Three first-time winners highlight racing at the Acres

Three first-time winners highlight racing at the Acres

By Matthew J. Sullivan

In a season which has been dominated by a select few drivers, the July 7th evening of racing at Redwood Acres Raceway provided some very surprising first-time winners. After spending the first half of the 2007 season learning the ropes in the limited street stock class, Robert Miller took home his first ever main event victory. In his first time back at the Acres since a heat race incident on the first night wiped out his car, Denzil Barrett won his first main event victory ever in the mini stock division. Real stock veteran Bill Middleton claimed his third main event victory of the season. Ray Elliott held off his competitors to take a surprising win in the thunder roadster main event, while Acres veteran, Larry Pries won his first main event of the ‘07 season in the sportsman division.

Robert Miller set the fast time for the limited street stocks with a 17.808 lap time. Kenny Demello took the dash win ahead of Scott Lyons, Miller and Todd Freeman. Miller won the heat in front of Duane Mayo, Demello, Freeman and Stan Young. Miller was able to use the momentum of his heat race victory to propel him into victory circle in the main event beating out Demello, Lyons, Romeo Venza and Young. Lyons currently holds a five point advantage over second place Mayo in points. Young is third followed by the Miller brothers of Robert and Trevor. Orion Mosher, the driver with the most wins in the division for 2007 so far is fifth in points.

18.966 was the quick lap in the mini stock class set by Byron McIntosh. McIntosh followed up fast time with the dash win ahead of Jason Shaha, Brian Murrell and Max Capps. Scott Baker won the heat over Brian McIntosh, Nick Karanopoulos, Glenn Bernald and Denzil Barrett. The night would belong to Barrett in the main event, as he was able to hold off Shaha and McIntosh to win his first main event. Capps and Murrell rounded out the top five finishers. Murrell has a four point advantage over Byron McIntosh. Capps is third in point followed by Bernald and Shaha.

Ryan Peeples took fast time honors for the real stock division with a 19.323 time. Steve Kimberling won the dash head of Peeples, Barry Barnwell and Chuck Essex. Doug Way claimed the first heat race win over Kimberling, Ryan Walters, Troy Wood and Essex while Barnwell took the second followed by Jim Redd, Bill Middleton, Bob Lima and Donnie Hyman. When it came to the main event, Middleton proved to be the victor over Walters, Wood, Way and Barnwell. With Kimberling’s seventh place finish, Wood closed the points gap to four. Middleton is third followed by Barnwell and Marvin Savage.

Paul Peeples, Jr. set fast time for the thunder roadster cars with a 16.927 lap. Chris Banfill won the dash ahead of David Henderson, Mark Arroyo and Peeples. Ray Elliott won the first head followed by Chris Sarvinski, Peeples, Arroyo and Bill O’Neill while LeRoy Marsh, Jr. won the second over Bruce Ziemer, Troy Combs, Dave McMurray and Jay Bahner. At the end of the 30 lap main event, Elliott was the man out front. Combs took second over Peeples, Henderson and Marsh. Peeples holds a 21 point margin over Henderson in second. Marsh, Banfill and Mike Ward complete the top five in the points standings.

Brandon Barnwell earned fast time honors with a 16.595 lap. Barnwell won the dash over Larry Pries, Marty Walsh and Lissa Uselton. Walsh took the heat victory ahead of Aaron Byers, Uselton, Pries and Jerry Peterson. The main event win would go to Pries, his first of the season. Rick Fox finished second with Angelo Marcelli third, Byers fourth and Peterson fifth. With an unusally bad ninth place finish, Barnwell’s points lead over Fox has been cut to just four. Marcelli, Pries and Byers complete the top five.

Racing at the Acres take a break for a few weeks before getting going again July 28th. As always, it should be another exciting event on Eureka’s 3/8 mile paved oval.

Race Results
Limited Street Stocks
Fast Time: Robert Miller 17.808
Dash: Kenny Demello, Scott Lyons, Miller, Todd Freeman
Heat: Miller, Duane Mayo, Demello, Freeman, Stan Young, Lyons, Romeo Venza
Main: Miller, Demello, Lyons, Venza, Young, Mayo, Freeman

Mini Stocks
Fast Time: Byron McIntosh 18.966
Dash: By. McIntosh, Jason Shaha, Brian Murrell, Max Capps
Heat: Scott Baker, Brian McIntosh, Nick Karanopoulos, Glenn Bernald, Denzil Barrett, Shaha, By. McIntosh, Murrell, Capps
Main: Barrett, Shaha, By. McIntosh, Capps, Murrell, Br. McIntosh, Bernald, Karanopoulos, Baker

Real Stocks
Fast Time: Ryan Peeples 19.323
Dash: Steve Kimberling, Peeples, Barry Barnwell, Chuck Essex
Heat 1: Doug Way, Kimberling, Ryan Walters, Troy Wood, Essex, Marvin Savage, Nick Green, Ray Robinson
Heat 2: Barnwell, Jim Redd, Bill Middleton, Bob Lima, Donnie Hyman, Mark Mullan, Peeples
Main: Middleton, Walters, Wood, Way, Barnwell, Peeples, Kimberling, Essex, Green, Hyman, Savage, Robinson, Mullan, Rick Stone, Lima, Redd

Thunder Roadsters
Fast Time: Paul Peeples, Jr. 16.927
Dash: Chris Banfill, David Henderson, Mark Arroyo, Peeples
Heat 1: Ray Elliott, Chris Sarvinski, Arroyo, Bill O’Neill, Mark Baldwin, Henderson, Banfill, Mike Ward
Heat 2: Leroy Marsh, Jr., Bruce Ziemer, Troy Combs, Dave McMurray, Jay Bahner, Bill Bradbury, Butch Weese, Rob Nelson, Belinda Ward
Main: Elliott, Combs, Peeples, Henderson, Marsh, Sarvinski, Banfill, Arroyo, Baldwin, O’Neill, Bahner, McMurray, M. Ward, Ziemer, Bradbury, Nelson, Weese, B. Ward

Sportsman
Fast Time: Brandon Barnwell 16.595
Dash: Barnwell, Larry Pries, Marty Walsh, Lissa Uselton
Heat: Walsh, Aaron Byers, Uselton, Pries, Jerry Peterson, Angelo Marcelli, Barnwell, Donnie Brown, Jason Belt, Rick Fox
Main: Pries, Fox, Marcelli, Byers, Peterson, Uselton, Belt, Brown, Barnwell.

Rain cancels racing at the Acres

Rain cancels racing at the Acres

By Matthew J. Sullivan

For the second time in the 2007 season, rain prevailed over racing at Redwood Acres Raceway cancelling the events this past Saturday night. Fans were able to watch trophy dash races in the real stock, mini stock and limited street stock divisions before a heavy fog quickly rolled over the track just as the thunder roadsters took to the track. This was the first time in recent memory that the races were canceled during the actual running of the events.

Steve Kimberling set the quick time for the real stocks with a 19.532 lap time. Orion Mosher was fastest in the limited street stock class with a 17.571. Jason Shaha set the fast lap in mini stock qualifying at 18.900. David Henderson took his first fast time in qualifying with a 17.111, while Brandon Barnwell was the fastest sportsman driver timing in at 16.485. Marvin Savage won the real stock trophy dash ahead of Kimberling, Ryan Peeples and Barry Barnwell. Mosher won the limited street dash narrowly edging Kenny Demello, Stan Young and Scott Lyons. Brian Murrell won the mini stock dash over Shaha, Byron McIntosh and Max Capps. Of course because of the cancellation of the rest of the night’s events, these races were not scored as being official therefore making the results more or less meaningless.

Racing resumes at the Acres June 22nd and 23rd at the Acres for the Redwood Acres Fair Classic. All five local classes will run both nights with the North State Challenge Series late models joining the action on Saturday night for their 100 lap feature.

Qualifying Times
Limited Street Stocks: Orion Mosher 17.571, Kenny Demello 17.996, Scott Lyons 18.245, Stan Young 18.654, Duane Mayo 18.902, Romeo Venza 24.040

Mini Stocks: Jason Shaha 18.900, Brian Murrell 18.999, Byron McIntosh 19.022, Max Capps 19.100, Scott Baker 19.166, Glenn Bernald 19.678, Nick Karanopoulos 19.797, Brian McIntosh 20.703

Real Stocks: Steve Kimberling 19.532, Ryan Peeples 19.567, Barry Barnwell 19.713, Marvin Savage 19.717, Troy Wood 19.896, Chuck Essex 19.897, Jim Redd 19.949, Nick Mitchell 20.138, Mark Mullan 20.189

Thunder Roadsters: David Henderson 17.111, Mark Arroyo 17.130, Gerhy Foster 17.159, Ray Elliott 17.215, Dave McMurray 17.270, Leroy Marsh, Jr. 17.318, Chris Banfill 17.332, Thomas Payne 17.341, Jay Bahner 17.356, Bill O’Neill 17.426, Troy Combs 17.439, Donn Cole 17.462, Mike Ward 17.496, Bruce Ziemer 17.522, Rob Nelson 17.801, Ron Borges 17.857, Belinda Ward 17.951, Chris Sarvinski 18.048, Paul Peeples, Jr. no time

Sportsman: Brandon Barnwell 16.485, Larry Pries 16.753, Angelo Marcelli 16.809, Aaron Byers 16.881, Rick Fox 17.040, Lissa Uselton 17.092, Jerry Peterson 17.180.

Barnwell finally beaten, Peeples still unbeaten

Barnwell finally beaten, Peeples still unbeaten

By Matthew J. Sullivan

It was another typical night of action packed racing at Redwood Acres Raceway this past Saturday night as all five local classes returned to put on the fourth race of the 2007 season. All but one of the five divisions had a repeat winner from this season’s first three races. Paul Peeples, Jr., Bill Middleton, Byron McIntosh and Orion Mosher each returned to claim main event victories in the thunder roadster, real stock, mini stock and limited street stock divisions while North State Challenge Series driver Luke Hall won in the sportsman division.

Fast time for the limited street stocks was set by Orion Mosher with a 17.513. Mosher took the dash win over Robert Miller, Scott Lyons and Todd Freeman. Mosher continued his winning ways in the heat race winning over Duane Mayo, Kenny Demello, Stan Young and Freeman. Unfortunately during the heat race, contact between Demello and Miller on the back stretch sent Miller into the wall and taking him out for the rest of the night. Mosher made quick work of his competition in the main event, taking the lead on lap five and scoring his third straight victory for the season.

Jason Shaha set the fastest lap for the mini stock division with a 19.004 lap. Shaha won the dash followed by Brian Murrell, Byron McIntosh and Max Capps. McIntosh won the heat over Shaha, Murrell, Brian McIntosh and Capps. The main event was almost over as quickly as it started. By lap three, Byron McIntosh took the lead away from Glenn Bernald and built up a substantial lead. By the time Shaha and Murrell moved into second and third, there wasn’t enough time for either driver to close the gap on McIntosh. The win was McIntosh’s third of the season.

The quickest qualifier for the real stock division was Steve Kimberling who set a lap of 19.488. Barry Barnwell won the trophy dash over Kimberling, Ryan Peeples and Troy Wood. Chuck Essex won the first heat race over Wood, Marvin Savage, Peeples and Ray Robinson. Jim Redd took the win in the second heat followed by Bill Middleton, Kimberling, Barnwell and Mark Mullan. Savage took the lead early in the main event and held it comfortably for the entire race. The best battles on the track proved to be between Middleton and Barnwell along with Kimberling and Chuck Essex who raced side by side for many laps. Savage crossed the line first, but in post race inspection, his car was deemed illegal giving the win to Middleton who had finished second.

Paul Peeples, Jr. set what was a relatively slow fast time for the thunder roadsters with a 17.249 lap. Peeples won the dash over Mark Arroyo, Chris Banfill and Jay Bahner. The win in the first heat race went to Rob Nelson over Donn Cole, Gerhy Foster, Fred Hanks and Chris Lawrence. Peeples took the second heat in a close finish over Mike Ward, Leroy Marsh, Jr., David Henderson and Banfill. The main event proved to be an exciting one as it featured an exciting battle for the lead between Marsh, Peeples and Henderson. Peeples was able to gain the upper hand, but had to hold off Henderson who followed closely but could never mount a challenge. At the line it was Peeples winning his fourth straight race.

Rick Fox set the fast lap for the sportsman cars with a 16.493 lap. Larry Pries won the trophy dash followed by Luke Hall, Rick Fox and Jerry Peterson who was making his first start of the season. The heat race saw a bit too much excitement when Ken Hallis spun collecting Hall, Peterson, Donnie Brown and Joe Bonomini, the worst damage going to the cars of Hallis and Bonomini. Luke Hall won the heat over Angelo Marcelli, Pries, Fox and Aaron Byers. Hall used his experience to dice his way to the lead by lap three and pull away to a sizeable gap. Brandon Barnwell, winner of the previous three main events put on a show moving from the back of the field to the front by the time there were ten laps left in the race. As time ran down, Barnwell edged closer and closer to Hall’s car. Barnwell was able to get within car lengths with two laps remaining but got loose off the second turn, ending his chances at the win. Hall was able to break Barnwell’s stranglehold on the division to take the victory.

As quickly as the show ran this past Saturday night, starting at 6:30 and ending just after 9, the drivers and crew members have a quick week to fix any damage and get back out for this weekend’s race. Along with the five local divisions will be a special Powder Puff race, so it will only add more excitement to should already be a great show.

Race Results
Limited Street Stocks
Fast Time: Orion Mosher 17.513
Dash: Mosher, Robert Miller, Scott Lyons, Todd Freeman
Heat: Mosher, Duane Mayo, Kenny Demello, Stan Young, Freeman, Lyons, Romeo Venza, Miller
Main: Mosher, Demello, Mayo, Young, Lyons, Freeman, Venza

Mini Stocks
Fast Time: Jason Shaha 19.004
Dash: Shaha, Brian Murrell, Byron McIntosh, Max Capps
Heat: By. McIntosh, Shaha, Murrell, Brian McIntosh, Capps, Bernald, Nick Karanopoulas
Main: By. McIntosh, Shaha, Murrell, Capps, Bernald, Karanopoulas, Br. McIntosh

Real Stocks
Fast Time: Steve Kimberling 19.488
Dash: Barry Barnwell, Kimberling, Ryan Peeples, Troy Wood
Heat 1: Chuck Essex, Wood, Peeples, Ray Robinson, Mike Cataldi, Donnie Hyman
Heat 2: Jim Redd, Bill Middleton, Kimberling, Barnwell, Mark Mullan, Nick Mitchell, Rick Stone
Main: Middleton, Barnwell, Kimberling, Essex, Wood, Robinson, Mullan, Mitchell, Redd, Peeples

Thunder Roadsters
Fast Time: Paul Peeples, Jr. 17.249
Dash: Peeples, Mark Arroyo, Chris Banfill, Jay Bahner
Heat 1: Rob Nelson, Donn Cole, Gerhy Foster, Fred Hanks, Chris Lawrence, Thomas Payne, Bruce Ziemer, Belinda Ward
Heat 2: Peeples, Mike Ward, Leroy Marsh, Jr., David Henderson, Arroyo, Bahner, Sarvinski
Main: Peeples, Henderson, Marsh, M. Ward, Sarvinski, Banfill, Bahner, Ziemer, Foster, Cole, Hanks, Nelson, Arroyo, B. Ward, Lawrence, Payne

Sportsman
Fast Time: Rick Fox 16.493
Dash: Larry Pries, Luke Hall, Fox, Jerry Peterson
Heat: Brandon Barnwell, Angelo Marcelli, Pries, Fox, Aaron Byers, Peterson, Lissa Uselton, Donnie Brown, Ken Hallis, Joe Bonomini, Hall
Main: Hall, Barnwell, Pries, Marcelli, Byers, Fox, Brown, Peterson, Uselton.

Hall breaks Barnwell’s stranglehold, Peeples continues dominance

Hall breaks Barnwell’s stranglehold, Peeples continues dominance

By Matthew J. Sullivan

One winning streak ended while another continued this past Saturday night at Redwood Acres Raceway. With the race track under cloudy and cold conditions, fans were treated to another night of spectacular racing and close finishes. North State Challenge Series competitor Luke Hall broke Barry Barnwell’s winning streak in the sportsman division to win the 30-lap main event. Paul Peeples, Jr. notched his fourth consecutive win in the thunder roadsters continuing his season of dominance. Bill Middleton was declared the winner of the real stock main event after Marvin Savage failed post race tech inspection. Byron McIntosh and Orion Mosher each won their third main event of the season in the mini stock and limited street stock divisions respectively.

In what has become the norm for the limited street stock class, Orion Mosher set fast time clocking in at 17.513. Mosher took the dash win over Robert Miller, Scott Lyons and Todd Freeman. Mosher continued his winning ways in the heat race winning over Duane Mayo, Kenny Demello, Stan Young and Freeman. Unfortunately during the heat race, contact between Demello and Miller on the back stretch sent Miller into the wall and taking him out for the rest of the night.

With Miller unable to make the main event, seven cars took the green flag in the 15 lap feature. Off the start, Young took the lead while Demello moved by Freeman into the second position. Meanwhile, Mosher quickly threaded his car though the field. On lap three, Mosher moved by Freeman for third. On lap four, Mosher passed Demello on the outside to take second while Mayo got by Freeman for fourth at the same time. On lap five, Mosher took the lead away from Young and began to pull away.

Demello got by Young for second on the eleventh lap bringing Mayo with him. With two laps to go, Freeman spun off the fourth turn bringing out the yellow. Under caution Romeo Venza took his car into the pits smoking heavily. The restart only delayed the inevitable victory for Mosher who crossed the line first, several car lengths ahead of Demello, Mayo, Young and Lyons. Mosher’s main event win sealed a perfect night for him in addition to setting quick time and the trophy dash and heat race victories.

Jason Shaha set the fastest lap for the mini stock division with a 19.004 lap. Shaha won the dash followed by Brian Murrell, Byron McIntosh and Max Capps. McIntosh won the heat over Shaha, Murrell, Brian McIntosh and Capps. The seven car field was brought to the green flag of the 15 lap main event by Nick Karanopoulos and Glenn Bernald. Bernald took the lead off the drop of the green flag. On lap two, Brian McIntosh spun off the fourth turn, but the yellow flag did not come out. On the third lap, Byron McIntosh took the lead position away from Bernald.

With Bernald fighting with Murrell and Shaha for second, McIntosh pulled out to what would be an insurmountable lead. On lap five, Murrell moved inside Bernald for second allowing Shaha to follow though into third. After several laps of racing, Shaha moved inside and by Murrell on lap seven going into the third turn. By this time, McIntosh had almost a full straightaway lead on Shaha. On lap nine, Capps moved past Bernald for fourth. With the field stretched out and no pressure from behind, McIntosh was able to cruise and take the victory followed by Shaha, Murrell, Capps and Bernald.

The quickest qualifier for the real stock division was Steve Kimberling who set a lap of 19.488. Barry Barnwell won the trophy dash over Kimberling, Ryan Peeples and Troy Wood. Chuck Essex won the first heat race over Wood, Marvin Savage, Peeples and Ray Robinson. Jim Redd took the win in the second heat followed by Bill Middleton, Kimberling, Barnwell and Mark Mullan. 11 real stock cars took the green flag in the 25 lap feature event. Robinson and Mullan lead the field to the green. Immediately after taking the green, Peeples pulled his car into the pits. Robinson took the early lead while everyone jockeyed for position.

On lap three, Savage moved by Essex for third. Later that same lap, Savage moved by Mullan into second. On lap four, Middleton moved into third. Barnwell moved by Mullan into fourth on lap six. On lap seven the caution flag flew for Kimberling who had spun in the second turn. On the restart, Middleton and Barnwell fought for the third spot, while Savage moved outside of Robinson to take the lead. Middleton followed through into second immediately after, but Barnwell had to wait until the next lap to take third from Robinson. Redd moved into fourth passing Robinson on lap 10. On lap 11, Barnwell moved to the outside of Middleton but got too high and lost several spots. On lap 13, Mullan and Nick Mitchell spun in the fourth turn resulting in the yellow flag.

Under the yellow flag, Redd pulled his car behind the wall with heavy smoke trailing. The green flag flew again and the field went racing once more. Essex moved inside of Robinson for fourth while Barnwell made his way back to third and challenged Middleton for second. Their duel allowed Savage to stretch his lead out. On lap 17, Kimberling moved outside of Essex for fourth. Their battle lasted all the way up until lap 23 when Kimberling finally cleared Essex. Meanwhile, Savage maintained a comfortable lead over Middleton and crossed the line first, while Barnwell, Kimberling and Essex completed the top five. However, Savage failed post race tech inspection and Middleton was awarded the win. The change in position moved everyone else behind him up one spot, moving Troy Wood into fifth.

Paul Peeples, Jr. set what was a relatively slow fast time for the thunder roadsters with a 17.249 lap. Peeples won the dash over Mark Arroyo, Chris Banfill and Jay Bahner. The win in the first heat race went to Rob Nelson over Donn Cole, Gerhy Foster, Fred Hanks and Chris Lawrence. Peeples took the second heat in a close finish over Mike Ward, Leroy Marsh, Jr., David Henderson and Banfill. Ward and Thomas Payne lead the 16 car field to the 30 lap main event. After the initial start was waved off, the green flew and Ward took the early lead over Marsh. On lap five, Henderson moved inside of Payne for third. On lap seven, Peeples moved inside of Chris Sarvinski for the fifth position. That same lap, Peeples moved past Payne to take fourth.

On the ninth lap after several laps of battling, Marsh moved inside of Ward to take the lead bringing Henderson and Peeples with him. Coming off the fourth turn, Payne hit the wall and pulled his car into the pits. On lap 12, Peeples moved to Henderson’s outside but fell back. Two laps later, Peeples tried the same maneuver and made it work taking second on lap 15. On lap 17, Peeples moved to the outside of Marsh for the lead. Henderson briefly moved inside of Marsh to make it three wide, but used better judgement and fell back.

Marsh and Peeples raced side-by-side until lap 20 when Peeples was able to compete the pass for the top spot. A few laps later, Henderson moved inside of Marsh for second. Unlike the previous three races this season, Peeples did not pull away from Henderson. Henderson stayed locked on Peeples’ bumper, but could never mount a charge for the lead. The best action as the race concluded was the battle for fifth between Sarvinski, Arroyo and Banfill. On lap 28, Arroyo spun off the fourth turn but did not bring out the yellow. In the end, Peeples had enough to hold off Henderson to take the win. Marsh finished third over Ward and Sarvinski. Like Orion Mosher, Peeples’ win made for a perfect evening as he also took quick time, the trophy dash and heat race win.

Rick Fox set the fast lap for the sportsman cars with a 16.493 lap. Larry Pries won the trophy dash followed by Luke Hall, Rick Fox and Jerry Peterson who was making his first start of the season. The heat race saw a bit too much excitement when Ken Hallis spun collecting Hall, Peterson, Donnie Brown and Joe Bonomini, the worst damage going to the cars of Hallis and Bonomini. Brandon Barnwell won the heat over Angelo Marcelli, Pries, Fox and Aaron Byers.

The nine car, 30 lap feature was brought to the green flag by Brown and Byers. Byers got the jump off the drop of the green and took the lead. On lap two, Brown spun off the fourth turn bringing out the yellow flag. Hall took advantage of Byers on the restart and moved by to take the lead bringing Pries into second. On lap eight, Fox moved outside and by Lissa Uselton for the fourth spot. Marcelli moved inside and by Uselton for fifth on lap 10. Hall began to pull away from Pries until lap 13 when Uselton and Brown spun bringing out the yellow flag.

Two laps after the restart, Fox and Peterson made contact sending Peterson into a spin off turn four. Peterson got going again and the yellow flag was not thrown. On lap 18, Barnwell moved inside of Byers for third. Two laps later, Barnwell moved by Pries to take second. It was nearly a mirror image of the previous race, just with the roles reversed as Hall held a large lead over Barnwell with 10 laps remaining. Slowly but surely Barnwell closed the gap. With two laps to go and only four car lengths behind Hall, Barnwell got loose off the second turn severely diminishing his hopes to win a fourth straight race. Meanwhile, Marcelli was picking his way past cars. With two laps to go he got by Fox for fifth. On the white flag lap, Marcelli moved by Byers for fourth. Up at the front, Hall was able to take the win over Barnwell and Pries with Marcelli taking fourth over Byers in fifth.

The drivers and teams have a quick turnaround this week as the next event at the Acres is set for this Saturday, June 9th. Joining the five local classes will be the first of two Powderpuff Races scheduled for the 2007 season.

Barnwell and Peeples remain perfect

Barnwell and Peeples remain perfect

By Matthew J. Sullivan - Eureka, CA

Another night of racing at Redwood Acres Raceway, another main event victory for sportsman driver Brandon Barnwell and thunder roadster ace Paul Peeples, Jr. In a story which had already been told twice this season, both drivers resumed their winning ways this past Saturday night in dominating fashion. Another driver who made his main event victory look easy was Orion Mosher, winning the limited street stock main event giving him two in a row. Mini stock winner Brian Murrell and real stock winner Barry Barnwell appeared to have more difficult tasks than their fellow main event winners, but both were able to score close wins.

Fast time for the limited street stock division on this night was set by Orion Mosher with a 17.510 mark. Mosher won the dash, while the heat race saw the return of former pure stock and sportsman champ Otis Stabler who took the win closely followed by Mosher and Trevor Miller. The 15 lap main event was almost over as quickly as it started. By lap two, Mosher moved from the back of the grid to the second position. Mosher then maneuvered his way by the leader Duane Mayo on the third lap and never looked back. By the time Miller and Stabler made their way by Mayo, Mosher was nearly a straightaway ahead. At the race’s conclusion it was Mosher the winner followed by Miller, Stabler, Scott Lyons and Stan Young.

18.793 was the quick lap set by Jason Shaha for the mini stock cars. Brian Murrell won the trophy dash but Shaha took the win in the heat race. The mini stock main proved to be the closest finish of the night. Early on, Scott Baker took the lead and stretched out to 20 car lengths or so over second position. Murrell and Shaha methodically worked their way to the front and as the laps wound down, they began to close on Baker. With six laps left, the duo had caught Baker and began to have a real race with him. With three laps remaining, Shaha moved outside of Murrell to pass and tried to get by Baker. In turn one, Baker got loose getting into Shaha and allowing Murrell to get by both to take the lead. Shaha would be right on Murrell’s bumper, but that’s as close as he would get to winning as Murrell took the victory. Baker was third, Glenn Bernald fourth and Stacy Minnick fifth.

Barry Barnwell was quickest in real stock qualifying setting a 19.585 lap. Barnwell won the dash while Bill Middleton and Steve Kimberling won their respective heat races. Chad Grammer gained the early advantage in the 25 lap main event and pulled away from the field. By lap nine though, Barnwell had moved his car into the second position. After 11 laps of catching up to do, Barnwell and Grammer really began to make a race for the lead position. Barnwell didn’t take long to strike, moving by Grammar to take the lead with four laps remaining. With Barnwell pulling away, Grammer had to battle Marvin Savage for second, eventually losing that position. At the finish line, Barnwell was the victor over Savage, Grammer, Kimberling and Middleton.

For the third straight race of the 2007 season, Paul Peeples, Jr. set fast time with a 17.021 lap time. Peeples took the dash victory while Randy Olson and Bill O’Neill won the two heat races. Early on in the 30 lap feature, Mike Ward looked to be the man to beat. However, as David Henderson, Peeples and Olson freight-trained their way from the back to the front, it seemed apparent that Ward would have his hands full holding off those three drivers. Peeples made a move by Henderson on the thirteenth lap for the second position. On lap 14, Peeples quickly made his way past Ward to take the lead. Henderson and Olson would follow Peeples into second and third, however the closest both would come to taking the lead would be after a lap 17 restart. That wasn’t enough though for either driver as Peeples comfortably held command and took the win over Henderson, Olson, Ward and Leroy Marsh, Jr.

Brandon Barnwell set the fast lap for the sportsman division with a 16.751 time. Barnwell notched the win in the trophy dash while North State Challenge Series driver Luke Hall made a rare appearance and won the heat race. Early on in the 30 lap feature, it appeared as if there would be a new winner in the sportsman division in 2007 as Angelo Marcelli held the early lead. However, Barnwell made sure that any of those ideas were quickly put to rest. On lap six he moved outside of Marcelli to take the lead. While Barnwell walked away from the competition, the best racing proved to be from Hall who methodically moved his way past each driver, finally making it to second on lap 20. Hall seemed to have the faster car, but Barnwell’s lead proved to be insurmountable as he took the win. Marcelli finished third while Aaron Byers and Lissa Uselton rounded out the top five finishers.

The next race at the Acres is June 2nd. As always, drivers in the five local divisions will be back to provide more of the same action that’s been seen so far in 2007.

Race Results
Limited Street Stocks
Fast Time: Orion Mosher 17.510
Dash: Mosher, Trevor Miller, Duane Mayo, Scott Lyons
Heat: Otis Stabler, Mosher, Miller, Stan Young, Lyons, Mayo
Main: Mosher, Miller, Stabler, Lyons, Young, Mayo, Romeo Venza

Mini Stocks
Fast Time: Jason Shaha 18.793
Dash: Bryan Murrell, Byron McIntosh, Shaha, Max Capps
Heat: Shaha, Scott Baker, Murrell, Glenn Bernald, Capps, By. McIntosh, Brian McIntosh, Stacy Minnick
Main: Murrell, Shaha, Baker, Bernald, Minnick, Capps, By. McIntosh, Br. McIntosh

Real Stocks
Fast Time: Barry Barnwell 19.585
Dash: Barnwell, Ryan Peeples, Marvin Savage, Bill Middleton
Heat 1: Middleton, Barnwell, Ray Robinson, Peeples, Troy Wood, Chad Grammer, Mark Mullan
Heat 2: Steve Kimberling, Jim Redd, Savage, Ray DeMello, Mike Cataldi, Jim Bailey, Rick Stone
Main: Barnwell, Savage, Grammer, Kimberling, Middleton, DeMello, Nick Green, Peeples, Wood, Mulla, Cataldi, Robinson, Redd, Stone

Thunder Roadsters
Fast Time: Paul Peeples, Jr. 17.021
Dash: Peeples, Randy Olson, David Henderson, Ron Borges
Heat 1: Olson, Peeples, Leroy Marsh, Jr., Henderson, Mic Moulton, Borges, Jay Bahner, Bill Bradbury, Thomas Payne, Ray Elliott
Heat 2: Bill O’Neill, Dave McMurray, Mike Ward, Donn Cole, Gehry Foster, Bruce Ziemer, Belinda Ward
Main: Peeples, Henderson, Olson, M. Ward, Marsh, Foster, Elliott, Ziemer, Bahner, Borges, Moulton, O’Neill, McMurray, Cole, Payne, Bradbury, B. Ward

Sportsman
Fast Time: Brandon Barnwell 16.751
Dash: Barnwell, Luke Hall, Donnie Brown, Aaron Byers
Heat: Hall, Angelo Marcelli, Larry Pries, Rick Fox, Barnwell, Brown, Joe Bonomini, Lissa Uselton, Mike Bourbon, Byers
Main: Barnwell, Hall, Marcelli, Byers, Uselton, Fox, Pries, Bonomini, Bourbon, Brown.

Three is a magic number for Barnwell and Peeples

Three is a magic number for Barnwell and Peeples

By Matthew J. Sullivan

After racing the previous Saturday night at the Acres, drivers and teams had to make a quick turnaround to prepare for this past Saturday night’s action. The racing was clean, and there were very few incidents in all five local divisions. However, in the sportsman and thunder roadster divisions, it seemed as if it was the same story that had already been told twice before in the two previous races this season. Both Brandon Barnwell and Paul Peeples, Jr. once again won their respective main events bringing their streak to three wins. Another Barnwell claimed victory as well as Barry Barnwell took the main event victory in the real stock division. Orion Mosher scored his second main in a row sealing the win in the limited street stock class, while Brian Murrell held off his challengers in the mini stock main.

Fast time for the limited street stock division was set by Orion Mosher with a time of 17.510. Mosher took the dash victory over Trevor Miller, who was making his first start of the season, Duane Mayo and Scott Lyons. Former pure stock and sportsman champion Otis Stabler held off Mosher and Miller to win the hotly contested heat race, while Stan Young and Lyons rounded out the top five. Seven cars started the 15 lap main event. Duane Mayo was able to use his pole position to his advantage as he took the early lead. However, Orion Mosher wanted to get to the front as soon as possible, and get to the front he did. On lap two, Mosher moved to the outside of Mayo and powered past to take the lead. Miller made the pass on Mayo for second on lap three, but by then Mosher had already built a substantial lead. With Mosher walking away from the field, the rest of the excitement was left between Mayo, Stabler, Lyons and Young. Unfortunately for Mayo, between laps eight and ten he was passed for third fourth and fifth. At race’s end, Mosher had made it looked easy as he took home the victory followed by Miller, Mayo, Stabler, Lyons and Young.

Eight cars took time in the mini stock division. Jason Shaha set the fast mark at a 18.793. Brian Murrell won the dash followed by Byron McIntosh, Shaha and Max Capps. Shaha would go on to win the heat race followed by Scott Baker, Murrell, Glenn Bernald and Capps. Minnick and Baker lead the field to the green in the 15 lap feature. Baker got the jump off the start and immediately started to build his lead while Minnick slotted into the second position. As the field got into single file, Murrell and Shaha began to pick their way to the front. On lap three, Murrell moved inside and by Bernald while Shaha followed in his tire tracks. While Baker continued to build his lead, Murrell moved under Minnick on lap four and completed the pass, once again bringing Shaha with him.

For a moment, the cars of Murrell and Shaha looked to be at Daytona or Talladega, as they ran nose to tail and began to close on the leader Baker. On lap 9, the duo had caught Baker and Murrell decided to make his move quickly. He got under Baker on lap 10, but momentarily went into the grass and fell back allowing Shaha to make a move on the high side of Baker. The two raced side by side for the lead until lap 12 when Shaha seemed to have the edge. However, going into the first turn, the two made contact giving Murrell the inside line allowing him to take the lead. For the last two laps, Shaha tried to pressure Murrell, but he couldn’t find the running room. When the checkered flag fell, Murrell was the winner followed by Shaha, Baker, Bernald and Minnick.

Barry Barnwell set the pace for the real stock class in qualifications with a 19.585 lap time. Barnwell took the win in the dash over Ryan Peeples, Marvin Savage and Bill Middleton. Middleton won the first heat holding off Barnwell, Ray Robinson, Peeples and Troy Wood who was driving Chuck Essex’s car. Steve Kimberling took the second heat followed by Jim Redd, Marvin Savage and Ray DeMello.

Mark Mullan and DeMello lead the 13 car field to the green for the 25 lap main event. Mullan grabbed the early lead over Chad Grammar. On lap two Middleton moved inside to get by Redd for fourth. Grammar made his way by Mullan for the lead on lap five, while Redd went for a spin off the fourth turn at the same time. No yellow was thrown as Redd was able to continue. On lap six, DeMello got under Mullan for second and brought a train of cars with him including Middleton and Barnwell. At this time, Grammar held about a 10 car length gap over second place DeMello.

Barnwell began to really show his strength on lap eight moving outside of Middleton and completing the pass a lap later. Later that lap, Barnwell made his way by DeMello to take second. Now he set his sights on the leader Grammar. On lap 11, Middleton moved his way to third getting by DeMello. On lap 13, Savage began to move to the front passing Peeples and DeMello. On lap 16, Middleton got sideways in turn two allowing Savage to get by for third. The next lap, Kimberling took advantage of Middleton’s handling issues and moved by him for fourth. By lap 20, Barnwell had finally caught up to Grammer’s rear bumper. On lap 21, Barnwell took a look to the high side of Grammer on the front stretch. Coming off of turn two, Barnwell drove his car to Grammer’s inside to take the lead. With two laps left, Savage was able to get under and by Grammer for second, but it was too late as Barnwell had built a comfortable lead and took the checkered flag first followed by Savage, Grammar, Kimberling and Middleton.

Paul Peeples, Jr. set quick time for the third straight race for the thunder roadsters with a 17.021 lap. He followed his fast lap up with a win in the trophy dash over Randy Olson, driving the car normally wheeled by his brother Rusty, David Henderson and Ron Borges. Leroy Marsh, Jr. won the first heat over Olson, Peeples, Henderson and Mic Moulton who was subbing for Chris Banfill. Bill O’Neill won the second heat over Dave McMurray, Mike Ward, Donn Cole and Gehry Foster.

Ward and Cole brought the 17 car field to the green for the 30 lap main event. Ward was able to grab the early lead while behind him the field jockeyed for position. On lap 7, Bill Bradbury and Borges made contact in the first turn bringing out the yellow flag and tightening up the field. At this time Ward lead over Cole, Bruce Ziemer, Foster and Marsh. On the restart, the trio of Henderson, Peeples and Olson hooked up together. All three got by Marsh, Foster and Ziemer by lap 9 and closed in on the two leaders.

On lap 11, Henderson moved outside of Cole bringing Peeples and Olson with him. The next lap, Peeples found the inside groove under Henderson, completing the pass for second on lap 13. The battle for the lead was a short one as Peeples moved by Ward on lap 14 with Henderson following. On lap 16, Olson moved to third getting by Ward. On lap 17, Marsh and Cole made contact sending Cole spinning and bringing out the yellow.

On the restart the front three pulled away while Ward and Marsh battled for fourth. With the lap winding down, Peeples held a comfortable gap over Henderson, while Olson fell behind the two leaders but maintained a gap over Ward and Marsh. While the front five were spread out, the best racing was from sixth on back as drivers raced side by side battling for position. Unfortunately, the good racing was overshadowed by the dominance of Peeples as he took his third straight main event win followed by Henderson, Olson, Ward and Marsh.

Brandon Barnwell was the fastest of the sportsman cars in qualifying with a 16.751 lap. Barnwell won the dash over North State Challenge Series racer Luke Hall, Donnie Brown and Aaron Byers. In the heat race, Hall took the victory with Angelo Marcelli, Larry Pries, Rick Fox and Barnwell completing the top five. Unfortunately during tire warm-ups in the heat, rookie driver McKenna Bell making her first start at the Acres spun and hit the wall on the back stretch ending her evening.

10 cars started the 30 lap sportsman main event with Marcelli and Lissa Uselton leading the field to the green flag. Uselton was driving a backup car previously driven by Fox in prior seasons. Marcelli took the early lead. Barnwell was quickly making his way to the front as he moved by Byers on lap two for third, then moved outside of Uselton for second on lap three. On lap 4, Mike Bourbon and Joe Bonomini spun in turns one and two necessitating a caution flag.

On the restart it was Marcelli leading Barnwell, Byers, Brown and Uselton. On lap six, Brown moved outside of Byers for third. At the same time, Barnwell moved inside of Marcelli to take the lead. On lap seven, Brown slowed and headed into the pits calling it a night. Hall began to show his strength on lap 10 moving by Fox for fifth. On lap 12, Hall passed Uselton for fourth. Five laps later, Hall moved outside of Marcelli and completed the pass on lap 20.

With the field spread out, the best action for the rest of the race was to see if Hall could close the gap on Barnwell who had a substantial 3/4 of a straightaway lead. As the laps wound down, Hall closed the gap to about three car lengths, but by then time had run out. Barnwell took the win over Hall, Marcelli, Byers and Uselton.

Racing at the Acres takes a break before returning June 2nd with all five local classes running once again.