White Stops Moulton’s Streak, Wins Don Graham Memorial Firecracker 100

#19 Brandon White earned his fourth straight Don Graham Memorial Firecracker 100 Saturday night

Eureka, CA (July 8, 2018) – Redwood Acres Raceway was fortunate to have beautiful weather this past Saturday night for one of the biggest races of the 2018 season. Bi-Coastal Media Night at the Races which featured the late models in a 100-lap main event and a spectacular firework display which concluded the evening’s festivities. While the Bandolero and Legends divisions had the night off, roadrunners, bombers and mini stocks were the other divisions in action for the evening.

Jennifer Murrell was fast time for the Compass Community Credit Union roadrunners with a time of 21.766. Nick Ford took the race lead at the start of the first feature event. His biggest rival in the 2018 season has been Tim Ratzlaff and the two engaged in a race-long dual for the lead. The lead changed four times between both drivers. With two laps remaining, Ratzlaff gained the upper-hand and was able to fend off Ford for the win. Murrell, Lindsey Zito and Amanda Lohr rounded out the top five.

Zito jumped into the lead on the second main event which was run backward. Zito led the first five laps until Ratzlaff took over. On lap nine, Zito’s left front tire began to spark as the cords in her tires started to fail. As she entered turn two, her tire went flat and she lost control. Zito ended up hitting the rear-end of Ford’s car and both drivers were out of the race. Ratzlaff went unopposed the rest of the race as he won by over eight seconds. Lohr placed second with Allison McCarty and Murrell third and fourth. Zito was credited with a fifth-place effort.

The Fortuna Wheel & Brake/Four Star Realty bomber division qualifications were paced by Wyatt Roach with an 18.117. Ryan Walters took the trophy dash victory. Sam Brown led the first five laps of the feature event but was overtaken by R.J. Randall on lap six. Randall began to pull away as the other drivers tried to sort things out. With 10-laps remaining there appeared to be contact between Brown and Walters with both drivers hitting the wall between turns one and two. Brown was unable to continue while Walters tried to continue the race but was unable to due to the severe damage he sustained. Randall continued to lead in the subsequent restart and was able to maintain a comfortable gap over the rest of the field. At the checkered flag it was Randall winning over Jim Redd, Bethany Rapp, Roach and Chris Naughton.

Qualifying for the Humboldt Hydroponics mini stock division was paced by Brian Murrell, Sr. with a 19.039. The mini stock trophy dash win was taken by Brett Murrell. Nick Ford let the opening lap of the main event but was passed by Brian Murrell, Jr. on lap two. Murrell, Jr. gapped the rest of the field with his lead being nearly a straight-away over second place. Eugene Palmer moved to second with Murrell, Sr. running third. On lap 15, Murrell, Sr. took second and tried to catch his son. Lap 20 proved to be the turning point for the race. Murrell, Jr. spun out of the lead off turn two moving Murrell, Sr. to the point. Just moments later, a major wreck took place in turns three and four with Brett Murrell, Rick Estes and Ken McCarty all sustaining major damage.

Murrell, Sr. led the Palmer and the rest of the field to the restart. Palmer’s vehicle began to have issues which moved him out of the second position and struggling to finish the race. The final few laps came down to the father/son duo of Murrell, Sr. and Murrell, Jr. With two laps to go, Murrell, Jr. was right on his father’s bumper. Murrell, Sr. was able to withstand his son’s late run and was first at the finish line. Scott Taylor was second followed by Nick Ford and Trevor Eacret.

Brandon White’s 15.802 time set the standard in the Mid-City Motor World Super Six Challenge Series late model division. The heat race finishes determined the starting positions in the main event. The first heat was won by Dane Nissen. The second heat got off to a bad start as an incident took place down the backstretch which damaged the cars of Luke Hall and Marty Walsh. The incident dealt Walsh another bad blow for 2018 as he was unable to fix his car for the feature. Hall was more fortunate as his damage was repairable. Alan Cress earned pole position in the 100-lap feature with the win in the second heat race.

Cress used his front row start to take the lead on the first lap of the Don Graham Memorial Firecracker 100 presented by NorthCoast Lighting and Electric. Cress held the lead until lap 10 when White was able to get under and by for the top position. The race was slowed as incidents involving Dustin Walters, David Miller, Scott Baker and Chris Sarvinski all ran into trouble. White was able to maintain his lead after every restart and looked to have the best handle all race long. The second position swapped hands on lap 50 as Dane Nissen took over the spot from Cress. White had a comfortable lead over the rest of the field in the final few laps. Mic Moulton moved by Cress into third and he and Nissen battled with three laps remaining. At the finish it was White taking his fourth-straight Firecracker 100 victory. Nissen held off Moulton for second. Cress placed fourth with David Henderson finishing fifth.

Racing at Redwood Acres Raceway returns Saturday July 23rd. It will be a special weekend as the late models and North State Modifieds will both be in action. For more information on the upcoming races and the rest of the season, visit the track’s website www.RedwoodAcresRacing.com or Facebook page www.facebook.com/RedwoodAcresRaceway

Henderson Survives Full Moon Fever, Wins Biggest Race of Career

Late model winner, David Henderson

Eureka, CA (June 11, 2017) – It was Harper Motors Night this past Saturday at Redwood Acres Raceway. Joining the roadrunners, Legends, bombers, mini stock and Thunder Roadsters for the night were the late models for their third race of the Super 6 Late Model Challenge series.

Fast time for the California State and Federal Employee’s Credit Union roadrunner division was set by Daniel Buell with a 20.499. The first of the two main events for the division was ran backwards as Tim Ratzlaff took the lead on lap two and dominated the 20-lap event, leading 14 laps. Lap 16 proved to be Ratzlaff’s downfall as he hit the wall in turn three and fell out of the race. This handed the lead to Natya Dawn who had her hands full with Nick Ford. Dawn held the advantage on the white flag lap but going down the back stretch, Ford got the lead. At the finish it was Ford taking the win over Dawn, Daniel Buell, Bob Ratzlaff and Lindsey Zito.

Daniel Buell quickly raced to the lead of the second feature which was run under normal circumstances. The 21-second breakout rule came into effect in the latter stages of the race as both Buell and Tim Ratzlaff were forced to slow and allow the position behind to pass them. This played into Dawn’s favor as she was able to wrangle the lead with three laps to go. Unfortunately for her, just as in the previous race, Dawn was unable to hold off second place. Buell was able to get by on the final lap to take the win. Dawn held on for another second over Tim Ratzlaff, Ford and Jennifer Murrell.

Tyler Peach was the quickest in qualifying for the Nor-Cal Automotive Legends division with a time of 18.699. The night proved to belong to Peach as he was able to sweep the event with wins in the trophy dash, heat race and main event. Dominic Vogelsang placed second in the main followed by MKinzy Uselton.

In the Fortuna Wheel & Brake bomber division, R.J. Randall set fast time with an 18.207. Donnie Brown won the trophy dash and the heat race victories. A big incident ensued on the first lap of the 25-lap main event with Kolby Jackson and John Lally getting the worse end of it as both cars suffered damage. Lally was forced out of the race. On the restart, Randall took over and pulled out to a comfortable lead. Mike Sullivan slowly reeled in Randall in the closing stages but could only manage to get a little over a second to Randall. At the checkered it was Randall winning over Sullivan, James Moore, Brown and Bethany Rapp.

Brett Murrell set fast time in the Humboldt Hydroponics mini stock division with an 18.987. Murrell followed his top qualifying time with a win in the trophy dash. Rick Estes was the winner of the first heat race while Scott Taylor narrowly won the second heat. It didn’t take Brett Murrell long to move to the lead as he was able to move from the back of the pack to first in only two laps. Jarrett Mayo looked to be Murrell’s stiffest competitor in the early going but heavy smoke began to pour from his car and he was forced into the pits. Murrell pulled out to what proved to be an insurmountable lead. At the finish it was Murrell taking the win over his father, Brian Murrell, Sr. Eugene Palmer was third followed by Estes and Taylor.

Paul Peeples, Jr. was the top driver in qualifying for the Lone Star Junction Thunder Roadster division. Peeples timed in with a 17.194. Tommy Payne won the trophy dash while Peeples took heat race honors. The main event proved to be Peeples’ playground as he was in the lead by lap two. As Peeples pulled away, the battle for second was as good as it gets with Payne and O’Neil trading the spot numerous times. With five laps remaining in the 30-lap feature, Payne was able to secure second from O’Neil. Peeples advantage at the finish was nearly four seconds over Payne and O’Neil. Chris Lawrence took third while Tyler Peach placed fourth in his first time in a Thunder Roadster.

15 late models took time in the Super Six Late Model Challenge series presented by Danielson Construction, Mid-City Motor World and North Coast Lighting and Electric. Mic Moulton set the standard in qualifying with a time of 15.922. The finish of the heat races determined the starting lineup for the 75-lap feature. Richard Knight won the first heat which garnered him the ninth starting position for the main. Eric Gannon won the second heat race and secured the pole position for the feature. Gannon took the lead at the start of the main but had his hands full as David Henderson was tight in his mirror. The two ran nose-to-tail for the first 28 laps. On lap 29, Henderson maneuvered under Gannon to take the lead.

A spin by Richard Knight on lap 34 brought out a rash of cautions. Tyler Avelar and George Young had a meeting with the water barrels at the turn two pit entrance forcing a caution flag and a lengthy cleanup. Two more lengthy cleanups ensued as oil was dropped on the track. When things got going again, Henderson got to moving. By lap 40, Henderson was out to a comfortable lead as Marty Walsh took second from Gannon.

As the race went on, Henderson’s strength did not wane. Moulton took second from Walsh in the final few laps but had no chance of catching Henderson without the aid of a caution flag. Henderson took the victory by over half the length of the 3/8-mile paved oval. Moulton placed second with Walsh, Gannon and Tim Crenshaw rounding out the top five.

Racing at Redwood Acres Raceway takes a two week break before returning Saturday July 1st for the Don Graham Memorial Firecracker 100 for the late models. While Legends and Thunder Roadsters will have the night off, roadrunners, mini stocks and bombers will also be in action. Following the races will be the annual fireworks spectacular which has become a huge attraction for fans. For those looking for their oval-racing fix in the next few weeks, outlaw kart action will take place Saturday June 17th.

The Best Of Humboldt Fair at Redwood Acres is set to take place in two weeks and Redwood Acres Raceway plays host to the MLM Motorsports tractor pulls Saturday June 24th. VIP tickets can be purchased for $20.00 on the track’s official website, www.RacingTheAcres.com as well as Fortuna Wheel & Brake and the Redwood Acres Fair office. For more information on the upcoming events at the Acres, please visit www.RacingTheAcres.com