North State mods return to the Acres

North State mods return to the Acres

By Matthew J. Sullivan

The 2014 racing season at Redwood Acres Raceway hits its halfway point this weekend, Saturday July 5^th for a special Fourth of July celebration at the 3/8-mile paved oval. Joining the local divisions of roadrunners, bombers, mini stocks, Thunder Roadsters and late models will be the return of the North State Modified Series which had raced at the Acres earlier this season during the May 25^th Memorial Day weekend races. Capping the night off will be a spectacular fireworks show, the first time Redwood Acres Raceway has held a fireworks event. It promises to be a memorable and spectacular night for fans.

The point leader in the Humboldt Hydroponics roadrunner division is Gary Klinetobe. Of the five feature races thus far this season, Klinetobe has been victorious in four of them. Eugene Palmer broke Klinetobe’s win streak in the most recent race on June 21^st, doing so by mere inches. Palmer lies 21 points behind Klinetobe in the standings. Tim Abeyta holds down third, 44 behind Klinetobe. Robbie Robinson is fourth, 52 points behind the leader and Kayla Foster is fifth, 76 points behind.

Leonard Ward has made the John’s Used Cars and Wreckers bomber division his personal playground this season. Like Klinetobe in the roadrunner class, Ward has dominated the field in the bombers winning four of the five races in 2014. Due to his success, Ward has a 20 point gap over second place, James Moore. A rookie at the Acres, Moore was victorious during the May 25^th event. 60 points behind the leader in third position is Tyler Avelar. Fourth in points is Michael Lawrence who is 69 points in arrears of Ward. Matt Simon is fifth, 71 points behind.

The O’Reilly Auto Parts/Del Reka Distributing mini stock division saw an influx of cars during the fair night races two weeks ago. Brett Murrell holds the points lead in the class ahead of his older brother, Brian Murrell, Jr. by 12. Nick Green is a rookie to the division but not to racing at Redwood Acres Raceway and is third and 47 points behind the leader.  The top three drivers all have at least one main event win thus far this season Brett Murrell with one, Brian Murrell, Jr. with two and Green with one. Chelsea Champagne is fourth 58 markers behind Murrell while Sam Brown is fifth, 60 behind.

Since crashing out on opening night on May 17^th, Paul Peeples, Jr. has dominated the Bear River Hotel and Casino Thunder Roadster division knocking off four straight main event victories and holding down the points lead. David Henderson won the opening night race and has finished second to Peeples in all four races that he’s won. The gap between the two is only nine points. Chris Sarvinski is third, 37 points behind Peeples. Thomas Payne is fourth, 41 behind and Robbie Nelson is fifth, 70 points behind.

The closest competition at the Acres in 2014 has come in the Mid City Motor World late model division. Mic Moulton leads second place, Luke Hall by only four points. Both drivers each have two main event wins so far this season. Kenny Demello holds down third and is 36 points behind Moulton. Division rookie, Ryun Leazer is fourth and 47 points behind while Jerry Peterson is fifth, 54 points behind. Peterson is the only other driver who has won this year, his victory having come on the May 17^th race.

The North State Modified Series will be making its second stop to the Acres in 2014 this weekend. It will be the fourth race of six for the new touring series this season. Jay Linstroth leads Cody Braund by 26 points in the standings. Kyle Borden is third, 34 points behind Linstroth while Dustin DeRosier and Rich Cobb are fourth and fifth, 38 and 46 behind the leader respectively.  Linstroth won the series opener at Shasta Speedway while the previous race at the Acres on May 25^th was won by Darrin Knight. Linstroth took the most recent victory on the tour at All-American Speedway on June 21^st.

There will be an open practice session for all cars on Friday July 4^th between noon to 6:00 PM. Grandstands open at 5:00 PM on Saturday while the racing begins at 6:30 PM. For more information regarding this weekend’s events or news in general for Redwood Acres Raceway, please visit the track’s new and official website, www.racingtheacres.com.

Knight takes the crown at the Acres

Knight takes the crown at the Acres

 By Matthew J. Sullivan

It was another thrilling night of racing this past Sunday evening at Eureka, California’s Redwood Acres Raceway. Joining the five local divisions of roadrunners, bombers, mini stocks, Thunder Roadsters and late models for Salute the Troops night presented by Renner Petroleum were the North State Modified Series which like the local Acres racers were also running their second race of 2014.

A fantastic crowd packed the stands on what proved to be a clear and comfortable night weather-wise. Gary Klinetobe was the dominant force in the Roadrunner division for the second straight weekend. Klinetobe took the victories in the trophy dash and heat races and ran away with the race in the main event, taking the lead on lap seven and never looking back. Steve Paiment finished second ahead of Rick Estes, Eugene Palmer and Tim Abeyta.

It looked as though Leonard Ward III was going to be the man to beat the second straight week in the bomber division as he was victorious in the trophy dash and heat races. Unfortunately, Ward suffered issues early in the feature which took him off the track and out of the race. Rookie driver, James Moore showed surprising speed in only his second ever race. Moore grabbed the race lead on the third lap and was never seriously challenged afterward as he crossed the line first. Matt Simon and Brian Murrell, Sr. were scored finishing second and third after Tyler Avelar and Donnie Hyman failed post-race technical inspection.

After suffering issues which prevented him from racing the previous weekend, Brian Murrell, Jr. returned to the mini stock division in style. Murrell took the trophy in the dash race, won the heat race and obliterated the field in the main event, winning handily over second place, Craig Baker. Brian McIntosh placed third while Brett Murrell was fourth but unable to finish after his vehicle broke in the early going of the main event.

Paul Peeples, Jr. was in top form in the Thunder Roadster class as he took wins in the dash and heat races. Peeples was in the lead by lap six of the 30 lap feature and was followed the majority of the way by David Henderson. The two raced nose-to-tail with Peeples maintaining just enough of a lead on Henderson to prevent him from making a serious challenge for the lead. At the checkered flag it was Peeples winning over Henderson, Chris Sarvinski, Robbie Nelson and Thomas Payne.

The late model trophy dash win was taken by Jerry Peterson while the heat race victory went to Luke Hall. Just like the first race of the year, the main event featured spectacular racing between Hall and Mic Moulton. Hall moved to the race lead by lap two of the 35 lap affair and held the lead until lap 25 when Moulton was able to utilize the low line to take the pass. Hall maintained a close gap on Moulton but was never able to make a run to the lead again as Moulton crossed the line first over Hall, Peterson, Al Acuna and Joe Bonomini.

The North State Modifed Series made their second start of the season at the Acres. Citrus Heights, California racer, Jay Linstroth set the pace in qualifying with at 16.234 effort. The Lucas Oil A Dash for Cash win was taken by Corey James of Laytonville, California. Longtime veteran, Richie Potts of Petaluma, California won the Scrubba Bub’s B Dash for Cash. Kelseyville, California’s Darrin Knight was the victor in the Road Safety C Dash for Cash. The winner of all three dashes was awarded a 100 dollar bill for winning. Knight donated his 100 dollar bill to two members of the armed forces who were in attendance.

The 15-car field was brought to the green of the 60-lap feature by Richard Knight and Michael Morrison, Jr. Things got crazy in a hurry when Morrison and Linstroth came together off the second turn on lap two which collected Kyle Borden in the process. Morrison fell out of the event, Linstroth was sent to the rear and Borden pitted and returned to the field. Richard Knight held the lead on the restart until lap eight when Darrin Knight took the low line coming off the fourth turn for the lead.

The top three cars raced closely up front while Linstroth and Borden tried to battle their way back into contention. Richard Knight was able to stick to Darrin Knight’s bumper for most of the race but Cody Braund began aggravating him for second allowing Darrin Knight to pull away. With nearly ¾ of the race finished, an odor began emitting from one of the cars on the track. Coming down the front stretch, Richard Knight’s rear end let go sending off a shower of sparks and dumping fluid on the track. Fortunately, there was no serious damage but Knight’s race was done from that point.

The final 15 laps featured a furious race by Linstroth to the front which delighted the packed grandstands. Up front, Darrin Knight was withstanding Braund’s challenges for the race lead. The action was slowed with five laps remaining when Kyle Borden and Riley Watson tangled off turn four. After the restart, Knight was able to put a gap on Braund while Linstroth did all he could to maneuver his way past cars. At the checkered flag it was Knight winning while Braund narrowly held off Linstroth for the second position. Dustin DeRosier placed fourth while Potts rounded out the top five finishers.

After two straight weeks to start the season, racing at the Acres takes a one week break before returning Saturday June 7^th. Grandstands open at 5:00 PM while racing begins at 6:30 PM. You can find more information on the 2014 season at the Acres by visiting the track’s new and official website, www.racingtheacres.com.

Redwood Acres Raceway would like to thank the following sponsors for their help in keeping racing going on the North Coast: Humboldt Hydroponics for the roadrunners, John’s Used Cars and Wreckers for the bombers, Renner Petroleum for the mini stocks, Bear River Casino for the Thunder Roadsters and Mid City Motor World for the late models. Also thank you to Renner Petroleum for sponsoring Support the Troops night and the North State Modified Series racing for the weekend.

Results

Roadrunners

Fast Time: Gary Klinetobe 20.356

Trophy Dash: Klinetobe, Eugene Palmer, Rick Estes, Steve Paiment

Heat Race: Klinetobe, Palmer, Estes, Paiment, Tim Abeyta, Robbie Robinson, Kayla Foster

Main Event: Klinetobe, Paiment, Estes, Palmer, Abeyta, Robinson, Foster

Bombers

Fast Time: Leonard Ward III 18.997

Trophy Dash: Ward III, Tyler Avelar, James Moore, Donnie Hyman

Heat Race: Ward III, Avelar, Moore, Hyman, Brian Murrell, Sr., Matt Simon

Main Event: Moore, Simon, Murrell, Sr., Ward III, Hyman (DQ), Avelar (DQ)

Mini Stocks

Fast Time: Craig Baker 19.742

Trophy Dash: Brian Murrell, Jr., Brett Murrell, Brian McIntosh, Craig Baker

Heat Race: Murrell, Jr., Baker, William Sand, McIntosh, Murrell

Main Event: Murrell, Jr., Baker, McIntosh, Murrell

Thunder Roadsters

Fast Time: Paul Peeples, Jr. 17.026

Trophy Dash: Peeples, Chris Sarvinski, David Henderson, Robbie Nelson

Heat Race: Peeples, Bruce Ziemer, Henderson, Thomas Payne, Sarvinski, Nelson, Belinda Ward, Mike Ward

Main Event: Peeples, Henderson, Sarvinski, Nelson, Payne, Ziemer, B. Ward, M. Ward

Late Models

Fast Time: Mic Moulton 15.936

Trophy Dash: Jerry Peterson, Al Acuna, Luke Hall, Moulton

Heat Race: Hall, Moulton, Peterson, Kenny Demello, Acuna, Ryun Leazer, Joe Bonomini

Main Event: Moulton, Hall, Peterson, Acuna, Bonomini, Leazer, Demello

North State Modified Series

Fast Time: Jay Linstroth 16.324

Lucas Oil A Dash For Cash: Corey James, Don Swartz, Ralph Borden, Brad Watson, Herman Pulyer

Scrubba Bub’s B Dash For Cash: Richie Potts, Cody Braund, Dustin DeRosier, Riley Watson, Rich Cobb

Road Safety C Dash For Cash: Darrin Knight, Jay Linstroth, Richard Knight, Kyle Borden, Michael Morrison

Main Event: D. Knight, Braund, Linstroth, DeRosier, Potts, K. Borden, Cobb, R. Watson, B. Watson, James, Swartz, Pulyer, R. Knight. R. Borden, Morrison.