A look back at the 2015 season at the Acres

Brandon White's frightening wreck in the Spears SRL Southwest Tour
race was one of the memorable events at Redwood Acres Raceway in 2015

By Matthew J. Sullivan

It was a thrilling season of racing at Redwood Acres Raceway in 2015. Eureka, California’s 3/8-mile paved oval provided many exciting and memorable nights of action between the five local divisions of roadrunners, bombers, mini stocks, Thunder Roadsters and late mdoels. The season was highlighted by visits from the Spears SRL Southwest Tour Series, the North State Modified Series and the running of the inaugural Tri-Holiday Classic featuring the late models.

Redwood Acres Raceway’s roadrunner division was presented by Humboldt Hydroponics throughout 2015. Dylan Ford took the track championship in the division thanks to winning seven of the 12 main events during the season. It was a dominant effort by Ford who placed outside of the top five only once in the entire year.

Dustin Walters was a force in the bomber division taking eight main event wins. The race for the track championship was very tight however with Walters taking it by a scant six point margin over James Moore who placed second.

The mini stock track championship was also a neck-and-neck race between Chris Champagne and Eugene Palmer. Just like the bombers, the gap between first and second was only six points with Champagne having the edge. Both drivers won four main events in what was also their first season of racing in the division.

Paul Peeples, Jr. was nearly unstoppable in the Bear River Hotel and Casino Thunder Roadster class. Peeples won nine of the 11 main events in the division and finished fifth and third in the two races he didn’t win.

The Mid City Motor World late model division’s track title came down to a battle between two second year drivers in Ryun Leazer and Jedd Ambrosini. Leazer pulled through to take the crown by sixteen markers. The 2015 season for the late models featured the Tri-Holiday Classic; three special events on the weekends of Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day. Mic Moulton won the Memorial Day race while Brandon White took the Firecracker 100 and Marty Walsh won the Labor Day 100.

2015 also featured the likes of two touring series to the Acres. The North State Modified Series visited during the Memorial and Labor Day races. Rich Lindgren won the 60-lap race in the series’ first visit while Darrin Knight had a memorable drive to win the second race for the series at RAR.

Perhaps the biggest highlight of the year was the return of the Spears SRL Southwest Tour Series. Jim Pettit, II dominated the event and took his second SRL victory at the Acres. The 125-lap race will probably be best remembered for a scary incident that involved SRL star and local driver, Brandon White. Thankfully, White was uninjured in what was a frightening crash.

The 2015 season officially concludes November 1st with the awards banquet. Information regarding the event can be found on Redwood Acres Raceway’s official website, www.racingtheacres.com .

Top 100+ NASCAR Southwest Tour Drivers Of All-Time (20-16)

20. Ron Esau - 1986 NASCAR Southwest Tour Series Champion - 62 starts, 6 wins, 23 top 5s, 33 top 10s, 12.9 average finish
Win #1: 1986 Vons 200 @ Riverside International Raceway
Win #2: 1986 Spears Manufacturing 100 @ Stockton 99 Speedway
Win #3: 1986 Diet Pepsi 100 @ Shasta Speedway
Win #4: 1986 Suncrest Motorhomes 100 @ Willow Springs Raceway
Win #5: 1987 Pepsi Cola 100 @ Shasta Speedway
Win #6: 1988 Motorcraft/CARQUEST 300 @ Riverside International Raceway

View image | gettyimages.com

19. Eddy McKean - 2002 NASCAR Southwest Tour Series Champion - 83 starts, 5 wins, 33 top 5s, 49 top 10s, 10.9 average finish
Win #1: 2002 Pikes Peak 100 @ Pikes Peak International Raceway
Win #2: 2003 John Baker 150 @ Tucson Raceway Park
Win #3: 2003 Cruise America 125 @ Phoenix International Raceway
Win #4: 2004 NASCAR Winter Heat 100 @ Phoenix International Raceway
Win #5: 2004 Cruise America 125 @ Phoenix International Raceway

18. Bryan Germone - 1997 NASCAR Southwest Tour Series Champion - 180 starts, 8 wins, 64 top 5s, 104 top 10s, 10.7 average finish
Win #1: 1994 Miller Genuine Draft 100 @ Saugus Speedway
Win #2: 1995 Wrangler Firecracker 100 @ Mesa Marin Raceway
Win #3: 1996 Madera 100 @ Madera Speedway
Win #4: 1996 Featherlite Trailers 125 @ Tucson Raceway Park
Win #5: 1997 Cactus Clash @ Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Win #6: 1997 Star Nursery 125 @ The Bullring In Las Vegas
Win #7: 1998 Hall Ambulance 100 @ Mesa Marin Raceway
Win #8: 2003 Southwest Series 100 @ Phoenix International Raceway

17. Jim Inglebright - 108 starts, 8 wins, 35 top 5s, 62 top 10s, 11.8 average finish
Win #1: 1993 Miller Genuine Draft 100 @ The Bullring In Las Vegas
Win #2: 1993 Checker/Valvoline 100 @ Tucson Raceway Park
Win #3: 1995 Community First Bank 100 @ Mesa Marin Raceway
Win #4: 1997 Altamont 100 @ Altamont Motorsports Park
Win #5: 1999 Copper World Classic @ Phoenix International Raceway
Win #6: 2000 Snap-On Tools /AAA 200 @ Sonoma Raceway
Win #7: 2001 Snap-On 200 @ Sonoma Raceway
Win #8: 2002 Snap-On Tools/Jelly Belly 200 @ Sonoma Raceway

16. Jim Pettit, II - 2004 & 2005 NASCAR Southwest Tour Series Champion - 103 starts, 8 wins, 34 top 5s, 54 top 10s, 11.3 average finish
Win #1: 2003 Stockton 99 Speedway 125 @ Stockton 99 Speedway
Win #2: 2004 AutoZone 125 @ Madera Speedway
Win #3: 2004 StarNursery.com 125 @ Madera Speedway
Win #4: 2004 United Power/Touchstone Energy 150 @ Colorado National Speedway
Win #5: 2004 StarNursery.com 150 @ Tucson Raceway Park
Win #6: 2005 Railto Concrete Products 100 @ Mesa Marin Raceway
Win #7: 2005 Advantage Ford 100 @ Irwindale Speedway
Win #8: 2005 King Soopers Freedom 150 @ Pikes Peak International Raceway

Pettit holds off late charge to win

Jim Pettit, II and his team celebrate after winning the Spears SRL Southwest Tour Series 125
Presented By Bear River Hotel And Casino at Redwood Acres Raceway

By Matthew J. Sullivan

One of the most anticipated events on the 2015 schedule at Redwood Acres Raceway took place this past Saturday night. The Spears SRL Southwest Tour Series raced on the 3/8-mile paved oval for a 125-lap event presented by Bear River Hotel And Casino. The SRL tour cars joined the local classes of roadrunners, bombers, mini stocks and Thunder Roadsters in what proved to be an exciting and memorable night of action.

In a bit of a surprise, the night in the Humboldt Hydroponics roadrunner division belonged to Daniel Buell. Buell took the win in the trophy dash and heat races. The 20-lap feature proved to be another highly competitive race as it seemed the lead changed every lap. The race was slowed once when Bethany Rapp was turned off turn four and hit the wall, damaging her radiator. The race came down to a duel between Buell and Dylan Ford. Ford got shuffled in the final two laps which gave Buell the advantage he needed to win his first ever feature event. Buell’s win also broke Ford’s six-race stranglehold on main event wins in the division.

Tony Ramizzotti made his first trip to the Acres count in the bomber division with a trophy dash win. The heat race and main event proved to be another showcase for Dustin Walters as he was able to take the win in the heat and got the lead right off the jump of the 25-lap main. Walters dominated the event, pulling out to an insurmountable lead and taking the race win. Ramizzotti placed second followed by Rick Jelton and James Moore.

The mini stock division was down on cars for the night but still provided excellent racing. The trophy dash and heat races featured a father/son battle between Brian Murrell, Sr. and Junior. Murrell, Jr. was the victor in the trophy dash while Murrell, Sr. took heat race honors. The 25-lap main saw the two battle yet again in a thrilling four-car race that also included Eugene Palmer and Chris Champagne. The tight racing up front led to eventual contact between Champagne and Murrell, Sr. that sent Murrell spinning into Palmer and knocking his front nose off. Champagne restarted at the rear while Palmer continued and Murrell was forced to the pits for the rest of the night.

After the restart, Murrell, Jr. and Palmer raced hard for the top spot. On lap 17, Palmer and Murrell, Jr. made contact going into the first turn. Murrell was able to make the save but the incident broke both he and Palmer’s momentum which allowed Champagne to maneuver to the lead. Champagne was able to withstand a late race restart to take the win followed by Murrell, Jr., Eugene Palmer, Ted Henry and Kevin Palmer who was making his first ever start driving Rick Estes’ mini truck.

The Bear River Hotel And Casino Thunder Roadster division saw an influx of cars on the night with 10 partaking in the action. In spite of the increase in competition, Paul Peeples, Jr. proved once again to be the dominant factor. Peeples won both the trophy dash and heat races. Chris Lawrence took the lead at the start of the 35-lap main before giving way to Thomas Payne. By lap five, Peeples was in second and got by Payne for the lead. The race was slowed near the halfway point when Donnie Brown had trouble and drove into the wall in turn one. Fortunately he was okay. After the restart, the best race on the track was for second between Payne, Robbie Nelson and Chris Sarvinski. At the front, it was all Peeples as he was able to win another main event. Nelson was able to get by Payne and hold him off for the second spot. Sarvinski placed fourth.

15 cars took time for the Spears SRL Southwest Tour Series 125 Presented By Bear River Hotel And Casino. One driver who did not partake in Saturday night’s action was Jim Walker who appeared at the Friday afternoon practice session but did not show on race day. Local favorite, Brandon White set quick time with a 15.574. The invert for the race was six which gave pole position to veteran driver, Craig Raudman.

Raudman used his starting position to his advantage as he took the lead over Jim Pettit, III at the start. The only incident of the race occurred on lap nine when White and Tracy Bolin got together coming off turn two. Bolin got sideways and tried to save his car down the back stretch to no avail. Bolin’s car clipped White’s as he was trying to get by on the high side sending White in the wall. Behind them the top two in points, Greg Voigt and Ryan Cansdale were collected. White’s car stopped in turn four and caught fire. White climbed out of his car and rolled on the track as safety officials were on the scene immediately to tend to him. Thankfully none of the drivers were injured and though White was taken to the local hospital due to inhaling smoke and fumes from his in-car fire extinguisher.

Pettit used the restart to his advantage as he was able to take the lead from Raudman. Pettit slowly pulled away from Raudman while two NTS Motorsports drivers, Blaine Rocha and Parker Stephens were making moves to the front. Raudman appeared to be struggling with his car’s handling and was forced to give way to Bobby Hodges, Rocha and Stephens. It looked as though Hodges might have a chance of closing in on Pettit as the leader hit slower traffic but his gain proved to be minimal.

Just after the halfway point, Stephens was able to get by Rocha for third and began showing some strength. On lap 105, Stephens moved by Hodges for second after the two dueled for several laps. Stephens closed quickly on Pettit in the final 10 laps of the event and with five to go, the winner of the event was heavily in doubt. Stephens was right on Pettit until two laps remaining when he got loose between turns one and two. That was all Pettit needed to take the victory, his second at the Acres having been the 2013 winner. Stephens took second with Rocha third and Hodges fourth the last car on the lead lap. Raudman rounded out the top five.

Racing at Redwood Acres Raceway takes three week break before returning August 22nd for Driver Appreciation Night. Roadrunners, bombers, mini stocks, Thunder Roadsters will be in action as well as the late models who had this past weekend’s event off. Grandstands open at 5:00PM while races begin at 6:30PM. For more information on the rest of the 2015 schedule please visit the track’s official website, www.racingtheacres.com .

SRL stars return to the Acres

NTS Motorsports teammates, Parker Stephens (28) and Blaine Rocha (21)
test at Redwood Acres Raceway for the Spears SRL Southwest Tour event

By Matthew J. Sullivan

One of the most anticipated events of the 2015 season at Redwood Acres Raceway is on the horizon as the Spears SRL Southwest Tour Series will race this Saturday August 1st. The top super late model drivers on the west coast will go head-to-head on the 3/8-mile paved oval for the second time in series history, the first since 2013. The SRL series will be joining the Acres’ local divisions of roadrunners, bombers, mini stocks and Thunder Roadsters while the local late models will have the evening off.

Dylan Ford is coming off his sixth main event win in a row in the Humboldt Hydroponics roadrunner division and will look to take his seventh feature this weekend. Ford has a stranglehold on the championship standings as he leads Daniel Buell by 78 points. R.C. Brown has been impressive in his rookie season in the division and sits third, only four points behind Buell. Steve Paiment is fourth, a point behind Brown. Paiment was the winner of the main event on April 25th. Another rookie, Shawn Malloy holds down fifth in the standings.

Dustin Walters has been the favorite throughout the season in the bomber division and the point standings reflect it. Walters has four main event wins, two of them in a row and leads James Moore by 14 points. Moore has won two main events this season. The rest of the top five consists of Michael Knight, the team of Lance Martins and Joseph Phares and Ryan Walters however those drivers are more than 80 points in arrears to the point leader.

The Maxwell’s Custom Automobiles mini stocks have put on some of the best racing at the Acres this year. Chris Champagne leads the standings with three main event wins, one of those coming in the first race when his car was driven by Leonard Ward. Second in points is division rookie, Eugene Palmer who won the June 20th race. Palmer is only 12 points behind Champagne. Rick Estes has a main event win and is third, 24 points behind Champagne. Defending mini stock track champion, Brian Murrell, Jr. has had rough luck in 2015 but still sits fourth, 38 behind the leader. Another division rookie, Tim Abeyta is fifth, 68 in arrears to Champagne.

It has been another season of dominance for Paul Peeples, Jr. in the Bear River Casino Hotel Thunder Roadster division. Peeples has won the past four main events in a row and five in total in 2015 and leads Robbie Nelson by 31 points. Nelson is the only other driver to win a main event in the division this year which came in the May 9th race. Thomas Payne is third, 50 points behind Peeples. Chris Lawrence sits fourth and is 61 markers behind Peeples while Belinda Ward is fifth and nine points behind Lawrence.

The fight for the Mid City Motor World late model track championship could very well come down to the last lap of the season. Ryun Leazer and Jedd Ambrosini sit atop the standings tied with 205 points apiece. Marty Walsh missed the first two races of the season but has won two features including the most recent race on July 18th. Walsh is only 29 points behind Leazer and Ambrosini, well within striking distance. Richard Knight is fourth, 32 behind the leaders and David Henderson is fifth, four points behind Knight. Henderson won the May 9th main event. Other main event winners in the division this season are David Miller who won on opening night, April 25th, Mic Moulton who won on May 24th and June 6th and Brandon White who won the Firecracker 100 race on July 4th.

As mentioned earlier, the Spears SRL Southwest Tour Series will be returning to Redwood Acres Raceway this weekend for the first time since 2013. Jacob Gomes holds the SRL track record at the Acres with a 15.478. Veteran super late model racer, Jim Pettit, II won the inaugural SRL event which was held on June 1st of 2013. In the 2015 point standings, Greg Voig
t leads Ryan Cansdale by 30 points. Eureka native, Brandon White is third, 49 points behind Voight. Tracy Bolin is fourth, only three points behind White while Jeff Bishofberger is fifth a single point behind Bolin. White will certainly be one of the favorites for local fans. Another fan favorite, Jim Walker will also be in action.

The Spears SRL Southwest Tour Series will have a practice date on Friday July 30th from 4:30PM to 7:30PM. On Saturday, gates open at 4:30PM while racing will begin at 6:00PM. More information on this weekend’s big event can be found on Redwood Acres Raceway’s official website, www.racingtheacres.com .

Pettit dominates SRL debut at the Acres

By Matthew J. Sullivan

The grandstands were packed this past Saturday night at Redwood Acres Raceway as the 3/8-mile paved oval welcomed the Spears SRL Southwest Tour Series for their first ever visit to the Eureka, California track. The fans did not go home disappointed as the SRL drivers joined the local classes of real stocks, Thunder Roadsters and sportsman cars in providing a superb night of racing.

Matt Simon took the trophy dash victory for the real stocks ahead of Nick Green while the heat race victory was taken by Nick Green over Ryan Walters. The real stock feature was dominated by Walters who ended up taking home the win followed by Green, Harvey Holm, Doug Way and Michael Lawrence.

The trophy dash in the Thunder Roadster division was won by David Henderson.  Paul Peeples, Jr. won the heat race and was dominant in the feature event. Unfortunately his chief rival, Henderson suffered a cut tire in the main and fell out of action.  Peeples cruised to the feature win beating Thomas Payne, Mike Ward, Chris Sarvinski and Robbie Nelson.
Brandon Barnwell was victorious in the trophy dash while the heat race trophy went to Dennis DelBiaggio. Driving the car formerly owned by local racing icon, Larry Pries, Marty Walsh made his return to the Acres after several years away from the track.  Walsh moved to the front quickly and looked as though he was going to win without worry.

The biggest incident of the night occurred in the latter stages of the sportsman main when Barnwell appeared to cut a tire and hit the wall at the pit entrance.  Barnwell was okay but his car was heavily damaged.  The caution allowed DelBiaggio to get on Walsh’s bumper and the two waged a serious duel for the lead in the final handful of laps.  DelBiaggio appeared to have the better car but Walsh held him off for the win. Angelo Marcelli, Kenny Demello and Al Acuna completed the top five finishers.

20 cars qualified and started the 125-lap SRL feature.  Unfortunately, Zane Lovelace was a scratch after he suffered issues in practice.  Jacob Gomes set the fast time mark with a 15.478 lap. With the field invert at six, Donny St. Ours started on the pole while Ross Strmiska started to his outside.  St. Ours took the lead off the start but it was apparent early that Jim Pettit II was the man to beat.  It only took 17 laps for Pettit to work his way from sixth to the lead, a position he would never relinquish.

The star of the night was hometown favorite, Jim Walker. The west coast racing legend started from the 10th position fell back a few spots early in the going but began to maneuver his way through the field passing one car after another.  By the time the first caution flag flew on lap 87 Walker had maneuvered himself into the sixth spot.  Walker briefly moved into the top five and go to fourth until a cut tire forced him to the pits and ruined his chance at a good finish.

Strmiska did all he could on the restarts to get by Pettit but just didn’t have enough.  Pettit took the victory followed by Strmiska, Gomes and series rookie, Bobby Hodges.  Another Spears SRL Southwest Tour Series rookie, Brandon White delighted the hometown crowd with a solid top five run all night and a fifth place effort.

Racing returns to Redwood Acres Raceway this Saturday night with the roadrunners back on the track.

SRL stars coming to the Acres

By Matthew J. Sullivan

The west coast’s premiere late model touring series will be making its first ever appearance at Redwood Acres Raceway this Saturday night when the SRL comes to town for the Redwood Acres 125 Presented by Renner Petroleum and Leon’s Car Care Center.  The SRL series will be joined by local classes of real stocks, Thunder Roadsters and sportsman cars. The roadrunner division has the weekend off but will return at the next race.

23 drivers and teams have tentatively entered for this weekend’s race.   The top two in SRL points, Derek Thorn and Jim Pettit II will resume their rivalry while Jason Gilbert, Ross Strmiska and Zane Lovelace will be hoping to win the series’ inaugural event at the Acres. Two locals are scheduled to race, youngster, Brandon White and west coast racing legend, Jim Walker.

White and Walker will also be joined by Jeremy Doss and Forrest Kuecker of Lakeport.  Both Doss and Kuecker were winners at Redwood Acres in 2012 and all four drivers could have an advantage over the rest of the field as they have more laps at the 3/8-mile oval than the majority of the SRL field combined. Of the other SRL regulars, Thorn is the only one who has competed at Redwood Acres in the past.

With this weekend’s visit by the SRL series, it will be the first time in almost 20 years that Redwood Acres Raceway will be hosting the west coast’s top late model teams.  The last time an event of this magnitude was held was in 1995 when NASCAR’s Southwest Tour series visited the Acres for the seventh and final time.  That race was won by M.K. Kanke who has 10 career SRL victories but is not scheduled to race this weekend.

In local action, the point leaders in each division are Michael Lawrence in the real stocks, Jarrett Mayo in the roadrunners, David Henderson in the Thunder Roadsters and Angelo Marcelli in the sportsman division.

The weekend gets off to an early start with practice for the SRL cars on Friday between 3-6PM. Saturday the grandstands open at 4:00 while racing begins 7:00. Questions regarding this weekend’s action can be directed to track promoters, Rich and Linda Olson by calling 707-442-3232.