Racing resumes at Redwood Acres Raceway

Racing resumes at Redwood Acres Raceway

By Matthew J. Sullivan

After nearly a month off, thanks in part to Mother Nature, racing returned to Redwood Acres Raceway Saturday night. The previous event at the 3/8-mile paved oval was June 16th while the race scheduled for June 30th was cancelled thanks to rain. The long break seemed to bring out more cars and drivers as there were strong car counts in all four local divisions. In all there were 10 sportsman, 14 thunder roadsters, 18 roadrunners and 10 real stock cars. Unfortunately the night was highlighted by several wrecked that decimated the car count in all four of the divisions.

Nick Green won the four-lap trophy dash in the real stock division over Jim Redd and Casey Mitchell. The first heat race was taken by Dax Kinsey while the second went to Ryan Walters. Tyler Avelar led the early going of the main event before losing the lead to Donnie Hyman. Hyman held the lead for several laps before being overtaken by Mitchell. There were to major incidents in the feature event. The first came when William Sand lost control going into turn three and hit the wall. The second was contact between Green and Bob Lima that caused Green’s bumper to come off and his left rear tire to fail. Mitchell proved to be the class of the field in the event but might have had a stronger challenge for the victory from Walters who had a lengthy but clean battle with Hyman for the second position. At the checkered flag, it was Mitchell first, half a straightaway ahead of Walters in second followed by Hyman in third.

Tim Abeyta took the roadrunner trophy dash over Thomas Halvorsen. The first heat race was won by Jerry Toledo while the second heat was won by Halvorsen. Due to the number of cars, a rare B-main event was held for the division. The normally quick Toledo had issues in qualifying which forced him to start the B-main but he was able to take the first transfer position. The second spot was held down by Johnny Daniels before he was forced to the pits. With Daniels out, a tight race between Jennifer Barrett, Kayla Foster and Ryun Leazer ensued. Barrett was able to hold off the two challengers to take the second transfer position.

One of the drivers who was not able to start the feature was points leader, Brett Murrell. Murrell qualified his regular car but it suffered problems in the pit afterward. Murrell was forced to use a backup car which knocked him out of the trophy dash and forced him to have to run the B-main event. Murrell’s closest competitor in the points, Michael Lawrence benefitted from Murrell’s woes. Lawrence qualified the car normally driven by his father and when Murrell’s car had problems after qualified, it opened up a spot for Lawrence to fill in the feature.

Lawrence started the feature on the pole but was quickly overtaken by Ken Barrett and Steve Paiment. The lone caution of the event came early when Jordan Paiment spun Jarrett Mayo. On the restart, the two fast cars of Abeyta and Halvorsen quickly maneuvered their way through traffic. Halvorsen was the first to get to and by Barrett while Abeyta had to work a little harder and longer to take second. The best racing proved to be at the very front between Halvorsen and Abeyta as the two ran nose-to-tail for the lead. With two laps remaining, Abeyta found the low line under Halvorsen to take the lead. On the white flag, Halvorsen drove his car deep into the first turn, putting Abeyta behind the slower car of Jennifer Barrett for the lead and the eventual race win. Abeyta held on for second while Toledo placed third.

Tommy Payne held off Paul Peeples, Jr. to take the thunder roadster trophy dash. Belinda Ward won the slower heat race while the faster heat race was won by Peeples. Chris Sarvinski briefly held the lead in the feature but was overhauled by the fast trio of Peeples, David Henderson and Payne. It was tight racing amongst the three with Henderson all over Peeples bumper. Henderson dogged Peeples until he was finally able to get under for the lead. It was brief though as Peeples was able to get back under Henderson to regain the spot. Peeples stretched his lead while Henderson and Payne fought for second for a few laps. Henderson regained the position firmly and looked to be closing back in on Peeples until he got loose of turn two and hit the wall, ending his night. Peeples was able to withstand a brief challenge by Payne to take the feature win with Bruce Ziemer coming in a strong third place.

Out of town racer, Kevin Estep returned to Redwood Acres to take the sportsman trophy dash victory. Unfortunately for Estep, his night would be a short one. In the heat race, Jerry Peterson and Estep got together in the third turn with both drivers hitting the wall. Peterson was able to continue racing while Estep was finished for the evening. Roger Sanderson made his second start of the year after a long hiatus away from racing and took the heat race win over Brandon Barnwell. The duo of Sanderson and Barnwell would be the stars of the feature event that was slowed first from a spin by Craig Baker, then by contact and a spin by Dennis DelBiaggio and Kenny Demello and finally another spin by Baker that caught Ken Hallis in the right rear and send him head on into the back stretch wall. Barnwell was on Sanderson’s bumper all night and did everything he could to force Sanderson into making a mistake but it never happened. Sanderson took the feature win over Barnwell with DelBiaggio placing third.

Racing returns to Redwood Acres Raceway this Saturday June 21st. Joining the four local divisions will be the Airport Auto Brokers Late Model touring series which will be making its second visit to the track. Drivers expected to race include series points leader, Jeremy Doss, West Coast racing legend, Jim Walker, Randy Houston who won the season opening event at the Acres earlier this year and other top west coast competition.

Mitchell, Nelson, Payne and Marcelli early season points favorites at the Acres

Mitchell, Nelson, Payne and Marcelli early season points favorites at the Acres

By Matthew J. Sullivan

The 2011 season at Redwood Acres Raceway has got off to a fast start. After the initial season opener was rained out on April 16th, racing was able to resume on April 30th Pepsi Night and May 7th for the Mother’s Day weekend races. Coincidentally, it appeared as though Mother Nature was going to intervene in the middle of the scheduled action for the Mother’s Day races. A heavy mist fell over the track during the real stock heat race slowing and eventually delaying the on-track action. Thankfully the skies lifted and with the cars and drivers in the real stock and roadrunner divisions circling the speedway, the track dried and racing was able to resume.

The winners in the real stock division last race included Ryan Robinson in the trophy dash, Doug Way in the heat race and Casey Mitchell in the main event, giving him both feature wins on the season. In the roadrunner division, Michael Lawrence prevailed in the trophy dash to win while Robbie Nelson doubled up winning the heat race and the main event. Randy Olson swept all three events in the Thunder Roadster division, overcoming oil and carburetor problems that have plagued his car since last season. Larry Pries won the sportsman trophy dash last race while Angelo Marcelli took the heat and main event victories.

With only two races in the books, the battle for the track championship in all four local divisions is still anyone’s race. Casey Mitchell holds a 17 point advantage over second place, Donnie Hyman in the real stocks 142-125. Robbie Nelson has a narrow lead in the roadrunner class, leading the duo of Nick Hansen and Brian Murrell, Jr. by only five points, 139-134. Defending Thunder Roadster track champion, Thomas Payne leads Chris Sarvinski by 13 markers, 134-121. In the sportsman division, Angelo Marcelli leads with 129 points while second place has a tie between Larry Pries and Brandon Barnwell at 124 points. Unfortunately for Barnwell, he hit the wall hard in the last main event and it will be interesting to see if the incident will knock him out of the running for the points championship.

Racing returns to Redwood Acres Raceway this Saturday night May 21st with all four local classes back in action.

Points Standings (After 2 Races)

Real Stocks
1. 69 Casey Mitchell 142
2. 58 Donnie Hyman 125
3. 1 Nick Green 123
4. 74 Doug Way 120
5. 47 Ryan Robinson 116
6. 48 Steve Kimberling 110
7. 55 Bob Lima/Donnie Brown 104
8. 57 Wyatt Roach 96
9. 44 Jim Redd 70
10. 12 Ryan Walters 58
11. 99 Chris Naughton 50
12. 33 Dax Kinsey 46
13. 3 Mark Williams 10

Roadrunners
1. 24 Robbie Nelson 139
2. 33 Nick Hansen/Brian Murrell, Jr. 134
3. 48 Josh Hanson 131
4. 47 Michael Lawrence 129
5. 10 Kolby Jackson 117
6. 43 Rob Mattox 116
7. 13 Heath Roach 109
8. 69 Tim Abeyta 108
9. 7 Ken Barrett 103
10. 11 Brett Murrell 97
11. 6 Jennifer Barrett 92
12. 14 Jarrett Mayo 39
13. 01 Dylan Cook 23

Thunder Roadsters
1. 66 Thomas Payne 134
2. 23 Chris Sarvinski 121
3. 82 Robert Miller 119
4. 21 Fergy Ferguson 119
5. 5 Bruce Ziemer 116
6. 50 Dan Browne 102
7. 16 Allen Olson 101
8. 95 Belinda Ward 101
9. 11 Randy Olson 91
10. 15 Paul Peeples,Jr. 73
11. 73 Bernard Burns 46
12. 99 Jim Rich 45
13. 18 Rob Nelson 43

Sportsman
1. 25 Angelo Marcelli 129
2. 19 Dennis DelBiaggio 124
3. 56 Brandon Barnwell 124
4. 01 Larry Pries 123
5. 84 Ken Hallis 119
6. 40 Al Acuna 113
7. 8 Kenny Demello 106

Racing returns to the Acres

Racing returns to the Acres

By Matthew J. Sullivan

The 2011 season opening event at Redwood Acres Raceway occurred this past Saturday night, April 30th. While rain plagued and eventually cancelled the original season opening date on April 16th, sun and blue skies fell over the 3/8-mile paved oval. There were a lot of old faces returning to the track as well as a lot of new ones. All in all, there was some great racing action had on the evening.

Defending real stock track champion, Casey Mitchell looked to be in top form winning the trophy dash over Donnie Hyman, Nick Green and Steve Kimberling. Hyman held off Ryan Robinson in the heat race to take the race win followed by Green, Mitchell and Kimberling. Wyatt Roach took the lead for the first two circuits of the 20-lap feature event before giving way to Doug Way. While battling for third alongside Hyman, Kimberling got loose between turns three and four forcing him to slow and lose several spots. Roach did his best to hold off faster cars for second but had to give way on lap five allowing Robinson to get under and by as well as Mitchell, Green and Hyman. Way appeared to have his hands full with Robinson and Mitchell filling his mirrors until the caution flew when Hyman spun on his own in turn one on lap seven.

Immediately after the restart, Robinson tried to go high and around Way for the lead. Mitchell chose the low line and was able to get by both for the lead when Way opened the door coming off turn four on lap 10. Robinson and Green continued to fight way or second while Hyman made his way back to the lead cars. Hyman was on a mission, moving past Green, then Robinson and setting his sights on Way. On lap 19 going into the first turn, Hyman’s right rear wheel flew off his car, sending him spinning. As Hyman came back down the track, he collected Robinson’s car. Fortunately, neither car was heavily damaged but both were finished for the race. Mitchell took the green/white restart and held on to the checkered flag over Way, Kimberling, Green and rookie driver Chris Naughton.

There were several new drivers in the roadrunner division. Among them were Jennifer Barrett, Heath Roach, Jared Mayo, Greg Mattox and Josh Hansen. Kolby Jackson won the trophy dash over Nick Hansen, Robbie Nelson and Dylan Cook. Jackson followed up with the heat race win over Roach, N. Hansen, Michael Lawrence and J. Hansen. Roach grabbed the lead early in the 20-lap main as the rest of the pack tried to sort themselves out. Mattox was the first to give Roach some trouble until Lawrence moved his way to third. Lawrence appeared to have second taken away before Roach slowed abruptly in front of him forcing Lawrence to jump on the brakes. Roach’s car came to a stop on the front straight necessitating a yellow flag on lap three.

Jackson used his experience to take the lead on the restart and appeared to be the car to beat. However, Lawrence, N. Hansen, Nelson and Brett Murrell were nipping at his heels. On lap 13, Jackson pushed high off turn four allowing Lawrence to maneuver past to the lead. A lap later, N. Hansen moved under to take second with Nelson following to third. The caution flew on lap 16 and bunched up the field for a shootout to the finish. N. Hansen used the restart to his advantage, finding the low lane under Lawrence for the lead. Nelson followed by into second. Nelson did all he could to mount a challenge on N. Hansen but didn’t have enough to take the lead away. At the checkered flag it was N. Hansen winning over Nelson, Lawrence, Mattox and Murrell.

Paul Peeples, Jr. held off Randy Olson, Fergy Ferguson and defending champion, Thomas Payne to win the thunder roadster trophy dash. The first heat was won by Robert Miller who was making his first start in the division in a year, former mini stock champion, Bernard Burns, Dan Browne, Bruce Ziemer and Jim Rich. The second heat saw misfortune strike both Randy and Allen Olson. Randy pulled his car into the pits with engine problems at the start of the heat while Allen Olson looked poised to win his first race ever but had to pull in due to an oil leak. Peeples was able to take the win over Payne, Chris Sarvinski and Ferguson.

Miller took the lead at the start of the 30-lap main event while a mad scramble played itself behind him. On lap three, Peeples made contact with Browne in turn one sending Browne spinning, bringing out a yellow flag and sending Peeples to the rear of the field. Miller took the restart ahead of Burns and Rich and looked to not have any rust after a year away from the Acres. Likewise, Burns looked to be very competitive in his first race back in many years. However, experience in the division began to show through in the form of Ziemer and Payne. On lap nine, Ziemer and Payne made a move to the inside of Burns at the same time. Ziemer and Payne touched briefly forcing Payne to get briefly get loose before he save his car. A lap later, Burns pulled his car to the pits. On lap 12, Ziemer moved under Miller and past to the lead with Payne following into second. The front two dueled nose-to-tail for the lead while Peeples began to make his presence known by passing Miller for third.

The closing laps featured a fantastic fight for the lead between Ziemer, Payne and Peeples. Payne tried the high line around Ziemer with three laps remaining opening the door for Peeples. With two to go, Ziemer pushed high allowing Peeples to get the room underneath to take the lead. At the checkered flag it was Peeples winning over Ziemer, Payne, Ferguson and Sarvinski.

Larry Pries won the sportsman trophy dash ahead of Dennis DelBiaggio, Brandon Barnwell and Angelo Marcelli. Barnwell took the heat win over Marcelli, Pries, DelBiaggio and Al Acuna. The 30-lap feature got off to a sloppy start when DelBiaggio and Ken Hallis made contact at the start forcing a caution flag. Acuna led Pries and Barnwell to the restart and fought hard to hold off the two faster cars. Barnwell was better able to use the high line to his advantage, working his way past Pries and then Acuna for the lead. Pries was able to move by on the outside several laps later. As the race went on, Pries appeared to be catching Barnwell for the lead until DelBiaggio spun on lap 21 bringing out the caution flag.

The restart appeared to be just what Pries needed to get by Barnwell. With two laps to go, Pries took a look inside of Barnwell going into turn one but got into the corner too hard costing him his momentum and the race win. At the checkered flag it was Barnwell winning ahead of Pries, Acuna, Hallis and DelBiaggio.

It’s a quick turnaround for everyone as the 2011 racing season resumes at Redwood Acres Raceway this Saturday May 7th for the Mother’s Day Race.

Miller dominant in Fall Spectacular win

By Matthew J. Sullivan

For the first time in several years, Redwood Acres Raceway hosted a two-day, Saturday and Sunday show for the annual season finale, the Fall Spectacular. Much excitement was in the air as the late models and Northern California Pro-4 Modifieds joined the three local classes of real stocks, roadrunners and thunder roadsters who still had to decide their final points standings.

Ryan Walters took home the trophy dash win in the real stock division on Saturday evening beating out Doug Way, Nick Green and Casey Mitchell. In the heat race, Mitchell was able to score the victory over Green, Ryan Robinson, Walters and Way. Walters was able to avoid a lap one incident in the main event that slowed some of the faster cars down to easily take the win. Green finished second followed by Robinson, Way and Steve Kimberling.

Mitchell notched the trophy dash win in the Sunday sunshine ahead of Walters, Green and Way. Walters took the heat ahead of Green, Mark Williams, Bill Middleton and Ray Middleton. Going into the final main event for the real stock division, Mitchell had the championship already sewn up. Mitchell was able to withstand a furious charge from Robinson to cap off his championship effort with a win. Walters narrowly beat Green to the line for third while Williams crossed the line in fifth, just inches ahead of Way.

Curt Lewis won the dash for the Northern California Pro-4 Modifieds Saturday night beating Chris Straka, Chris Sarvinski and Doug Pulver. Pulver took the heat race win over Sarvinski and Straka. In the main event, Straka was able to hold off Sarvinski to take the victory while Pulver finished in the third position. On Sunday, Timber Cookson took the trophy dash victory over Marty Lewis, Johnny Barker and Cory Thomas. Sarvinski won the heat race over Curt Lewis, Marty Lewis, Kevin Barba and Pulver. A big accident in the early stages of the main event knocked out several competitors including Pulver, Barba, Marty Lewis and Thomas. Sarvinski took the win handily beating Marty Lewis, Barker and Cookson.

In Saturday night’s roadrunner trophy dash, Nick Hansen was able to take the win over Raleigh Willoughby, Ukiah Speedway visitor, Caity Miller and Dax Kinsey. Kinsey was able to hold off Willoughby in the heat race to win followed by Hansen. In the main event, Hansen was able to used slower traffic to get by Willoughby late in the event and take the race victory. Miller took third, Kolby Jackson fourth and Kinsey fifth.

Miller won Sunday’s dash over Kinsey, Willoughby and Hansen. Miller followed up with the heat race win beating Hansen, Robbie Nelson, Willoughby and Kinsey. The track championship for the roadrunner class was locked up by Willoughby going into the final main event. The main event featured a spirited duel between the two youngsters of Nelson and Willoughby. Willoughby was able to briefly take the lead late in the going, but drove too hard in turn one allowing Nelson to sneak back by. Nelson was able to take his first-ever main event victory beating Willoughby, Hansen, Kinsey and Jackson.

Paul Peeples, Jr. won the thunder roadster trophy dash over Randy Olson, Fergy Ferguson and Bruce Ziemer. Olson held off Peeples in the heat race to take the win followed by Chris Sarvinski. Unfortunately for Olson, his car suffered engine woes and he was forced to start at the back of Sunday’s main event due to him changing cars. Meanwhile, Peeples started fourth due to an inversion from the heat race finish.

Peeples grabbed the lead early in the main event and appeared to have the race well in hand until at the halfway point when controversy took place. AABLM starter, Johnny Miskill who was doing the flagging for the event gave the field the crossed flags signaling the halfway point of the race. Peeples slowed down allowing Payne, Olson and others to get by. Peeples realized his mistake and got back on the gas and just after that the caution was thrown. Peeples was moved back to his first place position and went unchallenged the next 20 laps taking the victory. Payne took second and the 2010 track championship in the division over Olson, Sarvinski and Ferguson.

28 late models in all showed up for the events on Saturday. Unfortunately, Mike Lovell broke and was unable to even qualify. Junior Roddy set quick time with a 15.595 time. Race officials scratched the trophy dash due to drivers not lining up in a timely fashion. The first heat determined the starting positions for Sunday’s B main event. Redwood Acres Raceway driver, Donnie Brown ran away from the field to take the victory over Jeremy Donahoo, Roger Sanderson, David Dillinger and Joe Aiken.

The second heat determined the 11 through 20 starting positions in Sunday’s 100-lap affair. Two more Acres locals, Joe McDonald and Larry Pries fought for the victory with McDonald coming out ahead. 2010 Redwood Acres Raceway Sportsman champ, Mic Moulton placed third while another local, Jerry Peterson was fourth and Allen Gibney took fifth. The third and final heat race determined positions one through 10 with a possible invert of two, four or six cars for Sunday’s feature. Randy Houston crossed the line first over David Miller, Kevin Ostern, Jeremy Hopkins and Mike Doss.

Aiken had engine failure in Sunday’s practice and was unable to start the B-main event. Donahoo and Dillinger finished first and second and took the two transfer positions to the 100-lap main. The draw for the invert was two giving the pole position to Miller. Literally from the drop of the green flag, Miller pulled away from the rest of the field. Houston held up in second head of Ostern and others. There was a lot of give-and-take action from all the drivers throughout the field as the race was clean and green with nary the sign of a caution flag. Miller’s torrent pace may have been the undoing for Doss and Ostern as both drivers appeared to have problems, pulling their cars into the pits before the halfway point.

By the 50-lap mark, it looked as though nobody had anything for Miller as he was half a lap ahead of second place, Houston. The caution finally flew on lap 61 when Pries spun off the second turn. At this point, only seven cars remained on the lead lap and while the caution closed the gap between Houston and Miller, there were six cars between the two drivers. Miller pulled away once again on the restart while Houston and others tried to manage their way through lapped traffic.

As the race entered its closing stages, Howard Ford began to make his presence known. With less than 20 laps to go, Ford managed to make his way past Houston in second. It appeared as though Ford’s only hope to catch Miller would be a caution flag as Miller was again half a lap ahead of his competition. In the final 10 laps, the gap between first and second closed dramatically with Miller appearing to be suffering some sort of issue. Coming to the white flag, Ford had the gap to just 10 car lengths on Miller. Between turns one and two, the lapped car of Pries broke between the front two cars pounding the wall. Coming off turn four, Ford closed the gap to five car lengths. It was enough for David Miller to take the checkered flag first with Ford crossing the line second. Houston placed third while David Braund ran a solid and clean race all day to place fourth, an impressive finish in his first race at the Acres. Dennis DelBiaggio had what is likely the best race of his career, finishing in fifth place. Junior Roddy was sixth while Alan Cress placed seventh, the final car on the lead lap.

Information regarding the annual awards banquet will be made available soon on the track’s phone 707-442-3232. Congratulations to the 2010 Redwood Acres Raceway track champions; Mic Moulton in the sportsman division, Tommy Payne in the Thunder Roadster division, Raleigh Willoughby in the roadrunner division, Casey Mitchell in the real stock division and Scott and Craig Baker in the mini stock division.

Champions crowned on Memorial night at the Acres

Champions crowned on Memorial night at the Acres

By Matthew J. Sullivan

The final points race of the season for the two of the five local divisions came and went this past Saturday night at Eureka, California’s Redwood Acres Raceway. In addition to champions being crowned, the event held a special air as it was the annual memorial night at the 3/8-mile paved oval facility, coinciding with the ninth anniversary of the events that occurred on September 11, 2001.

Going into the night, the points race for the mini stock track championship was already locked up by the brother combination of Scott and Craig Baker. Craig Baker was behind the wheel of the car this night and took the win in the trophy dash over Brian McIntosh, Brian Murrell and Brian Murrell, Jr. Due to the car count, the division had to forego a heat race and ran a 10-lap main event. Baker had issues from the drop of the green flag and fell out of the event. McIntosh briefly took the lead but got loose off turn two allowing Murrell, Jr. to take the win. A brief caution flag served as a delay to Murrell, Jr’s victory celebration as he was able to take the main event victory ahead of his father, Murrell, Sr., Ken Barrett and McIntosh.

Ryan Walters won the real stock trophy dash over Steve Kimberling, Casey Mitchell and Ryan Robinson. Bill Middleton’s night was ended prematurely in the heat race when Nick Green pushed Middleton going into turn one. Middleton jumped on his brakes in attempt to slow down but was unable to as he hit the wall hard ending his night. Mitchell took the heat race victory ahead of Kimberling, Robinson, Doug Way and Matt Simon. Green took the race lead in the early stages of the main event. Mitchell proved to be the fastest car on the track but had to maneuver through the field before finally getting to the second spot with eight laps remaining in the 20-lap feature. Mitchell closed in with three laps remaining but could not mount a charge to get by Green. At the checkered flag it was Green winning over Mitchell, Robinson, Kimberling and Jim Redd.

Raleigh Willoughby won the roadrunner trophy dash over Nick Hansen, Robbie Nelson and Dax Kinsey. Nelson took the win in the heat race over Hansen, Kinsey, Kolby Jackson and Willoughby. Jackson held the lead at the start of the roadrunner main event while the faster cars tried to maneuver through traffic to get to the front. Hansen had power issues and pulled his car behind the wall on the second lap of the event. At the same time Hansen had his issues, Kinsey and Nelson got together on the back stretch resulting in Nelson getting a flat tire and the caution flying.

Kinsey was sent to the rear and the race restarted with Jackson leading brand-new father, Michael Lawrence on the restart. Willoughby looked poised to capitalize on his championship win with a main event win on the night as he got by Lawrence on lap 12. Willoughby worked on Jackson until finally finding the inside line coming off turn two on lap 16 to take the lead. The caution flew on lap 20 when Nelson spun Kinsey on the front stretch. Nobody was able to touch Willoughby after the restart and at the checkered flag it was Willoughby winning over Jackson, Lawrence, Tim Abeyta and Kinsey.

Paul Peeples, Jr. won the roadster dash over Tommy Payne, Chris Sarvinski and Bruce Ziemer. Rob Nelson held off Peeples to take the heat race win followed by Belinda Ward, Ziemer and Payne. Fergy Ferguson took the lead at the start of the main event, but after a brief caution flag and a restart, he could not hold off the faster car of Peeples as Peeples moved into the lead on lap two. Payne did his best to try to put pressure on Peeples, but it wasn’t enough for Peeples to make a mistake as he took the win over Payne, Ferguson, Ziemer and Ward.

The championship in the sportsman division was still wide-open between Mic Moulton and Angelo Marcelli. Moulton struck first with the trophy dash win followed by Joe McDonald, Larry Pries and Marcelli. McDonald took the heat race victory over Marcelli, Moulton, Jerry Peterson and Pries. Kenny Demello seized the lead in the main event from his pole position starting spot but by lap two, McDonald was there to take the spot away. On lap three, Demello spun between turns three and four. Marcelli spun to avoid Demello but unfortunately Jimmy Yarberry spun into Marcelli’s car damaging his front end. Fortunately Marcelli was able to return to action, unfortunately the track position he lost diminished his hopes for the sportsman track championship.

After the restart, McDonald pulled away as second place Ken Hallis did his best to hold off Pries for the second spot. On lap 11, the two came together with Hallis spinning into the infield bringing out the yellow. Pries was sent to the rear moving Moulton into second. This set the stage for a showdown that fans had been waiting for all season as McDonald and Moulton led the rest of the field to the restart. Moulton rode in McDonald’s mirror for the duration of the race. With six laps remaining in the race, the two ran into slower traffic. McDonald was better able to maneuver through the cars while Moulton lost a bit of ground. Moulton was able to close the gap but unable to make the necessary maneuver to take the lead away from McDonald. At the checkered flag it was McDonald victorious over Moulton, Peterson, Pries and Hallis. Nevertheless, Moulton’s strong finish was enough for him to take the sportsman division crown.

The annual Fall Spectacular is still to be run. Joining the real stocks, roadrunners and thunder roadster cars will be the Northern California Pro-4 Modifieds. The featured attraction for the weekend will be the 100-lap late model event. For the first time in several years, the Fall Spectacular will return to being a two-day event, Saturday September 25th and Sunday September 26th. Any questions concerning the Fall Spectacular should be made to Redwood Acres Raceway’s track office at 707-443-2118.

Tight racing, wrecks highlight Fan Appreciation Night

Tight racing, wrecks highlight Fan Appreciation Night

By Matthew J. Sullivan

Hundreds of fans showed up this past Saturday night for Fan Appreciation Night at Redwood Acres Raceway, the 11th race of the 2010 season. Race fans were able to witness the night’s action for free thanks to Bear River Casino sponsoring the event. The racers in the five local divisions as well as the visiting Northern California Pro-4 Modified cars did not disappoint as there was everything one would expect watching a race wrapped up into one night; tight racing, close finishes and a couple wild incidents.

Things got off on a bad note in the mini stock trophy dash for Ricky Davis as he got loose off turn two and hit the backstretch wall nose-first, ending his night prematurely. Craig Baker took the dash win over Brian Murrell and Brian McIntosh. Baker then went on to win the heat race ahead of McIntosh and Murrell. McIntosh took the lead early in the main event but Baker was quick to get to the front. On lap two, Baker moved outside and past McIntosh for the lead. Brian Murrell, Jr. and Murrell were able to move into second and third by McIntosh a lap later. Baker appeared to be on his way to an easy victory before getting caught up with Steve Stone while trying to pass him. The caution flew with Murrell, Jr. in the lead but his engine blew under the caution period in spectacular fashion. Murrell, Jr. exited his car okay while the flames died down from under his hood. Murrell restarted in the lead but could not hold off Baker as he took the lead the next lap. At the flag it was Baker sweeping the night over Murrell, McIntosh, Ken Barrett and Stone.

Ryan Robinson took the flag first in the real stock trophy dash over Casey Mitchell and Nick Green. Jim Redd held off Ronnie O’Neill in the heat race for the win followed by Green, Doug Way and Mitchell. Way took the lead from the start of the main event ahead of Green and Mitchell. Way did his best to hold off the two cars but on lap four Mitchell moved under and by Way coming off turn two. Green was able to follow Mitchell to move into second. O’Neill began making his way to the front as he took third away from Way on lap six but unfortunately O’Neill got sideways off turn four collecting Robinson and bringing out the caution flag. O’Neill was sent to the rear and after the restart Mitchell and Green pulled away from Way as he fought off the faster cars of Redd and O’Neill. O’Neill looked poised to take the third position away from Way on lap 12 but his engine came apart coming down the front straight ending his night. Mitchell was able to fend off Green in the final laps to take the win followed by Way, Robinson and Bill Middleton.

The roadrunner trophy dash win went to Nick Hansen over Kolby Jackson, Raleigh Willoughby and Robbie Nelson. Hansen then took the heat race win ahead of Nelson, Dax Kinsey, Willoughby and Michael Lawrence. It was a land rush from the drop of the green flag of the main event as Ken Barrett took the lead ahead of Brett Murrell and the rest of the field. On lap two, Jackson and Nelson both moved by Murrell into the second and third positions. On lap four, Nelson found a line under Jackson going into turn three to take second. Kinsey took third from Jackson a lap later just as Nelson moved under Barrett for the race lead. Going into turn one, Kinsey got into the back of Nelson got then got into Barrett sending the two into the infield and bringing out the caution flag. Hansen was able to take the lead amongst the confusion and led Kinsey and the rest of the field to the restart. Kinsey briefly regained the race lead before Hansen took it back. Hansen held a comfortable lead until the last two laps when he ran into slower traffic. Kinsey was able to close in on the final lap and made a move under Hansen coming off the fourth turn. The two raced to the checkered flag and crossed the line in a dead heat. Hansen was determined to be the winner over Kinsey followed by Willoughby, Nelson and Jackson.

The Northern California Pro-4 Modifieds made their first appearance at the Acres this season. Greg Van Cleave won the trophy dash over Kyle Tellstrom, Jake Tillman and Neo Nuno. The heat race win went to Nuno over Tillman and Tellstrom. The main event proved to be one of the best races of the season so far at the Acres. Nuno, Tellstrom and Tillman proved to be the class of the field by separating themselves from the pack and having their own race. Nuno held the lead until lap 12 when Tellstrom found the high line to his liking. The two raced into turn three wheel-to-wheel with the slower car of Robbie Robinson just in front. Coming off four, it was three wide between Nuno, Robinson and Tellstrom with Tellstrom taking the lead and Tillman following behind into second while Nuno fell to third. Tillman shadowed Tellstrom for the duration of the race, even as the two had to maneuver through heavy lapped traffic. In the end, Tellstrom fought Tillman off to take the win while Nuno held on for third.

David Henderson took home the thunder roadster trophy dash win over Paul Peeples, Jr., Tommy Payne and Chris Sarvinski. Peeples won the heat race over Henderson, Payne, Ray Elliott and Fergy Ferguson. Elliott took the lead from his pole starting spot in the main over Al Olson in the early going. On lap two, Payne moved under Olson to take the second position bringing Henderson and Peeples with him. Henderson was able to get under Payne the next lap and the two fought for the second position. On the fifth lap it was settled as Henderson slotted into second with Peeples following into third and Payne in fourth. On lap six, Olson got severely sideways coming off turn four. Amazingly, he saved his race car but lost fifth and sixth spots to Ferguson and Bruce Ziemer in the process. The top four ran nose-to-tail for the duration of the event with Elliott doing everything he could to fight off Henderson and the others. With just a handful of laps left, Henderson moved outside and by Elliott coming off the second turn. Henderson remained unchallenged from that point on crossing the line first over Elliott, Peeples, Payne and Ferguson. Unfortunately, Henderson’s car did not pass post-race technical inspection and the event win went to Elliott.

The sportsman division saw its strongest turnout of cars for the season with 12 showing up for the evening. Joe McDonald claimed the victory in the trophy dash ahead of Mic Moulton, Larry Pries and Dennis DelBiaggio. Donnie Brown won the first heat race over Scott Baker, Angelo Marcelli, Al Acuna and Kenny Demello. Jerry Peterson took the second heat followed by Moulton, McDonald, Ken Hallis and Pries. The feature event for the sportsman cars proved to be the roughest race of the night. Brown spun on the initial start bringing out the caution flag and a complete restart. On the second lap the caution flew when Pries spun between turns three and four after contact with Hallis. After the restart, Marcelli held the lead over Peterson and McDonald. McDonald moved under Peterson for second on lap six. Coming off turn two, Peterson spun bringing out another yellow.

McDonald did not waste any time taking the lead after the restart as he moved under and by Marcelli on lap seven. DelBiaggio tried to use the high line to get by Marcelli but could not get the traction necessary and lost the third spot to Moulton on lap nine. McDonald was in his own area code while Marcelli fought off Moulton, DelBiaggio and Pries for second. The caution flew on lap 19 when Acuna spun into the turn four infield. On the restart, DelBiaggio moved under Moulton going into turn one. The two tangled with DelBiaggio’s car climbing on the side of Moulton’s. Behind them Peterson and Brown had nowhere to go and were collected in the melee. DelBiaggio and Brown were finished for the night while Peterson was able to continue and Moulton was able to later rejoin the race. It looked as though McDonald’s biggest challenge would come from Pries after the restart but unfortunately Pries suffered a flat tire and had to pit. McDonald was on cruise control the rest of the evening and handily took the win ahead of Marcelli, Peterson and Baker.

The next race at the Acres is the Memorial Race on Saturday September 11th. It will be the final night of points racing for the mini stock and sportsman divisions. A schedule change has been made for the Fall Spectacular. It is now a two day show scheduled for September 25th and 26th. Divisions scheduled for the end of the year race include the local real stocks, roadrunners and thunder roadsters. Joining will be the late models for the 100-lap event.

Season winding down as the AABLM series returns to the Acres

Season winding down as the AABLM series returns to the Acres

By Matthew J. Sullivan

Only five races remain in the 2010 season at Eureka, California’s Redwood Acres Raceway. After seven events the true contenders for the track championships in the five divisions have become clear. Besides the points races drawing to a close, the final five events are all special events with the AABLM touring series making its second of two schedule points visits this weekend followed by Back-To-School Night on August 7th, Fan Appreciation Night on August 28th, the September 11th Memorial Race and the September 25th Fall Spectacular which the AABLM will be returning for a non-points, all-money event.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Scott Baker appears to have the mini stock points title well in hand as he holds a 57 point cushion over second place, Ken Barrett. Brian Murrell, Jr. sits third 97 markers behind Baker while Brian Murrell, Sr. and Brian McIntosh rest in fourth and fifth positions in the standings.

As usual, the real stock division has been ultra-competitive as six different drivers have taken home main event victories. Through it all, Casey Mitchell has been the most consistent as he has accumulated 525 points. Nick Green has been strong all season and is second with 502 points, 23 behind Mitchell. Ryan Robinson was the points leader earlier in the season, but issues during the June 26th Fair Night main event cost him dearly and he now is third with 486 points. The duo of Shawn Craig and Ryan Walters hold fourth with 463 points while Bill Middleton is fifth with 348.

The roadrunner division holds the distinction of having the most cars that have raced at the Acres this season, 20 in total. Raleigh Willoughby dominated the early portion of the season and though he’s had bad luck of late, he still holds a commanding lead over second place Dax Kinsey, 542 points to 471 points. Nick Hansen has been a strong competitor as the season has progress. He is third with 442 points. Jimmy Murray is fourth with 431 points and Dustin DelBiaggio is fifth with 369 points.

Although Paul Peeples, Jr. has been the commanding force in the thunder roadster division this season, he did not race on July 10. His absence allowed Tommy Payne to take the lead in the standings with 509 to Peeples 504. Brandon Barnwell in third and Mike Ward in fourth are still within striking distance with 488 and 482 points apiece while Chris Sarvinski is sixth with 414 points.

Ironically, the top two positions in the sportsman division are the same as in the thunder roadster division. Like Payne, Angelo Marcelli has 509 points and is the leader while Mic Moulton is second with 504. However, the gap to third is much closer with Dennis DelBiaggio at 501 points. Larry Pries still has an outside chance of taking the division title with 481 points while Jerry Peterson is out of it with 453 points.

As previously noted, the AABLM series joins the five local divisions at Redwood Acres Raceway this weekend, July 31st. In their last visit on May 22nd, David Miller was the dominant force taking the lead in the early stages of the race and running away by the end. With the series having been on break for more than a month, it’s likely that there will be a full field of cars and drivers who are excited to get back to racing.

Redwood Acres Raceway Points Standings (After 8 races)
Mini Stocks
Track Record: Craig Baker 18.597
Scott Baker 352, Barrett/Walford 295, Brian Murrell, Jr. 255, Brian Murrell, Sr. 210, Brian McIntosh 191, Ryan Ahrens 182, Craig Baker 79, Robbie Robinson 57, Ricky Davis 51

Real Stocks
Track Record: Shawn Craig 18.763
Casey Mitchell 525, Nick Green 502, Ryan Robinson 486, Craig/Walters 463, Bill Middleton 348, Ronnie O'Neill 333, Ray Middleton 269, Jim Redd 246, Doug Way 225, Dustin Walters 179, Wyatt Roach 125, Aaron Sandifer 97, Bob Lima 64, Landon Newell 50

Roadrunners
Track Record: Raleigh Willoughby 21.307
Raleigh Willoughby 542, Dax Kinsey 471, Nick Hansen 442, Jimmy Murray 431, Dustin DelBiaggio 369, Michael Lawrence 345, Charlie Anderson 321, Kolby Jackson 281, Robbie Nelson 279, Ken Barrett 264, Bill Snow 253, Kent Campbell 249, Tim Abeyta 233, Dylan Cook 221, Brett Murrell 208, Eric Rice 117, Pete Smith 64, Jake Moxon 63, Mark Benzinger 58, Kaveeta Chand 44

Thunder Roadsters
Track Record: Paul Peeples, Jr. 16.839
Thomas Payne 509, Paul Peeples, Jr. 504, Brandon Barnwell 488, Mike Ward 482, Chris Sarvinski 414, Belinda Ward 412, Bruce Ziemer 410, Rob Nelson 363, Fergy Ferguson 298, Dave Henderson 290, Randy Olson 286, Jay Bahner 197, Jim Rich 157, Dan Maxwell 79, Robert Miller 62, Allen Olson 53, Dave McMurray 11

Sportsman
Track Record: Shawn Andrews 15.794
Angelo Marcelli 509, Mic Moulton 504, Dennis DelBiaggio 501, Larry Pries 481, Jerry Peterson 453, Kenny Demello 379, Joe McDonald 344, Al Acuna 221, Donnie Brown 212, Aaron Byers 181, Jim Walker 62, Scott Baker 51, Ken Hallis 48.

Crashes highlight racing at the Acres

Crashes highlight racing at the Acres

By Matthew J. Sullivan

It was a surprisingly cool summer evening this past Saturday night at Redwood Acres Raceway. The five local division returned to the 3/8-mile paved oval after a two-week layoff. Unfortunately, numerous accidents highlighted the events throughout the evening and by the end of the night, several drivers were hot under the collar.

Nick Green held off Casey Mitchell, Ronnie O’Neill and Bill Middleton to win the real stock trophy dash. Mitchell went on to win the heat race over Green, Ryan Robinson, Doug Way and O’Neill. The real stock main event proved to be the highlight of the evening and likely the best race thus far at Redwood Acres in the 2010 season. Mitchell and O’Neill raced a clean, nose-to-tail race for most all of the 20-lap feature. O’Neill was unable to use the high line to his liking as he tried it several times on Mitchell. At the checkered flag it was Mitchell beating O’Neill, Way, Middleton and Robinson. Surprisingly, the main event win marked Mitchell’s first of this season.

In mini stock action, Scott Baker won the trophy dash over Brian Murrell, Ricky Davis who was making his first-ever start and Brian McIntosh. Baker followed up with the heat race victory over Brian Murrell, Jr., Murrell, Ryan Ahrens and McIntosh. Baker was able to make it a clean sweep on the night as he ran away with the main event beating Murrell, McIntosh, Murrell, Jr. and Ken Barrett.

Nick Hansen took the roadrunner trophy dash victory ahead of Raleigh Willoughby, Dylan Cook and Michael Lawrence. Kolby Jackson held off Hansen to take the heat race victory followed by Lawrence, Cook and Willoughby. The feature was a rough and tumble affair. In the initial start, Brett Murrell and Cook made contact going into the third turn bringing out a restart. On the next start, Willoughby and Jackson came together as they were completing the first lap with Jackson getting into the wall. The next restart saw contact between Ken Barrett and Dax Kinsey going into the first turn. As both cars headed for the wall, Cook was caught up and he spun and hit the wall with his rear-end. Barrett and Kinsey were finished for the evening while Cook was able to continue. The race was cut to 10 laps with Hansen taking the win over Jackson, Willoughby, Cook and Murrell.

The thunder roadster trophy dash went to Randy Olson over Tommy Payne, Brandon Barnwell and Chris Sarvinski. The heat race for the roadsters looked more like a demolition derby than a race. When trying to pass Rob Nelson on the outside of turn four, Sarvinski got too high, got loose and hit the wall coming off the corner finishing his evening prematurely. After a restart, Nelson and Fergy Ferguson got hung together in turns one and two sending both drivers into the water barrels entering pit road. Both drivers were okay but were also finished for the evening. After all the chaos, Olson took the heat race win ahead of Mike Ward, Barnwell, Payne and Ziemer. Barnwell took the lead from the start of the feature event but by the end of the first lap, Olson was on his bumper in second. Going into the third turn on lap five, Olson took the lead and never looked back. Olson took the win handily over Barnwell, Payne, Ward and Ziemer.

Jerry Peterson took the sportsman trophy dash honors ahead of Angelo Marcelli, Larry Pries and Mic Moulton. Aaron Byers was able to beat Peterson by inches in the heat race followed by Moulton, Dennis DelBiaggio and Pries. Byers was able to take the lead early in the main event over Marcelli until lap two when DelBiaggio got loose going into turn three, spun and hit the wall ending his race. After the restart, Marcelli began to work hard on Byers for the lead. On lap 9, Marcelli found the line under Byers for the top spot. On lap 16, Peterson moved by Byers for second with Moulton following the next lap. On lap 20, Pries tried to make a move under Byers for fourth going into turn three. The two touched and went into the wall. Both drivers were fine but out of action. After the restart, Marcelli showed surprising strength holding off Peterson and Moulton. Neither was able to put a serious challenge to Marcelli’s lead and at the checkered flag it was Marcelli winning over Peterson, Moulton and Kenny Demello.

The racing action at Redwood Acres Raceway goes on a three-week hiatus before returning on Saturday July 31st. Joining the five local divisions will be the return of the Airport Auto Brokers Late Model series. It will be the second of the two scheduled points paying events for the series.

Marcelli, Henderson Pepsi night winners

Marcelli, Henderson Pepsi night winners

By Matthew J. Sullivan

Race two of the fourteen race schedule at Redwood Acres Raceway occurred this past Saturday evening on the 3/8-mile paved oval. Much like the first race the previous weekend, the on-track action in many of the night’s races delighted the numerous fans in attendance. For the drivers, winning the main event in any of the five local divisions on what was Pepsi Night at the Acres meant being presented with a beautiful six-foot-tall trophy.

In the mini stock division, Brian Murrell, Jr. took the trophy dash win over Craig Baker, Scott Baker and Rick Stone. Craig Baker narrowly beat brother Scott in the heat to claim the win followed by Murrell, Jr., Stone and Ken Barrett. The main event featured a side-by-side duel for the lead between Murrell, Jr. and Scott Baker. On the final lap, the two came together in the third turn with Baker spinning out and Murrell, Jr. crossing the line first. Due to a post-race exchange, official results for the mini stock division were not available at the time of this writing.

Shawn Craig was making his first start of the season in the real stock division and he was able to take the trophy dash victory ahead of Nick Green, Jim Redd and Ryan Robinson. Green won the heat race over Casey Mitchell, Robinson, Craig and Ray Middleton. Wyatt Roach and Redd battled for the lead early on in the main event before Robinson passed both drivers to take the lead. At the same time, Redd’s car began smoking heavily and he was forced to the pits for the race. After a caution period to check the track surface, Robinson pulled out to a gap of about eight car-lengths over second place Mitchell and was able to maintain it to the finish. Craig finished third with Roach fourth and Bill Middleton fifth in his first start of the season.

The roadrunner trophy dash win went to Raleigh Willoughby over Bill Snow, Nick Hansen and Jimmy Murray. Hansen won the hotly contested heat race over Dax Kinsey, Willoughby, Snow and Murray. Charlie Anderson held the lead early on in the feature before being overtaken on the second lap by Dylan Cook. While Anderson fought off the challenges of Snow and Willoughby, Cook was able to pull out to a comfortable lead. Unfortunately for Cook, his rear bumper cover came loose bringing out a yellow flag and forcing him to pit, effectively putting his chances for a win out the window.

The subsequent restart gave Willoughby the advantage he needed to maneuver by Anderson for the second position. After catching Cook for the lead, Willoughby tried several methods to try to move by for the spot, but was unsuccessful with each attempt. Meanwhile as the two leaders pulled away, Anderson had his hands full with Hansen and Kinsey. Hansen eventually made his way by while Kinsey continued to try to use the high line to get past Anderson. On lap 14, Willoughby tried once again to get by Cook. Willoughby moved under Cook going into the first turn but the two touched. Cook was able to save his car while Willoughby moved high and past Cook for the race lead. Cook tried his best to keep up with Willoughby but didn’t have the handling to do so. At the checkered flag it was Willoughby winning his second main event in a row over Cook, Hansen, Anderson and Kinsey.

Paul Peeples, Jr. took the thunder roadster trophy dash victory ahead of Brandon Barnwell, Tommy Payne and David Henderson. Barnwell held off Peeples and Henderson to win the heat race with Chris Sarvinski and Bruce Ziemer rounding out the five top finishers. Prior to the start of the main event, Peeples drove his car to the pits for adjustments. The move cost him some track position and may have been a deciding factor as to the outcome of the race. The intensity of the event kicked off right from the drop of the green flag as Sarvinski made it three-wide under Ziemer and Mike Ward going into the first turn. Coming off turn two, it was Sarvinski battling Ward for the lead. Ward held off Sarvinski for the spot while the field sorted out. On lap five, Sarvinski found the line he needed under Ward to take the race lead bringing Payne, Henderson, Barnwell and Peeples with him. Henderson wasted little time getting to the front as he passed Payne in turns three and four on lap seven, then proceeded by Sarvinski on the next lap to take the race lead.

After a caution flag brought out by Ward spinning in turn four, action resumed with Henderson pulling away while Payne fought hard for the second position with Peeples. Coming down the front stretch on lap 10, Peeples moved by Payne for the lead while Barnwell’s engine went sour at the same time. For the rest of the race, Peeples tried to close in on Henderson and appeared to do so but not by nearly enough. Henderson was able to cruise to the checkered flag over Peeples, Payne, Sarvinski and Ziemer.

After issues the past weekend, Mic Moulton returned to form winning the sportsman trophy dash over Joe McDonald, Larry Pries and Dennis DelBiaggio. The heat race victory went to Jerry Peterson ahead of McDonald, Angelo Marcelli, Pries and Moulton. Marcelli was able to use the pole-position to his advantage in the main event as he took the lead early while Peterson struggled on the high line eventually slotting into the fifth spot. Marcelli held a somewhat comfortable five car length gap over second place Pries but as the laps clicked off Pries and the rest of the field were able to close in on Marcelli. On lap 20, Pries closed dramatically on Marcelli forcing him to jump on the binders unexpectedly. Behind Pries, Moulton had to do the same and unfortunately spun coming off turn four and bringing out the caution flag.

After the restart, McDonald began to make his presence felt as he used the high line to his advantage. On lap 22, McDonald moved outside of DelBiaggio for the third position. McDonald made the pass and continued to try to use the outside for the remaining laps. Going into turn three on the final lap, McDonald drove his car as hard as he could in hopes of getting by both Pries and Marcelli, but he did not have the traction to do it. At the line it was Marcelli holding off Pries for the win while DelBiggio placed third, McDonald fourth and Peterson fifth.

Racing at the Acres resumes this Saturday night May 8 for the Mother’s Day races. It will the third straight weekend of racing until the teams get a week off.

Redwood Acres Raceway track champions officially crowned

Redwood Acres Raceway track champions officially crowned

By Matthew J. Sullivan

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2009 Final Points Standings

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

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

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

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

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

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

Racing at the Acres closes with the Fall Spectacular this weekend

Racing at the Acres closes with the Fall Spectacular this weekend

By Matthew J. Sullivan

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

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

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

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

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

2009 champs decided on Judy Fox Memorial night

2009 champs decided on Judy Fox Memorial night

By Matthew J. Sullivan

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Redwood Acres Raceway points update

Redwood Acres Raceway points update

By Matthew J. Sullivan

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Henderson returns to victory circle

Henderson returns to victory circle

By Matthew J. Sullivan

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

DelBiaggio, Olson and Lewis victorious

DelBiaggio, Olson and Lewis victorious

By Matthew J. Sullivan

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Matthew J. Sullivan

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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