Philpot wins in the North State Modified Series first visit to the Acres

#57 Eric Johnson finished second to Jason Philpot in the North State Modified Series' feature race

Eureka, CA (May 28, 2018) – It was O’Reilly Night at the Races this past weekend at Redwood Acres Raceway. It was a special Sunday show for Memorial Day weekend which featured five of RAR’s local divisions as well as the North State Modified Series who were making their first of three visits to the track.

Kadence Mace was fast time for the Bandoleros with a 22.375. Aiden Kimberling was the trophy dash winner while Trey Daniels took the heat race. The 15-lap main event was dominated by Daniels. He jumped to the lead on lap one and never looked back. Daniels took the victory ahead of Kimberling and Mace.

The Compass Community Credit Union roadrunners were paced by Nick Ford in qualifying as his time was 20.449. Tim Ratzlaff got the lead right from the drop of the green flag of the first main event. Ratzlaff dominated, so much so that he broke the 21-second barrier on lap 12. This moved Patrick Sproul to the point and it looked as though the race fell into his hands. Ratzlaff had other plans as he charged hard to regain the lead. With two laps remaining, Ratzlaff retook the lead and was able to pull away. At the finish it was Ratzlaff, Sproul, Ford, Landon Newell and Ronny Crump.

Ratzlaff took the lead at the start of the second feature event. Sproul took over on lap two and had a race-long battle with Nick Ford for the win. As the finish came closer, Sproul led with three laps remaining. The next lap, Ratzlaff who had stayed closely behind the two leaders made a move for the lead. The maneuver paid off as he was able to take the lead. Ratzlaff crossed the line first sweeping both feature events. Ford, Sproul, Newell and Crump rounded out the top five.

Derek Copeland was quick time in the NorthCoast Lighting and Electric Legends division with a 17.873. Copeland followed up with wins in the trophy dash. Heat race wins went to Kylie Daniels and Copeland. The lap one leader was Tyler Peach and he held on to the lead for five laps before Copeland took over. The most serious challenger to Copeland’s lead was Chris Lawrence. Just as Lawrence made an inside move for the lead, the yellow flag dropped. Copeland led the field to the restart and was able to go on unchallenged. At the finish it was Copeland winning over Lawrence, Peach, Katina Baker and Daniels.

In the Fortuna Wheel & Brake bombers, Wyatt Roach was fast time with an 18.331. Roach was the winner of the trophy dash and Jim Redd won the heat race. Redd moved to the lead on lap one. Roach proved to be Redd’s closest competition but fell out early. Redd was able to pull away from the field and lead the race flag-to-flag to win. Chris Naughton placed second, Doug Way third, Kolby Jackson fourth while Roach was scored fifth.

Brett Murrell set the fastest time in qualifying for the Humboldt Hydroponics mini stocks with a 18.769. Eugene Palmer was the dash winner while the heats went to Trevor Eacret and Murrell. Jordan Paiment led the first five laps of the feature event before Murrell took over the lead. Palmer moved to second the same lap and tried his best to stick to Murrell’s bumper. Murrell was able to gap Palmer enough that it appeared as though he was going to cruise to the victory. With one lap remaining, Murrell’s car failed moving Palmer to the lead. The last lap proved to be the only lap Palmer needed to lead as he won his first main event of 2018. Scott Taylor took second over Eacret, Gary Klientobe and Brian Murrell, Sr.

Randy Houston’s 16.514 in qualifying was the standard set in qualifying for the North State Modifieds. Ian Elliott took the victory in the six-lap Lucas Oil Dash For Cash. Eric Johnson led from the drop of the green flag of the 60-lap event. Jason Philpot followed into second and the first two ran-nose-to tail for several laps. Just past the halfway point, Philpot was able to maneuver past Johnson for the lead. The best battle on the track proved to be for second as Johnson did all he could to hold off Kris Price and Houston. Even after a couple of caution flags, Philpot was able to pull away while Johnson had his hands full with Houston and Price filling his mirror. Philpot was able to cruise to the checkered flag by over two seconds. Johnson held on for second over Price, Houston and Dustin DeRosier.

Racing at Redwood Acres Raceway returns Saturday June 9th. The Super Six Challenge Series late models will be returning to action along with the five other local divisions. Visit www.RedwoodAcresRacing.com for more information on the upcoming event as well as race and points result. You can also find RAR on Facebook by visiting www.facebook.com/RedwoodAcresRaceway

White wins Super 6 opener at the Acres

#19 Brandon White won round one of the Super Six Challenge Series

Eureka, California (April 30, 2017) – You couldn’t ask for a nicer afternoon this past Saturday night at Redwood Acres Raceway. A packed house enjoyed the first race of the season at the 3/8-mile paved oval in what proved to be a thrilling night of action across all six local divisions.

Rookie, Daniel Whitley set fast time for the Legends division presented by Nor-Cal Automotive with a 18.346. Unfortunately, Whitley’s night was cut short in the trophy dash when he spun in turn four and backed into the wall. Brent Mack took the trophy dash win then went on to take the heat race win. Tyler Peach took the lead at the start of the 25-lap feature and made a good account for himself in spite of his inexperience in a Legends car. Peach held off the more experienced Mack for the first 17 laps before a spin by Dominic Vogelsang bunched the field. The restart proved to be to Mack’s advantage and he was able to take over the lead. Mack was able to hold on the rest of the way to take the victory over Peach, Vogelsand, M’Kinzy Uselton and James McBride.

Qualifying was paced by Jim Redd in the Fortuna Wheel & Brake bomber division. Redd’s time was 18.664. John Lally took the trophy dash win and was able to follow it up with a win in the heat race. The 25-lap main event was paced by Kolby Jackson in the opening stages. Redd took the lead away and had his hands full the rest of the race with Lally and Jackson filling his rear-view mirror. Lally made a late race charge on Redd but spun in turns three and four. Redd was able to hang on to take the victory. Lally recovered to place second followed by Jackson, Bethany Rapp and Kim Sorrels.

Fast time for the Humboldt Hydroponics mini stock division was set by Brian Murrell, Sr. with a 19.136. Troy Lee took the trophy dash victory while heat race wins went to Rick Estes and Murrell. Estes led the first lap of the 25-lap main until he spun in turns one and two. Rookie driver, Scott Taylor inherited the lead and showed surprising speed in his first race as he led the majority of the way. On lap 15, Ed Robinson took the lead and appeared to be on his way to his first-ever main event victory before spinning out of the lead off turn four. Murrell took the lead from that point and was able to take the victory after holding off a late charge by Eugene Palmer. Tayler placed third followed by Troy Lee and Trevor Eacret.

Ronnie O’Neil set fast time in the Thunder Roadster division presented by Lone Star Junction with a 17.179. Tommy Payne was the winner of the four-lap trophy dash while Paul Peeples, Jr. took the heat race victory. Payne shot into the lead from the start of the 30-lap main. All race long the 2016 champion had his mirror full with either Peeples or O’Neil right on his bumper. O’Neil’s spin in turns one and two on lap 25 took him out of having a chance at the victory. Payne was able to withstand Peeples’ final charge to take the win. Chris Sarvinski was third while Aaron Byers and Chris Lawrence rounded out the top five finishers.

Daniel Buell was quick time in the California State And Federal Employees Credit Union roadrunner division. Buell’s time was 20.456. Tim Ratzlaff was the winner of the trophy dash while heat race honors went to Nick Ford. The first 10 laps of the 20-lap roadrunner main were ran in the familiar counter-clockwise format. Ford briefly held the lead before giving way to Ratzlaff. When the field was turned backwards in the clockwise format, Ratzlaff appeared to have the upper-hand. Ratzlaff was able to lead the final stages and take the victory over Ford, Buell, Jake Keeling and Natya Hanson.

The first leg Super 6 Late Model Challenge Series took place on the night. The Super 6 Series will feature four more races at Redwood Acres Raceway in 2017 and one at Ukiah Speedway on July 15th and is presented by Danielson Construction, Mid-City Motor World and North Coast Lighting & Electric.

Mic Moulton set quick time with a 15.854. In all, 16 cars qualified for the event. Leonard Ward III was not one of them however as he had an incident prior to qualifying which took him out for the night. The heat races determined the starting positions for the 75-lap main event. Riley Watson won the first heat which gave him the ninth starting spot. Eddie Kline took the second heat and pole position for the feature.

Home-town favorite, Brandon White took the lead from the start. It was a position he would never relinquish. The big story of the race was the trouble that drivers in second place encountered in the final stages of the main event. Marty Walsh was a strong second the majority of the night before he seemed to encounter issues which knocked him out of the spot. Tim Crenshaw moved to second before his car broke. Watson was having a strong run and took second after Crenshaw’s problems but he too succumbed to issues and was forced to the pits. Up front, White encountered no issues and was able to take the victory. Kenny Demello had a stellar run with a second place finish. Moulton placed third over Eric Gannon and Walsh.

The second race of the season on the pavement at the Acres takes place May 13th. On May 12th, the Acres will host the season-opening event for the outlaw karts. For more information regarding all the racing action at Redwood Acres Raceway, please visit the track’s official website www.RacingTheAcres.com

Henderson, Nelson big winners on Pepsi night

David Henderson claimed his first late model main event win of 2015

By Matthew J. Sullivan

Race two of the 2015 season at Redwood Acres Raceway took place this past Saturday night. It was Pepsi Night at the 3/8-mile paved facility and as usual the local classes of roadrunners, bombers, mini stocks, Thunder Roadsters and late models thrilled a great crowd.

Dylan Ford set fast time for the Humboldt Hydroponics roadrunners with a 20.424 lap. The trophy dash was won by Daniel Buell while Ford took heat race honors. The 20-lap feature got off to a rough start when the cars of Buell, Shawn Malloy and Jett Taylor got together off of turn two. In the chaos, Malloy and Taylor got together sending Malloy’s car in the back stretch wall and out of action.

The racing after the restart was fantastic. On lap five, Andrew Pimentel spun in turn one but was able to keep going. The first half of the race saw the lead be traded back and forth between Chad Grammer and Ford. The field tightened up in the second half and it became a six car race for the win between Ford, Grammer, Buell, Taylor, R.C. Brown and Pimentel. Ford was able to take full control of the lead after taking the white flag while contact with another car cut the left front tire of Taylor’s car, taking him out of contention. At the finish it was Ford winning over Grammer, Brown, Buell and Pimentel.

Fast time for the Pacific Towing bomber division was set by Dustin Walters at 18.115. Jim Redd was behind the wheel of Tyler Avelar’s car for the night and was able to win the trophy dash. Dustin Walters took the heat race victory. Redd took the lead from the drop of the green of the 25-lap bomber main event. The field got spread out on lap two when James Moore got sideways in turns three and four, collecting Michael Knight. The race stayed green with Moore continuing in the race while Knight had to pit due to a cut right front tire.

By halfway, Redd pulled out to a full straightaway lead over second place Lance Martins. Moore was able to take second from Martins on lap 15 but the fastest car on the track was Walters. Walters moved to second on lap 19 and closed quickly on Redd. The two got side by side and stayed that way until the final lap. Going down the back stretch, Redd and Walters split the lapped car of Knight but stayed door handle-to-door handle. Both drivers got sideways coming off turn four and in the drag race to the line it was Walters narrowly beating Redd for the win. Moore, Martins and Knight rounded out the finishers.

Chris Champagne made his first ever start at Redwood Acres Raceway in the Pepsi mini stock division, setting the fastest lap in qualifying with a 19.913 The trophy dash win went to division rookie, Eugene Palmer. Brian Murrell, Sr. was the winner of the first heat race while Champagne took the second heat race victory. Though his qualifying effort was not quick, Murrell, Sr. showed surprising speed as he took the lead off the start of the 25-lap feature and was the dominant car of the race. Brian Murrell, Jr. briefly took the lead from Murrell, Sr. on lap 10 but Murrell, Sr. regained the lead on the next lap.

By halfway the faster qualifiers of Rick Estes and Palmer and moved to third and fourth positions and were closing on the father/son Murrell duo. On lap 13, Estes moved to second as Champagne closed in on the front four. Palmer moved to third on lap 14 bringing Champagne with him while dropping Murrell,
Jr. to fifth. The caution flew on lap 15 when Champagne and Murrell, Jr. spun off turn four.

After the restart, Estes and Palmer put heavy pressure on Murrell, Sr. for the lead but neither driver could find a way by him. The yellow flew again when Champagne’s engine failed and he stopped in turn two. The race restarted with four laps left and again Estes tried to find his way by Murrell, Sr.
Coming to three to go, Murrell, Sr. got loose and spun out of the lead off the fourth turn. Estes was able to withstand Palmer’s challenge for the lead and at the line it was Estes winning followed by Palmer, Cole Peterson, Jarrett Mayo and Murrell, Sr.

Paul Peeples, Jr. set fast time at a 17.113 and took home another trophy in the dash for the Bear River Hotel and Casino Thunder Roadsters. Robbie Nelson held off Peeples to win the heat race. Chris Lawrence took the lead from the drop of the green flag in the 30-lap feature which was slowed only once when Peeples got loose and spun between turns one and two while racing Nelson for second.

The lap seven restart proved to be what Nelson needed as he wrestled the lead from Lawrence while Peeples had to fight his way back through the field. It didn’t take Peeples long to get back to second as he got by Lawrence for the spot on lap nine. The front two of Nelson and Peeples set sail from the rest of the field and it became a two car race for the win. Peeples pressured Nelson all race long but didn’t appear to have the handling necessary to find a way inside or outside of Nelson. On the last lap, Peeples bumped Nelson going into the third turn, got loose and spun. Nelson went on to take the win followed by Chris Sarvinski, Mike Ward and Belinda Ward.

The fastest qualifier for the Mid City Motor World late model division was David Henderson at 16.100. The trophy dash was won by Ryun Leazer. The heat race saw an unfortunate incident for George Young as he hit the water barrels at the entrance of pit road off turn two. While Young’s car was finished for the night, the driver himself was unharmed from the incident. Due to the cleanup time and track conditions, the heat race was shortened giving Leazer the win.

Kenny Demello got the jump at the start of the 35-lap feature but the green flag racing didn’t last long as Richard Knight and Ken Hallis got together and spun in turn one on lap two. Demello got the lead again after the restart but the race was slowed again on lap five due to Hallis’ car in the turn four grass after a spin. Another caution flew when Demello spun off turn four collecting Leazer.

After suffering issues in the first race of the season on April 26th, David Henderson was able to move to the lead and showed that he might be the favorite for the 2015 track championship for the late models. Henderson dominated the final portion of the race and took the victory, his first in a late model. Demello placed second followed by Ambrosini, Hallis and Knight.

Racing returns Sunday May 24th for a special Memorial Day weekend event. Joining the roadrunners, bombers and mini stocks will be the Northern California Pro-4 modifieds and the North State Challenge Modified Series. In addition, there will be the first of three Tri-Holiday races for the late model cars. Grandstands open at 4:30 PM and racing begins at 6:00 PM. There is also an open practice on Saturday May 23rd. For more information regarding Redwood Acres Raceway make sure to visit the track’s official website, www.racingtheacres.com .

Moulton, Olson victorious again

Moulton, Olson victorious again

By Matthew J. Sullivan

It was race number 10 of the 2010 season at Redwood Acres Raceway this past Saturday evening. With only three races remaining in the season after the night, competition for position in races was even more crucial. It lead to a brutal night in several of the five local divisions as a couple incidents knocked out several competitors on Eureka, California’s 3/8-mile paved oval.

Prior to qualifying in the mini stock division, Wyatt Roach who was driving Ryan Ahrens car lost an engine in practice and was unable to race. In the trophy dash, Brian Murrell, Jr. got loose in turn four on the first lap, overcorrected and hit the concrete wall. Murrell was able to walk away from the incident but was finished for the evening. Brian McIntosh took the dash victory over Brian Murrell and Scott Baker. With only four cars remaining, the division skipped the heat race and ran a 10-lap main. Murrell made a daring pass inside of McIntosh for the lead and was able to take the win over McIntosh, Baker and Harry Walford.

Jim Redd won the real stock trophy dash over Ronnie O’Neill, Nick Green and Bill Middleton. Ryan Robinson took the heat race win ahead of Casey Mitchell, O’Neill, Middleton and Green. Robinson used his pole-position starting spot in the main event to full advantage as he took the lead from the get-go from Mitchell. While Robinson ran away, Mitchell fought hard to fall into second but unfortunately was unable to use the high line to his advantage as Green, Redd and O’Neill all were able to move past for position. On lap four, Middleton hit the wall on the backstretch and was finished for the night. After the restart, Green briefly challenged Robinson for the lead but Robinson was eventually able to pull away. Redd moved by Green for second on lap 10 bringing O’Neill with him. Two laps later, O’Neill moved by Redd for second. Robinson’s lead was insurmountable though and unfortunately for O’Neill he lost power coming to the white flag. Robinson crossed the finish line first over Redd, Green, Mitchell and Doug Way.

The roadrunner trophy dash went to Kolby Jackson over Raleigh Willoughby, Dax Kinsey and Robbie Nelson. Willoughby passed Jackson on the last lap of the heat to win while Dylan Cook, Kinsey and Nelson rounded out the top five finishers. Ken Barrett held the lead at the start of the main event but lost the position to Michael Lawrence on lap two followed by Jackson. Unfortunately for Lawrence, his time up front was short as Jackson took the lead on lap three bringing Willoughby with him. Meanwhile, Kinsey methodically maneuvered his way to the front, getting by Lawrence on lap 8 for third. Kinsey closed in as the front duo of Jackson and Willoughby fought for the lead. Kinsey got by Willoughby on lap 13 and then moved under and past Jackson for the lead on lap 16. Kinsey was able to hold on from that point as he took the win over Jackson, Willoughby, Nelson and Lawrence.

Chris Sarvinski won the thunder roadster trophy dash over Tommy Payne, Randy Olson and Mike Ward. The heat race proved to be a very interesting race. After a caution flag for Jay Bahner’s spin off turn two, Allen Olson spun in the first turn. Mike Ward hit Olson’s left-front wheel severely damaging the suspension on Olson’s car. Ward’s car came out of the incident clean. After the restart, another caution flew when Payne and Ward came together in turns three and four. Luckily nobody suffered any damage. Coming to the white flag, Sarvinski spun coming off turn four. As Sarvinski came back across the track, Ward had nowhere to go and slammed into the side of Sarvinski’s car ending the night prematurely for both drivers. Just after taking the yellow flag, Randy Olson and Ray Elliott who were first and second pulled into the pits believing they had taken the checkered flag when it had not been thrown. The end result put Belinda Ward into the lead on the restart and she was able to hold on and won over Bruce Ziemer, Rob Nelson, Bahner and Olson.

Bahner got a good start in the main event and took the race lead initially but he had his hands full by the end of the first lap as Elliott and Randy Olson had moved to second and third place. On lap two, Elliott looked for room under Bahner for the lead. Olson seized the opportunity and took the high line past Elliott for second. Olson worked the high line on Bahner the next two laps and took the race lead on lap five. At the same time, Payne hit the wall on the front stretch but continued on in the race. Moments later, Elliott and Bahner made contact sending Bahner spinning into the infield on the back stretch and bringing out the yellow flag. After the restart, Elliott began to make a charge back to the front along with Payne. Unfortunately for Payne, he spun off turn two and ended up losing a lap to the leaders. Elliott began racing Nelson for third on lap 10 and on lap 11 he moved under Nelson going into turn one. The two came together though. Nelson was able to slow up and avoid hitting the wall but Elliott was not so fortunate as he hit the wall and damaged his suspension. When the checkered flag flew it was Randy Olson winning handily over Ziemer, Nelson, Allen Olson and Belinda Ward.

Mic Moulton proved superior in the sportsman trophy dash beating Angelo Marcelli, Larry Pries and Dennis DelBiaggio. Jerry Peterson took the heat race win over DelBiaggio, Moulton, Donnie Brown and Scott Baker. Brown pulled into the lead in the initial stages of the main event ahead of Peterson. Brown tried as best he could to hold the top position but finally on lap five, Peterson moved under to take the lead. On lap seven, Marcelli made contact with Baker sending Baker spinning and bringing out the caution flag. Marcelli was sent to the rear of the field for initiating the contact. Racing resumed for two laps before DelBiaggio made contact with Brown coming off turn two while racing for second. Brown did a 360 and everyone avoided contact as the yellow flew. Like Marcelli, DelBiaggio was sent to the rear for his role in the spin.

After the restart, Peterson had his hands full with Moulton who was now in the second position. Moulton wasted little time, taking the lead on lap 10. Peterson desperately hung on to Moulton but as the laps wound down, Moulton was able to build his margin over Peterson to approximately five car lengths. At the checkered flag it was Moulton winning over Peterson, Pries, DelBiaggio and Marcelli.

Racing returns to Redwood Acres Raceway Saturday August 28th for Fan Appreciation Night.

Willoughby 3 for 3 on season, Barnwell and Peterson win their first

Willoughby 3 for 3 on season, Barnwell and Peterson win their first

By Matthew J. Sullivan

The grandstands were packed for the third straight weekend for Mother’s Day weekend racing this past Saturday evening at Redwood Acres Raceway. Unlike the previous too weekends where the weather was sunny but extremely windy, this weather for the afternoon was sunny, warm and with only a slight breeze in the air. Just like the first two races this season, the drivers in the local divisions did not fail to disappoint as the racing was close and many of the finishes hotly contested.

For the first time since the inception of the division in 1989, the mini stock class did not compete due to a low car count. Unless the division gains some more competitors as the season progresses, it may be unlikely that the minis will be racing at the Acres again. It would be an unfortunate shame for what is the oldest running division at Redwood Acres Raceway and at one time boasted fields of 20 or more cars.

In real stock action, Jim Redd won the trophy dash over Nick Green, Casey Mitchell and Shawn Craig. In the heat race, Wyatt Roach’s car succumbed to engine problems, something that had been plaguing him all afternoon. Mitchell won the heat ahead of Ryan Robinson, Craig, Green and Redd. Craig put his pole position starting spot to good use as he took the lead in the early going of the main event. Outside front row starter, Mitchell didn’t have the same fortune as he was unable to get his car to handle on the outside line costing him several positions. Redd proved to be Craig’s closest competition and at one point it looked as though Redd had the strength to challenge Craig for the lead. However, a challenge by Mitchell for second broke Redd’s momentum and gave Craig enough of gap to get to the checkered flag comfortably. Redd held on for second while Green, Mitchell and Robinson rounded out the top five.

The roadrunner division had another solid turnout with more drivers expected to join the field in the very near future. For the third time in three races, Raleigh Willoughby took the trophy dash win ahead of Dax Kinsey, Nick Hansen and Bill Snow. The heat race got rough for Dylan Cook who was using a barrowed car for the night when he made contact in turn one. Jimmy Murray also suffered damage in the incident as his hood popped open and covered his front vision. Thankfully the damage to both cars was reparable. Snow took the heat race victory over Charlie Anderson, Hansen, Kinsey and Willoughby.

The action got going from the very beginning of the main event. Robbie Nelson and Kolby Jackson got together and spun in turn two to bring out the caution flag. After a complete restart, Cook got bounced around and slammed into the backstretch wall putting him out of the race and bringing out the yellow flag again. After the restart, Cook and Anderson came together racing for third place in turn one sending Anderson spinning. Unfortunately, Jackson got loose and spun into Anderson’s stopped car. Anderson was able to continue in the event while Jackson was finished for the night.

After that incident, the field calmed down and the real racing got going. Kinsey was able to take the lead away from Rick Crawley bringing Hansen and Willoughby with him. These three were able to pull away from the rest of the field to decide who would be the winner amongst themselves. Willoughby was able to sneak under Hansen for second on lap 10. On lap 14, Kinsey got too high in turn four allowing Willoughby to slide under to take the lead. The two hit coming off the corner but both drivers were able to safely recover. Hansen was able to use lap traffic to get by Kinsey a few laps later. Unfortunately for Hansen, he was unable to put any kind of challenge to Willoughby for the lead and at the checkered flag it was Willoughby winning the third of three main events on the season. Hansen crossed second with Kinsey third, Snow fourth and Murray fifth.

Paul Peeples, Jr. found himself in familiar territory in the thunder roadster trophy dash as he was the race’s winner over Brandon Barnwell, Mike Ward and Tommy Payne. Barnwell took the heat race victory over Belinda Ward, Peeples, Mike Ward and Payne. Barnwell knew that getting to the front quickly would be a major key to getting the victory and he did just that, maneuvering through the field to take the lead away from Belinda Ward on lap five. By lap 8, Peeples moved by Ward for second and set his sights on Barnwell who had a substantial lead. The best racing of the night was between the husband/wife, or better wife/husband duo of Belinda and Mike Ward along with Tommy Payne. Belinda was driving her best race ever on the night solidly holding down the third position over two faster qualifiers.

On lap 15, Peeples finally caught Barnwell and tried to move under him coming off turn four. Peeples came off the corner too tight however forcing him to get sideways. In an effort to save his car, he drove through the grass and safely back on the track, however he lost his track position. On lap 20, Belinda Ward’s night went south when contact from her husband Mike sent her spinning in turn one and two. Peeples was able to close the gap in the final stages, but could only manage to catch Barnwell’s bumper at the checkered flag. The victory was Barnwell’s first in the thunder roadster division driving for Donn Cole. After Peeples it was Mike Ward third and Tommy Payne in fourth.

Larry Pries took the win in the sportsman trophy dash over Mic Moulton, Dennis DelBiaggio and Angelo Marcelli. The heat race featured a nip and tuck duel at the line as Donnie Brown won over DelBiaggio, Jerry Peterson, Pries and Moulton. Brown took the lead early on in the main event until lap four when the lights in turns three and four lost power resulting in a yellow flag. The drivers deemed the track safe enough to continue to race despite the lack of lighting and the race continued.

Things got close coming off the fourth turn on lap six when DelBiaggio and Joe McDonald made contact. McDonald drove his car though the grass and back into turn one without any further incident. Brown held onto the lead until lap 10 when Peterson drove under to take the spot bringing DelBiaggio and Moulton with him. With the field spread out, DelBiaggio and Moulton both worked to try to catch Peterson. With two laps remaining, DelBiaggio spun off turn two and into the infield. Peterson was able to take the checkered flag without challenge over Moulton, McDonald, Brown and Pries.

Racing at the Acres takes a much needed week off before returning Saturday May 22nd. The Airport Auto Brokers Late Model series will be making their first ever points-paying stop at Redwood Acres Raceway. It is the first of three events that the series will be making at the 3/8-mile paved oval in 2010.

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.

Olson breaks through to win, Barnwell victorious

Olson breaks through to win, Barnwell victorious

By Matthew J. Sullivan

Race number ten of the 2009 racing season at Redwood Acres Raceway occurred this past Saturday night. A beautiful Summer day turned to a cool and cloudy evening that was more akin to Spring. Nevertheless, it was another thrilling night of action on the 3/8-mile paved oval.

Five of the six local divisions partook in the night’s events. Unfortunately the limited street stock class did not race due to a low car turnout. Donnie Hyman won the real stock trophy dash beating Ryan Walters, Pat Conway and Jim Redd. Hyman followed up with a victory in the heat race ahead of Ryan Walters, Casey Mitchell, Dustin Walters and Conway. The 20 lap feature race proved to be a rough-and-tumble affair as there were an unusual number of incidents in what has been a very clean division throughout the 2009 season. Coming to the green flag, Dustin Walters who was outside of row one and Jim Redd who was outside of row two got sideways and spun at the same time. Redd hit the wall while Walters spun into the infield. Redd’s car was severely damaged but both were able to continue.

After a complete restart, Russ Robinson took the lead before he was turned by Dustin Walters in turn four bringing out a yellow flag before lap one had been completed. Walters was given the black flag and was forced into the pits for the rest of the race. Hyman inherited the lead over Conway, but by lap two Ryan Walters had moved into second. The top two pulled away from the rest of the field and dueled for the top spot. It was a tooth-and-nail duel as Walters occasionally used his bumper to try to pressure Hyman out of the lead. On lap 14, Robinson spun off turn four. At the same point, Walters and Hyman made contact off turn two sending Hyman spinning into the infield. Walters suffered damage to his nose and was forced to restart at the rear for his involvement in the incident. Doug Way took the lead on the restart, but coming off turn two he and Conway made contact spending Way spinning out of the lead. Conway was put to the rear of the field allowing Nick Green to take the lead. Green was able to lead the final four laps to take the victory over Redd, Hyman, Walters and Conway for his first main event victory of the year.

Brian McIntosh won the mini stock trophy dash over Craig Baker, Scott Baker and Brian Murrell, Jr. He backed that up with a heat race victory over Craig Baker, Scott Baker, Steve Smith and Jesse Chown. McIntosh took the lead from the front row in the 15-lap main event and held it before lap 2 when Murrell, Jr. got loose in turn two and spun bringing out the yellow flag. Craig Baker got a good jump on the restart and was able to pass McIntosh for the lead. Baker was able to pull out several car lengths over McIntosh, but with the laps winding down McIntosh was able to close in. On lap 11, McIntosh and Craig Baker made contact in turn one sending Baker spinning. Scott Baker was unable to slow down quick enough and hit McIntosh sending him into the infield and giving Baker the apparent lead. Under caution, Scott Baker was told to go to the rear by the officials. Baker decided to pull his car into the pits while McIntosh was able to keep his lead. The final three laps were incident free as McIntosh made a clean sweep on the night, taking the win over Murrell, Jr., Chown and Craig Baker.

The roadrunner division had a stout car count on the night with the addition of several new drivers. Joe Mitchell took the trophy dash over Wyatt Roach, Scott Campbell and Dustin DelBiaggio. Dylan Cook took the heat race win over Nick Bundy, Campbell, Roach and Charlie Anderson. The 20-lap feature was clean from the drop of the green to the drop of the checkered flag. Cook took the lead from the start while the field sorted out. While Cook pulled out to a comfortable margin, the best race in the field was between Anderson and Roach. The two raced side-by-side for the duration of the race. Roach was never able to use the high line to his advantage though. Mitchell was able to get by Roach and by Anderson by lap 18. At the front though, Cook had the field covered winning over Campbell handily. Mitchell finished third, Anderson fourth and Roach fifth.

Brandon Barnwell was doing double-duty on the night. In addition to driving his sportsman car, Barnwell was behind the wheel of Donn Cole’s thunder roadster. David Henderson won the thunder roadster trophy dash over Barnwell, Tommy Payne and Bruce Ziemer. Robert Miller won the first heat race ahead of Mike Ward, Shane Toole, Rob Nelson and Dave McMurray. Randy Olson made his first appearance of the 2009 season sporting an orange and white car. Olson won the second heat race over Jay Bahner, Ziemer, Barnwell and Payne. Ward took the lead early on in the 30-lap main event from his outside front row starting position. By lap two, Miller and Olson had moved into the third and fourth positions and looked prime to give Ward a challenge for the lead. Miller found the traction off turn two on lap three and got inside of Ward going into the third turn. Coming off turn four, both Ward and Miller pushed up allowing Olson to dive under making it three-wide across the stripe. The three went into turn one together but coming off turn two Olson was able to take the lead over Miller and Ward. Going into the third turn, Barnwell was able to take third from Ward. Two laps later, Barnwell was past Miller for second.

The caution flew on lap six when Henderson and Payne made contact off turn four. Payne’s left front tire got in touch with Henderson’s right rear sending Payne into the wall. Payne was okay but his car was done for the night. Henderson didn’t suffer any noticeable damage, but the incident seemed to hinder his car. Unlike all of the races prior, Henderson was not a factor for the race win on this night. After the restart, the best battle on the track was for the race lead. Olson and Barnwell fought a very clean battle for the top spot. On several occasions, it appeared as though Barnwell was going to use the low line to get by Olson, however Olson managed to pull his car out enough to prevent Barnwell from getting the positioning needed to challenge him for the lead. At the checkered flag it was Olson winning over Barnwell and Miller. Henderson claimed fourth while Ward finished fifth. Olson’s victory made him only the third different winner in the thunder roadster division this season. Prior to this race, every main event victory had been claimed by either David Henderson or Paul Peeples, Jr.

Larry Pries held off Brandon Barnwell, Dennis DelBiaggio and Angelo Marcelli to take the trophy dash win in the sportsman division. Jerry Peterson took the heat race win over DelBiaggio, Pries, Barnwell and Marcelli. In the 25-lap feature, Marcelli took the lead from the start. While Lissa Uselton dropped out after the first lap, Barnwell was quick to pounce on Peterson for second. On lap three, Barnwell moved high on Marcelli for the lead. The two went door handle-to-door handle for the next few laps before Barnwell was able to take the lead. On lap 8, Barnwell got under Marcelli for second. This opened the door for DelBiaggio and Pries to take third and fourth. It was single file after that and at the checkered flag it was Barnwell winning over Peterson, DelBiaggio, Pries and Marcelli.

The next event at Redwood Acres Raceway takes place Saturday August 8. Joining the local divisions will be the Pro-4 Modifieds who will be making their second appearance of 2009.

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.

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!

Barnwell and Combs return to victory lane

Barnwell and Combs return to victory lane

By Matthew J. Sullivan

Saturday night at Redwood Acres Raceway was a special event in many ways. Besides it being the Judy Fox Memorial, it was Back-To-School night as well. Added to that was a fairwell to track chaplain, Pastor Tom Galovich. Pastor Tom had led pre-race prayers and sang the National Anthem at the Acres since 1991, but was leaving after this race to pursue new opportunities in the Sacramento area while also being closer to his family. To top it all off, the weather at the Acres was fantastic. It was all just the beginning of a somewhat crazy evening of racing.

Prior to the races, all of the drivers came on the track in honor, thought and remembrance of loved ones. Drivers took a few ceremonial laps, while names of family and friends they were making the laps for were read to the fans. With only Fergy Ferguson and Kenny Demello showing up for the limited street stock division, there were no races held. Craig Baker continued his dominance in the mini stock division winning the trophy dash over brother Scott Baker, Denzil Barrett and Brian Murrell. Baker came back in the heat to win again over Scott Baker, Barrett, Murrell and Brian Murrell, Jr. Lap one of the 20-lap main event saw contact take Brian McIntosh into the turn one wall and out of the event. On the restart, Murrell took the lead over a hard charging Craig Baker. On lap four, Scott Baker moved by Barrett for the fourth position. On lap 8, Craig Baker moved outside and past Murrell for the lead.

The field spread out and it looked to be a runaway for Baker in the lead when Murrell’s engine blew coming off turn four in a fiery display. Murrell drove his car in the infield and was fine but was of course out of the event. Murrell’s blown engine allowed Ryan Ahrens to move into the fifth position, however while the cars were parked to clean up the oil on the front stretch, Ahrens car began to leak fluid and he drove his car in the infield to avoid putting more fluid on the track. The last five laps for Craig Baker proved to be fairly easy as he pulled away from Scott to take the win. Barrett finished fourth while Brian Murrell, Jr. continued his improvement in the division with a fourth place effort.

The trophy dash in the real stock division was taken by Trevor Miller over Shawn Craig, Jim Redd and Ryan Robinson. Nick Green narrowly won the heat race over Miller, Craig, Redd and Casey Mitchell. Bill Middleton took the lead on the first lap of the main event ahead of Redd and Miller. Bob Lima who was the pole-sitter pulled his car into the pits on the second lap, never to return. On lap four, Craig’s engine went going into the first turn. Craig quickly pulled his car off the track, but the yellow was thrown.

Middleton led Redd, Miller, Robinson and Mitchell to the green flag. Miller made a move outside of Redd on the sixth lap and took the position away in the first turn. Going down the back straight stretch, Miller moved outside of Middleton for the top spot. The two dueled for the lead until lap 8 when Redd, Middleton and Miller went into the third turn three-wide. Contact resulted in the fourth turn which sent both Middleton and Miller head-on into the concrete. Mitchell slammed into the wall trying to avoid the two cars. The race was delayed for several minutes to move the damaged cars and clean the fluid on the track. With only three cars left, the race was shortened from 25 to 12 laps. Redd was moved to the rear while Ryan Robinson led over Ray Robinson. Redd moved by Ray Robinson for second but couldn’t move by Ryan Robinson as he took the checkered flag first. However, Robinson’s car did not pass post-race tech and the win was awarded to Redd.

Tommy Payne took his first trophy at the Acres by winning the trophy dash over Paul Peeples, Jr., Mike Ward and David Henderson who was wheeling Chris Banfill’s car. Bruce Ziemer held off Ward in the first heat to win followed by Henderson, Donn Cole and Chris Lawrence. Troy Combs took the second heat over Peeples, Payne, Robert Miller and Jim Rich. Miller was the early leader of the 30-lap main event over Combs. On lap three, Combs moved under and past Miller for the lead. Just after that, Cole spun off the fourth turn bringing out the only yellow flag for this race.

Combs led Miller, Payne, Henderson and Lawrence to the green flag restart. Peeples quickly moved by Lawrence for fifth when the green dropped, while Henderson moved outside and by Payne. On lap five, Peeples moved to fourth by Payne for the position. The next lap, Henderson, Miller and Peeples went three-deep with Peeples getting the best of it by taking both positions and moving to second with Miller and Henderson still fighting for third. On lap eight, Henderson finally moved by Miller. By lap 13, Henderson was right on top of Peeples for second.

The dominance that has normally been displayed by Peeples in the division was being shown by Combs in this race as he led by nearly a full straightaway. With the laps clicking off, the best battle of the race was between Peeples and Henderson who were having their own race for the second spot. On lap 24, Mike Ward moved by Payne for fourth. With two laps left, Henderson finally found the inside line on Peeples and moved by. Going into turn one on the final lap, Peeples made contact with Henderson’s bumper sending Henderson spinning. In the mix up, Ward made nose-to-nose contact with Henderson. In the end it was Combs with the victory. Peeples was moved to the rear of the lead lap moving Miller into second in the lineup with Payne third, Ziemer fourth and Lawrence fifth.

Lakeport Speedway racer Noel McCormack, Jr. made the two to the Acres and quickly took a liking to the speedway in the sportsman division winning the trophy dash over Tim McCracken, Dennis Delbiaggio and Jerry Peterson. McCormack followed up with a last lap pass and the win in the first heat race over Delbiaggio, Rick Fox, Lissa Uselton and Ken Hallis. McCracken won the second heat followed by Brandon Barnwell, Peterson, Larry Pries and Angelo Marcelli. Uselton and Marcelli led the field to the green flag in the 30-lap main event. The two raced doorhandle to doorhandle the first lap before Uselton took the upper hand on lap two over Hallis and Barnwell. A few laps later, Hallis made contact with Uselton sending her spinning. Behind that the field bunched up and drivers stacked up on one another, resulting in damage for many, most noteable of those being Delbiaggio, McCracken, McCormack and Peterson. Just after the red flag was dropped, McCracken drove his car in the pits. Unfortunately, pitting under the red isn’t permitted and McCracken was disqualified. McCormack was able to continue while Peterson had to pull his car into the pits just before the restart to fix an overheating situation.

Barnwell was now the leader ahead of Marcelli, Fox, Pries and Keith Dias. On the restart, McCormack moved by Dias for fifth. On lap 10, McCormack was by Pries for fourth. A lap later Fox had to relinquish third to McCormack. Fox appeared to be struggling with his car as he was passed by Pries and Hallis on lap 13. McCormack moved by Marcelli for the second position on lap 15. A lap later, Pries tried to move by Marcelli. Going into the third turn, the two made contact and spun. Hallis spun in avoidance of the incident while Uselton was unable to squeeze between the wall and Marcelli severely damaging her car and ending her night prematurely.

Under the caution period, McCormack’s car began to show steam, and it appeared unclear as to whether he would have a chance of winning the race, much less finishing. Barnwell took the field to the restart. The final 15 laps were ran without incident with the main race being between Barnwell and McCormack. Try as he did, McCormack just did not have enough to put serious pressure on Barnwell for the lead. At the checkered flag it was Barnwell winning over McCormack, Fox, Hallis and Craig Huffman a solid and surprising fifth in his first race in the sportsman division.

Racing at the Acres goes on a three-week break before returning Saturday September 27th for the Fall Spectacular. All five local classes will be racing along with an open for the IMCA modifieds and the return of the North State Challenge Series late models.

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.

Miller wins main #1 in thunder roadsters, #1 Moulton two in a row in sportsman division

Miller wins main #1 in thunder roadsters, #1 Moulton two in a row in sportsman division

By Matthew J. Sullivan

It was an absolutely gorgeous evening Saturday night at Redwood Acres Raceway, perhaps the best weather that there has been on a race night all season. Although the limited street stocks were absent from the racing schedule once again, the mini stocks, real stocks, thunder roadsters and sportsman cars treated the fans to yet another thrilling night of close and intense racing action.

Craig Baker continued his dominance on this night in the mini stock division winning the four lap trophy dash over Brian Murrell, Max Capps and Scott Baker. The heat was no different as Craig Baker took the victory in that race ahead of Denzil Barrett, Capps, Brian McIntosh and brother Scott. McIntosh took the early lead in the 20 lap main event ahead of Capps, Scott Baker and Craig Baker. Capps made a daring pass by McIntosh on lap four in the first and second turns to take the lead. It wasn’t long though before Craig Baker began to make his presence felt. On lap four he moved by Scott. A lap later Craig moved into second getting by McIntosh. While Craig was closing the gap on Capps, McIntosh spun in the fourth turn on lap seven. On lap nine Craig Baker took the lead away from Capps and never looked back. The rest of the race was run cleanly with nobody able to put any pressure on the driver ahead of them. At the line it was Scott Baker, Capps, Craig Baker, Murrell and Barrett.

Trevor Miller won the real stock trophy dash over Ryan Walters subbing for Shaun Craig, Ryan Robinson and Bill Middleton. Jim Redd took the 10 lap heat race win over Bob Lima, Middleton, Walters and Casey Mitchell. Redd started from the outside pole in the main and took advantage of it by taking the lead and pulling out to a sizeable gap over the field. The faster cars of Ryan Walters and Miller weren’t able to move near the front until lap seven when Ryan passed brother Dustin for third bringing Miller with him. On lap 10 Ryan moved under Mitchell for second position with Miller following again.

Miller used the outside line to get by Ryan Walters for second on lap 12 and began to chase down the leader Redd who had a straightaway lead over him. On lap 14, Robinson spun in between turns three and four but got going again. Five laps later, Nick Green spun in the fourth turn but he was also able to return to racing. Meanwhile, Miller was rapidly catching Redd. On lap 20, Redd got loose in turns three and four allowing Miller to close right up on him. The final few laps saw close but clean racing between the two with Redd using up as much race track as possible to hold off Miller, and Miller trying to get by Redd as cleanly as possible. Coming to the line, Miller got under Redd coming off the fourth turn but unfortunately for his case Redd was able to win the drag race to the line. Ryan Walters took third with Mitchell fourth and Middleton fifth.

With Paul Peeples, Jr. not at the track on this night, it was wide-open as to who would win any of the races in the thunder roadster class. Robert Miller won the trophy dash over Mike Ward, Tommy Payne and Chris Banfill. The heat race belonged to Banfill as he held of Payne, Ward, Bruce Ziemer and Miller for the victory. Dave McMurray took the early lead in the main event while Miller and Ward raced wheel-to-wheel for the second position. Ward took the position on lap three and set his sights on McMurray for the lead. On lap four the two cars touched in turn four bringing out the yellow flag. Ward was forced to the rear on the restart while McMurray was done for the evening.

Miller inherited the lead over Payne, Banfill, Ziemer and Rick Crawley. Banfill moved by Payne for second on lap six. On lap 10, Ward moved into the fourth position getting by Ziemer. Banfill had his hands full as he was trying to get by Miller the leader, but he also had to worry about Payne making a pass on him too. Many times Banfill looked to possibly have a run on Miller but he couldn’t quite find the grip he needed to get by. At the checkered flag it was Miller holding off Banfill, Payne, Ward and Ziemer.

Veteran Dennis Delbiaggio won the sportsman trophy dash over Brandon Barnwell, Mic Moulton and Marty Walsh. Jerry Peterson won the first heat race ahead of Moulton, Angelo Marcelli, Romeo Venza and Barnwell. Larry Pries took the second heat over Delbiaggio, Lissa Uselton, Keith Dias and Marty Walsh. Unfortunately while warming up for the 30 lap main event, Dias lost control and spun his car into the wall in turns three and four prematurely ending his night. Uselton was able to take the early lead followed by Pries and Delbiaggio. On lap four, Walsh tried to move by Delbiaggio but got loose and made contact. Peterson had nowhere to go and hit Delbiaggio’s car. Fortunately all three drivers were able to make it back out.

Uselton took the green on the restart leading Pries, Barnwell, Moulton and Kavin Conn who was making his first start in the sportsman division. Pries moved under and past Uselton on lap five allowing Barnwell and Moulton to follow. On lap nine, Barnwell moved high to get by Pries but couldn’t do it allowing Moulton to move under and by to take the spot. The yellow flag dropped on lap 12 when Conn spun his car in turns three and four. Moulton tried to use the restart to get by Pries but was unsuccessful. The yellow flag came once again when Walsh and Uselton made contact on the seventeenth lap.

Pries led Moulton, Barnwell, Delbiaggio and Marcelli to the restart. On lap 19, Marcelli went into the infield and then into the pits a victim of a flat tire. Moulton was finally able to move by Pries on lap 22 after several laps of close racing. The yellow flag dropped once again bunching the field. Under the caution period, Delbiaggio pulled his car into the pits. Moulton now lead Pries and Barnwell to the restart. With three laps remaining, Pries and Barnwell made contact in turn two bringing out the caution flag again. The final few laps were fairly chaotic. Pries and Barnwell continued their duel to the last lap when the two made contact again. Pries’ car hit a patch of pavement going into turn three briefly getting airborne before getting on the track. In any case it was all behind Moulton who took the victory ahead of Walsh, Uselton, Pries and Barnwell.

There are only three events left on the 2008 schedule for Redwood Acres Raceway. The next race is Fan Appreciation Night on August 23rd.

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).