over Marsh. On lap five, Henderson moved inside of Payne for third. On lap seven, Peeples moved inside of Chris Sarvinski for the fifth position. That same lap, Peeples moved past Payne to take fourth.
On the ninth lap after several laps of battling, Marsh moved inside of Ward to take the lead bringing Henderson and Peeples with him. Coming off the fourth turn, Payne hit the wall and pulled his car into the pits. On lap 12, Peeples moved to Henderson’s outside but fell back. Two laps later, Peeples tried the same maneuver and made it work taking second on lap 15. On lap 17, Peeples moved to the outside of Marsh for the lead. Henderson briefly moved inside of Marsh to make it three wide, but used better judgement and fell back.
Marsh and Peeples raced side-by-side until lap 20 when Peeples was able to compete the pass for the top spot. A few laps later, Henderson moved inside of Marsh for second. Unlike the previous three races this season, Peeples did not pull away from Henderson. Henderson stayed locked on Peeples’ bumper, but could never mount a charge for the lead. The best action as the race concluded was the battle for fifth between Sarvinski, Arroyo and Banfill. On lap 28, Arroyo spun off the fourth turn but did not bring out the yellow. In the end, Peeples had enough to hold off Henderson to take the win. Marsh finished third over Ward and Sarvinski. Like Orion Mosher, Peeples’ win made for a perfect evening as he also took quick time, the trophy dash and heat race win.
Rick Fox set the fast lap for the sportsman cars with a 16.493 lap. Larry Pries won the trophy dash followed by Luke Hall, Rick Fox and Jerry Peterson who was making his first start of the season. The heat race saw a bit too much excitement when Ken Hallis spun collecting Hall, Peterson, Donnie Brown and Joe Bonomini, the worst damage going to the cars of Hallis and Bonomini. Brandon Barnwell won the heat over Angelo Marcelli, Pries, Fox and Aaron Byers.
The nine car, 30 lap feature was brought to the green flag by Brown and Byers. Byers got the jump off the drop of the green and took the lead. On lap two, Brown spun off the fourth turn bringing out the yellow flag. Hall took advantage of Byers on the restart and moved by to take the lead bringing Pries into second. On lap eight, Fox moved outside and by Lissa Uselton for the fourth spot. Marcelli moved inside and by Uselton for fifth on lap 10. Hall began to pull away from Pries until lap 13 when Uselton and Brown spun bringing out the yellow flag.
Two laps after the restart, Fox and Peterson made contact sending Peterson into a spin off turn four. Peterson got going again and the yellow flag was not thrown. On lap 18, Barnwell moved inside of Byers for third. Two laps later, Barnwell moved by Pries to take second. It was nearly a mirror image of the previous race, just with the roles reversed as Hall held a large lead over Barnwell with 10 laps remaining. Slowly but surely Barnwell closed the gap. With two laps to go and only four car lengths behind Hall, Barnwell got loose off the second turn severely diminishing his hopes to win a fourth straight race. Meanwhile, Marcelli was picking his way past cars. With two laps to go he got by Fox for fifth. On the white flag lap, Marcelli moved by Byers for fourth. Up at the front, Hall was able to take the win over Barnwell and Pries with Marcelli taking fourth over Byers in fifth.
The drivers and teams have a quick turnaround this week as the next event at the Acres is set for this Saturday, June 9th. Joining the five local classes will be the first of two Powderpuff Races scheduled for the 2007 season.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Barnwell and Peeples remain perfect
Barnwell and Peeples remain perfect
By Matthew J. Sullivan - Eureka, CA
Another night of racing at Redwood Acres Raceway, another main event victory for sportsman driver Brandon Barnwell and thunder roadster ace Paul Peeples, Jr. In a story which had already been told twice this season, both drivers resumed their winning ways this past Saturday night in dominating fashion. Another driver who made his main event victory look easy was Orion Mosher, winning the limited street stock main event giving him two in a row. Mini stock winner Brian Murrell and real stock winner Barry Barnwell appeared to have more difficult tasks than their fellow main event winners, but both were able to score close wins.
Fast time for the limited street stock division on this night was set by Orion Mosher with a 17.510 mark. Mosher won the dash, while the heat race saw the return of former pure stock and sportsman champ Otis Stabler who took the win closely followed by Mosher and Trevor Miller. The 15 lap main event was almost over as quickly as it started. By lap two, Mosher moved from the back of the grid to the second position. Mosher then maneuvered his way by the leader Duane Mayo on the third lap and never looked back. By the time Miller and Stabler made their way by Mayo, Mosher was nearly a straightaway ahead. At the race’s conclusion it was Mosher the winner followed by Miller, Stabler, Scott Lyons and Stan Young.
18.793 was the quick lap set by Jason Shaha for the mini stock cars. Brian Murrell won the trophy dash but Shaha took the win in the heat race. The mini stock main proved to be the closest finish of the night. Early on, Scott Baker took the lead and stretched out to 20 car lengths or so over second position. Murrell and Shaha methodically worked their way to the front and as the laps wound down, they began to close on Baker. With six laps left, the duo had caught Baker and began to have a real race with him. With three laps remaining, Shaha moved outside of Murrell to pass and tried to get by Baker. In turn one, Baker got loose getting into Shaha and allowing Murrell to get by both to take the lead. Shaha would be right on Murrell’s bumper, but that’s as close as he would get to winning as Murrell took the victory. Baker was third, Glenn Bernald fourth and Stacy Minnick fifth.
Barry Barnwell was quickest in real stock qualifying setting a 19.585 lap. Barnwell won the dash while Bill Middleton and Steve Kimberling won their respective heat races. Chad Grammer gained the early advantage in the 25 lap main event and pulled away from the field. By lap nine though, Barnwell had moved his car into the second position. After 11 laps of catching up to do, Barnwell and Grammer really began to make a race for the lead position. Barnwell didn’t take long to strike, moving by Grammar to take the lead with four laps remaining. With Barnwell pulling away, Grammer had to battle Marvin Savage for second, eventually losing that position. At the finish line, Barnwell was the victor over Savage, Grammer, Kimberling and Middleton.
For the third straight race of the 2007 season, Paul Peeples, Jr. set fast time with a 17.021 lap time. Peeples took the dash victory while Randy Olson and Bill O’Neill won the two heat races. Early on in the 30 lap feature, Mike Ward looked to be the man to beat. However, as David Henderson, Peeples and Olson freight-trained their way from the back to the front, it seemed apparent that Ward would have his hands full holding off those three drivers. Peeples made a move by Henderson on the thirteenth lap for the second position. On lap 14, Peeples quickly made his way past Ward to take the lead. Henderson and Olson would follow Peeples into second and third, however the closest both would come to taking the lead would be after a lap 17 restart. That wasn’t enough though for either driver as Peeples comfortably held command and took the win over Henderson, Olson, Ward and Leroy Marsh, Jr.
Brandon Barnwell set the fast lap for the sportsman division with a 16.751 time. Barnwell notched the win in the trophy dash while North State Challenge Series driver Luke Hall made a rare appearance and won the heat race. Early on in the 30 lap feature, it appeared as if there would be a new winner in the sportsman division in 2007 as Angelo Marcelli held the early lead. However, Barnwell made sure that any of those ideas were quickly put to rest. On lap six he moved outside of Marcelli to take the lead. While Barnwell walked away from the competition, the best racing proved to be from Hall who methodically moved his way past each driver, finally making it to second on lap 20. Hall seemed to have the faster car, but Barnwell’s lead proved to be insurmountable as he took the win. Marcelli finished third while Aaron Byers and Lissa Uselton rounded out the top five finishers.
The next race at the Acres is June 2nd. As always, drivers in the five local divisions will be back to provide more of the same action that’s been seen so far in 2007.
Race Results
Limited Street Stocks
Fast Time: Orion Mosher 17.510
Dash: Mosher, Trevor Miller, Duane Mayo, Scott Lyons
Heat: Otis Stabler, Mosher, Miller, Stan Young, Lyons, Mayo
Main: Mosher, Miller, Stabler, Lyons, Young, Mayo, Romeo Venza
Mini Stocks
Fast Time: Jason Shaha 18.793
Dash: Bryan Murrell, Byron McIntosh, Shaha, Max Capps
Heat: Shaha, Scott Baker, Murrell, Glenn Bernald, Capps, By. McIntosh, Brian McIntosh, Stacy Minnick
Main: Murrell, Shaha, Baker, Bernald, Minnick, Capps, By. McIntosh, Br. McIntosh
Real Stocks
Fast Time: Barry Barnwell 19.585
Dash: Barnwell, Ryan Peeples, Marvin Savage, Bill Middleton
Heat 1: Middleton, Barnwell, Ray Robinson, Peeples, Troy Wood, Chad Grammer, Mark Mullan
Heat 2: Steve Kimberling, Jim Redd, Savage, Ray DeMello, Mike Cataldi, Jim Bailey, Rick Stone
Main: Barnwell, Savage, Grammer, Kimberling, Middleton, DeMello, Nick Green, Peeples, Wood, Mulla, Cataldi, Robinson, Redd, Stone
Thunder Roadsters
Fast Time: Paul Peeples, Jr. 17.021
Dash: Peeples, Randy Olson, David Henderson, Ron Borges
Heat 1: Olson, Peeples, Leroy Marsh, Jr., Henderson, Mic Moulton, Borges, Jay Bahner, Bill Bradbury, Thomas Payne, Ray Elliott
Heat 2: Bill O’Neill, Dave McMurray, Mike Ward, Donn Cole, Gehry Foster, Bruce Ziemer, Belinda Ward
Main: Peeples, Henderson, Olson, M. Ward, Marsh, Foster, Elliott, Ziemer, Bahner, Borges, Moulton, O’Neill, McMurray, Cole, Payne, Bradbury, B. Ward
Sportsman
Fast Time: Brandon Barnwell 16.751
Dash: Barnwell, Luke Hall, Donnie Brown, Aaron Byers
Heat: Hall, Angelo Marcelli, Larry Pries, Rick Fox, Barnwell, Brown, Joe Bonomini, Lissa Uselton, Mike Bourbon, Byers
Main: Barnwell, Hall, Marcelli, Byers, Uselton, Fox, Pries, Bonomini, Bourbon, Brown.
By Matthew J. Sullivan - Eureka, CA
Another night of racing at Redwood Acres Raceway, another main event victory for sportsman driver Brandon Barnwell and thunder roadster ace Paul Peeples, Jr. In a story which had already been told twice this season, both drivers resumed their winning ways this past Saturday night in dominating fashion. Another driver who made his main event victory look easy was Orion Mosher, winning the limited street stock main event giving him two in a row. Mini stock winner Brian Murrell and real stock winner Barry Barnwell appeared to have more difficult tasks than their fellow main event winners, but both were able to score close wins.
Fast time for the limited street stock division on this night was set by Orion Mosher with a 17.510 mark. Mosher won the dash, while the heat race saw the return of former pure stock and sportsman champ Otis Stabler who took the win closely followed by Mosher and Trevor Miller. The 15 lap main event was almost over as quickly as it started. By lap two, Mosher moved from the back of the grid to the second position. Mosher then maneuvered his way by the leader Duane Mayo on the third lap and never looked back. By the time Miller and Stabler made their way by Mayo, Mosher was nearly a straightaway ahead. At the race’s conclusion it was Mosher the winner followed by Miller, Stabler, Scott Lyons and Stan Young.
18.793 was the quick lap set by Jason Shaha for the mini stock cars. Brian Murrell won the trophy dash but Shaha took the win in the heat race. The mini stock main proved to be the closest finish of the night. Early on, Scott Baker took the lead and stretched out to 20 car lengths or so over second position. Murrell and Shaha methodically worked their way to the front and as the laps wound down, they began to close on Baker. With six laps left, the duo had caught Baker and began to have a real race with him. With three laps remaining, Shaha moved outside of Murrell to pass and tried to get by Baker. In turn one, Baker got loose getting into Shaha and allowing Murrell to get by both to take the lead. Shaha would be right on Murrell’s bumper, but that’s as close as he would get to winning as Murrell took the victory. Baker was third, Glenn Bernald fourth and Stacy Minnick fifth.
Barry Barnwell was quickest in real stock qualifying setting a 19.585 lap. Barnwell won the dash while Bill Middleton and Steve Kimberling won their respective heat races. Chad Grammer gained the early advantage in the 25 lap main event and pulled away from the field. By lap nine though, Barnwell had moved his car into the second position. After 11 laps of catching up to do, Barnwell and Grammer really began to make a race for the lead position. Barnwell didn’t take long to strike, moving by Grammar to take the lead with four laps remaining. With Barnwell pulling away, Grammer had to battle Marvin Savage for second, eventually losing that position. At the finish line, Barnwell was the victor over Savage, Grammer, Kimberling and Middleton.
For the third straight race of the 2007 season, Paul Peeples, Jr. set fast time with a 17.021 lap time. Peeples took the dash victory while Randy Olson and Bill O’Neill won the two heat races. Early on in the 30 lap feature, Mike Ward looked to be the man to beat. However, as David Henderson, Peeples and Olson freight-trained their way from the back to the front, it seemed apparent that Ward would have his hands full holding off those three drivers. Peeples made a move by Henderson on the thirteenth lap for the second position. On lap 14, Peeples quickly made his way past Ward to take the lead. Henderson and Olson would follow Peeples into second and third, however the closest both would come to taking the lead would be after a lap 17 restart. That wasn’t enough though for either driver as Peeples comfortably held command and took the win over Henderson, Olson, Ward and Leroy Marsh, Jr.
Brandon Barnwell set the fast lap for the sportsman division with a 16.751 time. Barnwell notched the win in the trophy dash while North State Challenge Series driver Luke Hall made a rare appearance and won the heat race. Early on in the 30 lap feature, it appeared as if there would be a new winner in the sportsman division in 2007 as Angelo Marcelli held the early lead. However, Barnwell made sure that any of those ideas were quickly put to rest. On lap six he moved outside of Marcelli to take the lead. While Barnwell walked away from the competition, the best racing proved to be from Hall who methodically moved his way past each driver, finally making it to second on lap 20. Hall seemed to have the faster car, but Barnwell’s lead proved to be insurmountable as he took the win. Marcelli finished third while Aaron Byers and Lissa Uselton rounded out the top five finishers.
The next race at the Acres is June 2nd. As always, drivers in the five local divisions will be back to provide more of the same action that’s been seen so far in 2007.
Race Results
Limited Street Stocks
Fast Time: Orion Mosher 17.510
Dash: Mosher, Trevor Miller, Duane Mayo, Scott Lyons
Heat: Otis Stabler, Mosher, Miller, Stan Young, Lyons, Mayo
Main: Mosher, Miller, Stabler, Lyons, Young, Mayo, Romeo Venza
Mini Stocks
Fast Time: Jason Shaha 18.793
Dash: Bryan Murrell, Byron McIntosh, Shaha, Max Capps
Heat: Shaha, Scott Baker, Murrell, Glenn Bernald, Capps, By. McIntosh, Brian McIntosh, Stacy Minnick
Main: Murrell, Shaha, Baker, Bernald, Minnick, Capps, By. McIntosh, Br. McIntosh
Real Stocks
Fast Time: Barry Barnwell 19.585
Dash: Barnwell, Ryan Peeples, Marvin Savage, Bill Middleton
Heat 1: Middleton, Barnwell, Ray Robinson, Peeples, Troy Wood, Chad Grammer, Mark Mullan
Heat 2: Steve Kimberling, Jim Redd, Savage, Ray DeMello, Mike Cataldi, Jim Bailey, Rick Stone
Main: Barnwell, Savage, Grammer, Kimberling, Middleton, DeMello, Nick Green, Peeples, Wood, Mulla, Cataldi, Robinson, Redd, Stone
Thunder Roadsters
Fast Time: Paul Peeples, Jr. 17.021
Dash: Peeples, Randy Olson, David Henderson, Ron Borges
Heat 1: Olson, Peeples, Leroy Marsh, Jr., Henderson, Mic Moulton, Borges, Jay Bahner, Bill Bradbury, Thomas Payne, Ray Elliott
Heat 2: Bill O’Neill, Dave McMurray, Mike Ward, Donn Cole, Gehry Foster, Bruce Ziemer, Belinda Ward
Main: Peeples, Henderson, Olson, M. Ward, Marsh, Foster, Elliott, Ziemer, Bahner, Borges, Moulton, O’Neill, McMurray, Cole, Payne, Bradbury, B. Ward
Sportsman
Fast Time: Brandon Barnwell 16.751
Dash: Barnwell, Luke Hall, Donnie Brown, Aaron Byers
Heat: Hall, Angelo Marcelli, Larry Pries, Rick Fox, Barnwell, Brown, Joe Bonomini, Lissa Uselton, Mike Bourbon, Byers
Main: Barnwell, Hall, Marcelli, Byers, Uselton, Fox, Pries, Bonomini, Bourbon, Brown.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Three is a magic number for Barnwell and Peeples
Three is a magic number for Barnwell and Peeples
By Matthew J. Sullivan
After racing the previous Saturday night at the Acres, drivers and teams had to make a quick turnaround to prepare for this past Saturday night’s action. The racing was clean, and there were very few incidents in all five local divisions. However, in the sportsman and thunder roadster divisions, it seemed as if it was the same story that had already been told twice before in the two previous races this season. Both Brandon Barnwell and Paul Peeples, Jr. once again won their respective main events bringing their streak to three wins. Another Barnwell claimed victory as well as Barry Barnwell took the main event victory in the real stock division. Orion Mosher scored his second main in a row sealing the win in the limited street stock class, while Brian Murrell held off his challengers in the mini stock main.
Fast time for the limited street stock division was set by Orion Mosher with a time of 17.510. Mosher took the dash victory over Trevor Miller, who was making his first start of the season, Duane Mayo and Scott Lyons. Former pure stock and sportsman champion Otis Stabler held off Mosher and Miller to win the hotly contested heat race, while Stan Young and Lyons rounded out the top five. Seven cars started the 15 lap main event. Duane Mayo was able to use his pole position to his advantage as he took the early lead. However, Orion Mosher wanted to get to the front as soon as possible, and get to the front he did. On lap two, Mosher moved to the outside of Mayo and powered past to take the lead. Miller made the pass on Mayo for second on lap three, but by then Mosher had already built a substantial lead. With Mosher walking away from the field, the rest of the excitement was left between Mayo, Stabler, Lyons and Young. Unfortunately for Mayo, between laps eight and ten he was passed for third fourth and fifth. At race’s end, Mosher had made it looked easy as he took home the victory followed by Miller, Mayo, Stabler, Lyons and Young.
Eight cars took time in the mini stock division. Jason Shaha set the fast mark at a 18.793. Brian Murrell won the dash followed by Byron McIntosh, Shaha and Max Capps. Shaha would go on to win the heat race followed by Scott Baker, Murrell, Glenn Bernald and Capps. Minnick and Baker lead the field to the green in the 15 lap feature. Baker got the jump off the start and immediately started to build his lead while Minnick slotted into the second position. As the field got into single file, Murrell and Shaha began to pick their way to the front. On lap three, Murrell moved inside and by Bernald while Shaha followed in his tire tracks. While Baker continued to build his lead, Murrell moved under Minnick on lap four and completed the pass, once again bringing Shaha with him.
For a moment, the cars of Murrell and Shaha looked to be at Daytona or Talladega, as they ran nose to tail and began to close on the leader Baker. On lap 9, the duo had caught Baker and Murrell decided to make his move quickly. He got under Baker on lap 10, but momentarily went into the grass and fell back allowing Shaha to make a move on the high side of Baker. The two raced side by side for the lead until lap 12 when Shaha seemed to have the edge. However, going into the first turn, the two made contact giving Murrell the inside line allowing him to take the lead. For the last two laps, Shaha tried to pressure Murrell, but he couldn’t find the running room. When the checkered flag fell, Murrell was the winner followed by Shaha, Baker, Bernald and Minnick.
Barry Barnwell set the pace for the real stock class in qualifications with a 19.585 lap time. Barnwell took the win in the dash over Ryan Peeples, Marvin Savage and Bill Middleton. Middleton won the first heat holding off Barnwell, Ray Robinson, Peeples and Troy Wood who was driving Chuck Essex’s car. Steve Kimberling took the second heat followed by Jim Redd, Marvin Savage and Ray DeMello.
Mark Mullan and DeMello lead the 13 car field to the green for the 25 lap main event. Mullan grabbed the early lead over Chad Grammar. On lap two Middleton moved inside to get by Redd for fourth. Grammar made his way by Mullan for the lead on lap five, while Redd went for a spin off the fourth turn at the same time. No yellow was thrown as Redd was able to continue. On lap six, DeMello got under Mullan for second and brought a train of cars with him including Middleton and Barnwell. At this time, Grammar held about a 10 car length gap over second place DeMello.
Barnwell began to really show his strength on lap eight moving outside of Middleton and completing the pass a lap later. Later that lap, Barnwell made his way by DeMello to take second. Now he set his sights on the leader Grammar. On lap 11, Middleton moved his way to third getting by DeMello. On lap 13, Savage began to move to the front passing Peeples and DeMello. On lap 16, Middleton got sideways in turn two allowing Savage to get by for third. The next lap, Kimberling took advantage of Middleton’s handling issues and moved by him for fourth. By lap 20, Barnwell had finally caught up to Grammer’s rear bumper. On lap 21, Barnwell took a look to the high side of Grammer on the front stretch. Coming off of turn two, Barnwell drove his car to Grammer’s inside to take the lead. With two laps left, Savage was able to get under and by Grammer for second, but it was too late as Barnwell had built a comfortable lead and took the checkered flag first followed by Savage, Grammar, Kimberling and Middleton.
Paul Peeples, Jr. set quick time for the third straight race for the thunder roadsters with a 17.021 lap. He followed his fast lap up with a win in the trophy dash over Randy Olson, driving the car normally wheeled by his brother Rusty, David Henderson and Ron Borges. Leroy Marsh, Jr. won the first heat over Olson, Peeples, Henderson and Mic Moulton who was subbing for Chris Banfill. Bill O’Neill won the second heat over Dave McMurray, Mike Ward, Donn Cole and Gehry Foster.
Ward and Cole brought the 17 car field to the green for the 30 lap main event. Ward was able to grab the early lead while behind him the field jockeyed for position. On lap 7, Bill Bradbury and Borges made contact in the first turn bringing out the yellow flag and tightening up the field. At this time Ward lead over Cole, Bruce Ziemer, Foster and Marsh. On the restart, the trio of Henderson, Peeples and Olson hooked up together. All three got by Marsh, Foster and Ziemer by lap 9 and closed in on the two leaders.
On lap 11, Henderson moved outside of Cole bringing Peeples and Olson with him. The next lap, Peeples found the inside groove under Henderson, completing the pass for second on lap 13. The battle for the lead was a short one as Peeples moved by Ward on lap 14 with Henderson following. On lap 16, Olson moved to third getting by Ward. On lap 17, Marsh and Cole made contact sending Cole spinning and bringing out the yellow.
On the restart the front three pulled away while Ward and Marsh battled for fourth. With the lap winding down, Peeples held a comfortable gap over Henderson, while Olson fell behind the two leaders but maintained a gap over Ward and Marsh. While the front five were spread out, the best racing was from sixth on back as drivers raced side by side battling for position. Unfortunately, the good racing was overshadowed by the dominance of Peeples as he took his third straight main event win followed by Henderson, Olson, Ward and Marsh.
Brandon Barnwell was the fastest of the sportsman cars in qualifying with a 16.751 lap. Barnwell won the dash over North State Challenge Series racer Luke Hall, Donnie Brown and Aaron Byers. In the heat race, Hall took the victory with Angelo Marcelli, Larry Pries, Rick Fox and Barnwell completing the top five. Unfortunately during tire warm-ups in the heat, rookie driver McKenna Bell making her first start at the Acres spun and hit the wall on the back stretch ending her evening.
10 cars started the 30 lap sportsman main event with Marcelli and Lissa Uselton leading the field to the green flag. Uselton was driving a backup car previously driven by Fox in prior seasons. Marcelli took the early lead. Barnwell was quickly making his way to the front as he moved by Byers on lap two for third, then moved outside of Uselton for second on lap three. On lap 4, Mike Bourbon and Joe Bonomini spun in turns one and two necessitating a caution flag.
On the restart it was Marcelli leading Barnwell, Byers, Brown and Uselton. On lap six, Brown moved outside of Byers for third. At the same time, Barnwell moved inside of Marcelli to take the lead. On lap seven, Brown slowed and headed into the pits calling it a night. Hall began to show his strength on lap 10 moving by Fox for fifth. On lap 12, Hall passed Uselton for fourth. Five laps later, Hall moved outside of Marcelli and completed the pass on lap 20.
With the field spread out, the best action for the rest of the race was to see if Hall could close the gap on Barnwell who had a substantial 3/4 of a straightaway lead. As the laps wound down, Hall closed the gap to about three car lengths, but by then time had run out. Barnwell took the win over Hall, Marcelli, Byers and Uselton.
Racing at the Acres takes a break before returning June 2nd with all five local classes running once again.
By Matthew J. Sullivan
After racing the previous Saturday night at the Acres, drivers and teams had to make a quick turnaround to prepare for this past Saturday night’s action. The racing was clean, and there were very few incidents in all five local divisions. However, in the sportsman and thunder roadster divisions, it seemed as if it was the same story that had already been told twice before in the two previous races this season. Both Brandon Barnwell and Paul Peeples, Jr. once again won their respective main events bringing their streak to three wins. Another Barnwell claimed victory as well as Barry Barnwell took the main event victory in the real stock division. Orion Mosher scored his second main in a row sealing the win in the limited street stock class, while Brian Murrell held off his challengers in the mini stock main.
Fast time for the limited street stock division was set by Orion Mosher with a time of 17.510. Mosher took the dash victory over Trevor Miller, who was making his first start of the season, Duane Mayo and Scott Lyons. Former pure stock and sportsman champion Otis Stabler held off Mosher and Miller to win the hotly contested heat race, while Stan Young and Lyons rounded out the top five. Seven cars started the 15 lap main event. Duane Mayo was able to use his pole position to his advantage as he took the early lead. However, Orion Mosher wanted to get to the front as soon as possible, and get to the front he did. On lap two, Mosher moved to the outside of Mayo and powered past to take the lead. Miller made the pass on Mayo for second on lap three, but by then Mosher had already built a substantial lead. With Mosher walking away from the field, the rest of the excitement was left between Mayo, Stabler, Lyons and Young. Unfortunately for Mayo, between laps eight and ten he was passed for third fourth and fifth. At race’s end, Mosher had made it looked easy as he took home the victory followed by Miller, Mayo, Stabler, Lyons and Young.
Eight cars took time in the mini stock division. Jason Shaha set the fast mark at a 18.793. Brian Murrell won the dash followed by Byron McIntosh, Shaha and Max Capps. Shaha would go on to win the heat race followed by Scott Baker, Murrell, Glenn Bernald and Capps. Minnick and Baker lead the field to the green in the 15 lap feature. Baker got the jump off the start and immediately started to build his lead while Minnick slotted into the second position. As the field got into single file, Murrell and Shaha began to pick their way to the front. On lap three, Murrell moved inside and by Bernald while Shaha followed in his tire tracks. While Baker continued to build his lead, Murrell moved under Minnick on lap four and completed the pass, once again bringing Shaha with him.
For a moment, the cars of Murrell and Shaha looked to be at Daytona or Talladega, as they ran nose to tail and began to close on the leader Baker. On lap 9, the duo had caught Baker and Murrell decided to make his move quickly. He got under Baker on lap 10, but momentarily went into the grass and fell back allowing Shaha to make a move on the high side of Baker. The two raced side by side for the lead until lap 12 when Shaha seemed to have the edge. However, going into the first turn, the two made contact giving Murrell the inside line allowing him to take the lead. For the last two laps, Shaha tried to pressure Murrell, but he couldn’t find the running room. When the checkered flag fell, Murrell was the winner followed by Shaha, Baker, Bernald and Minnick.
Barry Barnwell set the pace for the real stock class in qualifications with a 19.585 lap time. Barnwell took the win in the dash over Ryan Peeples, Marvin Savage and Bill Middleton. Middleton won the first heat holding off Barnwell, Ray Robinson, Peeples and Troy Wood who was driving Chuck Essex’s car. Steve Kimberling took the second heat followed by Jim Redd, Marvin Savage and Ray DeMello.
Mark Mullan and DeMello lead the 13 car field to the green for the 25 lap main event. Mullan grabbed the early lead over Chad Grammar. On lap two Middleton moved inside to get by Redd for fourth. Grammar made his way by Mullan for the lead on lap five, while Redd went for a spin off the fourth turn at the same time. No yellow was thrown as Redd was able to continue. On lap six, DeMello got under Mullan for second and brought a train of cars with him including Middleton and Barnwell. At this time, Grammar held about a 10 car length gap over second place DeMello.
Barnwell began to really show his strength on lap eight moving outside of Middleton and completing the pass a lap later. Later that lap, Barnwell made his way by DeMello to take second. Now he set his sights on the leader Grammar. On lap 11, Middleton moved his way to third getting by DeMello. On lap 13, Savage began to move to the front passing Peeples and DeMello. On lap 16, Middleton got sideways in turn two allowing Savage to get by for third. The next lap, Kimberling took advantage of Middleton’s handling issues and moved by him for fourth. By lap 20, Barnwell had finally caught up to Grammer’s rear bumper. On lap 21, Barnwell took a look to the high side of Grammer on the front stretch. Coming off of turn two, Barnwell drove his car to Grammer’s inside to take the lead. With two laps left, Savage was able to get under and by Grammer for second, but it was too late as Barnwell had built a comfortable lead and took the checkered flag first followed by Savage, Grammar, Kimberling and Middleton.
Paul Peeples, Jr. set quick time for the third straight race for the thunder roadsters with a 17.021 lap. He followed his fast lap up with a win in the trophy dash over Randy Olson, driving the car normally wheeled by his brother Rusty, David Henderson and Ron Borges. Leroy Marsh, Jr. won the first heat over Olson, Peeples, Henderson and Mic Moulton who was subbing for Chris Banfill. Bill O’Neill won the second heat over Dave McMurray, Mike Ward, Donn Cole and Gehry Foster.
Ward and Cole brought the 17 car field to the green for the 30 lap main event. Ward was able to grab the early lead while behind him the field jockeyed for position. On lap 7, Bill Bradbury and Borges made contact in the first turn bringing out the yellow flag and tightening up the field. At this time Ward lead over Cole, Bruce Ziemer, Foster and Marsh. On the restart, the trio of Henderson, Peeples and Olson hooked up together. All three got by Marsh, Foster and Ziemer by lap 9 and closed in on the two leaders.
On lap 11, Henderson moved outside of Cole bringing Peeples and Olson with him. The next lap, Peeples found the inside groove under Henderson, completing the pass for second on lap 13. The battle for the lead was a short one as Peeples moved by Ward on lap 14 with Henderson following. On lap 16, Olson moved to third getting by Ward. On lap 17, Marsh and Cole made contact sending Cole spinning and bringing out the yellow.
On the restart the front three pulled away while Ward and Marsh battled for fourth. With the lap winding down, Peeples held a comfortable gap over Henderson, while Olson fell behind the two leaders but maintained a gap over Ward and Marsh. While the front five were spread out, the best racing was from sixth on back as drivers raced side by side battling for position. Unfortunately, the good racing was overshadowed by the dominance of Peeples as he took his third straight main event win followed by Henderson, Olson, Ward and Marsh.
Brandon Barnwell was the fastest of the sportsman cars in qualifying with a 16.751 lap. Barnwell won the dash over North State Challenge Series racer Luke Hall, Donnie Brown and Aaron Byers. In the heat race, Hall took the victory with Angelo Marcelli, Larry Pries, Rick Fox and Barnwell completing the top five. Unfortunately during tire warm-ups in the heat, rookie driver McKenna Bell making her first start at the Acres spun and hit the wall on the back stretch ending her evening.
10 cars started the 30 lap sportsman main event with Marcelli and Lissa Uselton leading the field to the green flag. Uselton was driving a backup car previously driven by Fox in prior seasons. Marcelli took the early lead. Barnwell was quickly making his way to the front as he moved by Byers on lap two for third, then moved outside of Uselton for second on lap three. On lap 4, Mike Bourbon and Joe Bonomini spun in turns one and two necessitating a caution flag.
On the restart it was Marcelli leading Barnwell, Byers, Brown and Uselton. On lap six, Brown moved outside of Byers for third. At the same time, Barnwell moved inside of Marcelli to take the lead. On lap seven, Brown slowed and headed into the pits calling it a night. Hall began to show his strength on lap 10 moving by Fox for fifth. On lap 12, Hall passed Uselton for fourth. Five laps later, Hall moved outside of Marcelli and completed the pass on lap 20.
With the field spread out, the best action for the rest of the race was to see if Hall could close the gap on Barnwell who had a substantial 3/4 of a straightaway lead. As the laps wound down, Hall closed the gap to about three car lengths, but by then time had run out. Barnwell took the win over Hall, Marcelli, Byers and Uselton.
Racing at the Acres takes a break before returning June 2nd with all five local classes running once again.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
2006 Real Stock season: A look back
2006 Real Stock season: A look back
By Matthew J. Sullivan
Bill Bradbury’s wide point margin and championship victory may have been a bit deceiving to those who were not able to view all of the real stock races at Redwood Acres Raceway in 2006. While Bradbury did notch three victories and maintained the consistency it takes to win a championship on any level, his 2006 championship run was anything but easy. On any given night at the Acres, at least ten different drivers could wind up as the winner of the main event. No, it was not easy at all.
Bradbury’s closest points competitor proved to be Barry Barnwell. Early in the season, Barnwell’s strength was somewhat of a surprise, but as the season went on his strength proved to last. Although Barnwell was not able to win a main event in 2006 he was consistently a factor, at or near the front of the pack in every race. The third place points finishers, co-drivers Ray and Ryan Robinson also proved to be surprising. Going into the season, it did not appear as if the duo would be among the fast cars, but on most nights they were. Although they were shut out from victory circle, they opened the eyes of their competition and should be one of the cars to beat in the coming year.
Real Stock veteran, Steve Kimberling maintained a top five consistency throughout the season, keeping his car clean. Kimberling was finally able to break through and win the final main event of the year in the Fall Spectacular. One of Bill Bradbury’s toughest competitors all season proved to be Dan Browne. The two staged one of the most memorable races ever at the Acres in the fourth race of the season, trading the lead back and forth on several occasions. When the checkered flag dropped, Browne and Bradbury were side-by-side. At the line, Browne was able to beat Bradbury by inches.
Jim Redd placed sixth in the points standings. More often than not, Redd was in the thick of the battle for the top five. Ryan Walters won the most main events in the division scoring four victories and seventh in the points. Unfortunately, Walters took what may have been the hardest hit of the season on the final weekend when his right front tire bounced off his car in practice sending him straight into the water barrels in turn two. Walters was not hurt, but the car proved not to be.
Eighth in the points was Troy Wood. On many nights Wood was among the early leaders in the main event, but he just could not muster enough to claim victory. Doug Way was the ninth place points finisher scoring his two main event wins early in the season. Way seemed to be one of the more unlucky drivers, getting involved in accidents not of his own doing forcing him out of races. Jim Bailey finished tenth in points. Bailey was one of the strongest contenders every race, but circumstance kept him from taking home main event wins. Two drivers scored main event wins, but did not participate the full season, Jason Belt and Cecil Arispe.
The 2007 season should prove to be a close points battle. Bill Bradbury is the rightful favorite going into the year but winning the championship won’t get any easier. With Barnwell and Walters combining their efforts into one, they should be stiff competition. Anyone in the top ten could easily win the championship. Those outside of the top ten like Bob Lima, Ray Demello and Cecil Arispe could be major championship factors too. Improving drivers such as Dana DeVane, Marvin Savage and Nick Green look to finish better in the standings. The real stock division will definitely be something worth watching in 2007.
By Matthew J. Sullivan
Bill Bradbury’s wide point margin and championship victory may have been a bit deceiving to those who were not able to view all of the real stock races at Redwood Acres Raceway in 2006. While Bradbury did notch three victories and maintained the consistency it takes to win a championship on any level, his 2006 championship run was anything but easy. On any given night at the Acres, at least ten different drivers could wind up as the winner of the main event. No, it was not easy at all.
Bradbury’s closest points competitor proved to be Barry Barnwell. Early in the season, Barnwell’s strength was somewhat of a surprise, but as the season went on his strength proved to last. Although Barnwell was not able to win a main event in 2006 he was consistently a factor, at or near the front of the pack in every race. The third place points finishers, co-drivers Ray and Ryan Robinson also proved to be surprising. Going into the season, it did not appear as if the duo would be among the fast cars, but on most nights they were. Although they were shut out from victory circle, they opened the eyes of their competition and should be one of the cars to beat in the coming year.
Real Stock veteran, Steve Kimberling maintained a top five consistency throughout the season, keeping his car clean. Kimberling was finally able to break through and win the final main event of the year in the Fall Spectacular. One of Bill Bradbury’s toughest competitors all season proved to be Dan Browne. The two staged one of the most memorable races ever at the Acres in the fourth race of the season, trading the lead back and forth on several occasions. When the checkered flag dropped, Browne and Bradbury were side-by-side. At the line, Browne was able to beat Bradbury by inches.
Jim Redd placed sixth in the points standings. More often than not, Redd was in the thick of the battle for the top five. Ryan Walters won the most main events in the division scoring four victories and seventh in the points. Unfortunately, Walters took what may have been the hardest hit of the season on the final weekend when his right front tire bounced off his car in practice sending him straight into the water barrels in turn two. Walters was not hurt, but the car proved not to be.
Eighth in the points was Troy Wood. On many nights Wood was among the early leaders in the main event, but he just could not muster enough to claim victory. Doug Way was the ninth place points finisher scoring his two main event wins early in the season. Way seemed to be one of the more unlucky drivers, getting involved in accidents not of his own doing forcing him out of races. Jim Bailey finished tenth in points. Bailey was one of the strongest contenders every race, but circumstance kept him from taking home main event wins. Two drivers scored main event wins, but did not participate the full season, Jason Belt and Cecil Arispe.
The 2007 season should prove to be a close points battle. Bill Bradbury is the rightful favorite going into the year but winning the championship won’t get any easier. With Barnwell and Walters combining their efforts into one, they should be stiff competition. Anyone in the top ten could easily win the championship. Those outside of the top ten like Bob Lima, Ray Demello and Cecil Arispe could be major championship factors too. Improving drivers such as Dana DeVane, Marvin Savage and Nick Green look to finish better in the standings. The real stock division will definitely be something worth watching in 2007.
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Walsh, Grammer, Betournay 2006 champions
Walsh, Grammer, Betournay 2006 champions
By Matthew J. Sullivan
The thirteenth event of the season, the Judy Fox Memorial race at Redwood Acres Raceway Saturday night saw the 2006 points races in the sportsman, mini stock and limited street stock divisions come to an end with champions crowned in each division. Marty Walsh held off the toughest challenges of Glen Shewry to win once again in the sportsman division capping off a superb championship run. Craig Baker took home the trophy in the mini stock division but Chad Grammer was probably the happiest mini stock driver as his fourth place finish was good enough to claim the title. Class rookie Trevor Miller claimed victory in the limited street stock class while first year driver Adrien Betournay won the division champion. While the real stock and thunder roadsters still have another weekend of racing left, both divisions had great racing with Dan Browne winning the real stock main, and Troy Combs taking top honors in the roadster race.
Before the night’s racing action, drivers from all divisions brought their cars out to the track to do a few memorial laps in honor of Judy Fox as well as other loved ones who were either lost to cancer or have passed on from other circumstances. The field of cars was lead by Rick Fox, Judy’s son and Lissa Uselton who is a close friend of the Fox family. Ryan Walters set the quickest lap in time trials in the real stock division with a 19.338 lap. Jim Bailey won the dash over Walters Dan Browne and Bill Bradbury. Brian Belt won the first heat race followed by Ryan Robinson, Troy Wood, Steve Kimberling and Bailey. Browne won the second heat race with Bill Middleton, Walters, Doug Way and Barry Barnwell in his tire tracks.
Eighteen cars started the 25-lap real stock main event. Troy Wood and Chuck Essex took the field to the green flag and the start of the race. Off the start, Doug Way suffered problems and slowed on the track. Coming off the fourth turn, Middleton spun bringing out the yellow flag. Amidst the early race chaos, it was Essex taking the early lead over Barnwell and Wood. The green flag flew again with Barnwell moving to Essex’s outside, taking the top position on lap three. On lap four, Walters moved himself into the fifth position getting by Kimberling. Bradbury moved by Wood and began to harass Essex for second allowing Barnwell to pull out to a sizeable margin. On lap seven, Walters made his way by Wood bringing Browne with him. The next lap, Walters moved inside Bradbury for second but Bradbury was able to hold him off. The caution came out on lap 10 when Mark Mullin spun and hit the turn four wall.
Unfortunately for Barnwell, his large lead was erased, and on the restart he now had Essex, Bradbury, Walters and Browne within striking distance of him. On the restart, Walters moved to the outside of Bradbury for third, finishing the pass on lap 11. Walters then was able to maneuver his way by Essex going into the third turn on lap 12 taking the second spot. At the same time, Browne was able to get by Bradbury for fourth. Browne moved outside of Essex on lap 13, taking the third position on lap 14 in turn one. As the leaders hit slower cars on lap 16, Browne was able to get by Walters for second in turn one. The lapped traffic jumbled the running order with Belt and Bradbury able to get by Essex.
On lap 18, Browne was able to snatch the lead away from Barnwell going into the first turn. At the same time, Belt and Walters made contact, allowing Belt to get by. Walters regained the position going into the third turn on lap 19. On lap 20, Walters spun in the second turn into the infield. The caution flag did not fly however costing Walters any chance at a good finish. Meanwhile, Browne had stretched out to a comfortable lead over Barnwell, while Barnwell had a comfortable lead over Bradbury in third. With one lap to go, Belt moved to the outside of Bradbury but got loose allowing Bailey to take the fourth position. At the front, it was Dan Browne crossing the checkered flag leading a top five consisting of drivers with the last name started by ‘B’; Barnwell, Bradbury, Bailey and Belt.
In practice for the limited street stock division, Romeo Venza hit the fourth turn wall and was not able to make it out for the rest of the evening. Trevor Miller set the fast time with a 17.143 lap. The trophy dash belonged to Kenny Demello who was looking to gain points on division leader Adrien Betournay for the championship. Miller finished second with Mosher third and Betouray fourth. Mosher took the win in the heat race followed by Demello, Betournay, Duane Mayo and Scott Lyons.
The two title contenders Demello and Betournay lead the six car field to the green flag in the 10 lap main event. Demello was able to take the early lead while the drivers tried to sort themselves out. Miller moved by Mayo in the first turn on lap two while Betournay tried to move outside and by Demello for the lead. Mosher made his way past Mayo going into the third turn on lap three. On lap five, Miller found a line inside Betournay to take second bringing along Mosher. A few moments later, Miller got to the inside of Demello to take the lead coming off the second turn. On lap seven, Mosher was able to get by Demello for second. Betournay did the same move on lap eight. Unfortunately coming off turn two, Demello hit the wall ending his race and losing his chances at the championship. The restart proved to be a formality for Miller as he was able to hold off Mosher to take the win. Betournay took third winning the class title, Mayo finished fourth and Lyons fifth.
With only a few points separating mini stock points leader Chad Grammer and second place Brian Murrell, every position in every race was extremely important. Craig Baker set fast time with a 18.731 lap. The trophy dash was won by Baker followed by Stacy Minnick, Grammar and Glen Bernald. Baker then took the win in the heat race over Grammar, Murrell, Denzel Barrett and Bernald. Nine cars started the 20-lap mini stock main event with Murrell and Bernald pacing the field. Before the start of the race, the lighting system in the second turn failed and the drivers had to race that corner in darker conditions.
Murrell was able to get the lead off the start while Minnick moved to second, followed by Baker, Grammer and Bernald. On lap three, Baker moved to the outside of Minnick to take second while Murrell pulled out to a large gap. On lap five the caution came out when Barrett spun in the fourth turn. On the restart, Baker moved outside of Murrell taking the lead on lap seven. From that point on, the field stretched out and the only drama that was left was to see if the champion would either be Murrell or Grammer. Craig Baker made it three-for-three on the night to handily take the main event win over Murrell, Minnick, Grammer and Bernald. Grammer’s fourth place finish was just enough to beat Murrell in the final points talley making him the 2006 mini stock champion.
Randy Olson set the quick time for yet another race night for the thunder roadsters with a 16.965 lap. David Henderson held off Olson, Paul Peeples, Jr. and Chris Banfill to take the win in the dash. Bill O’Neill won the first heat followed by Gary Payne, Fred Hanks, Chris Lawrence and Waylon Henze. Troy Combs won the second heat race over LeRoy Marsh, Jr., Mike Ward, Chris Sarvinski and Peeples. 20 cars started the 30-lap main event with Bruce Ziemar and Dave McMurray leading the field to the green flag. Ziemar grabbed the early lead before the second lap when Marsh took the lead taking Combs and Ward with him. Ziemar got loose of the second turn costing himself several positions. Going into turn three on lap four, Combs moved inside and by Marsh for the lead. As the front duo pulled away from the rest of the pack, the faster qualifiers of Olson and Henderson fought their way through the traffic. Olson moved outside of Sarvinski on lap five completing the pass on lap six. Henderson was able to move inside Sarvinski on the same lap to take fifth.
On lap 9, the Olson/Henderson duo closed in on Ward for third while Combs and Marsh had a sizeable 10-15 car length gap over the three. Olson and Henderson moved inside Ward going into the third turn on lap 10. Two laps later, Sarvinski was able to get by Ward to take the fourth spot. Rob Nelson spun in turn four on lap 13 but no yellow flag was thrown. At the same time, Peeples, who had made his way by Ward, got past Sarvinski for fifth. With the field spread out and Combs and Marsh with a seemingly insurmountable gap over Olson and Henderson, the race looked to be a two car battle. On lap 21, Combs hit slower traffic slowing his car. This allowed Marsh to close within striking distance along with allowing Olson and Henderson to close the large gap a little bit.
For several laps, Henderson tried to find a way by Olson. On lap 25 as the two closed in on Marsh who was fighting slower cars, Henderson made a bold move inside to get by and take third. Two laps later going into turn three, Olson regained the third position on the high side. The battle amongst Marsh, Olson and Henderson was enough for Troy Combs to sail to the win. Marsh held off Olson for second while Henderson finished fourth and Peeples fifth.
Barring any unusual circumstances, Marty Walsh basically had to show up to clinch the championship in the sportsman division. Glen Shewry clocked the fastest lap in qualifying with a 16.424 lap. Angelo Marcelli won the dash over Shewry, Walsh and Aaron Byers. Al Acuna won the first heat holding of Ken Hallis, Rick Fox, Walsh and Byers to win. The second sportsman heat race was highlighted by a superb side-by-side race for the win between Donnie Brown and Brandon Barnwell. The two raced doorhandle-to-doorhandle for the three laps before Barnwell was able to take the lead and win over Brown, Shewry, Lissa Uselton and Marcelli.
The 12 car 30-lap main event was brought to the green flag by Uselton and Brown. Off the start Brown took the lead. Going into the third turn Uselton tried to mount a challenge but Brown shut the door. On lap two, Shewry got loose off the fourth turn and slid into the infield going into turn one. He was able to save his race car while going back on the track in the middle of turns one and two, however the field was jumbled up. On lap four, Walsh moved by Uselton coming off turn four. The yellow flag flew on lap seven when Keith Dias spun in turn four. Under yellow, Barnwell and Fox made contact sending Fox spinning. However since the incident occurred under the yellow flag, Fox was able to retain his position in the race.
When the green flag came out it was Brown leading Walsh, Uselton, Byers and Marcelli. Shewry moved outside of Marcelli on lap nine, finishing the pass on lap 10. On lap 11, the field jammed up in front of Larry Pries causing Hallis to spin him out and bringing out the yellow. Hallis was sent to the rear for his involvement in the incident. The green flag came out again giving Shewry the chance to get outside and by Byers. Going into the third turn on lap 12, Walsh moved inside of Brown for the lead. Off turn two, Walsh got the bite in his rear tires, taking the lead, while Shewry moved by Uselton for third.
On lap 15, Browne dug deep and moved inside of Walsh to regain the lead. Marcelli moved inside of Byers for fifth on lap 16, taking the position going into turn three on lap 17. That same lap the yellow flag came out when Pries spun in turn four collecting Hallis, who took his car to the pits under the caution period.
The yellow period allowed Walsh to cool his tires and on the restart he was able to challenge Brown for the lead again. On lap 20, Walsh moved inside of Brown. The two raced side-by-side for a lap before Walsh was able to take the lead once more, this time bringing Shewry with him. Shewry appeared to have a faster car and he tried to fill Walsh’s mirror as much as possible. On lap 25, Shewry tried to use the high line to get by Walsh but it didn’t work. A lap later, Shewry tried the same tactic but got too loose off turn two and lost several car lengths. On lap 29, the yellow flag flew for debris from Pries’s car. This set up a green/white/checker finish. The restart wasn’t enough for Shewry to mount a challenge to Walsh as Marty Walsh was able to cap off his championship night win the main event win. Shewry held on to second followed by Brown, Uselton and Marcelli.
The final two points races for the real stock and the thunder roadsters will be held in conjunction with the Fall Spectacular Friday and Saturday night September 22nd and 23rd. Along with the two local classes will be the IMCA modifieds and the open competition super late model races. Cars from all over the west coast, from as far away as Las Vegas and Texas will be racing at the Acres. On Thursday the 21st, there will be an open practice between 2-6 PM followed by a steak barbeque provided by Rich and Linda Olson as well as Jim Offenbach and the Golden Gate Meat Company. It promises to be a very exciting conclusion to what has been perhaps the best season of racing at the Acres ever.
By Matthew J. Sullivan
The thirteenth event of the season, the Judy Fox Memorial race at Redwood Acres Raceway Saturday night saw the 2006 points races in the sportsman, mini stock and limited street stock divisions come to an end with champions crowned in each division. Marty Walsh held off the toughest challenges of Glen Shewry to win once again in the sportsman division capping off a superb championship run. Craig Baker took home the trophy in the mini stock division but Chad Grammer was probably the happiest mini stock driver as his fourth place finish was good enough to claim the title. Class rookie Trevor Miller claimed victory in the limited street stock class while first year driver Adrien Betournay won the division champion. While the real stock and thunder roadsters still have another weekend of racing left, both divisions had great racing with Dan Browne winning the real stock main, and Troy Combs taking top honors in the roadster race.
Before the night’s racing action, drivers from all divisions brought their cars out to the track to do a few memorial laps in honor of Judy Fox as well as other loved ones who were either lost to cancer or have passed on from other circumstances. The field of cars was lead by Rick Fox, Judy’s son and Lissa Uselton who is a close friend of the Fox family. Ryan Walters set the quickest lap in time trials in the real stock division with a 19.338 lap. Jim Bailey won the dash over Walters Dan Browne and Bill Bradbury. Brian Belt won the first heat race followed by Ryan Robinson, Troy Wood, Steve Kimberling and Bailey. Browne won the second heat race with Bill Middleton, Walters, Doug Way and Barry Barnwell in his tire tracks.
Eighteen cars started the 25-lap real stock main event. Troy Wood and Chuck Essex took the field to the green flag and the start of the race. Off the start, Doug Way suffered problems and slowed on the track. Coming off the fourth turn, Middleton spun bringing out the yellow flag. Amidst the early race chaos, it was Essex taking the early lead over Barnwell and Wood. The green flag flew again with Barnwell moving to Essex’s outside, taking the top position on lap three. On lap four, Walters moved himself into the fifth position getting by Kimberling. Bradbury moved by Wood and began to harass Essex for second allowing Barnwell to pull out to a sizeable margin. On lap seven, Walters made his way by Wood bringing Browne with him. The next lap, Walters moved inside Bradbury for second but Bradbury was able to hold him off. The caution came out on lap 10 when Mark Mullin spun and hit the turn four wall.
Unfortunately for Barnwell, his large lead was erased, and on the restart he now had Essex, Bradbury, Walters and Browne within striking distance of him. On the restart, Walters moved to the outside of Bradbury for third, finishing the pass on lap 11. Walters then was able to maneuver his way by Essex going into the third turn on lap 12 taking the second spot. At the same time, Browne was able to get by Bradbury for fourth. Browne moved outside of Essex on lap 13, taking the third position on lap 14 in turn one. As the leaders hit slower cars on lap 16, Browne was able to get by Walters for second in turn one. The lapped traffic jumbled the running order with Belt and Bradbury able to get by Essex.
On lap 18, Browne was able to snatch the lead away from Barnwell going into the first turn. At the same time, Belt and Walters made contact, allowing Belt to get by. Walters regained the position going into the third turn on lap 19. On lap 20, Walters spun in the second turn into the infield. The caution flag did not fly however costing Walters any chance at a good finish. Meanwhile, Browne had stretched out to a comfortable lead over Barnwell, while Barnwell had a comfortable lead over Bradbury in third. With one lap to go, Belt moved to the outside of Bradbury but got loose allowing Bailey to take the fourth position. At the front, it was Dan Browne crossing the checkered flag leading a top five consisting of drivers with the last name started by ‘B’; Barnwell, Bradbury, Bailey and Belt.
In practice for the limited street stock division, Romeo Venza hit the fourth turn wall and was not able to make it out for the rest of the evening. Trevor Miller set the fast time with a 17.143 lap. The trophy dash belonged to Kenny Demello who was looking to gain points on division leader Adrien Betournay for the championship. Miller finished second with Mosher third and Betouray fourth. Mosher took the win in the heat race followed by Demello, Betournay, Duane Mayo and Scott Lyons.
The two title contenders Demello and Betournay lead the six car field to the green flag in the 10 lap main event. Demello was able to take the early lead while the drivers tried to sort themselves out. Miller moved by Mayo in the first turn on lap two while Betournay tried to move outside and by Demello for the lead. Mosher made his way past Mayo going into the third turn on lap three. On lap five, Miller found a line inside Betournay to take second bringing along Mosher. A few moments later, Miller got to the inside of Demello to take the lead coming off the second turn. On lap seven, Mosher was able to get by Demello for second. Betournay did the same move on lap eight. Unfortunately coming off turn two, Demello hit the wall ending his race and losing his chances at the championship. The restart proved to be a formality for Miller as he was able to hold off Mosher to take the win. Betournay took third winning the class title, Mayo finished fourth and Lyons fifth.
With only a few points separating mini stock points leader Chad Grammer and second place Brian Murrell, every position in every race was extremely important. Craig Baker set fast time with a 18.731 lap. The trophy dash was won by Baker followed by Stacy Minnick, Grammar and Glen Bernald. Baker then took the win in the heat race over Grammar, Murrell, Denzel Barrett and Bernald. Nine cars started the 20-lap mini stock main event with Murrell and Bernald pacing the field. Before the start of the race, the lighting system in the second turn failed and the drivers had to race that corner in darker conditions.
Murrell was able to get the lead off the start while Minnick moved to second, followed by Baker, Grammer and Bernald. On lap three, Baker moved to the outside of Minnick to take second while Murrell pulled out to a large gap. On lap five the caution came out when Barrett spun in the fourth turn. On the restart, Baker moved outside of Murrell taking the lead on lap seven. From that point on, the field stretched out and the only drama that was left was to see if the champion would either be Murrell or Grammer. Craig Baker made it three-for-three on the night to handily take the main event win over Murrell, Minnick, Grammer and Bernald. Grammer’s fourth place finish was just enough to beat Murrell in the final points talley making him the 2006 mini stock champion.
Randy Olson set the quick time for yet another race night for the thunder roadsters with a 16.965 lap. David Henderson held off Olson, Paul Peeples, Jr. and Chris Banfill to take the win in the dash. Bill O’Neill won the first heat followed by Gary Payne, Fred Hanks, Chris Lawrence and Waylon Henze. Troy Combs won the second heat race over LeRoy Marsh, Jr., Mike Ward, Chris Sarvinski and Peeples. 20 cars started the 30-lap main event with Bruce Ziemar and Dave McMurray leading the field to the green flag. Ziemar grabbed the early lead before the second lap when Marsh took the lead taking Combs and Ward with him. Ziemar got loose of the second turn costing himself several positions. Going into turn three on lap four, Combs moved inside and by Marsh for the lead. As the front duo pulled away from the rest of the pack, the faster qualifiers of Olson and Henderson fought their way through the traffic. Olson moved outside of Sarvinski on lap five completing the pass on lap six. Henderson was able to move inside Sarvinski on the same lap to take fifth.
On lap 9, the Olson/Henderson duo closed in on Ward for third while Combs and Marsh had a sizeable 10-15 car length gap over the three. Olson and Henderson moved inside Ward going into the third turn on lap 10. Two laps later, Sarvinski was able to get by Ward to take the fourth spot. Rob Nelson spun in turn four on lap 13 but no yellow flag was thrown. At the same time, Peeples, who had made his way by Ward, got past Sarvinski for fifth. With the field spread out and Combs and Marsh with a seemingly insurmountable gap over Olson and Henderson, the race looked to be a two car battle. On lap 21, Combs hit slower traffic slowing his car. This allowed Marsh to close within striking distance along with allowing Olson and Henderson to close the large gap a little bit.
For several laps, Henderson tried to find a way by Olson. On lap 25 as the two closed in on Marsh who was fighting slower cars, Henderson made a bold move inside to get by and take third. Two laps later going into turn three, Olson regained the third position on the high side. The battle amongst Marsh, Olson and Henderson was enough for Troy Combs to sail to the win. Marsh held off Olson for second while Henderson finished fourth and Peeples fifth.
Barring any unusual circumstances, Marty Walsh basically had to show up to clinch the championship in the sportsman division. Glen Shewry clocked the fastest lap in qualifying with a 16.424 lap. Angelo Marcelli won the dash over Shewry, Walsh and Aaron Byers. Al Acuna won the first heat holding of Ken Hallis, Rick Fox, Walsh and Byers to win. The second sportsman heat race was highlighted by a superb side-by-side race for the win between Donnie Brown and Brandon Barnwell. The two raced doorhandle-to-doorhandle for the three laps before Barnwell was able to take the lead and win over Brown, Shewry, Lissa Uselton and Marcelli.
The 12 car 30-lap main event was brought to the green flag by Uselton and Brown. Off the start Brown took the lead. Going into the third turn Uselton tried to mount a challenge but Brown shut the door. On lap two, Shewry got loose off the fourth turn and slid into the infield going into turn one. He was able to save his race car while going back on the track in the middle of turns one and two, however the field was jumbled up. On lap four, Walsh moved by Uselton coming off turn four. The yellow flag flew on lap seven when Keith Dias spun in turn four. Under yellow, Barnwell and Fox made contact sending Fox spinning. However since the incident occurred under the yellow flag, Fox was able to retain his position in the race.
When the green flag came out it was Brown leading Walsh, Uselton, Byers and Marcelli. Shewry moved outside of Marcelli on lap nine, finishing the pass on lap 10. On lap 11, the field jammed up in front of Larry Pries causing Hallis to spin him out and bringing out the yellow. Hallis was sent to the rear for his involvement in the incident. The green flag came out again giving Shewry the chance to get outside and by Byers. Going into the third turn on lap 12, Walsh moved inside of Brown for the lead. Off turn two, Walsh got the bite in his rear tires, taking the lead, while Shewry moved by Uselton for third.
On lap 15, Browne dug deep and moved inside of Walsh to regain the lead. Marcelli moved inside of Byers for fifth on lap 16, taking the position going into turn three on lap 17. That same lap the yellow flag came out when Pries spun in turn four collecting Hallis, who took his car to the pits under the caution period.
The yellow period allowed Walsh to cool his tires and on the restart he was able to challenge Brown for the lead again. On lap 20, Walsh moved inside of Brown. The two raced side-by-side for a lap before Walsh was able to take the lead once more, this time bringing Shewry with him. Shewry appeared to have a faster car and he tried to fill Walsh’s mirror as much as possible. On lap 25, Shewry tried to use the high line to get by Walsh but it didn’t work. A lap later, Shewry tried the same tactic but got too loose off turn two and lost several car lengths. On lap 29, the yellow flag flew for debris from Pries’s car. This set up a green/white/checker finish. The restart wasn’t enough for Shewry to mount a challenge to Walsh as Marty Walsh was able to cap off his championship night win the main event win. Shewry held on to second followed by Brown, Uselton and Marcelli.
The final two points races for the real stock and the thunder roadsters will be held in conjunction with the Fall Spectacular Friday and Saturday night September 22nd and 23rd. Along with the two local classes will be the IMCA modifieds and the open competition super late model races. Cars from all over the west coast, from as far away as Las Vegas and Texas will be racing at the Acres. On Thursday the 21st, there will be an open practice between 2-6 PM followed by a steak barbeque provided by Rich and Linda Olson as well as Jim Offenbach and the Golden Gate Meat Company. It promises to be a very exciting conclusion to what has been perhaps the best season of racing at the Acres ever.
Sunday, May 21, 2006
Browne beats Bradbury by inches, completes trifecta
Browne beats Bradbury by inches, completes trifecta
By Matthew J. Sullivan
Another chilly night welcomed everyone in attendance at Redwood Acres Raceway Saturday night, but as usual the excitement on the track was enough to make people forget the cold. Craig Baker returned from engine woes the previous week to claim the main event victory in the mini stock division while Dan Browne held off Bill Bradbury by inches to claim the win in the real stock main event in what might be the race of the season. Track veteran, Angelo Marcelli took the win in the sportsman division main.
The limited street class was in action but once again the car count was very low with only four showing up. Of the four, Orion Mosher was the fastest in time trials with a 17.484 lap. Mosher won the closely contested trophy dash beating Adrien Betournay, Ken Demello and Vern Crowley who was driving the car normally piloted by Terry Vallee. Sadly, the heat race would end up being the classes main event. However, it was a very exciting race as Betournay was able to hold off all challenges from Mosher to take the win with Demello third and Crowley fourth. An attempt at a main event was made but before the green, Betournay had issues with fuel coming out of his car and the race was called off.
Chad Grammer set the fast mark in the mini stock division with a 19.083 time. Brian Murrell won the dash over Grammer, Craig Baker and Stacy Minnick. Baker moved his way through the field in the heat race to take the win followed by Bryan McIntosh, Glen Bernald, Grammer and Murrell. Nine cars started the 20 lap main event with the front row comprised of Bernald and Scott Baker. The green flew as Bernald and Baker battled for the lead. Baker battled hard on the outside for the first two laps before the inside line prevailed with Bernald getting the lead, Murrell getting by Baker for second. On lap five, Grammer and Bryan McIntosh made contact in the fourth turn. The incident forced Grammar into the pits while McIntosh had substantial right front damage. However, there was no yellow flag for the incident. Meanwhile, Murrell and Baker were able to get by Bernald for the first and second positions.
By lap nine, Craig Baker had moved his way by Bernald to the third position. Two laps later, he moved by brother Scott to take second while leader Murrell maintained a seven car gap. At the same time, Bernald and Minnick were fighting hard for the fourth position. As the laps wound down, Baker closed the gap on Murrell. Baker looked for a line by Murrell before making his move inside on lap 16 and taking the lead. Murrell fought back and stayed in Baker’s mirror hoping that he would falter in the final laps. To Murrell’s dismay he didn’t as Craig Baker took the win followed by Brian Murrell, Scott Baker, Glen Bernald and Stacy Minnick.
Jim Bailey blew the real stock field away in qualifying with a quick lap of 19.198. Dan Browne won the trophy dash over Bailey, Bill Bradbury and Barry Barnwell. Browne again took honors in the first heat winning over Barnwell, Troy Wood, Marvin Savage and Jim Redd. Bradbury won the second heat race followed by Bailey, Ukiah regular Danny Helm, Ray Robinson and Steve Kimberling. The two heat race winners would have a bit of a show-down in the main event.
The 12 car field was brought to the green flag by Browne and Barnwell. Browne got the jump off the start while Bradbury moved into the second position and Barnwell back to the third slot. On lap two, Bradbury found a way by Browne on the inside to take the lead. However, Browne was able to fall behind and maintain position in the second spot. In the meantime, Barnwell and Bailey were having a race of their own for the third position. For several laps, the two were doorhandle to doorhandle, Barnwell on the inside, Bailey on the outside. Bailey couldn’t find enough grip to get by, so he settled in behind Barnwell hoping to make a run past him later in the race. On lap seven, Browne moved past Bradbury to reclaim the lead. The duo of Brown and Bradbury had now pulled out to a sizeable gap over the Barnwell, Bailey battle. Bradbury would not be denied however. On lap 12, he used the front bumper to move by Browne to give the race another lead change. The bump allowed Bradbury to open a bit of a gap on Browne.
On lap 14, Bailey was able to find a way by Barnwell on the inside line to take the third spot. Things were heating up again for the lead as Browne had closed the margin on Bradbury and was now on his rear bumper. On sixteenth lap, Browne moved to the inside of Bradbury going three wide while lapping Ray Robinson to retake the lead once again. However, Browne could not pull away from Bradbury. The two leaders began to hit slower traffic coming to the white flag. Going into the third turn, Bradbury made contact with Browne sending Browne slightly into the infield. However, Browne was able to hang on and maintain the lead while Bradbury moved to the inside. It was a drag race coming off the fourth turn between the two with Browne finding just enough bite to claim a thrilling victory over Bradbury, Bailey, Barnwell and Danny Helm. However, in post race inspection, Bailey’s car was found to be illegal thus moving Barnwell to third, Helm to fourth and Jim Redd to fifth. Browne’s main event win made him three for three for the night, completing the dash-heat-main trifecta.
Qualifying for the sportsman division was tight with Marty Walsh prevailing with a 16.568 lap. Angelo Marcelli won the dash over Aaron Byers, Rick Fox and Walsh. The first heat was won by Jerry Peterson over Marcelli, Al Acuna, Fox and Mike Bourbon while the second heat was won on the last lap by Larry Pries followed by Lissa Uselton, Byers, Walsh and Brandon Barnwell. Donnie Brown started the first heat but had problems and didn’t return for the rest of the evening. 10 cars started the 30 lap main event. Originally, the front row was supposed to be shared by Peterson and Pries, however Pries had to pit prior to the green flag allowing Marcelli to take the outside position on the front row. Marcelli grabbed the lead off the drop of the green flag. On lap two, Fox moved by Byers for third. At the same time, Pries was black flagged after starting in the back of the field.
On lap three, Fox moved to the inside of Peterson for second, freight training Peterson all the way back to sixth. All the fighting for the second position allowed Marcelli to pull out to an eight car length gap over the rest of the field. By the fifth lap, the front five was Marcelli, Fox, Byers, Walsh and Acuna. Fox was able to break away from Byers and while Byers had his hands full with Walsh. The two raced bumper-to-bumper for several laps before Walsh was able to get by on the inside on lap 13. Meanwhile, Fox had closed the margin on Marcelli and was now challenging for the lead. Uselton spun off the fourth turn on lap sixteen bringing out the yellow flag and tightening the field.
Marcelli lead the field to the restart with Fox trying to find a way by, while Walsh tried to find a way by Fox. With seven to go, Walsh and Fox made contact allowing Walsh to grab second. On the next lap, going into the first turn, Byers turned Fox sending the two into the wall collecting Acuna and Pries and bringing out the red flag. Fox, Acuna and Pries were able to continue but Byers’ car was done for the night. The field was reset again and the green flew once more. Walsh tried several times to get to the inside of Marcelli but he couldn’t find enough grip. As the checkered flag fell it was Marcelli taking the win followed by Walsh, Barnwell, Peterson and Fox.
Racing at the Acres takes a weekend off before returning to action with all four classes of cars along with the thunder roadsters on June 3.
By Matthew J. Sullivan
Another chilly night welcomed everyone in attendance at Redwood Acres Raceway Saturday night, but as usual the excitement on the track was enough to make people forget the cold. Craig Baker returned from engine woes the previous week to claim the main event victory in the mini stock division while Dan Browne held off Bill Bradbury by inches to claim the win in the real stock main event in what might be the race of the season. Track veteran, Angelo Marcelli took the win in the sportsman division main.
The limited street class was in action but once again the car count was very low with only four showing up. Of the four, Orion Mosher was the fastest in time trials with a 17.484 lap. Mosher won the closely contested trophy dash beating Adrien Betournay, Ken Demello and Vern Crowley who was driving the car normally piloted by Terry Vallee. Sadly, the heat race would end up being the classes main event. However, it was a very exciting race as Betournay was able to hold off all challenges from Mosher to take the win with Demello third and Crowley fourth. An attempt at a main event was made but before the green, Betournay had issues with fuel coming out of his car and the race was called off.
Chad Grammer set the fast mark in the mini stock division with a 19.083 time. Brian Murrell won the dash over Grammer, Craig Baker and Stacy Minnick. Baker moved his way through the field in the heat race to take the win followed by Bryan McIntosh, Glen Bernald, Grammer and Murrell. Nine cars started the 20 lap main event with the front row comprised of Bernald and Scott Baker. The green flew as Bernald and Baker battled for the lead. Baker battled hard on the outside for the first two laps before the inside line prevailed with Bernald getting the lead, Murrell getting by Baker for second. On lap five, Grammer and Bryan McIntosh made contact in the fourth turn. The incident forced Grammar into the pits while McIntosh had substantial right front damage. However, there was no yellow flag for the incident. Meanwhile, Murrell and Baker were able to get by Bernald for the first and second positions.
By lap nine, Craig Baker had moved his way by Bernald to the third position. Two laps later, he moved by brother Scott to take second while leader Murrell maintained a seven car gap. At the same time, Bernald and Minnick were fighting hard for the fourth position. As the laps wound down, Baker closed the gap on Murrell. Baker looked for a line by Murrell before making his move inside on lap 16 and taking the lead. Murrell fought back and stayed in Baker’s mirror hoping that he would falter in the final laps. To Murrell’s dismay he didn’t as Craig Baker took the win followed by Brian Murrell, Scott Baker, Glen Bernald and Stacy Minnick.
Jim Bailey blew the real stock field away in qualifying with a quick lap of 19.198. Dan Browne won the trophy dash over Bailey, Bill Bradbury and Barry Barnwell. Browne again took honors in the first heat winning over Barnwell, Troy Wood, Marvin Savage and Jim Redd. Bradbury won the second heat race followed by Bailey, Ukiah regular Danny Helm, Ray Robinson and Steve Kimberling. The two heat race winners would have a bit of a show-down in the main event.
The 12 car field was brought to the green flag by Browne and Barnwell. Browne got the jump off the start while Bradbury moved into the second position and Barnwell back to the third slot. On lap two, Bradbury found a way by Browne on the inside to take the lead. However, Browne was able to fall behind and maintain position in the second spot. In the meantime, Barnwell and Bailey were having a race of their own for the third position. For several laps, the two were doorhandle to doorhandle, Barnwell on the inside, Bailey on the outside. Bailey couldn’t find enough grip to get by, so he settled in behind Barnwell hoping to make a run past him later in the race. On lap seven, Browne moved past Bradbury to reclaim the lead. The duo of Brown and Bradbury had now pulled out to a sizeable gap over the Barnwell, Bailey battle. Bradbury would not be denied however. On lap 12, he used the front bumper to move by Browne to give the race another lead change. The bump allowed Bradbury to open a bit of a gap on Browne.
On lap 14, Bailey was able to find a way by Barnwell on the inside line to take the third spot. Things were heating up again for the lead as Browne had closed the margin on Bradbury and was now on his rear bumper. On sixteenth lap, Browne moved to the inside of Bradbury going three wide while lapping Ray Robinson to retake the lead once again. However, Browne could not pull away from Bradbury. The two leaders began to hit slower traffic coming to the white flag. Going into the third turn, Bradbury made contact with Browne sending Browne slightly into the infield. However, Browne was able to hang on and maintain the lead while Bradbury moved to the inside. It was a drag race coming off the fourth turn between the two with Browne finding just enough bite to claim a thrilling victory over Bradbury, Bailey, Barnwell and Danny Helm. However, in post race inspection, Bailey’s car was found to be illegal thus moving Barnwell to third, Helm to fourth and Jim Redd to fifth. Browne’s main event win made him three for three for the night, completing the dash-heat-main trifecta.
Qualifying for the sportsman division was tight with Marty Walsh prevailing with a 16.568 lap. Angelo Marcelli won the dash over Aaron Byers, Rick Fox and Walsh. The first heat was won by Jerry Peterson over Marcelli, Al Acuna, Fox and Mike Bourbon while the second heat was won on the last lap by Larry Pries followed by Lissa Uselton, Byers, Walsh and Brandon Barnwell. Donnie Brown started the first heat but had problems and didn’t return for the rest of the evening. 10 cars started the 30 lap main event. Originally, the front row was supposed to be shared by Peterson and Pries, however Pries had to pit prior to the green flag allowing Marcelli to take the outside position on the front row. Marcelli grabbed the lead off the drop of the green flag. On lap two, Fox moved by Byers for third. At the same time, Pries was black flagged after starting in the back of the field.
On lap three, Fox moved to the inside of Peterson for second, freight training Peterson all the way back to sixth. All the fighting for the second position allowed Marcelli to pull out to an eight car length gap over the rest of the field. By the fifth lap, the front five was Marcelli, Fox, Byers, Walsh and Acuna. Fox was able to break away from Byers and while Byers had his hands full with Walsh. The two raced bumper-to-bumper for several laps before Walsh was able to get by on the inside on lap 13. Meanwhile, Fox had closed the margin on Marcelli and was now challenging for the lead. Uselton spun off the fourth turn on lap sixteen bringing out the yellow flag and tightening the field.
Marcelli lead the field to the restart with Fox trying to find a way by, while Walsh tried to find a way by Fox. With seven to go, Walsh and Fox made contact allowing Walsh to grab second. On the next lap, going into the first turn, Byers turned Fox sending the two into the wall collecting Acuna and Pries and bringing out the red flag. Fox, Acuna and Pries were able to continue but Byers’ car was done for the night. The field was reset again and the green flew once more. Walsh tried several times to get to the inside of Marcelli but he couldn’t find enough grip. As the checkered flag fell it was Marcelli taking the win followed by Walsh, Barnwell, Peterson and Fox.
Racing at the Acres takes a weekend off before returning to action with all four classes of cars along with the thunder roadsters on June 3.
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