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.

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.

Championship races tight as season draws to an end

Championship races tight as season draws to an end

By Matthew J. Sullivan

A mere four races are left for the 2009 season at Redwood Acres Raceway. Track championships have yet to be decided in any of the divisions thus far after 11 of the 15 scheduled races though it will be tough sledding to unseat the points leaders in a few of the 6 local classes.

The limited street stocks have struggled all season with a lack of cars competing in the division. Both Kenny Demello and Fergy Ferguson have been showing up to earn points for qualifying the past several events. Currently Demello leads Ferguson by eight points, 377-369. Unless the division picks up a few cars in the final four events, it appears as though it is Demello’s title to win or lose. Stan Young and Bill Middleton are the only two other drivers who have scored points in the division in 2009.

The fight for the track championship mini stock class is as close as it can get. Not only is there a tie between the first and second place runners, but the battle for the title is between two brothers, Craig and Scott Baker. Craig holds the tiebreaker over Scott due to a few more main event victories. Brian McIntosh, Steve Smith and Brian Murrell, Jr. round out the top five drivers in points for the class.

Ryan Walters holds a sizeable gap over Jim Redd in the real stock division points standings. Walters has a 56 points cushion over Redd, 735-679. Casey Mitchell is a single point behind Redd in third place. Pat Conway is another 27 points behind Mitchell in fourth, while Ryan Walters sits fifth place with 538 points scored.

The roadrunner division has continued to gain strength in its first season at the Acres. The car count for the class has risen nearly every race and is expected to continue to climb as the 2009 season concludes and the 2010 season commences. Nick Bundy dominated the first part of the season and leads the standings with 579 points. Bundy has been absent in several of the recent races. This has allowed second place Charlie Anderson to close the gap to only 39 points. The duo of Carrie and Dylan Cook hold third place with 510 points. Jimmy Murray is fourth with 503 and Dustin DelBiaggio is fifth with 489.

David Henderson has been the man to beat on a weekly basis in the Thunder Roadster division. After 11 races, Henderson has accrued 724 points. Robert Miller is second with 676 points, Tommy Payne is third with 645 points and Mike Ward fourth with 613 points. Paul Peeples, Jr. was Henderson’s toughest competition through the first half of the season, but has been unable to compete in the past several events and has fallen to fifth with 540 points and no chance at catching Henderson for the championship.

The track title for the sportsman division appears to be a three-man fight. Currently, Dennis DelBiaggio leads with 726 points. Jerry Peterson and Angelo Marcelli sit tied for second with 670 each. Larry Pries has scored 577 points while Brandon Barnwell is fifth with 434 points.

Racing at the Acres resumes this Saturday evening, August 22nd for Back-To-School Night. The following week on the 29th will see another big event, Fan Appreciation Night at the Acres where fans will be able to attend the races free. After a break, there’s a special event on September 12th, the Judy Fox Memorial races. The 2009 season concludes on September 26th with the Fall Spectacular featuring late models and the I.M.C.A. Modifieds.

Points Standings Through 11 Races

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

Mini Stocks
Track Record: Craig Baker 18.597
Craig Baker 708, Scott Baker 708, Brian McIntosh 683, Steve Smith 611, Brian Murrell, Jr. 467, Len Bowman 327, Brian Murrell, Jr. 130, Nick Karanopoulos 117, Mike Weekly 111, Norm Carmichael 100, Denzil Barrett 59

Real Stocks
Track Record: Shawn Craig 18.763
Ryan Walters 735, Jim Redd 679, Casey Mitchell 678, Pat Conway 651, Dustin Walters 538, Roger Linn, Jr. 526, Ryan/Russ Robinson 517, Nick Green 460, Doug Way 301, Don Hyman 217, Bob Lima 57, Jim Bailey 11

Roadrunners
Track Record: Wyatt Roach 21.711
Nick Bundy 579, Charlie Anderson 540, Carrie/Dylan Cook 510, Jimmy Murray 503, Dustin DelBiaggio 489, Track Car 486, Oscar Koskinen III 391, Bill Snow 324, Eric Mendes 236, Raleigh Willoughby 212, Wyatt Roach 200, Eric Rice 153, Aaron Sandifer 99, Robbie Nelson 11

Sportsman
Track Record: Shawn Andrews 15.794
Dennis DelBiaggio 726, Jerry Peterson 670, Angelo Marcelli 670, Larry Pries 577, Brandon Barnwell 434, Joe McDonald 330, Aaron Byers 297, Frank Billy, Jr. 269, Lissa Uselton 236, Kavin Conn 217, Shawn Craig 209, Al Acuna 149, Jim Walker 134, Kenny Demello 100, Ken Hallis 96.

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.

Championships favorites becoming clearer at Redwood Acres Raceway

Championships favorites becoming clearer at Redwood Acres Raceway

By Matthew J. Sullivan

The 2009 racing season at Redwood Acres Raceway is more than 1/3rd of the way through the year’s schedule. The points standings in the six local classes after six of the scheduled 15 events are tight in some of the divisions while in others, the margin is much larger and the points standings are more spread out.

The limited street stock division points are led by Fergy Ferguson with 215. He holds a two point lead over Kenny Demello in second and a 14 point lead over Stan Young in third. The closeness of the standings are unfortunately a reflection of the lack of cars in the division. Bill Middleton stands fourth with 66 points garnered.

It’s a battle of brothers in the mini stock class. Scott Baker leads brother Craig 393-382. Brian McIntosh is third with 372 points while rookie Steve Smith isn’t too far behind in fourth with 342. Brian Murrell, Jr. is fifth with 176. Nick Bundy has been the dominant force in the roadrunner divisions first season at Redwood Acres Raceway, winning five of the six main events on the year. Bundy has 390 points, 127 more than second place Oscar Koskinen at 263. Jimmy Murray is third with 261 followed by Carrie Cook with 241 and the Redwood Acres track car with 238.

Ryan Walters has been the man to beat in the real stock division winning four of the six main events. Walters has scored 410 points thus far. Casey Mitchell has been a consistent top three runner and stands in second place with 368 points. Jim Redd is third with a main event win and 366 points, while Pat Conway also has a main event victory and is one point behind Redd in fourth place. Roger Linn, Jr. is in fifth with 342 points.

In the thunder roadster division, David Henderson was able to stretch his points lead over Paul Peeples, Jr. in the June 6th race at Redwood Acres. Henderson swept the night winning the trophy dash, the heat race and the main event while Peeples struggled with his car after having to change his engine earlier in the day. Henderson has 414 points while Peeples in second has 390. While those two have been the dominant drivers in the division, Robert Miller has been the “best of the rest” and is third in points with 362. Fourth place is only five behind miller with 357 while Mike Ward is fifth with 330.

Out of all the divisions, the sportsman class has been the most competitive without question. Through the six races this year, there have been six different winners. Dennis Delbiaggio has a 10 point lead over Larry Pries, 381-371, both drivers having scored a main event win this year. Angelo Marcelli is third, three points behind Pries with 368 and a main event victory. Jerry Peterson is another five points behind Marcelli with 363 and a main event victory in the last race at the Acres on June 6th. Brandon Barnwell sits fifth with a main event and 251 points. The top four drivers are the only ones who have been in all six races this season.

Racing at Redwood Acres Raceway returns on Friday June 26th and Saturday 27th for the Redwood Acres Fair Classic. This event is the second biggest race of the season at the speedway next to the Fall Classic season finale in September. A number of cars are expected to show up for both nights in several of the divisions and its expected to be a pair of thrilling nights at the Acres.

Limited Street Stocks
Track Record: Trevor Miller 17.143
Fergy Ferguson 215, Kenny Demello 213, George Young 201, Bill Middleton 66

Mini Stocks
Craig Baker 18.597
Scott Baker 393, Craig Baker 382, Brian McIntosh 372, Steve Smith 342, Brian Murrell, Jr. 176, Len Bowman 161, Brian Murrell, Sr. 130, Nick Karanopoulos 117, Norm Carmichael 88, Denzil Barrett 59

Roadrunners
Nick Bundy 21.825
Nick Bundy 390, Oscar Koskinen III 263, Jimmy Murray 261, Carrie Cook 241, Track Car 238, Charlie Anderson 221, Dustin DelBiaggio 200, Bill Snow 120, Erik Mendes 111, Raleigh Willoughby 59

Real Stocks
Shawn Craig 18.763
Ryan Walters 410, Casey Mitchell 368, Jim Redd 366, Pat Conway 365, Roger Linn, Jr. 342, Dustin Walters 318, Ryan/Russ Robinson 227, Nick Green 210, Doug Way 101, Bob Lima 57, Jim Bailey 11

Thunder Roadsters
Paul Peeples, Jr. 16.839
Dave Henderson 414, Paul Peeples, Jr. 390, Robert Miller 362, Thomas Payne 357, Mike Ward 330, Chris Sarvinski 303, Rob Nelson 281, Mark Arroyo 281, Bruce Ziemer 257, Belinda Ward 245, Jim Rich 213, Dan Browne 187, Jay Bahner 148, Chris Banfill 141, Donn Cole 59, Dave McMurray 50, Doug Pulver 43

Sportsman
Shawn Andrews 15.794
Dennis DelBiaggio 387, Larry Pries 377, Angelo Marcelli 368, Jerry Peterson 363, Brandon Barnwell 251, Joe McDonald 197, Frank Billy, Jr. 126, Aaron Byers 124, Kavin Conn 116, Shawn Craig 107, Ken Hallis 56, Al Acuna 53, Lissa Uselton 11.

Peeples ends Henderson’s streak, DelBiaggio notches first win of the season

Peeples ends Henderson’s streak, DelBiaggio notches first win of the season

By Matthew J. Sullivan

Race number five of the 2009 racing season at Redwood Acres Raceway completed this past Saturday night under cool and cloudy conditions, weather akin more to early springtime weather rather than late. Nevertheless, another good fan count showed up to watch another thrilling night of racing on Eureka’s 3/8-mile paved oval.

With only four cars racing in each division, both the limited street stocks and the mini stocks saw a limited number of laps. Kenny Demello won the trophy dash for the limited streets while Fergy Ferguson won the 10-lap feature over Demello, Stan Young and Bill Middleton who was making his first start of the season. Craig Baker won the dash, the heat and the main event for the mini stock class. Brian McIntosh was able to hold off Scott Baker in the main for second while Steve Smith rounded out the field.

Jim Redd won the real stock trophy dash holding off Ryan Walters, Jim Hathaway and Roger Linn. Dustin Walters won the heat ahead of Hathaway, Nick Green, Redd and Ryan Walters. Coming from the second row, Redd moved to the lead going into the first turn of the 15-lap main event. By the end of the first lap, Ryan Walters had moved from the back to second position. The field spread out and the race was relatively calm until the final laps when Walters tried to make a move by Redd for the lead and the race win. Walters tried to get Redd loose in turns three and four on the last lap with a bump. Redd’s bumper fell off and slid up to the wall harmlessly and it wasn’t enough to shake him out of the lead as he took the checkered flag first over Walters, Linn, Dustin Walters and Casey Mitchell.

Redwood Acres Raceway’s newest division, the roadrunners, continues to see an increase in the number of cars showing up. Bill Snow won the dash over Nick Bundy, Dustin Delbiaggio and Carrie Cook. Oscar Koskinen took the heat race victory over Delbiaggio, Eric Mendes, Bundy and Snow. The main event for the roadrunners proved to be a rough and tumble affair. Upon starting from the outside position on the front row of the main event, Koskinen took the lead from Charlie Anderson. The first caution flew early on when Anderson got loose going into turn three, got into Snow sending Snow into the wall. A few laps after the restart, Delbiaggio drove a bit too hard going into the third turn getting into Cook and sending both drivers spinning and bringing out the caution flag. Both drivers were able to avoid suffering any damage and were able to continue in the race.

Koskinen continued to hold lead over Bundy in second and Snow in third. On the tenth lap, Snow got into Bundy in turn three. Bundy did a 360 and kept going without a yellow flag. On the final lap in the final corner, Snow bumped Koskinen going into the third turn. Behind those two, Bundy got into Cook sending her spinning in the fourth turn. In the end Snow crossed the line first ahead of Koskinen while Bundy was third, Wyatt Roach in the track car in fourth and Cook fifth. After the race, officials deemed Snow‘s driving to be too aggressive. The end result was Koskinen the main event winner, his first of the year breaking Bundy’s streak of four.

Joe McDonald made his second appearance in the sportsman division this year and took home the trophy dash victory beating Brandon Barnwell, Dennis Delbiaggio and Angelo Marcelli. Jerry Peterson took the heat race win over Barnwell, Pries, Marcelli and McDonald. Peterson used the pole position to his advantage as he took the lead early on in the 25 lap sportsman main event. On lap three, Barnwell moved to the high side of Peterson and the duo dueled side-by-side until lap five when Barnwell took the position away. Delbiaggio was able to use the same move a lap later to take the second position. A lap later, McDonald did the same thing to move by Peterson into third.

On lap seven, former real stock driver Shawn Craig, who was making his debut in the division on this night, got loose off the fourth turn, got into the infield but was able to safely maneuver his car on the track not causing a serious accident. On the ninth lap, Delbiaggio found the inside line under Barnwell to take the lead away. With a few laps to go, Barnwell got loose off turn four and spun. Fortunately nobody else got involved, but unfortunately Barnwell was forced to the rear of the field on the restart. Delbiaggio took the restart over McDonald with two laps left in the race. McDonald couldn’t muster the strength to make a move on Delbiaggio and at the line it was Delbiaggio first over McDonald, Larry Pries, Peterson and Marcelli.

David Henderson was able to beat Paul Peeples, Jr. in the thunder roadster trophy dash by literally inches. Chris Sarvinski and Robert Miller rounded out the finishers. The first roadster heat featured an incident that unfortunately ended Belinda Ward’s night. Jay Bahner took the heat win over Dave McMurray who was making his first start of the year, Rob Nelson, Dan Browne and Jim Rich. Miller held off Peeples for the win in the second heat while Mark Arroyo, Mike Ward and Sarvinski were the other top five finishers. Nelson and Bahner took the field to the green in the 35 lap thunder roadster feature. The two battled side-by-side in the opening laps before Bahner, who was sporting the new roadster body style took the lead. Meanwhile, the faster cars of Tommy Payne, Miller, Peeples and Henderson were quickly dicing their way through the field. By the third lap they were third through fifth in that order.

Miller tried to use the high line to get by Peeples on the fourth lap, but just as quickly as he made that move, Peeples found room under Payne to take the second spot. Henderson filled the hole behind Peeples and moved under Miller for fourth. On completion of the same lap, Bahner got too high off turn four allowing Peeples to get under to take the lead. Peeples began to pull away as Banher, Payne, Henderson and Miller all battled for position. It wasn’t until lap eight until Henderson was able to get under Payne for third.

After a brief caution period, Peeples got a fantastic jump on Bahner on the restart and was able to pull to a sizeable gap. Henderson got under Bahner on lap 11, opening the door for Payne and Miller. Three laps later, Miller moved by Payne for third. It appeared as though Peeples would go unchallenged as he had built up what looked to be an insurmountable lead over Henderson before the caution flew for Rich’s spun car in turn four with just six laps left. Peeples led the field to the restart, but unlike the races past this season, Henderson didn’t seem to have the strength to provide a challenge for the lead. Miller was able to pounce on Henderson for second and was able to take the position. By then though, it was too late for Miller to mount a challenge on Peeples and it was Peeples winning over Miller, Henderson, Payne and Sarvinski.

Racing returns to the Acres this coming Saturday night. Of note is a schedule change. The June 13th Father’s Day Weekend race has been cancelled. Another race has been added for the Redwood Acres Fair Classic on June 28th.

Henderson, DelBiaggio and Walters early season points leaders

Henderson, DelBiaggio and Walters early season points leaders

By Matthew J. Sullivan

Four of the scheduled 15 races have already been completed for the 2009 season at Redwood Acres Raceway and the points standings for most of the five divisions are still fairly close. There are a few drivers than have flexed their muscle thus far and have made it known that they are the driver to beat every night.

The limited street stocks have only raced on three of the four scheduled race nights due to a lack of cars in the division. Kenny Demello is the points leader with 143 total over Fergy Ferguson by only two points. George Young has scored 133 points thus far and is in third place while Bill Middleton has 10 points.

Scott Baker has been a dominant force in the mini stock class. Baker has two main event wins and has 269 total points. Brother Craig Baker is second with 255 and a main event victory followed by Brian McIntosh (242), Steve Smith (225) and Brian Murrell, Jr. (166). Smith won the most recent event on May 16th.

The new roadrunner division has seen an influx of cars from the first race of the season. Of all the drivers though, Nick Bundy has proven to be the class of the field. Bundy has won all four main events and has 266 points. Jimmy Murray is second with 232 while the raceway’s track car is third in points with 166. Despite missing two races, Dustin Delbiaggio is fourth with 135 points and Oscar Koskinen is fifth with 125.

Ryan Walters returned to the real stock division for 2009 and has shown not to have any rust behind the wheel. Walters has won three main events and has a total of 276 points. Pat Conway is the other driver in the division who has won this season, winning the April 25th event. Conway is second with 252 points. Casey Mitchell is third (246) while Jim Redd and Roger Linn, Jr. round out the top five with 238 and 227 points respectively.

Of all the divisions at the Acres, the sportsman class has been the most competitive. No driver has scored more than one main event during the season and the points standings show the closeness of the racing that’s been seen so far. Despite not having won a main event, Dennis Delbiaggio is the points leader with 261. Angelo Marcelli, who scored a win on April 25th is second, a mere point behind. Larry Pries who won the season opener is third with 254 points while Jerry Peterson is fourth with 230. Brandon Barnwell sits at fifth with 134 and a main win on May 9th. The other main event winner this year was Aaron Byers who won May 16th.

Though the points do not reflect it, David Henderson has clearly been the man to beat in the Thunder Roadsters. Henderson has won the past three main events and sits first in points with 283 scored. Last season’s dominator, Paul Peeples, Jr. is second with a main event win and 271 points. Tommy Payne is third at 235 while Chris Sarvinski has 231 and Mark Arroyo has 229.

Racing at the Acres resumes this Saturday night, June 6th and will be followed up next Saturday night with Father’s Day race on June 13th.

Redwood Acres Raceway Points Standings after 4 events:

Limited Street Stocks
Track Record: Trevor Miller 17.143
Kenny Demello 143, Fergy Ferguson 141, George Young 133, Bill Middleton 10

Mini Stocks
Craig Baker 18.597
Scott Baker 269, Craig Baker 255, Brian McIntosh 242, Steve Smith 225, Brian Murrell, Jr. 166, 50 Len Bowman/Frank Billy 161, Brian Murrell, Sr. 130, Nick Karanopoulos 117, Denzil Barrett 89, Norm Carmichael 22

Roadrunners
Nick Bundy 21.825
Nick Bundy 266, Jimmy Murray 232, Track Car 166, Dustin DelBiaggio 135, Oscar Koskinen 125, Carrie Cook/Kent Campbell 123, Charlie Anderson 109

Real Stocks
Shawn Craig 18.763
Ryan Walters 276, Pat Conway 252, Casey Mitchell 246, Jim Redd 238, Roger Linn, Jr. 227, Dustin Walters 191, Ryan/Russell Robinson 153, Nick Green 106, Bob Lima 57, Doug Way 51, Jim Bailey 11

Sportsman
Shawn Andrews 15.794
Dennis DelBiaggio 261, Angelo Marcelli 260, Larry Pries 254, Jerry Peterson 230, Brandon Barnwell 134, Frank Billy, Jr. 126, Kavin Conn 116, Aaron Byers 76, Joe McDonald 63, Al Acuna 53, Lissa Uselton 11

Thunder Roadsters
Paul Peeples, Jr. 16.839
Dave Henderson 283, Paul Peeples, Jr. 271, Thomas Payne 236, Chris Sarvinski 231, Mark Arroyo 229, Robert Miller 228, Mike Ward 218, Bruce Ziemer 203, Rob Nelson 183, Belinda Ward 181, Chris Banfill 141, Jim Rich 129, Dan Browne 93, Jay Bahner 89, Shane Toole 48, Donn Cole 10.

Henderson scores win number two on the season

Henderson scores win number two on the season

By Matthew J. Sullivan

Racing at Redwood Acres Raceway returned for the third time this season this past Saturday night. A large crowd turned out to watch all six local classes return to action once again at the 3/8-mile paved oval. As usual, there was much close racing but unfortunately there were a number of incidents that cut short the night of several racers.

The limited street stock class timed in only three cars and only ran the trophy dash. Fergy Ferguson took the dash win over Kenny Demello and George Young. The roadrunner division saw an influx of several cars on the night. Keri Cook won the dash in her first ever start beating Nick Bundy, Oscar Koskinen and Dustin Delbiaggio. Costinin won the heat race ahead of Bundy, Delbiaggio, Cook and Jimmy Murray. The first lap of the main event was led by Murray before Bundy took the top position on the second lap. Bundy would not look back from that point on. On the last lap of the race, Murray and Delbiaggio made contact and spun on the front stretch. Bundy crossed the line the winner while Delbiaggio and Koskinen finished second and third.

The real stock trophy dash winner was Casey Mitchell followed by Ryan Walters, Jim Redd and Roger Linn. Walters followed that win with another in the heat race over Pat Conway, Mitchell, Redd and Dustin Walters. The battle for the lead on lap one of the main event was between Ryan and Dustin Walters with Mitchell right in the mix. By lap two, Ryan took the lead away from Dustin and set sail while Mitchell was able to follow through into the second position. Redd was able to pass Walters for third on lap three. The best battle on the track was for second between Mitchell and Redd. Redd was able to successfully take the position on lap 10 after dueling side-by-side with Mitchell for several laps. On lap 19, Redd spun on his own in the second turn bringing out the yellow flag. The restart was merely a delay to victory lane for Walters as he was able to hold off Mitchell at the line to win his second main event on the year. Conway finished third with Dustin Walters fourth and Linn fifth.

The mini stock division has a few more cars show up to race for the evening. Scott Baker won the dash over Brian Murrell, Brian McIntosh and Denzil Barrett. Baker followed that up with the heat race win over McIntosh, Murrell, Barrett and Craig Baker. The main event proved to be a wild one. On lap three, Scott Baker, Barrett and Brian Murrell, Jr. came together along the front straightaway sending Barrett’s vehicle over the rear wheel of Murrell’s car. Murrell was finished for the night. On the restart it was his father leading Nick Karanopoulos, McIntosh and the Baker brothers, Scott and Craig. On lap five, Steve Smith spun in the fourth corner. While coming back to the flag, McIntosh and Scott Baker spun. Barrett had nowhere to go and slammed head on into Baker’s car. McIntosh was able to continue while Baker, Barrett and Smith were forced out for the rest of the event. After the restart, McIntosh broke and brought out another yellow. The race was shortened to 10 laps and Murrell was able to hold off Craig Baker and Karanopoulos for the victory. Afterwards, Murrell was disqualified for not going through post-race teardown so the win was awarded to Baker.

Defending sportsman division champion, Brandon Barnwell returned to the Acres for the first time this season winning the trophy dash followed by Larry Pries, Dennis Delbiaggio and Angelo Marcelli. The heat race featured an unfortunate incident in turn one. Pries spun and collected Frank Billy ending Billy’s evening. Barnwell took the dash win ahead of Jerry Peterson, Marcelli and Delbiaggio. The first few laps of the main were led by Delbiaggio. Coming off of turn four on the fifth lap, Delbiaggio got severely loose, nearly wrecking. This allowed Barnwell to take the lead away. Delbiaggio got loose and spun on lap 10 bringing out the caution flag. Barnwell was able to race comfortably after the restart and took the victory over Pries, Delbiaggio, Marcelli and Peterson.

David Henderson won the thunder roadster heat race over Paul Peeples, Jr., Mike Ward and Tommy Payne. Mark Arroyo won the first heat ahead of Bruce Ziemar, Rob Nelson, Jay Bahner and Belinda Ward. Peeples held off Henderson for the victory in the second heat race while Robert Miller, Payne and Mike Ward rounded out the top five. Chris Sarvinski took the lead early on in the main event and it looked as though it might be his night. However as both Henderson and Peeples knifed their way through traffic, it was obvious that once again the battle for the race win would be between them. After holding both Henderson and Peeples off for the first 15 laps, Sarvinski had to make way for the two, falling back to the third position. Henderson was clearly the fastest car on the track on the night as he was able to pull out and maintain a comfortable lead over Peeples. At the checkered flag it was Henderson over Peeples, Sarvinski, Arroyo and Payne.

Racing resumes this coming Saturday night at Redwood Acres Raceway. Along with the six local classes will be the Pro-4 Modifieds making a visit on what will be Pepsi Night at The Acres.

Pries, Peeples among opening night winners

Pries, Peeples among opening night winners

By Matthew J. Sullivan

The 21st season of racing on the pavement began this past Saturday night at Redwood Acres Raceway. Though it was a relatively cool evening, a number of fans turned out to witness the five established classes of sportsman, Thunder Roadsters, real stocks, mini stocks and limited street stocks as well as the debut of roadrunner division.

Three cars took to the track for the roadrunners on this opening evening of racing. Dustin Delbiaggio took the honors of being the first driver to win a roadrunner event by winning the trophy dash. Nick Bundy displayed his strength in the main event winning ahead of Delbiaggio and Jimmy Murray. The car count in this class is expected to expand tremendously as the 2009 season progresses. Three cars also showed up for the limited street stock class. Defending class champion, Fergy Ferguson won the dash while George Young held on for the main event win ahead of Ferguson and Kenny Demello.

The mini stock trophy dash victory went to Scott Baker over Brian Murrell, Brian McIntosh and Brian Murrell, Jr. Baker was able to claim victory again in the heat race, passing Murrell on the final lap to win. McIntosh, Murrell, Jr. and Craig Baker rounded out the top 5 finishers. Driving an unfamiliar vehicle, Craig Baker held the lead in the early stages before giving way to McIntosh. Scott Baker maneuvered his way to the front quickly and battled McIntosh for the lead for several laps before taking the outside line by for the lead around halfway. While moving through slower traffic, Craig Baker and Murrell were able to move by McIntosh for second and third. At the checkered flag it was Scott winning over brother Craig followed by Murrell, McIntosh and Murrell, Jr.

Sporting a new paintjob in the real stock class was Casey Mitchell as he took the dash win over Ryan Walters, Jim Redd and Pat Conway. Redd made a last-lap pass on Mitchell in the heat race to win ahead of Conway, Bob Lima and Roger Linn. In the main event, Mitchell held on to the lead early before Walters was able to take the top spot away about halfway through. Redd moved by Mitchell a few laps later and managed to track down Walters. However, Redd was unsuccessful at being able to mount a serious charge on Walters, getting only as close as a half of a car length. In the end it was Walters victorious over Redd, Mitchell, Linn and Lima.

Defending Thunder Roadster track champion, Paul Peeples, Jr. fought off David Henderson for the dash win with Chris Sarvinski and Tommy Payne close behind. Mark Arroyo won the first heat race followed by Robert Miller, Jay Bahner, Rob Nelson and Belinda Ward. Sarvinski won the second head while Henderson beat Chris Banfill to the line for second. Peeples and Payne finished fourth and fifth. Arroyo lead in the early going of the main event, but by lap 10 both Peeples and Henderson had diced their way through the field and into first and second. The remainder of the main event featured what has not become a regular duel for the race win between Peeples and Henderson. Try as he might, Henderson just could not find what he needed to get by Peeples and in the end it was Peeples taking the win with Henderson close behind in second, Mike Ward in third, Payne fourth and Arroyo fifth.

Trophy dash honors for the sportsman division went to Dennis Delbiaggio over Angelo Marcelli, Larry Pries and Kavin Conn. The heat race saw an unfortunate incident on the last lap when Lissa Uselton got loose off the fourth corner and spun. Aaron Byers, who was making his first start at the Acres in almost two years was unable to slow down and ran into the back of Frank Billy’s car. Neither Uselton or Byers were able to race in the main event while Billy’s car was relatively undamaged. Jerry Peterson ended up the winner in the last lap melee.

Peterson started from the pole and led the rest of the field quite handily in the main event before a lap nine incident between Al Acuna and Conn. On the restart, Billy was able to get a good jump and maneuvered his way past Peterson for the lead. The field began to tighten close together as the laps wound down. With two laps remaining, Peterson moved inside of Billy down the backstretch. The two touched in the third turn sending Billy spinning. Delbiaggio and Marcelli also spun to avoid the incident, and thankfully none of the cars suffered any damage. Peterson was sent to the rear of the pack allowing Larry Pries to inherit the race lead. Pries was able to lead the last two laps without incident to take the victory ahead of Marcelli, Delbiaggio, Conn and Peterson.

Everyone has less than a week to wait for the next event as racing returns this Saturday night April 25th.

Champions crowned as 20th season of pavement racing at the Acres closes

Champions crowned as 20th season of pavement racing at the Acres closes

By Matthew J. Sullivan

The 2008 season at Redwood Acres Raceway came to a close this past Saturday night, the 20th season of pavement racing at the 3/8 mile facility. Champions in all five of the local divisions were officially crowned. While some of the points races had already been decided prior to the final main events, the championships in the real stock and sportsman divisions literally came down to the final lap.

For yet another race weekend, the limited street stock cars were unable to race due to a lack of cars showing up. Veteran Acres racer Fergy Ferguson clinched the title for the division thanks in part to showing up for every race.

The points title in the mini stock division was between the Baker brothers, Craig and Scott. Going into the final race, Craig held a 26 point advantage over Scott. The trophy dash victory was won by Scott Baker over Craig Baker, Brian McIntosh and Craig Huffman who was driving Brian Murrell’s mini stock truck on the night. Craig Baker took the heat race victory ahead of Huffman, Denzil Barrett, McIntosh and Scott Baker.

Scott Baker took the lead early in the 20 lap main event. On lap one, Craig Baker and McIntosh spun in the fourth turn. Both cars got going and the yellow flag was not thrown. Scott Baker began pulling away from the field at the front while Craig Baker had to move quickly to regain the ground he had lost. On lap seven, Baker swiftly moved by Nick Karanopoulos and Huffman. The next lap, he moved by Barrett for second. As the laps wound down, Craig began to catch Scott. With two laps left, Craig got loose between the first and second turns, spinning out and essentially handing the win to Scott. Barrett finished second ahead of Huffman, Craig Baker and Brian Murrell, Jr. Craig Baker’s fourth place finish was enough to allow him to clinch the 2008 mini stock championship.

Jim Redd came into the final night leading Trevor Miller by only 24 points in the real stock division. Pat Conway won the trophy dash over Miller, Shawn Craig and Bob Lima. Miller took the heat race victory over Bill Middleton, Craig, Lima and Redd. Ray Middleton and Marvin Savage comprised the front row in the 25 lap main event. Savage took the early lead before Lima moved by on lap two bringing Craig, Redd, Bill Middleton, Conway and Miller with him. Miller moved by Conway on lap four, then moved by Bill Middleton two laps later. On the eighth circuit, the two points contenders raced for the fourth position with Miller taking the spot.

The rest of the race featured a duel between the top three cars of Lima, Craig and Miller. After dueling with Craig for several laps, Miller moved by to take the second position going into the first corner on lap 16. Later that same lap, Miller powered his way past Lima to take the lead. Craig and Lima dueled for the second spot until lap 24 when Craig finally took the position away. At the checkered flag it was Miller winning over Craig, Lima, Redd and Bill Middleton. Although Miller won the main event, it wasn’t enough for him to claim the championship as Jim Redd had just enough of a cushion to take the 2008 real stock title.

The 2008 thunder roadster championship had already been decided going into the final event as Paul Peeples, Jr. held an insurmountable lead. Randy Olson returned to racing at the Acres for the first time in a year winning the trophy dash over Peeples, Chris Banfill and Troy Combs. Olson followed up with a win in the heat race ahead of Peeples, Rick Crawley, Jr., Robert Miller and Bruce Ziemer. Combs won the second heat followed by Chris Sarvinski, Mike Ward, Banfill and Leroy Marsh, Jr.

Crawley and Sarvinski brought the field to the green in the 40 lap main event. Crawley got the early lead before an early caution flag which saw Marsh spin and Donn Cole run into Marsh’s spun car. Cole suffered irreparable left front wheel damage ending his night. Racing resumed with Crawley leading Sarvinski, Ziemer, Chris Lawrence and Miller. On lap five, Combs began to make his move forward moving past Lawrence then past Ziemer a lap later. Olson also began to move to the front, passing Ward on lap nine for fourth, then getting by Crawley for third on lap 10 bringing Peeples with him. At the same time, Combs moved by Sarvinski for the lead. On lap 14, Peeples moved by Olson for the third position. On lap 15, Miller spun bringing out the yellow flag

The race restarted with Combs leading Sarvinski, Peeples, Olson and Banfill. Peeples quickly moved by Sarvinski on the restart, while Olson was also able to maneuver past Sarvinski on the next lap. The best racing for the rest of the event was for the third spot between Olson and Banfill as Combs was able to hold a comfortable lead over Peeples, even pulling away slightly. Olson was not going to allow Banfill by easily, and the two dueled hard for the position before lap 39 when Banfill was finally able to get by Olson for the position. At the checkered flag it was Combs winning his second main event in a row over Peeples, Banfill, Olson and Ward.

Going into the final event of the season for the sportsman division, Brandon Barnwell held a tight 13 point edge over second place Dennis Delbiaggio. The trophy dash victory went to Rick Fox over Larry Pries, Delbiaggio and Barnwell. The first heat race was won by Barnwell over Angelo Marcelli, Lissa Uselton, Pries and Craig Huffman. Jerry Peterson won the second heat ahead of Fox, Delbiaggio, Romeo Venza and David Henderson.

Frank Billy and Peterson lead the field to the green flag for the 40 lap feature event. Peterson gained the lead as the field settled behind with Delbiaggio second, Billy third, Uselton fourth and Pries fifth. On lap three, Fox moved outside and by Pries for fifth. On the fourth lap, Delbiaggio moved outside of Peterson for the lead. The two drivers fought doorhandle-to-doorhandle the next several laps, neither giving an inch. Fox continued his move to the front on lap five, getting by Usleton for fourth. On the sixth lap, Delbiaggio secured the lead from Peterson. Fox moved past Billy for third on lap nine bringing Barnwell with him. The field spread out and it looked as if things would remain status quo until lap 27 when Billy and Uselton made contact in turns three and four. Billy was able to continue but Uselton was done for the rest of the race.

Delbiaggio led Peterson, Fox, Barnwell and Pries to the restart. Fox made his way to the second position on lap 30. Though he had enough time to try a maneuver on Delbiaggio for the lead Fox was unable to muster a challenge as Delbiaggio took the win over Fox, Peterson, Barnwell and Pries. Barnwell was able to claim his second sportsman title in a row by only nine points over Delbiaggio.

The close of the 2008 season only brings anticipation and excitement of what will happen in 2009. There are likely more cars that will be racing at the Acres in several of the divisions, and next season will feature the debut of the roadrunner division, a unique economy division. Congratulations to the 2008 Redwood Acres Raceway champions and good luck to everyone in the 2009 season!

Two races left at Redwood Acres Raceway

Although I am far from being a professional writer, I try to write my race reports for Redwood Acres as though I were/am a professional. That means that I can never put my personal opinion on matters on the race track. Sometimes I have to "gloss" over an incident where one driver clearly runs over another driver. It's not hard to pull back and not have an opinion about matters of that nature, but it has been fairly difficult for me to continue to keep the "juice" going when this season at the track has been dominated by a few drivers who continue to win every week. There have been several races this season that have quite frankly been dull, and I've had to figure out how to add more excitement to those races through my writing. Hopefully, I've been able to do that.

In case you don't know, there are five divisions that Redwood Acres Raceway has at every race; the limited street stocks, mini stocks, real stocks, thunder roadsters and the sportsman division. The limited street stocks are kind of like old Winston Cup cars from the 1970s. I'm not savvy when it comes to what's on cars, but that's kind of the idea of that class. The mini stocks are a four cylinder engine division comprised of smaller cars like Pintos. The real stocks are probably the closest to cars that are on the street. They have to have a roll cage in them, and they have adjustable suspension and a race tire. The thunder roadsters are a spec class where all the cars are the same, the only difference is the drivers. The sportsman division is the local late model class which is similar to divisions all over the United States.

The limited street stocks have had a real down season. Only six cars have raced the division the entire season, and they have had a real main event type race in a long time. It looks as though Fergy Ferguson is going to win the title based on showing up every weekend and earning points for doing. It's not as though he's not deserving of the track championship, it's a shame though that there aren't enough cars to force the championship to be decided on the race track.

The mini stock class has been dominated by Craig Baker this year. Of all the drivers in the division, he by far has the most experience. He's able to get the absolute maximum out of his car, and were it not for issues early in the season, he probably would have clinched the championship by now. One great thing about the mini stock class is that there have been a few drivers who've brought cars out. Three rookies Norm Carmichael, Brian Murrell, Jr. and Ryan Ahrens started their seasons off at the halfway point and although all three have had to learn what it takes to go fast, they've all done a great job of being smart on the track and giving room to faster drivers.

My personal opinion is that the best driver at the Acres is real stock racer, Trevor Miller. I've watched him race for several years and have been impressed with his ability to get everything out of his race car without getting out of shape. Besides that, he's a clean and respectable racer. He definitely deserves a shot to drive in the sportsman division, because I think once he gets that chance, he'll be able to move to a touring division very quickly. Shawn Craig is another guy who's a good racer and gets a lot out of his car. He and Miller have raced head-to-head several times this season, and it's been fun to watch. Jim Redd is the points leader at the moment, but he's definitely going to have a hard time holding off Miller. In reality, Miller could have been leading the points right now had his car been able to pass inspection the first race of the season. He's been playing catchup ever since.

The thunder roadster class has been the most predictable this year. Paul Peeples, Jr. has won all but three main events this year. There just isn't anyone that's capable of giving him a hard time. I don't mean to disrespect any of the roadster drivers, but it's the truth. Peeples has so much more experience than the others that they will always be a step behind him. It's also a shame that the car count for the division has been so low this season, because that would be a big challenge for him as well.

Brandon Barnwell and Dennis Delbiaggio have been going back and forth for the points lead in the sportsman division all season. Until the Fair Night races in June, it was hard to predict who would win a main event in the division. That changed with the team of Mic Moulton and Tim McCracken came back. From the Fair Night races on, I believe they've won all but two races. Hopefully the competition will step it up and at least give the 1 car a challenge in the final two races.

More than anything though, the biggest disappointments for this season has involved the cancellation of the BCRA/WMRA midgets on Fair Nights as well as the August 9th cancellation of the North State Challenge Series late models. From what I understand, there was going to be a good field of midgets on Fair Nights, but both series had to cancel because the drivers couldn't get to Eureka because of the wildfires that were going on at the time. I know the North State series has struggled with the car count for various reasons of which I'm not qualified to comment on, and the reason why that race was cancelled was because there weren't a lot of cars signed up for pre-entry. It seems like so long ago when they did race here in April.

Hopefully the final two races will be exciting. I'm looking forward especially to the Fall Spectacular at the end of September, because the IMCA modifieds will be here and they always have a strong field of good cars, and the North State series will be back. Hopefully the lack of races during the season and it being the end of the year will entice drivers to show up for that race.

McCracken, Peeples, Baker and Miller big winners on Fan Appreciation night

McCracken, Peeples, Baker and Miller big winners on Fan Appreciation night

By Matthew J. Sullivan

A near capacity crowd filled the grandstands and bleacher section at Redwood Acres Raceway this past Saturday night for Fan Appreciation night. All race fans were able to get into the races for free provided they picked up tickets at any of the number of local businesses in the area. Bear River Casino sponsored the events for the night, while promoters Rich and Linda Olson were the ones who thoughtfully put the event together for the evening.

Prior to the races, fans were allowed to visit the drivers on the front straightaway to shake hands, get autographs and receive goodies of all kinds. The limited street stock division had three cars turnout for the night, and they ran a six lap trophy dash. Orion Mosher took the victory over Fergy Ferguson and Kenny Demello.

The faster drivers in the mini stock class made a very kind gesture by moving aside and allowing the new rookie drivers in the division to race in the trophy dash. This enabled Brian Murrell, Jr. to win his first race ever at the Acres over Norm Carmichael and Ryan Ahrens while Craig Baker rode around behind the drivers drove unscored in the event. Scott Baker won the first heat race ahead of Brian McIntosh, Denzil Barrett, Murrell, Jr. and Carmichael, while Craig Baker won the second heat over Brian Murrell, Nick Karanopoulos, Max Capps and Ahrens.

Karanopoulos took the lead early in the main event. On the first lap, Scott Baker spun in between turns three and four, but got his car going again. On lap two, all three rookies Carmichael, Murrell, Jr. and Ahrens got together in the second turn necessitating the caution flag. Murrell, Jr. was able to continue while Carmichael and Ahrens were towed to the pits. Just after the restart, going down the back straightaway it was three-wide for the lead between Karanopoulos, Barrett and McIntosh with McIntosh able to take the lead over Barrett. The three-wide move cost Karanopoulos his momentum allowing Craig Baker to move into third. Baker moved by Barrett the next lap, and he set his sights on leader McIntosh.

On lap seven, Baker took the lead away from McIntosh. It appeared as though McIntosh’s car began to lose power as he quickly faded to the end of the top five. Within a two lap period, Murrell, Scott Baker and Barrett all easily passed McIntosh for position. Meanwhile, it was smooth sailing for Craig Baker up front as he handily took the main event victory over Murrell, Scott Baker, Barrett and McIntosh.

The trophy dash for the real stock division was won by Jim Redd over Trevor Miller, Shawn Craig and Bob Lima. Miller won the first heat in rather dramatic fashion over Casey Mitchell, Lima, Ryan Robinson and Doug Way. Craig won the second heat race over Redd, Donnie Hyman, Nick Green and Dana DeVane. Green took the lead in the early stages of the main event over Miller and Robinson. Miller wanted the race lead early and he got it on the fourth lap going into the first turn, getting by Green. Miller began to pull away while the rest of the field battled for position.

On lap nine, Robinson moved inside of Green for second allowing Redd to follow into third. Craig was trying to make his way to the front, but was battling Mitchell for position. Craig took the position on lap 12 and tried to get by Green for fourth until the two made contact. The end result was Craig with a flat tire. He pulled into the infield to avoid bringing out a yellow flag. Meanwhile, Miller held more than a full straightaway lead over second place Robinson. With two laps left, Green and Lima spun in turn four. At the same time, Redd maneuvered by Robinson for second. At the checkered flag, it was Miller half a track ahead of Redd. Robinson took third, Mitchell fourth and Lima fifth.

After not attending the previous race earlier this month at the Acres, Paul Peeples, Jr. returned to the Acres and reminded everyone that he is the driver to beat by breaking the track record in the thunder roadster division. Peeples won the dash over David Henderson who was filling in for Dave McMurray, Chris Banfill and Mike Ward. The heat race was hotly contested but Ward was able to take the victory over Thomas Payne, Peeples, Chris Sarvinski and Banfill. Payne took the lead at the beginning of the main event. Bruce Ziemer spun in the second turn on lap two but got his car going.

Peeples wasted little time maneuvering his way to the front, getting by Ward for second on lap five. On lap seven Banfill and Miller briefly locked rear and front bumpers, but were able to get untangled and continued in the battle. Peeples was able to grab the lead from Payne on lap eight. The only other major change for position occurred on lap 16 when Sarvinski and Ward made contact down the front straightaway, however both drivers continued. At the checkered flag it was Peeples over Payne, Sarvinski, Ward and Banfill.

Tim McCracken made his third start of the season in the sportsman division, winning the trophy dash over Marty Walsh, Larry Pries and Brandon Barnwell. Walsh was victorious in the first heat race winning over Dennis Delbiaggio, Jerry Peterson, Romeo Venza and Lissa Uselton. Barnwell won heat race two over McCracken, Angelo Marcelli and Kavin Conn. Uselton took the lead at the start of the main event over Pries. On lap two, Pries moved under and around Uselton for the lead, while Walsh moved by Uselton the next lap. McCracken moved to fourth on lap four by passing Marcelli for the position. The next lap McCracken and Uselton touched in the second turn with Uselton spinning and McCracken sent to the back of the field.

On the restart Pries led Walsh, Barnwell, Peterson and Delbiaggio. Things were settled up front while McCracken was making a furious charge from the rear of the field. On lap 11, McCracken moved into fifth, taking the spot away from Delbiaggio. On lap 12, Barnwell and Walsh made heavy contact while battling for second. The incident peeled away Barnwell’s fender while Walsh’s car appeared to handle differently from that point on. Both drivers lost a few positions but the incident did not result in a caution flag. The red flag came out on the fourteenth lap when Uselton’s car spun and was facing the wrong direction on the back straightaway.

The green flag came out again with Pries still leading Peterson, McCracken, Delbiaggio and Barnwell. McCracken quickly passed Peterson for second, then on lap 15 he took the lead away from Pries. Barnwell moved into fourth on lap 23, passing Delbiaggio. With only a few laps left, Barnwell and Peterson made contact in the first turn sending both drivers spinning. Meanwhile, Pries who was ahead of the incident spun on his own in turn two. The yellow flag was brought out and the field was shuffled with lap cars in between lead lap cars. This was a good thing for McCracken as he was able to get a good launch on the restart and went to the checkered flag unchallenged, taking the main event win. Delbiaggio brought his car home second, a major victory for he and his team after hitting the wall earlier in the day. Marcelli took third with Ken Hallis fourth and Conn fifth.

Racing at the Acres take a break for a weekend but returns Saturday September 6th for The Judy Fox Memorial race and Back-To-School night. This race will see the crowning of the limited street stock and mini stock division champions, while the three other divisions will have another race to decide their 2008 champions.

Division titles still up in the air at the Acres

Division titles still up in the air at the Acres

By Matthew J. Sullivan

Only five races remain on the 2008 schedule for Redwood Acres Raceway and the battle for the championship in four of the five divisions are tight with no clear-cut favorite. In fact in several of the divisions, the points title can still be claimed by at least five drivers. For the limited street stocks, mini stocks and sportsman cars, there are only four races remaining while the real stocks and thunder roadsters will decide their champion at the Acres’ Fall Spectacular at the end of September.

Although the limited street stock class has had problems fielding enough cars to race at times during the year, the points battle is tight with three drivers who have a realistic shot at winning. Acres veteran Fergy Ferguson holds the points lead with 240 total. Tied for second are Duayne Mayo and Kenny Demello with 227, only 13 behind leader Ferguson. The duo of Romeo Venza and Craig Huffman hold down fourth in the points with 169 gained, while defending champion Scott Lyons looks as if he’ll have to wait until next year to win as he’s fifth with 153 points.

Only 41 points separate the top five drivers in the mini stock class. Scott Baker leads the field with 451 points. Brian McIntosh is second only 10 points behind. Scott’s brother Craig is third with 440 points. Brian Murrell is still in the hunt for the title with 431 points, while Denzil Barrett in fifth has an outside shot with 410.

Real stock driver Jim Redd took the points lead after race one of the season and has managed to hold on to it up to this point. Redd holds a 23 point lead over second place Trevor Miller, 454-431. Barring any unfortunate accidents, it appears as though the points battle will be decided between those two drivers as third place Ryan Robinson is 67 points behind the leader. Shaun Craig is fourth with 362 points and in fifth is rookie Dustin Walters with 349.

The points title for the thunder roadsters is defending champ Paul Peeples, Jr.’s to lose. Among all the points leaders at the Acres, Peeples is the one with the biggest points cushion by a substantial margin; 120 points. Second is division rookie Robert Miller with 381 points gained. Mike Ward is third, a mere two points behind Miller. Troy Combs is fourth with 327 points coming off his first win of the year. Gerhy Foster is fifth with 325 but will likely move down the standings due to his car being irreparably damaged in a wreck a few weeks ago.

With a win in the main event in the last race, Brandon Barnwell was able to take the points lead in the sportsman division. Barnwell leads Dennis Delbiaggio 455-451. In third is Larry Pries with 431 points. Lissa Uselton is fourth with 407 and Angelo Marcelli is fifth with 405.

Racing returns to the Acres this Saturday night, July 26th with all five local classes. After a break, the action returns August 9th with the North State Challenge Series late model tour cars joining the schedule with their first race in a number of months. Fan Appreciation night is August 23rd while the Judy Fox Memorial race will be September 6th. The memorial race will again be the final points event for the limited street, mini stocks and sportsman cars. The season will wrap up September 27th with the Fall Spectacular with real stocks, thunder roadsters, IMCA modifieds and the North State Challenge Series returning.

Points Standings (numbers in parenthesis state how far back a driver is from the points leader)

Limited Street Stocks
1. Fergy Ferguson 240, t2. Duane Mayo 227 (-13), t2. Kenny Demello 227 (-13), 4. Craig Huffman/Romeo Venza 169 (-71), 5. Scott Lyons 153 (-87)

Mini Stocks
1. Scott Baker 451, 2. Brian McIntosh 441 (-10), 3. Craig Baker 440 (-11), 4. Brian Murrell, Sr. 431 (-20), 5. Denzil Barrett 410 (-41), 6. Max Capps 373 (-78), 7. Marty Walsh 132 (-319), 8. Brian Murrell, Jr. 108 (-343), 9. Norm Carmichael 65 (-386), 10. Ryan Ahrens 59 (-392), 11. Nick Karanopoulos 13 (-438)

Real Stocks
1. Jim Redd 454, 2. Trevor Miller 431 (-23), 3. Ryan Robinson 387 (-67), 4. Shawn Craig 362 (-92), 5. Dustin Walters 349 (-106), 6. Ryan Peeples 310 (-144), 7. Dana DeVane 262 (-192), 8. Nick Green 237 (-217), 9. Don Hyman 235 (-219), 10. Casey Mitchell 197 (-257), 11. Bob Lima 181 (-273), 12. Marvin Savage 170 (-284), 13. Bill Middleton 168 (-286), 14. Mark Mullan 137 (-317), 15. Ray Robinson 105 (-349), 16. Pat Conway 78 (-376), 17. Ray Middleton 57 (-397), 18. Roger Linn, Jr. 53 (-401)

Thunder Roadsters
1. Paul Peeples, Jr. 501, 2. Robert Miller 381 (-120), 3. Mike Ward 379 (-122), 4. Troy Combs 327 (-174), 5. Gerhy Foster 325 (-176), 6. Jay Bahner 313 (-182), 7. Donn Cole 305 (-189), 8. Thomas Payne 299 (-195), 9. Rick Crawley, Jr. 275 (-226), 10. Mark Arroyo 260 (-241), 11. Leroy Marsh, Jr. 244 (-257), 12. Dave McMurray 237 (-264), 13. Bruce Ziemer 234 (-267), 14. Chris Sarvinski 220 (-281), 15. Chris Banfill 136 (-365), 16. David Henderson 116 (-385), 17. Belinda Ward 78 (-423), 18. Chris Lawrence 54 (-447), 19. Doug Pulver 49 (-452), 20. Ron Borges 45 (-456) 21. Rob Nelson 43 (-458)

Sportsman
1. Brandon Barnwell 455, 2. Dennis DelBiaggio 451 (-4), 3. Larry Pries 431 (-24), 4. Lissa Uselton 407 (-48), 5. Angelo Marcelli 405 (-50), 6. Jerry Peterson 399 (-56), 7. Romeo Venza 348 (-107), 8. Keith Dias 284 (-171), 9. Al Acuna 251 (-204), 10. Marty Walsh 210 (-245), 11. Rick Fox 146 (-309), 12. Tim McCracken 136 (-319), 13. Ken Hallis 119 (-336), 14. Mic Moulton 55 (-400), 15. Frank Billy, Jr. 20 (-435).

Heavy fog cancels another night of racing

Heavy fog cancels another night of racing

By Matthew J. Sullivan

For the second time out of three scheduled evenings, Redwood Acres Raceway officials were forced to cancel Saturday night’s racing action, this time due to heavy fog. The limited street stock cars were in the midst of their heat race before an incident between Kenny Demello and Duayne Mayo brought a yellow flag out. It was under the caution period that the drivers and track officials deemed the speedway unsafe.

The limited street cars pulled into the pit area for a short period hoping for the fog to lift. The fog lifted for a brief period and the limited streets came out again along with the mini stocks to try to get the track back in racing condition. But once again, the fog dropped and officials decided it best to cancel the rest of the night’s races.

The track was able to get qualifying, trophy dashes and the real stock heats in before the fog came. The dash winners were Ryan Peeples in the real stocks, Fergy Ferguson in the limited street stocks, Brian Murrell in the mini stocks, Paul Peeples, Jr. in the thunder roadsters and Larry Pries in the sportsman division. Bob Lima and Trevor Miller won the two real stock heat races. Qualifying for the real stocks was paced by Trevor Miller with a 18.937 time. Scott Lyons was fastest in the limited streets with a 17.941. Max Capps set the pace for the mini stocks with a 19.381. Paul Peeples, Jr.’s 17.009 was fastest in the thunder roadsters, while Dennis Delbiaggio set the standard in the sportsman division with a 16.456 qualifying lap.

The Best Appearing Car contest that was scheduled to be held on the first night of racing but was rained out was held on this night. Drivers from all divisions pulled their cars on the front straightaway, and the winner was determined by the amount of noise generated by the fans in the grandstands. The winners were Brian Murrell in the mini stocks, Robert Miller in the thunder roadsters, Ryan Peeples in the real stocks, Fergy Ferguson in the limited street stocks and Larry Pries in the sportsman.

Thankfully, racing returns this coming Saturday night May 17 with all five local classes returning to action once more.

2006 Limited Street Stock Season: A Look Back

2006 Limited Street Stock Season: A Look Back

By Matthew J. Sullivan

There was no doubt that the 2006 season for Redwood Acres Raceway’s limited street stock division was a tough one. Throughout the year the class struggled with the car count, and on a few occasions the main events for the division were cancelled. Nonetheless, the division provided some of the best racing action at the Acres despite the lack of cars on the race track.

One of the most impressive drivers throughout the year was Adrien Betournay. Driving in his first full season at the Acres, Adrien won three main events, rookie of he year honors in the division and took home the championship. Adrien was also the only driver in the division to start every race. Kenny Demello made all but one of the races, one of which Kavin Conn drove the car for points. Demello took home two main events and was Betournay’s strongest challenge throughout the season.

Orion Mosher returned to the Acres in his truck scoring three main event wins. Unfortunately, Mosher missed a few races which prevented him from making a run at the title taking third place in points. Trevor Miller proved to be a fast competitor. Coming off of his 2005 real stock championship, Miller looked to drive the full season in the division but missed the first few races of the season and then was caught up in an accident which put him out for several more races. Miller came back to be a strong competitor notching three wins and fourth in the standings.

Duayne Mayo brought his car to the track towards the end of the season and had several good runs to give himself the fifth place position in the standings. Although Terry Vallee struggled to find the handle with his race car, he scored enough points to take sixth position in the points. Stan Young was able to get out with a few races left to finish seventh in points. Craig Huffman ran a few races in his 09 truck before an accident virtually ended the racing season for him. Keith Lyons came to race with two races left and finished ninth in points while Kavin Conn took tenth in the standings despite having an accident at the beginning of the season that destroyed his race car. Other drivers who made it out in the division were Romeo Venza, Mark Burris and Acres veteran Fergy Ferguson who took a few hot laps but didn’t race.

One of the highlights of the 2006 racing season at the Redwood Acres Raceway was the last lap duel between Betournay and Miller during the tenth race of the season on July 29. The two raced side by side on the final lap, Betournay on the inside, Miller on the outside. Coming off the fourth turn the two cars were nearly even, but as they crossed the line Betournay had the advantage literally by inches.

Hopefully more limited street cars will make it out for the 2007 season. While Betournay will be defending his title, he will have his hands full with Mosher and Miller both of whom proved that they could be just as fast if not faster on any given night. Also Kenny Demello cannot be counted out as well. With new drivers such as Lyons, Young, Kelly McBride and Venza getting the feel for their cars, it should be a close championship points battle.

Linstroth, Shewry and Miller big winners in Eureka

Linstroth, Shewry and Miller big winners in Eureka

By Matthew J. Sullivan

A beautiful weekend ushered in the final race weekend at Redwood Acres Raceway for the 2005 season and it couldn’t have been more beautiful for several drivers. Citrus Heights native, Jay Linstroth took advantage of an outside front row start to dominate the fifty lap feature in the first leg of the Western Modified Nationals, Fortuna resident Glen Shewry ran away from the field in the inaugural sportsman division open race. Jason Belt won the Saturday night feature for the local real stock division while Trevor Miller won Sunday’s main event sealing the division title for himself.

Going into the weekend’s final two points races, three drivers had a chance of winning the title, Miller the points leader, Bill Middleton and Jason Belt. Acres veteran Doug Way grabbed the trophy in Saturday night’s dash over Jim Bailey, Belt and Miller. Barry Barnwell won the first heat followed by Bob Lima, Middleton, Belt and Way while Miller won the second heat with Shane Toole, Ray Demello, Ryan Walters and Troy Wood close behind. Brian Belt and Bryan Murrell lead the twenty car field in the twenty five lap main event. Off the start, Murrell grabbed the lead but by lap two Wood took over the top spot. Points leader Miller spun on lap four relegating him to the back of the field. After the restart, Wood and Walters tussled for the lead while Brian Belt watched the two. On lap twelve, Brian Belt spun resulting in a yellow flag. At this time Wood lead Walters, Jason Belt, Toole and Middleton.

On the restart, the action resumed up front with excellent bumper-to-bumper racing between Wood, Walters and Jason Belt. On lap fifteen, Belt moved his way to the outside and moved by Walters. A lap later, Belt used the same technique to get by Wood for the lead. Walters nabbed second from wood on lap eighteen. The next lap, Wood lost power coming down the front straightaway causing a major jam up but no major incident. By lap twenty, Belt held a sizeable lead over Walters, Toole and Way. Middleton suffered problems in the final laps from fifth and fell back while Miller drove his way to fifth. When the checkered flag flew, it was Belt over Walters, Toole, Way and Miller.

Sunday’s action started off with a trophy dash win for Miller over Way, Bailey and Belt. Jim Redd won the first heat race followed by Miller, Bailey, Toole and Walters while Way won the second head over Belt, Lima, Barnwell and Steve Kimberling. Nineteen cars started the second twenty five lap main event of the weekend lead by Chuck Essex and Rick Stone driving the car normally piloted by Gary Adams. Wood drove his way to the lead early while the field jockeyed for position. On lap three, Fred Taylor and Demello spun resulting in a yellow flag. When the green flew, Wood led Lima, Cecil Arispe, Bailey and Essex.

On lap four, Miller moved into fifth. Meanwhile, Wood and Lima fought for first while Arispe and Bailey fought for third. On lap six, Lima and Arispe spun between turns three and four bringing out another yellow. Arispe drove his car to the pits with a flat tire under the caution. The green flew again with Wood leading Bailey, Miller, Middleton and Essex. Miller got a good start and moved outside and past Bailey on lap six and on lap seven he moved past Wood for the lead. On lap eleven, Middleton got by Bailey and Wood to take the second position while Jason Belt moved his way to the third position. As all this was happening, Miller moved out to a huge lead over Middleton. By lap twenty it was Miller, Middleton and Belt with Way fourth and Toole fifth. Coming down to the finish, Toole and Way battled for fourth with Way eventually getting by. At the race’s end Miller wrapped up the race and the championship over Middleton, Belt, Way and Toole.

The sportsman division held its first annual open race. Glen Shewry won the trophy dash with Phil Wood following while Fergy Ferguson and Larry Pries didn’t finish the four lap race. Shewry won the first heat race over Rick Fox, Marty Walsh, Roger Sanderson and Ferguson earning himself the pole for Sunday’s main event. Aaron Byers won the second heat over Jerry Peterson, Brandon Barnwell, Angelo Marcelli and Shasta Raceway Park late model track champion Jerry Nichols. Sixteen cars started the fifty lap main event. Shewry took the lead off the start over Fox, Walsh, Ferguson and Redding visitor Richie Crowell. On lap six, Sanderson moved his way under Crowell. Coming off turn two, Crowell spun resulting in the yellow flag. Under the yellow, Peterson had mechanical issues and was pushed behind the wall.

On the restart, Shewry and Fox ran away from the pack while Walsh tried to hold off the advances of Ferguson. On lap eleven, Donnie Brown spun for a yellow. When the green came back out, the race went back to where it was before with Shewry maintaining a large lead over Fox while Fox maintained a larger lead over Walsh, Ferguson and everyone else. Ferguson continuously applied pressure on Walsh, giving him several bumps not resulting in anything of consequence. On lap nineteen, Barnwell made a great save as he got loose between turns one and two. As the race wound down, Shewry worked his way through the field while Fox gained little ground. On lap thirty-five, Ferguson finally found a hole under Walsh taking the third spot. It was a freight train behind him as Sanderson, Byers, Barnwell and Wood all got past Walsh. On lap forty-one, Wood spun off turn two but no caution flew. Shewry was held up by slower traffic in the final five laps which allowed Fox to close up but it wasn’t enough as Shewry lead flag-to-flag over Fox, Ferguson, Sanderson and Byers.

Jay Linstroth had fast time honors for the first leg of the three race Western Modified Nationals with a 16.433 qualifying lap. Oregon driver Ken Scales won the trophy dash over Lakeport racer David Sullivan, Anderson racer Guy Young and Linstroth. The first modified heat was won by Lakeport track champion Gary Lowblad followed by Jeremy Ammon, Rick Lavallee, Rob Taguchi and Rick Anderson. Derek Thorn won the second heat and pole honors for Sunday’s race over Linstroth, Tom Berry, Ed Schanuth and Willie Thompson. The third heat was won by Sam Potter with Kelly Peacock, Corey James, Jerry Dubach and Mike Morrisey behind him. B main event honors went to Lowblad while Ammon grabbed the second transfer position.

Thorn and Linstroth lead the twenty-one car field into turn one of the fifty lap main event. Linstroth got the jump on Thorn, drove his car deep into turn one and took the lead. Through the early laps, Linstroth and Thorn ran away from the pack while Schanuth held off Berry and Scales. On lap fifteen, Scales moved outside of Berry and took fourth position. Just after Scales’ pass, Berry suffered problems and pulled his car behind the wall. By lap eighteen, Scales moved past Schanuth for third. On lap twenty, Stan Gunderson spun off turn four bringing out the yellow. The top five on lap twenty was Linstroth, Thorn, Scales, Schanuth and Thompson.

After the restart, Morrisey spun off turn four blocking the track and bringing out the red flag. Fortunately, nobody ran into Morrisey. When the green came back, Scales tried to find a way past Thorn while Linstroth pulled out to a good size margin over the two. Scales finally made his way past Thorn and set his sights on Linstroth for the race lead. As this happened, Sullivan was making a real race out of it for fifth position trying to make the high line work. By lap thirty-five it was Linstroth, Scales, Thorn, Thompson and Richie Potts. On lap forty-two, Thorn’s right front suspension broke forcing him to stop on the track bringing out the yellow flag. This closed up Linstroth and Scales but it wouldn’t be enough. After the final restart, Linstroth pulled away from Scales while Scales pulled away from Thompson, Potts and Sullivan and that was how the race would finish. The second race of the Western Modified Nationals will be held October 7, 8 and 9 at Shasta Raceway Park in Anderson, California.

Brandon wins a thriller over Ferguson and Shewry

Brandon wins a thriller over Ferguson and Shewry

By Matthew J. Sullivan

It was an unseasonably cold July night at Redwood Acres Raceway but the weather didn’t seem to affect the drivers in the sportsman, real stock, limited street stock or mini stock divisions as there was great racing all around. Geoff Brandon fought off an ill-handling race car and challenges from Fergy Ferguson and Glen Shewry for another win in the sportsman division. In the real stock division, Bob Lima drove by his teammate Jim Redd and held off Doug Way to win the main event. Joe Bonomini was able to fend of the strength of Jaison Chand and Jerry Peterson to take mini stock main event honors. Unfortunately, impending fog prevented the limited street cars from having their main event race.

Jaison Belt set quick time with a 19.764 in the real stock division which had a seventeen car turnout. Defending division champion Cecil Arispe nabbed the ‘A’ trophy dash win over Belt, Lissa Usselton and Barrett Barnwell while Troy Wood won the ‘B’ dash over Doug Way, Gary Adams and Jim Redd. Jim Bailey won the first heat race over Redd, Barnwell and Uselton while Wood won the second over Belt, Trevor Miller and Way. The twenty-five lap real stock main event was led to the green by Marvin Savage and Redd. The start was short-lived however when Adams lost control of his car, spun on the front stretch and hit the wall. Fortunately no other drivers were involved and Adams was able to continue in the race.

On the restart, Redd grabbed the lead followed by his Rat Pack Racing teammate, Bob Lima. By lap five, it looked to be just a three horse race for the win on this night as it was Redd holding off the faster cars of Lima and Way while Wood and Miller dueled for the fourth position. On lap twelve, Bailey got by Miller for fifth and on the next lap Lima saw his opportunity to get the lead and took it. Redd and Lima raced side-by-side until lap fifteen when Lima took the lead for good. Redd then had to fend off Way’s advances for second while Wood and Bailey continued to fight for fourth position. Redd and Way would swap the second position on a couple of occasions, Way would take the position on lap sixteen, Redd back by on lap eighteen. On lap nineteen, Wood lost control of his car and spun off turn four handing fourth to Bailey. A lap later, Way got back by Redd for second. At the finish it was Lima, Way, Redd, Bailey and Belt.

Fast time in the limited street stock division was set by J.D. Frey with a 17.450. Ken Demello won the trophy dash followed by Frey, Duane Mayo and Kavin Conn. The heat race would be the last event of the night for the division because of the threat of moisture from fog. Frey was able to get by Demello and take the win over Demello, Mayo, Conn and Mike Bradbury who made a return after a long absence from racing.

Jaison Chand set the pace for the mini stock division with a time of 18.639, a tenth and a half faster than the second fastest driver, Joe Bonomini. Chad Grammer, sporting new colors won the trophy dash over Glen Barnald, Brian McIntosh and Scott Baker. Chand moved his way from the back to the front in the first heat race winning over McIntosh, Grammer and Craig Baker while Craig’s brother Scott held off Bonomini, Bernald and Craig Huffman for the second heat race win.

With the addition of late arrival and long-time mini stock veteran Mac Collado, twelve cars took the green in the twenty lap main event. The race’s start saw Grammer take the lead over pole sitter Scott Baker. By lap three, Bonomini had advanced himself into the second position and by lap five he took the lead from Baker with Chand, Grammer and Peterson all able to get by Baker. On lap seven, Chand tried to get by Bonomini on the outside but it didn’t work. Peterson got by Grammer on lap seven as Chand continued to try to get by Bonomini. On lap fifteen, McIntosh pulled his car to the infield with problems and on lap sixteen Craig Baker spun and the caution flag flew. Coming to take the yellow, Bonomini was able to narrowly hold off Chand from taking the lead which proved to be the race winning move.

On lap seventeen restart, Collado lost control of his car and spun on the front stretch resulting in a red flag for his precarious position on the track. He pulled his car off the track for the night. When the green flew again, Bonomini continued to hold off Chand’s advances. Try as he might, Chand could do nothing to get by Bonomini and when the checkered flag flew it was Bonomini, Chand, Peterson, Grammer and Scott Baker the top five finishers.

The sportsman division had an excellent sixteen car turnout for qualifying with Geoff Brandon setting a quick lap of 16.087. The trophy dash had a little more excitement than it probably should have as Fergy Ferguson and Glen Shewry made contact resulting in Shewry hitting the wall. Fortunately both cars were able to return to racing later on. Phil Wood held off Brandon for the win. Brandon Barnwell took the win in the first heat over Al Acuna, Marty Walsh, Brandon and Mark Williams while Aaron Byers ran away from the field in the second heat and won followed by Larry Pries, Donnie Brown, Wood and Rick Fox. Seventeen cars rolled out for the sportsman main event with Pat Walsh arriving late and Mike Peeples being scratched due to an apparent tire issue with track officials. During tire warmups, Fox was black-flagged and unable to take the initial green.

Angelo Marcelli and Frank Billy brought the field to the green flag. Off the start, Billy took the lead while Marty Walsh grabbed second. Marcelli apparently had handling issued and fell back quickly. On lap five the order was Billy, Walsh, Ferguson, Brandon and Wood. On lap six, Brandon took a look on the outside and tried to get past Ferguson. The two dueled for several laps before Brandon took the spot on lap ten. The next lap Brandon powered by Walsh for second. On lap fourteen, Brandon got by Billy on the outside for the lead. Two laps later, Brandon got loose off of turn four and Billy regained the lead from him. Brandon then got by Billy on lap nineteen followed by Ferguson. By lap twenty the top five was composed of Brandon, Ferguson, Billy, Shewry and Wood.

Shewry got by Billy on lap twenty-one and tried to get by Ferguson and Brandon. It was apparent that Brandon’s car wasn’t handling very good and Ferguson filled his mirror, ready to take advantage of any mistake that Brandon would make. On lap twenty-seven, Wood got by Billy for fourth while Pries took advantage and passed Billy for fifth. On lap thirty-one, Pries got by Wood for fourth but it would be too little and too late for his chance to win. When the checkered flag came down it was Geoff Brandon winning a clean and green race over Ferguson, Shewry, Pries and Wood.

The next race is Fan Appreciation night this coming weekend Saturday August 6th at Redwood Acres Raceway. It should be another exciting night of racing in all four divisions.