Ray, Lally Big Bomber Bash Victors

Eureka, CA (August 6, 2017) – For the seventh time in the 2017 season, Redwood Acres Raceway was in action. It was Renner Petroleum Night at the Races. In addition to the four other local classes of cars, RAR hosted a high-dollar Bomber Bash.

Brandi Robertson was making her first start ever at Redwood Acres Raceway in the California State and Federal Employee’s Credit Union roadrunner division. She set fast time with a 20.185. The first of the two 20-lap main events was caution plagued and featured several incidents. One in particular included Tim Ratzlaff and Daniel Buell. Ratzlaff hit wall off turn two while Buell had his front bumper ripped off. Nick Ford patiently worked his way through traffic. With three laps remaining, Ford took the lead from his brother, Dylan. At the finish it was Nick Ford winning over Buell, Jake Keeling, Robertson and Jennifer Murrell.

The second main was much cleaner as the roadrunners ran backwards this time. Keeling looked primed to take his first-ever main event win as he ran away from the pack and dominated the first half of the race. Unfortunately for Keeling, he could not hold off Buell. On lap 13, Buell took the lead. Buell’s advantage over Keeling at the finish was only half of a second. Tim Ratzlaff recovered from the first main issues to take third. Andy Savage placed fourth while Bob Ratzlaff took fifth.

11 Nor-Cal Automotive Legends cars took to the track on the night. Joe Bratolli set quick time with a 18.115, only a hundredth quicker than Brian Kamisky. Kamisky took the trophy dash win while the heat races were won by Brad Curtice and Kamisky. Tyler Peach took the lead at the start of the 25-lap main and showed his potential as he led the majority of the race. The best racing on the track was being done by Curtice who slowly but steadily maneuvered from the back to the top five. Buddy Cox took the lead with nine laps remaining. A lap later, Curtice spun out of the third spot for the only yellow of the race. The restart fell into Kamisky’s hands as he was able to take the lead and held on for the final six laps. Young, Daniel Whitley made a good account for himself in second followed by Cox, Curtice and Brent Mack.

Qualifying for the Humboldt Hydroponics mini stock division was paced by Brian Murrell, Sr. with a time of 18.976. Eugene Palmer was the trophy dash winner while heat race wins went to Troy Lee and Brett Murrell. Brandon Katri and Lee traded the race lead in the first five laps of the 25-lap main event. On lap five. Brett Murrell powered to the race lead. As he has done for the majority of the season, Murrell was dominant as he was able to lead the rest of the way. Palmer was able to close the gap a bit in the final stages but at the finish it was Brett Murrell taking another main event victory. Palmer took second while Murrell, Sr. Scott Taylor and Gary Klinetobe rounded out the top five finishers.

Ronnie O’Neil was quickest in qualifying for the Lone Star Junction Thunder Roadster class with a 17.410. Both the trophy dash and heat races were won by Chris Lawrence. In the 30-lap feature, Lawrence took the lead on lap one and was able to hold on to it for the first 13 circuits. O’Neil powered by on lap 14 and was able to run away from the rest of the pack. Tommy Payne moved to second on lap 17 but did not have the strength to seriously challenge O’Neil for the win. At the checkered flag it was O’Neil getting his first main event win of the season. Payne took second while Lawrence held on for third. Chris Sarvinski placed fourth and Donnie Brown fifth.

The Acres hosted its first Bomber Bash of the season with two 50-lap features for the night. The Fortuna Wheel and Brake sponsored division had an influx of the purse thanks to Four Star Realty, Lally Motorsports and Renner Petroleum. The winner of each heat race was awarded $1,000. If a driver was able to sweep both races, they would be eligible for $5,000 in bonus money during the Fall Spectacular weekend should they win both races on that date.

Mike Sullivan set fast time in the bombers with a 17.984. Erick Ray was the trophy dash winner. The heat races determined the starting lineup for the first feature. Ryan Walters won the first heat which gave him the outside front row position. Sullivan won the second heat race which gave him the pole. Sullivan shot to the lead in the first main and looked to have the best car in the field as he was able to run away from the pack. Walters fell into second place and had his hands full with Ray for the position. During a caution on lap 26, Sullivan’s car lost power down the front stretch and he fell out of action for the night.

The restart featured a spectacular duel between Walters and Ray for the lead. Between laps 31 through 35, the lead changed hands each time amongst the two. On lap 36, Ray got the advantage and was able to hold off Walters the rest of the way. The top five for the first main was Ray, Walters, Jeff French, Ryan Ahrens and Kolby Jackson.

With $1,000 in his pocket, Ray looked to sweep both races to be eligible for the big bonus at the Fall Spectacular. Ray drew the number eight which inverted the first eight finishers in the first main for the second. This gave John Lally and Jim Redd the front row for main event number two.
Lally quickly moved to the lead at the drop of the green as the field spread out. All eyes were on Ray who had trouble maneuvering through the field. Ray’s hopes of sweeping the night and going for the bonus were dashed on lap 13 when he and Ahrens made contact in heavy traffic. Ray was forced to the pits for the night. Up front, nobody had anything for Lally. He was able to lead flag-to-flag and took the win by nearly four seconds over Walters. French placed third for the second time on the night. Donovan Cox and Jim Redd completed the top five.

Racing on the 3/8-mile paved oval goes on hiatus for three weeks before returning Saturday August 26th. The event will be both Driver Appreciation Night and Back To School Night. In addition to the roadrunners, Legends, bombers, mini stock and Thunder Roadsters, the final point race of the season for the Super 6 Late Model Challenge Series will also take place. Another feature for the night will be the annual Murrell 500.

Between then and now, Redwood Acres Raceway will host monster truck action with the Malicious Monster Truck Insanity Tour visiting the facility on August 11th and 12th. Additionally there will be Monster Truck rides and Tuff Trucks both nights. The Saturday August 12th event will also feature the popular boat races. Pre-sale tickets and more information about the event are available at www.RacingTheAcres.com. Pre-sale tickets are also available at the fair office and Fortuna Wheel & Brake.

Doss bags $2,000 Fall Spectacular Win

By Matthew J. Sullivan

For the first time since 2013, Redwood Acres Raceway played host to the Fall Spectacular this past weekend. It was the 24th annual running of the event which first started in 1990. Seven divisions partook in the two-day event which was capped off with a 100-lap late model race.

The California State and Federal Employees Credit Union roadrunners were one of the two divisions that raced a full schedule on both Saturday and Sunday. Dave Rogers from Ukiah, California paced qualifying on Saturday with a 20.385 lap. Rogers took the trophy dash win as well as a win in the fast heat while Bob Ratzlaff won the slower heat. Dominic Vogelsang led the opening five laps of the 20-lap main but Rogers had the better car as he took the lead on lap six. Rogers would go on to cruise to the win over James Nichols, Vogelsang, Jordon Paiment and Nick Ford.

Sunday’s roadrunner qualifying was again paced by Rogers with a 20.246. The trophy dash win went to Nichols while the heats were taken by Vogelsang and Rogers. The 20-lap main was similar to the previous night as led the opening portion of the event, this time for eight circuits. As with the night before, it was Rogers who had the stronger car as he maneuvered to the lead on lap nine and held on from there. At the finish it was Rogers sweeping both feature events. Vogelsang placed second while Nichols, Ford and Paiment rounded out the top five.

The Thunder Roadsters were the other division that raced both days. Ronnie O’Neil set fast time on day one with a 17.333 qualifying lap. Aaron Byers claimed the trophy dash win while O’Neil took the heat race. Byers led the opening 1/3 of the 30 lap main before giving way to O’Neil who was able to lead the rest of the way to take the feature win. Byers held off Tommy Payne for second followed by Chris Lawrence and Dax Kinsey.

O’Neil was again fast time on Sunday with a bit of a faster time, a 17.317. Chris Sarvinski took the trophy dash win while O’Neil won the heat. Sarvinski dominated the 30-lap main as he was able to get past Donnie Brown on lap three. Sarvinski pulled out to a substantial margin as Brown tried to fight off the faster competitors for second. At the finish it was Sarvinski taking the win followed by O’Neil, Byers, Lawrence and Payne.

2015 and 2016 North State Modified Series champion, Darrin Knight paced the modifieds with a 16.422. Veteran Willie Thompson won the trophy dash and heat races. Thompson led the opening nine of the 30 lap main but it was Knight who proved to be superior as he took the lead. Knight went on to win over Thompson, Sierra Furia and Orion Mosher.

Derek Copeland substituted for Brian Kamisky on Saturday and he set quick time for the Legends cars with a 17.975. Copeland went on to win the trophy dash and heat races. Kamisky hopped into his car on Sunday for the 50-lap main event. The feature was slowed at the halfway point when Tyler Peach and Anissa Curtice had a meeting in turn two with Curtice hitting the tire barrier. Fortunately she was okay. Nobody could keep pace with Kamisky who started from the back and took the lead on lap seven. At the finish it was Kamisky getting the $500 victory. Brad Curtice placed second followed by Buddy Cox, Brent Mack and Daniel Whitley.

Qualifying for the Humboldt Hydroponics mini stocks was paced by Rick Estes with an 18.956. Jarrett Mayo won the trophy dash as well as the heat which awarded him the pole for Sunday’s 40-lap main. The two strongest drivers in the feature were Mayo and Estes. The two traded the lead on lap 15 but contact on lap 16 sent both to the rear giving Brian Murrell, Sr. the lead. Mayo regained the lead from Murrell on lap 31 and was able to take the win over Murrell, Sam Brown, Estes and Nick Ford.

The Fortuna Wheel and Brake bomber division had a stellar field for the weekend with 20 cars showing up to race. Terry Pittman set the pace in qualifying with a 18.229. Kolby Jackson took the trophy dash win. Richard Knight won the first heat which awarded him the 11th starting position for Sunday’s first main event. Sacramento racer, Erick Ray took the second heat win which gave him the pole position.

The first main event was dominated by Ray. The best fight was for second place as Brian King, Ryan Walters and Pittman battled for the second position. Ray led all 50 laps taking the $1,000 win in what proved to be a rough first main event. Walters beat King for second while Pittman and Corey James rounded out the top five. Ray drew the six pill for the invert which gave Wyatt Roach the pole for the second feature.

Due to his win in the first main, Ray had the opportunity to take $4,000 home. Besides earning $1,000 for winning the first main, he could earn $1,000 for winning the second main, $1,000 for sweeping both mains and an additional $1,000 for having the highest finish between the two main events.

Roach led the opening lap of the second feature before Pittman was able to take the lead. Pittman held on until lap 14 when Ray was able to get to the lead. The first half of the main was much cleaner than the first race was until a rather scary incident involving Kimberly Sorrels, Matt Simon and David Jones in turn four brought out the red flag. Thankfully all three drivers were okay. Ray looked to have the race in hand until a broken axle on lap 24 dashed his hopes. Pittman took the lead back and never lost it again. At the finish it was Pittman taking the $1,000 win over Walters, Brian King, Kolby Jackson and Wyatt Roach. Walters was awarded $1,000 for having the best overall finish in the two races.

Qualifying for the Fall Spectacular 100 late model race was paced by hometown favorite, Brandon White with a 15.900 with 21 drivers in all timing in. Three drivers who did not qualify were Jeremy Doss, Randy Houston and Scott Baker. Doss missed qualifying but was able to race in the slower heat while Houston and Baker had issues in practice which knocked them out of the weekend’s action. Marty Walsh took the win in the first heat which awarded him the 11th starting spot for Sunday’s 100-lap affair while Brandon Ash took the second heat win and pole position for Sunday.

Ash led the first four circuits which were slowed twice by caution flags. On the lap five restart, David Miller took the lead. Junior Roddy got past Ash for second on lap 18 and began a serious bid for the top position. By lap 24, Doss had maneuvered to third after starting 14th. On lap 26, fan favorite Jim Walker fell out. Another caution bunched the field and on the restart Miller and Roddy fought hard for the lead. The two got together and slowed off turn two on lap 29 which allowed Doss to make a thrilling three-wide pass for the lead.

Doss appeared to have the race well in hand by the halfway point while second place Miller appeared to have his hands full with his car. Roddy was able to take second on lap 52 and Miller began to fall out of the top five as White, Eric Gannon, Derek Copeland, Ash and David Henderson were all able to get past. Ash fell out of the race on lap 65.

The race was slowed several times in the final 30 laps which allowed Roddy and the rest of the field to close on Doss. Each restart however, Doss was able to retain his lead. The yellow flags helped Miller regain the handling in his car as he was able to get back to fourth on lap 76. At one point in the final stages, Roddy was able to get right to Doss’ rear bumper but Doss was able to withstand Roddy’s challenge. At the finish it was Doss taking the $2,000 victory, his second Fall Spectacular win. Roddy took second followed by White, Miller and Henderson. Doss’ margin of victory over Roddy was 0.771 seconds.

For full race results and main event videos from the Fall Spectacular weekend at Redwood Acres Raceway, please visit the track’s official website www.RacingTheAcres.com

Knight rises, Walsh wins at the Acres

By Matthew J. Sullivan

Both sides of Redwood Acres Raceway were filled this past Saturday for Lithia Dodge Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram of Eureka Night at the Races. In addition to the six local divisions of cars, the North State Modified Series returned to RAR for the second and final time in 2016.

Bethany Rapp was quick time in the California State & Federal Employee Credit Union roadrunner division with a 20.813. James Nickles won the four-lap trophy dash which saw an incident between Rapp and Jennifer Murrell that effectively ended Rapp’s night. Heat race on was taken by Bob Ratzloff while Dylan Ford won heat two. Ratzloff led the opening four of the scheduled 25 lap feature until Ford took the lead away.

On lap six, Nickles’ engine let go down the back stretch into turn three. Behind him, several drivers hit the oil and wrecked. Involved were Steve Paiment, Tyler Peach and Brandon Katri who were all knocked out of the event. The race was cut to 12 laps due to the lengthy cleanup. Ford led after the restart and was able to hold off Murrell to take the win. Dominic Vogelsang, Jake Keeling and Patrick Sproul rounded out the top five.

The Fortuna Wheel and Brake bomber class had an excellent turnout of 14 cars thanks to Lally Motorsports and Four Star Realty upping the purse for the evening. Erick Ray set fast time with a 18.166 and was the winner of the trophy dash. Ryan Ahrens was the winner of heat one while Brian King won heat race two.

The 25-lap main featured a spectacular duel for the lead between King and Ray. King was able to take the lead away from Lally on lap eight and did all he could to fend off Ray for the lead. After a neck and neck duel for the lead, Ray was able to finally secure the lead on lap 16. Ray led the rest of the way to take the main event win, the first at RAR for the Sacramento driver. King placed second followed by Matt Manlos, James Moore and Ahrens.

14 cars took time in qualifying in the Humboldt Hydroponics mini stock division but unfortunately Todd Simpson and Shawn Molloy both had issues which prevented them from racing. Dylan Hagmann was the fastest qualifier with a 18.910 time. Gary Klinetobe won the trophy dash while heat race winners were Cole Peterson and Hagmann.

Troy Lee led the opening lap of the 25-lap feature before giving way to Peterson. Gary Klinetobe took over on lap five and looked to be the guy to beat. However, as the race progressed, it was Rick Estes who had the strongest car and on lap 19 he wrestled the lead away from Klinetobe. Estes was able pull away and take the victory over Klinetobe. Daniel Buell placed third followed by Brett Murrell and Eugene Palmer.

Fast time for the Thunder Roadster division was Tommy Payne with a 17.214. Aaron Byers was the trophy dash victor while Donnie Brown claimed the heat race win. The focus of the 30-lap feature was on Payne and Ronnie O’Neil who seemed to have equal cars. O’Neil tried everything he could to find enough momentum to challenge Payne for the lead but never could. At the finish it was Payne winning followed by O’Neil, Byers, LeRoy Marsh, Jr. and Brown.

Qualifying for the Legends cars was paced by Brad Curtice’s 18.243. Denny Hadler, Jr. was the trophy dash winner while the heat race winner was Brian Kamisky. The 25-lap feature was dominated by Kamisky who was never seriously challenged for the lead. One incident slowed the race, a turn four accident involving Hadler, Jr. and Robert Miller. At the finish it was Brian Kamisky winning handily over Miller, Brad Curtice, Troy Kamisky and Anissa Curtice.

14 Mid City Motor World late models qualified for the night with Oregon veteran, Mike Sackett setting fast time 15.919. Sadly for Sackett, he suffered problems which prevented him from participating further on the night. Tim Crenshaw was the winner of the trophy dash. Due to the tight schedule for the night, heat races were abandoned. Al Acune led the opening seven laps of the 50-lap main but contact between he and Ryun Leazer sent both drivers to the rear of the field.

Eddie Klien was moved to the lead and had the best race of his rookie season as he led over half the race. A late race restart proved to be Klein’s downfall as Marty Walsh was able to get the jump and take over the lead. Klien’s good run went bad when he and Kenny Demello made contact on the front stretch sending both cars spinning. The final handful of laps featured a duel for the lead between Walsh and Moulton. Walsh prevailed to take the win followed by Moulton. Dustin Walters had his best run of the year in third followed by Jedd Ambrosini and Richard Knight.

17 North State Modifieds showed up for the Swartz Diesel Super 60 event for the evening. Unfortunately, one of the top contenders, Bryan Denton suffered issues before qualifying which forced him out of action for the night. Series point leader, Darrin Knight was quick time with a 16.192. Richie Potts was the winner of the Lucas Oil Dash for Cash earning $100 for his efforts.

The Swartz Diesel Super 60 was slowed only once due to a spin by Rick Anderson on lap one. Darin Snider led from the drop of the green but it wasn’t long before Knight moved to second and set his sights on the leader. It was the Darin and Darrin show as fans were thrilled by the fantastic nip and tuck duel for the lead between the two drivers. Knight was finally able to get under Snider on lap 33 to take the race lead.

Snider pulled his car into the pits after his strong run on lap 42. At the front it was Knight taking the win, sweeping both NSCS races at the Acres in 2016. Charlie Collins had a strong run in second over Mikey Collins. Darrin Sullivan was fourth, the final car on the lead lap while Eric Johnson placed fifth.

One of the most anticipated events of the year follows on August 6th when the Spears SRL Southwest Tour Series returns to the 3/8-mile paved oval for the third time. The Bear River Casino & Hotel and Renner Petroleum 125 promises to be intense and action-packed with the top super late model racers on the west coast taking to the Acres pavement. Grandstands open at 5:00 PM while racing begins at 6:00 PM.

There are only two more chances to see the outlaw karts in action. This weekend, Saturday July 30th is the second to last event for the karts and is sponsored by Scott Hammond State Farm while Saturday August 27th is the final event of the year and is sponsored by Williamson Financial Group. For more information on everything going on at Redwood Acres Raceway, please visit the track’s official website www.racingtheacres.com