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!

Season ends with champions crowned, race cars destroyed

Season ends with champions crowned, race cars destroyed

By Matthew J. Sullivan

The 2007 points season came to a close for four of the five divisions at Redwood Acres Raceway this past weekend, thankfully for many drivers and teams. As has been displayed over the duration of the 2007 schedule, there was some great, tight racing as well as some spectacular crashes which severely damaged several cars. Orion Mosher capped off a spectacular season, winning another limited street stock main event, however rookie Scott Lyons claimed the division championship. Second year driver, Byron McIntosh took another main event victory in the mini stock division, which only added to his joy of being the division’s champion. While the real stock class didn’t finish their points season, the racing was just as close as Barry Barnwell took the trophy in the main. Paul Peeples, Jr. finished off a dominating season in the thunder roadster division with the main event win and the championship. Finally, in the sportsman division, Rick Fox took his first main event win of 2007 but Brandon Barnwell took the championship, unfortunately with a demolished race car at night’s end.

Scott Lyons took fast time honors for the limited street stock cars with a 17.505 lap. The dash victory went to Orion Mosher ahead of Stan Young, Robert Miller and Lyons. The heat was claimed by Mosher ahead of Duane Mayo, Miller, Lyons and Fergy Ferguson who made his lone appearance of the 2007 season. Mayo and Young led the field to the green flag in the 20 lap main event. Young led from the start while Mayo held of Miller and Mosher. On lap four, Miller moved inside of Mayo and took the position the next lap while Mosher followed into third. Mosher moved inside of Miller on lap six and the two raced side-by-side until lap nine when Mosher cleared Miller for the position. On lap 10, Mosher swept past Young for the lead.

While Mosher pulled away from the rest of the field, Young, Miller and Mayo fought for the second spot. On lap 14, the yellow came out for debris on the race track. Just after the restart, Miller pulled his car into the pits. As Mosher continued to pull away, Young and Mayo continued to duel for second. On the last lap the two tangled. Mosher won while Lyons moved into second. Mayo took third, Young fourth and Romeo Venza finished fifth. Lyons second place helped him finish off a spectacular season with the 2007 championship in the division.

Fast time for the mini stock division was set by Max Capps with a 19.095 time. Craig Baker won the dash over Capps, Denzil Barrett and Nick Karanopoulos. The heat was won by Bill Wood. Brian McIntosh took second, Glenn Bernald third, Barrett fourth and Capps fifth. Nine cars started the 20 lap main with Wood and Stacy Minnick taking the field to the green flag. Off the start, By. McIntosh took the front row three wide to take the lead. The next lap Karanopoulos tried the same maneuver but unfortunately contact was made with Wood causing a huge melee.

After the mess was cleaned up, Baker and Barrett were the two who weren’t able to make the restart. McIntosh led Wood, Minnick, Br. McIntosh and Capps. Byron pulled away from the field while Brian maneuvered his way through the field. He moved by Minnick for third off the restart and then by Wood on lap six. For the rest of the race, the excitement was whether or not Brian could catch brother Byron. By the time the race ended, Brian had closed on Byron’s bumper but that was it. It was Byron winning the race and clinching the title over Brian McIntosh, Wood, Capps and Karanopoulos.

Ryan Peeples laid down a blistering 19.238 lap time in the real stock division to claim fast time. Peeples won the dash ahead of Dan Brown, Troy Wood and Ray Robinson. Wood won the first heat over Chuck Essex, Barry Barnwell, Marvin Savage and Brown. Doug Way won the second followed by Peeples, Bill Middleton, Robinson and Steve Kimberling. Pat Conway and Way brought the field to the green in the 25 lap main event. Conway took the lead early before a lap two yellow flag. After the restart, Middleton moved inside of Nick Green for the fourth position on lap four bringing Barnwell with him. Peeples moved outside of Barnwell on lap six for fifth, while ahead of them Middleton moved outside of Savage for third. The four raced in a tight formation for several laps before Barnwell moved under and past Middleton on lap 10.

On lap 11, Barnwell moved outside of Savage but couldn’t pull off the pass. At the same time, Peeples moved by Middleton for fourth. The two leaders Conway and Way pulled away while Savage and Barnwell continued their duel. On lap 14, Barnwell moved into second. Peeples really began to show his strength, as he moved by Savage at the same time and moved by Barnwell for second a lap later, just as Way pulled his car into the pits and out of the race. Peeples rapidly began to close in on Conway. On lap 19, Brown moved by Barnwell but pushed up the track allowing Barnwell to move back inside.

On lap 20, Peeples and Conway made contact in the first turn sending Conway into a spin and bringing out the yellow flag. Officials determined Peeples to be at fault for the incident and he was sent to the rear of the field. Brown would have inherited the lead but pulled his car into the pits under the caution period handing the top spot over to Barnwell over Savage and Middleton. Barnwell got a good restart and stretched out a comfortable lead over Savage. Barnwell maintained a comfortable margin and took the win over Savage and Middleton. Kimberling was running in fourth on the last lap but got severely loose off the final corner allowing Wood and Peeples to take fourth and fifth at the end.

Paul Peeples, Jr. once again set the fastest time in qualifying for the thunder roadster cars with a very fast 16.898 time in. Peeples won the dash over David Henderson, Mike Ward. Unfortunately fourth place finisher Leroy Marsh, Jr. wrecked in the dash. Mark Baldwin won heat one over Ron Rosenthal, Chris Banfill, Mark Arroyo and Bruce Ziemer. Bill O’Neill won the second heat ahead of Troy Combs, Henderson, Thomas Payne and Peeples.

A strong 19 car field was brought to the green flag of the 30 lap main event by Arroyo and Payne. Arroyo grabbed the lead early. By lap three, Peeples had quickly maneuvered his way into the top five, getting by O’Neill. Donn Cole moved by Payne for second on lap five. Gehry Foster took the fifth position, moving by O’Neill on lap six. On the same lap, Cole spun in turn four causing cars to scatter left and right of his car. Fortunately everyone missed Cole’s car. Unfortunately for Combs, he was caught up in the aftermath of the melee and hit the wall, ending his evening.

At this time Arroyo held the lead over Peeples, Payne, Henderson and Foster. Henderson used the restart to his advantage moving by Payne. On lap seven, Peeples made his bid for the lead, taking it away from Arroyo. On lap 8, Ward and Banfill spun with Banfill having right front damage putting an end to his night. On the restart, Baldwin moved by O’Neill for fifth. Lap nine, Henderson moved inside of Arroyo for second. The duo dueled side-by-side until lap 11 when Henderson gained the upper hand down the back stretch. The field spread out and try as he might, Henderson just could not close the gap on Peeples. The race concluded with Peeples winning by several car lengths over Henderson, Arroyo, Baldwin and Foster. The win capped off what was a season of pure domination by Peeples, resulting in the division championship.

Dennis Delbiaggio returned to the Acres in the sportsman division and laid down fast time with a 16.493. Angelo Marcelli won the dash over Brandon Barnwell, Rick Fox and Delbiaggio. The dash saw two unfortunate incidents, one of which involved Lissa Uselton and Marcelli making contact off the fourth turn, another which saw Frank Billy, Jr. hit the turn four wall ending racing action for him. Barnwell won the heat over Delbiaggio, Uselton, Fox and Larry Pries.

Delbiaggio and Fox took the field to the green flag for the 25 lap main event. Delbiaggio took the early lead while the field settled into single file formation. On lap two, Barnwell moved by Usleton into fourth. On lap seven, Barnwell moved outside of Pries for third, but Pried found room under Fox to take the second spot, allowing Barnwell to follow him into third. Pries and Barnwell closed in on Delbiaggio quickly and the three raced nose-to-tail until lap 24 when Pries finally found room under Delbiaggio down the back stretch. Unfortunately the two tangled in the third turn collecting Barnwell. Fox slowed down and drove under the wreck while Uselton had to spin her car out to avoid a more serious situation. Fortunately, all cars involved received little to no damage.

With the field regrouped, it was Fox leading Delbiaggio, Barnwell, Marcelli and Pries to the green and white flag restart. Coming off the fourth turn, Barnwell moved outside of Delbiaggio for second but the two tangled causing a major incident involving Marcelli, Pries and Uselton behind them. At the line, Fox was the lone car without damage. Barnwell took second, Delbiaggio third, Marcelli fourth and Uselton fifth. Barnwell was crowned the sportsman division champion for 2007 after an impressive season.

Racing returns to the Acres September 28 and 29 for the annual Fall Spectacular. The championship for the real stock division will be determined. Joining them will be the thunder roadsters, the I.M.C.A./Grand American Modifieds and the North State Challenge Series late models. It promises to be an exciting close to what has been an exciting 2007 season.

Wrecks impair racing at the Acres

Wrecks impair racing at the Acres

By Matthew J. Sullivan

After a two week hiatus, racing returned to Redwood Acres Raceway for Back-To-School Night. Though several multi-car pileups slowed down the pace of the on track action, fans were able to witness a full slate of action in just over a three hour period. Scott Lyons took his second main event victory of the season in the limited street stock division. In the mini stocks, Craig Baker notched win number four for 2007. Ryan Robinson held off Doug Way in the real stock division taking his first win of the season. Perhaps the most familiar rivalry at the Acres in 2007 has been between Paul Peeples, Jr. and David Henderson. The two battled for the win once again with Henderson claiming the victory for the third time this season. It was the fifth time that the two drivers finished either first or second amongst themselves. Brandon Barnwell ran away with the sportsman main event for win number five.

Joining the five local classes was a special powder puff race. Female drivers drove borrowed real stock cars in the 10 lap main event. The race was originally scheduled for 10 laps but was cut to six when Mary DeMello spun in turn three collecting Whitney Burgess and Deborah Danielson. Danielson’s car went under Burgess’ car with Burgess rear end on Danielson’s hood. Debbie Huffman was the leader at the red flag but could not get her car to start when the yellow came out which gave the victory to Michelle Krupa. Others who were involved in the race were Kathryn Devries and Sequoya Warren.

Scott Lyons set quick time for the limited street stock cars with a 17.298 lap. Stan Young won the trophy dash over Duane Mayo, Lyons and Robert Miller. Kavin Conn won the heat driving Kenny Demello’s car. Mayo, Young, Miller and Lyons filled out the top five. Mayo and Miller brought the field to the green in the 15 lap main event. Mayo got the jump on Miller from the start while Lyons slotted himself into the second position. On lap four, Lyons moved well inside of Mayo going into turn three. The two made contact with Mayo spinning into the infield. Mayo lost a lap while trying to restart and the caution came out. On the restart, Lyons held the lead over Miller. Lyons pulled out to a eight car gap, but as the laps wound down Miller closed the gap to within a car length. That was as close as it would get though as Lyons crossed the start/finish line first over Miller, Young, Conn and Romeo Venza.

Fast time for the mini stock division was set by Byron McIntosh with an 18.791 time. Craig Baker won the dash over Denzil Barrett, McIntosh and Brian Murrell. The heat race saw a wreck between Murrell and Nick Karanopoulos severely damaging both cars. Max Capps took the win over By. McIntosh, Brian McIntosh, Barrett and Baker. Capps and By. McIntosh led the field to the green for the 15 lap mini stock main. Capps snookered By. McIntosh on the start, taking the lead while the two McIntosh brothers dueled side-by-side for the second spot. On lap two Brian had the advantage, but on lap three Byron took the position back. On lap five, Byron spun off the fourth turn into the infield. He got his car going however and racing was able to continue.

On lap eight, Baker moved outside of Capps for the lead, taking the position on lap nine. On lap 10, Br. McIntosh began to suffer engine woes and was passed by Murrell who was driving Barrett’s vehicle with his number on the side to score points for himself. From there on out the race was to see how long Br. McIntosh could stay on the track and if he would finish in the top five. On lap 11, Byron got by Brian for fourth. On the very last lap, Karanopoulos took fifth away from Brian. Meanwhile, Baker had smooth sailing in the lead taking the win handily over Capps, Murrell, By. McIntosh and Karanopoulos.

Steve Kimberling set the fast time for the real stock cars with a 19.511 lap time. The trophy dash victory went to Bill Middleton over Kimberling, Ryan Walters and Ryan Peeples. Peeples won the first heat followed by Kimberling, Barry Barnwell, Ray Robinson and Mark Mullan. Ryan Robinson won the second heat over Walters, Doug Way, Jim Redd and Marvin Savage. The 25 lap feature was brought to the green flag by Savage and Ray DeMello. DeMello took the lead off the start while Barnwell took second. A wild race for third place ensued between Savage and a host of other cars. By lap two though, Savage regained second from Barnwell. On lap three Ry. Robinson made a daring three wide pass to get by Barnwell and Savage to move into second, just before the yellow came out for debris on the track.

Ry. Robinson got a great start when the green came out again, taking the lead away from DeMello. Way got a similar start moving by Savage for third. On lap six, Way moved by DeMello to take second. Nick Green moved into fifth on lap seven, taking the position away from Barnwell. Two laps later, Green made a superb three wide pass to get by DeMello and Savage for third. Just behind him, Middleton went for a spin off of turn two, but was able to get going again. On lap 10, Troy Wood who was scoring points for himself using Chuck Essex’s car, spun in turn four collecting Mullan. Robinson’s substantial over Way was erased. On the restart, Way immediately tried to get by Robinson for the lead. On lap 15, Walters moved by Savage for fourth bringing Peeples in tow. On lap 21, Walters moved by Green for third. At the front, Robinson was able to hold off Way’s challenges to take the win. Walters took third while Peeples took fourth away from Green on the last lap.

Paul Peeples, Jr. set fast time once again for the thunder roadsters with a 17.057 clock-in. David Henderson took home the trophy for the dash ahead of Peeples, Chris Banfill and Mike Ward. Bill Bradbury beat Bruce Ziemer to the line in the first heat with Donn Cole, Chris Lawrence and Jay Bahner rounding out the front five. The second heat featured an incident between Ray Elliott and Henderson which knocked off the right front wheel and suspension from Henderson’s car. Peeples took the win though, followed by Chris Sarvinski, Leroy Marsh, Jr., Banfill and Ward.

Lawrence and Mark Arroyo who was borrowing a car for this race lead the 17 car field to the green in the 30 lap main event. Arroyo held took the lead from the drop of the green. On lap three, Elliott moved by Lawrence into second. The moved allowed Sarvinski, Marsh and Henderson all to get by Lawrence. Henderson moved inside of Marsh on lap eight to take the fourth position. On lap 10 Henderson moved by Sarvinski for third while Elliott moved by Arroyo for the lead. Henderson, Sarvinski, Marsh and Peeples all followed Elliott to take their places in the top five.

Peeples began to really make his presence known. On lap 13 he moved by Marsh for fourth. Four laps later, Peeples moved by Sarvinski for the third position. On lap 19, Henderson moved inside of Elliott, but Elliott held him off. The front three of Elliott, Henderson and Peeples began to distance themselves from the rest of the field. On lap 25, Henderson made his move to the inside of Elliott for the lead. The two raced side-by-side until lap 27 when Henderson gained the advantage. Peeples followed Henderson and completed the pass a lap later. Peeples would not be able to mount a serious threat to Henderson in the final two laps though. Henderson crossed the line first two car lengths ahead of Peeples. Elliott finished third, Sarvinski fourth and Banfill fifth.

Veteran Larry Pries was the fastest of the sportsman drivers with a 16.496 time. Pries won the dash over Brandon Barnwell, Rick Fox and Angelo Marcelli. The heat was marred by two crashes, the first taking place just after the cars got on track. Romeo Venza spun in turn four collecting Aaron Byers. As Venza’s car rolled down the track, he collected Jerry Peterson. The race itself saw an even more unfortunate incident. Barnwell and Lissa Usselton made contact while racing for second and the two spun in front of the rest of the field, collecting Pries and Venza, knocking both of their cars out for the rest of the night. Fox won the heat followed by Barnwell, Marcelli, Byers and Peterson.

With only six cars making the start, the main event was cut down to 25 laps. Pries was able to make the start thanks to Byers who gave his car to him to score points. Uselton and Marcelli took the field to the green. Uselton got severely loose off the start allowing Marcelli to easily take the lead ahead of Barnwell. On lap three, Fox took third away from Uselton. On lap six, Barnwell looked inside of Marcelli for the lead, but found no room. Fox looked inside of Barnwell on lap 10, but Barnwell fended him off. On lap 15, Barnwell found a hole inside of Marcelli and took it and the lead, bringing Fox with him to second. While trying to follow into third, Uselton and Marcelli made contact going into turn one. Uselton miraculously saved her car but lost a lot of track position and was not able to make a challenge on Marcelli again. The rest of the race ran smoothly with Barnwell comfortably winning over Fox, Marcelli, Uselton and Peterson.

Mercifully for the sportsman class, racing at the Acres takes a break Labor Day weekend allowing drivers and teams to get their cars back together. Racing resumes September 8th with all five classes returning to action once more in 2007.

Surprising victory for Jerry Peterson, Peeples returns to form

Surprising victory for Jerry Peterson, Peeples returns to form

By Matthew J. Sullivan

After a long two week break from racing at the Acres, action got back going this past Saturday night. As always, all five local classes were on hand to provide intense racing action for north coast racing fans. Orion Mosher made things look easy in the limited street stock main event, scoring another win for the 2007 season. Craig Baker’s late pass on Nick Karanopoulos enabled him to score the win in the mini stock feature. Driving a borrowed car, Ryan Walters took the win in the real stock action. Jerry Peterson showed surprising strength, muscling past Brandon Barnwell and running away from the field in the sportsman class to win. After several weeks of being out of the winner’s circle, Paul Peeples, Jr. made his way back taking the win in the thunder roadster main event.

Orion Mosher set fast time for the limited street stock drivers with a 17.412 lap time. Robert Miller won the dash ahead of Scott Lyons, Mosher and Kenny Demello. The victory for the heat went to Mosher beating out Miller, Lyons, Demello and Stan Young. The 15 lap main event was brought to the green flag by Demello and Lyons. Demello was able to get the early lead over Mosher. Mosher worked Demello’s bumper until lap five when he was able to get by Demello for the lead. While Mosher pulled away, the best racing was between Demello, Lyons and Miller. With three laps to go, Miller got loose while trying to get by Lyons causing him to spin in turn four and allowing Young to move to the fourth position. At the checkered flag it was Mosher winning ahead of Demello, Lyons, Young and Miller.

The fast lap for the mini stock division was set by Byron McIntosh with a 19.056 lap. McIntosh took the heat win over Brian Murrell, Max Capps and Nick Karanopoulos. Craig Baker won the heat over Denzil Barrett, Karanopoulos, Murrell and McIntosh. The 15 lap main event was led to the green flag by Brian McIntosh and Karanopoulos. The early lead was held by Karanopoulos while the rest of the field jockeyed for position behind him. On lap two, Capps moved inside of Brian McIntosh to take second, bringing Byron McIntosh with him. On lap seven, Baker moved inside of Byron McIntosh for fourth. A lap later, Baker took third away from Capps. On lap 11, Baker took second from Murrell, bringing Byron McIntosh with him. With two to go, Baker pulled by Karanopoulos for the lead. While trying to fight back, going into the third turn Karanopoulos got loose and lost several positions. At the finish it was Baker winning ahead of Brian McIntosh, Murrell, Capps and Karanopoulos.

Former limited street stock ace Shawn Craig returned to racing at the Acres in the real stocks and took quick time with a 19.239 lap. Steve Kimberling won the dash followed by Ryan Peeples, Bill Middleton and Craig. Craig won the first head ahead of Ryan Walters, Kimberling, Jim Redd and Bob Lima. Just after crossing the finish line, Walters and Kimberling tangled with Walters receiving the worst of the damage. The official ruling was that Kimberling would be parked for the evening for whatever part he played in the incident. The second heat was taken by Doug Way ahead of Middleton, Peeples, Ray Robinson and Ray DeMello.

Nick Green and DeMello led the 15 car field to the green of the 25 lap feature event. Green took the initial lead before Redd took over to lead the first lap. On lap two, Bob Lima and Peeples made contact sending Peeples for a spin between the third and fourth turns bringing out the yellow flag. After the restart, the race went green for three more laps before Marvin Savage spun collecting Chuck Essex and Green bringing out the second yellow flag of the race. By this time, Redd held the lead over Troy Wood, Way, Lima and Walters who was driving the car Craig was driving earlier in the evening. After several more laps of green flag running, the yellow came out once more when Lima and Walters made contact, shearing off Walters’ front bumper and throwing it on the front straightaway.

After the restart, Way made his way by Wood on the twelfth lap. The next lap, Lima and Walters maneuvered their way by Wood to take third and fourth. On lap 17, Essex spun in turn four but got back going. At the same time, Way moved outside and by Redd for the lead. Walters moved by Redd a lap later to take the second position. Middleton, Lima and Redd went three wide going into turn one on lap 19. Unfortunately, Middleton spun bringing out the yellow. On the final restart, Walters got the jump on Way and made his way by. Lima looked outside of Wood on lap 22 but got loose allowing Essex and Middleton to pass. With two laps left, Middleton got loose in turn three allowing Lima to take fifth. At the line though it was Walters notching the victory ahead of Way, Wood, Essex and Lima.

Brandon Barnwell took fast time in the sportsman division with a 16.564 lap. Rick Fox won the dash over Aaron Byers, Lissa Uselton and Barnwell. Byers took the head victory over Angelo Marcelli, Fox, Barnwell and Uselton. Joe Bonomini and Marcelli led the field to the green in the 30 lap main event. For the first five laps, the first three rows dueled side by side in a clean battle. Finally on the sixth lap, Bonomini was able to gain the advantage and take the lead bringing Fox into the second spot. On lap seven, Fox and Bonomini tangled sending Bonomini spinning. Under the caution flag, Fox was relegated to the rear of the field giving Byers the lead over Uselton, Barnwell and Jerry Peterson.

On the restart, Barnwell got by Uselton for second. Peterson moved to Uselton’s outside and took third a lap later. On lap 11, Bonomini spun in the fourth turn ending his evening. The restart came once more with Barnwell and Peterson on Byers’ tail. On lap 13, Fox moved inside of Uselton completing the pass the next lap. On lap 16, Byers grazed the back stretch wall but was able to continue with minimal damage. On lap 17, Larry Pries spun in turn two bringing out another yellow flag. Barnwell took advantage of Byers on the restart and took the lead, bringing Peterson and Fox with him. While trying to follow Fox, Uselton spun trying to avoid hitting Byers. She lost several spots but got her car going again.

On lap 21, Peterson rocketed his way past Barnwell to take the lead. The next lap off turn two, Barnwell and Fox had contact sending Barnwell into a spin. He kept going though and there wasn’t a yellow flag. The field stretched out until lap 27 when Pries spun again. In the last few laps, Fox tried to find a line by Peterson but Peterson was just too strong on this night as he was able to take the win ahead of Fox, Byers, Marcelli and Barnwell.

Paul Peeples, Jr. set quick time for the thunder roadster division with a 16.981 lap time. Leroy Marsh, Jr. won the dash over Peeples, Chris Banfill and David Henderson who pulled his car into the pits suffering with problems. Henderson borrowed Ron Rosenthal’s car to complete the night’s events. Fred Hanks won the first head ahead of Donn Cole, Troy Combs, Bill Bradbury and Bruce Ziemer. Peeples won the second head over Chris Banfill, Henderson, Ray Elliott and Bill O’Neill. Unfortunately, Jay Bahner wrecked in the heat forcing him to miss the start of the roadster main event.

Combs and Gerhy Foster lead the 19 car field to the green of the 35 lap feature event. Combs took the lead from the start. Banfill moved to second quickly taking the spot from Foster. On lap three, Elliott took third from Foster. The fourth lap, Bradbury spun off the fourth turn collecting Chris Sarvinski and Hanks bringing out the yellow flag. On the restart, Peeples moved outside and by Marsh. On lap seven, Peeples moved into fourth passing Foster for the position. Banfill looked inside of Combs for the lead on lap eight, but Combs shut the door. The front four of Combs, Banfill, Elliott and Peeples pulled away from the rest of the field before lap 20 when Elliott spun in turn four bringing out the yellow flag.

On the restart it was Combs leading Banfill, Peeples, Marsh and Henderson. Peeples got a great start on Banfill and made the pass. On lap 22, Peeples moved by Combs to take the lead. The next lap, Henderson took fourth away from Marsh. On lap 25, Henderson moved inside of Banfill and finished the pass the next lap. Marsh was able to follow in Henderson’s wake to take fourth from Banfill. On lap 27, Banfill moved back by Marsh. While Peeples held a comfortable lead over Combs, Banfill and Marsh continued their duel for fourth before lap 32 when Marsh moved by Banfill to take the lead. Up front though, it was Peeples winning over Combs, Henderson, Marsh and Banfill.

Drivers and teams have a quick week to get prepared for another race this coming weekend. It should be another special event with some added excitement as it will be Fan Appreciation Night at the Acres. Joining the five local classes will be Powderpuff races. There’s little doubt that there will be a packed house ready to see the same kind of intense excitement that the 2007 season at the Acres has produced.

Limited Street Stocks
Fast Time Orion Mosher 17.412
Dash: Robert Miller, Scott Lyons, Mosher, Kenny Demello
Heat: Mosher, Miller, Lyons, Demello, Stan Young, Duane Mayo
Main: Mosher, Demello, Lyons, Young, Miller, Romeo Venza

Mini Stocks
Fast Time Byron McIntosh 19.056
Dash: By. McIntosh, Brian Murrell, Max Capps, Nick Karanopoulos
Heat: Craig Baker, Denzil Barrett, Karanopoulos, Murrell, By. McIntosh, Capps, Brian McIntosh
Main: Baker, By. McIntosh, Murrell, Capps, Karanopoulos, Br. McIntosh, Barrett

Real Stocks
Fast Time Shawn Craig 19.239
Dash: Steve Kimberling, Ryan Peeples, Bill Middleton, Craig
Heat 1: Craig, Ryan Walters, Kimberling, Jim Redd, Bob Lima, Chuck Essex, Nick Green, Mark Mullan, Dana DeVane
Heat 2: Doug Way, Middleton, Peeples, Ray Robinson, Ray DeMello, Troy Wood, Marvin Savage, Ryan Robinson
Main: Walters, Way, Wood, Essex, Lima, Middleton, Savage, DeMello, Ra. Robinson, Green, Mullan, DeVane, Redd, Peeples, Ry. Robinson

Sportsman
Fast Time Brandon Barnwell 16.564
Dash: Rick Fox, Aaron Byers, Lissa Uselton, Barnwell
Heat: Byers, Angelo Marcelli, Fox, Barnwell, Uselton, Joe Bonomini, Jerry Peterson, Larry Pries, Romeo Venza
Main: Peterson, Fox, Byers, Marcelli, Barnwell, Uselton, Venza, Pries, Bonomini

Thunder Roadsters
Fast Time Paul Peeples, Jr. 16.981
Dash: Leroy Marsh, Jr., Peeples, Chris Banfill, David Henderson
Heat 1: Fred Hanks, Donn Cole, Troy Combs, Bruce Ziemer, Bill Bradbury, Rob Nelson, Chris Sarvinski, Mike Ward, Belinda Ward, Gary Payne
Heat 2: Peeples, Banfill, Henderson, Ray Elliott, Bill O’Neill, Gehry Foster, Chris Lawrence, Mark Baldwin, Marsh, Jay Bahner
Main: Peeples, Combs, Henderson, Marsh, Banfill, Foster, M. Ward, Lawrence, O’Neill, Ziemer, Baldwin, McMurray, Elliott, Hanks, Nelson, B. Ward, Bahner, Bradbury, Sarvinski, Cole.

Three first-time winners highlight racing at the Acres

Three first-time winners highlight racing at the Acres

By Matthew J. Sullivan

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

McIntosh, Barnwell and Peeples two for two to start the season

McIntosh, Barnwell and Peeples two for two to start the season

By Matthew J. Sullivan
Eureka, CA

Fans attending the second race of the season at Redwood Acres Raceway might have thought they were watching the first race. With three of the four winners from opening night going back-to-back with main event victories it would not have been surprising if the fans actually did believe so. Byron McIntosh, Brandon Barnwell and Paul Peeples Jr. were the three drivers who are batting one thousand thus far in the 2007 season in the mini stock, sportsman and thunder roadster divisions while Orion Mosher took his first main event win of the season in the limited street stock class after finishing second in the season opener.

Mosher set quick time for the limited streets with a 17.426 qualifying time. Kenny Demello won the four lap trophy dash, but the rest of the night would belong to Mosher. Driving his yellow and blue numbered 77 truck, Mosher was able to win the heat race and take the limited street stock main event victory over Duane Mayo and George Young. With season opening winner Adrien Betournay not running the full season, Mosher’s win was enough to propel him into the points lead, 18 ahead of second place Young.

Jason Shaha was the quickest of the mini stock cars in qualifying, timing in at 18.940. However, it was Brian Murrell who looked to be the man to beat on this night as he took the win in both the trophy dash and the heat race. It would not be his night in the main event though. The victor would once again be Byron McIntosh taking his second main event of the season and his career. Max Capps drove to a personal best second place finish. McIntosh’s main event win was just enough to keep him in the points lead, however only two ahead of Murrell.

The real stock division had a surprising fast qualifier as Marvin Savage was fastest with a 19.364 lap. Cecil Arispe won the dash while Nick Green and Troy Wood claimed victory in their respective heat races. Wood was able to transfer the momentum of his heat race win to the main event as he held off quick qualifier Savage to take the main event win. Wood holds the points lead in the division over Bill Middleton and Steve Kimberling by seven points.

Qualifying for the sportsman division was headed by Donnie Brown with a 16.880 lap. Long time Acres runner Ken Hallis won the trophy dash while Brandon Barnwell won the heat. The main event came down to the final few feet as Barnwell was able to take the win over Rick Fox coming off turn four. Barnwell holds the points lead over Fox by six points.

The experience of Paul Peeples, Jr. continues to pay off for him in the thunder roadster division. Peeples was fastest in qualifying with a lap of 17.013 however, David Henderson was able to take the dash win over Peeples. Bruce Ziemer won the first heat, while Peeples turned the tables on Henderson in the second heat to win. Peeples and Henderson dueled once again in the main event with Peeples coming out with the win when all was said and done. Peeples’ victory padded his points lead to 26 points over Henderson and Chris Banfill who are tied for the second position.

It’s a quick turnaround this Saturday night as racing will resume once again at the Redwood Acres Raceway. Joining the five local classes will be the BCRA midget division who are making their annual May stop. The midgets will have a little extra prestige this weekend as it will be a double points race for them. It will definitely be another thrilling night on the asphalt at the Acres.

Race Results
Limited Street Stocks
Dash: Kenny Demello, Orion Mosher, Romeo Venza
Heat: Mosher, Robert Miller, Demello, Duane Mayo, Scott Lyons, George Young
Main: Mosher, Mayo, Young, Miller, Lyons, Demello

Mini Stocks
Dash: Brian Murrell, Byron McIntosh, Jason Shaha, Scott Baker
Heat: Murrell, Baker, By. McIntosh, Brian McIntosh, Max Capps, Nick Karanapoulos, Mark Williams
Main: By. McIntosh, Capps, Br. McIntosh, Murrell, Williams, Karanapoulos, Baker

Real Stocks
Dash: Cecil Arispe, Marvin Savage, Troy Wood, Ryan Walters
Heat 1: Nick Green, Arispe, Walters, Savage, Chad Grammer, Mark Mullan, Chuck Essex, Donnie Hyman
Heat 2: Wood, Steve Kimberling, Rick Crawley, Bill Middleton, Ray Robinson, Doug Way, Rick Peeples, Jim Bailey, Pat Conway
Main: Wood, Savage, Middleton, Kimberling, Green, Walters, Peeples, Crawley, Way, Mullan, Arispe, Essex

Sportsman
Dash: Ken Hallis, Larry Pries, Donnie Brown, Aaron Byers
Heat: Brandon Barnwell, Angelo Marcelli, Rick Fox, Pries, Hallis, Lissa Uselton, Brown, Byers, Mike Bourbon, Joe Bonomini
Main: Barnwell, Fox, Hallis, Pries, Bonomini, Byers, Brown, Marcelli, Bourbon, Uselton

Thunder Roadsters
Dash: David Henderson, Paul Peeples, Jr., Ray Elliott, Leroy Marsh, Jr.
Heat 1: Bruce Ziemer, Bill Bradbury, Ron Borges, Mike Ward, Gary Payne, Rob Nelson, Belinda Ward, Donn Cole, Dave McMurray
Heat 2: Peeples, Jr., Henderson, Mark Arroyo, Chris Banfill, Marsh, Jr., Jay Bahner, Elliott, Chris Lawrence, Gehry Foster
Main: Peeples, Jr., Henderson, Marsh, Jr., Banfill, Arroyo, Elliott, McMurray, M. Ward, Cole, Ziemer, Lawrence, Bradbury, Nelson, Borges, Foster, Bahner, B. Ward, Payne

Points
Limited Street Stocks
1. Mosher 136, 2. Young 118, 3. Miller 116, 4. Lyons 110 5. Mayo 108, 6. Demello 72, 7. Adrien Betournay 71, 8. Venza 21

Mini Stocks
1. By. McIntosh 135, 2. Murrell 133, 3. Capps 120, 4. Glenn Bernald/Williams 117, 5. Br. McIntosh 112 t6. Karanopoulos 106, t6. Baker 106, 8. Shaha 77, 9. Stacy Minnick 59, 10. Denzil Barrett 11

Real Stocks
1. Wood 136, t2. Middleton 129, t2. Kimberling 129, 4. Savage 120, 5. Green 109, 6. Barrett Barnwell/Walters 108, 7. Arispe 104, 8. Peeples 92, 9. Essex 85, 10. Way 84

Sportsman
1. Barnwell 144, 2. Fox 138, 3. Pries 130, 4. Marcelli 118, t5. Byers 113, t5. Brown 113, 7. Uselton 107, 8. Bonomini 106, 9. Hallis 67, 10. Bourbon 58

Thunder Roadsters
1. Peeples Jr. 152, t2. Henderson 126, t2. Banfill 126, 4. Arroyo 123, 5. Cole 111, 6. M. Ward 102, t7. Elliott 98, t7. Borges 98, t9. McMurray 92, t9. Lawrence 92.

Peeples, Barnwell, Middleton big winners on Acres opening night

Peeples, Barnwell, Middleton big winners on Acres opening night

By Matthew J. Sullivan

After rain washed out the initial April 21st season opener at Redwood Acres Raceway, the week’s delay only strengthened the excitement among drivers, crew members and fans alike this past Saturday. A packed house was treated to some of the best racing on the west coast provided by the drivers of the thunder roadster, sportsman, real stock, mini stock and limited street stock divisions.

Although the limited street stock class has struggled with its car count in the past, the drivers have always provided some great on-track competition. Class veteran Orion Mosher set quick time and won the trophy dash, but the rest of the night would belong to defending limited street stock champion, Adrien Betournay. He was able to hold off Mosher in the heat race, and in the main event the two battled again with Betournay crossing the line ahead of Mosher. Betournay will not be racing the full season and is hoping to sell his car.

Jason Shaha returned to the Acres after a hiatus of a few seasons and set quick time for the mini stock division. However, the driver who looked to be the man to beat was Brian Murrell. After finishing a close second in points in the division last season, Murrell wanted to get the 2007 season started off right, and he did so by winning the trophy dash and the heat race. In the main event, the two fastest cars appeared to belong to Murrell and Shaha. Unfortunately for them, outside front row starter Byron McIntosh was able to find his groove in the main event and pulled out to a large lead over the field. After working their way through the field, both Murrell and Shaha were able to catch up to McIntosh, but neither could find a way by when the checkered flag flew. The win was McIntosh’s first main event victory in only his second season of racing.

Redwood Acres real stock division has always provided some memorable races and it was no different on this night. Real stock veteran Troy Wood took home the dash win while Barry Barnwell and Steve Kimberling won their respective heat races, but the night would belong to Bill Middleton. After starting in the back, Middleton was able to maneuver his way to the front of the field, passing cars and avoiding incidents. Middleton was in a real pressure cooker the last few laps of the race with both Kimberling and Wood in his mirror waiting for any mistake he would make. To their dismay, Middleton never did and he was able to win. Middleton’s victory definitely had a huge significance to himself and his family as before the season, his nephew Raymond Middleton, Jr. lost his life in a tragic car accident. Raymond had planned to run in the real stock division in 2007.

Acres veteran Larry Pries set the quick time in the sportsman class and won the four lap dash. Another Acres veteran, Angelo Marcelli was able to win the heat. After a poor qualifying effort, Brandon Barnwell was able to use his outside front row starting position to his benefit, first by being ahead of a multi-car wreck in the first turn on the first lap, then by getting around Marcelli on the high line after the race restarted. Although a late race caution flag bunched the field up, Barnwell was able to fend off any and all challenges taking the sportsman main event victory.

The many years of experience that Paul Peeples, Jr. has continue to be of great advantage for him in the thunder roadster division. Peeples set fast time but it was David Henderson who won the dash. Jay Bahner won the first heat race while Peeples took the second. As last season proved, the start of 20 thunder roadsters on the 3/8 paved oval is exciting to say the least. With the field bunched up, Peeples quickly made his way to the front. By lap seven he was in the lead getting by Donn Cole and pulling away from the competition. The best action was provided by Bill O’Neill and David Henderson. With the race winding down, Henderson made a move to O’Neill’s outside, but was boxed in by a slower car allowing O’Neill to keep the position and costing Henderson two spots. Although it was not easy, Peeples made it look like it was taking the main event win.

The next race at the Redwood Acres Raceway takes place May 12th. The Best Appearing Car Contest which was originally scheduled for April 21st will take place before the night's racing action.

Race Results

Limited Street Stocks
Dash: Orion Mosher, Kenny Demello, Robert Miller, Adrien Betournay
Heat: Betournay, Mosher, Demello, Miller, Stan Young, Scott Lyons, Duane Mayo
Main: Betournay, Mosher, Young, Mayo, Lyons, Miller

Mini Stocks
Dash: Brian Murrell, Scott Baker, Stacy Minnick, Jason Shaha (DNS)
Heat: Murrell, Shaha, Glenn Bernald, Max Capps, Nick Karanopoulos, Minnick, Baker, Byron McIntosh, Brian McIntosh, Denzel Barrett
Main: By. McIntosh, Murrell, Shaha, Bernald, Minnick, Capps, Br. McIntosh, Karanopoulos, Baker

Real Stocks
Dash: Troy Wood, Bill Middleton, Jim Bailey, Ryan Robinson
Heat 1: Barry Barnwell, Cecil Arispe, Robinson, Jim Redd, Ryan Peeples, Chuck Essex, Rick Crawley
Heat 2: Steve Kimberling, Wood, Chad Grammer, Marvin Savage, Nick Green, Middleton, Bailey
Main: Middleton, Kimberling, Wood, Bob Lima, Grammer, Savage, Arispe, Redd, Green, Barnwell, Essex, Robinson, Peeples, Doug Way

Sportsman
Dash: Larry Pries, Rick Fox, Aaron Byers, Angelo Marcelli
Heat: Marcelli, Fox, Brandon Barnwell, Byers, Lissa Uselton, Joe Bonomini, Pries, Donnie Brown, Jason Belt, Mike Bourbon
Main: Barnwell, Fox, Pries, Brown, Uselton, Marcelli, Byers, Bonimini, Belt

Thunder Roadsters
Dash: David Henderson, Paul Peeples, Jr., Leroy Marsh, Jr., Mark Arroyo
Heat 1: Jay Bahner, Waylon Henze, Bruce Ziemer, Rob Nelson, Mike Ward, Dave McMurray, Chris Lawrence, Bill Bradbury, Belinda Ward, Gary Payne
Heat 2: Peeples, Jr. Bill O’Neill, Arroyo, Gerhy Foster, Donn Cole, Chris Banfill, Ron Borges, Chris Sarvinski, Ray Elliott, Henderson, Marsh, Jr.
Main: Peeples, Jr., Banfill, Cole, O’Neill, Arroyo, Borges, Henderson, Sarvinski, Lawrence, M. Ward, Bahner, Elliott, McMurray, Middleton, Henze, Ziemer, Nelson, Payne, B. Ward, Foster.

Peeples dominates roadster main event

Peeples dominates roadster main event

By Matthew J. Sullivan

The 2007 Redwood Acres Raceway season opener Saturday night felt more like it was January than it was April. Nevertheless, the cold temperatures did not prevent a packed house from enjoying the many thrills that the local classes always provide. Adrien Betournay held off the challenges of Orion Mosher to win the limited street stock main event. Coming off his rookie campaign in the mini stock division, Byron McIntosh was able to nab his first ever main event win. Bill Middleton won perhaps the biggest race in his career taking the real stock division main event. Brandon Barnwell was able to run away from the competition and score the sportsman main event, while Paul Peeples, Jr. did his best imitation of Barnwell, doing the same in the thunder roadster feature.

Eight cars attempted to qualify for the limited street stock division. Unfortunately that number dropped to seven when Romeo Venza spun off the fourth turn and hit the wall during qualifications sidelining him for the rest of the evening. Orion Mosher timed in quickest with a 17.590 time. Mosher was able to make some moves in the trophy dash, winning the four lap race over Kenny Demello, Robert Miller behind the wheel of the car normally driven by brother Trevor and Adrien Betournay. The heat race featured a close battle between Betournay and Mosher with Betournay winning over Mosher, Demello, Miller and Stan Young. Unfortunately after taking the checkered flag, Demello blew up ending his evening.

With the field decimated to six cars and time constraints the main event was cut to a six lap affair. On the initial start, the front row of Duane Mayo and Miller made contact sending Miller spinning. Both cars were sent to the rear making the new front row that of Young and Betournay. Off the start the two raced side-by-side until the third turn when Betournay was able to take the lead while Mosher jumped into the second position. Mosher tried to make every conceivable move to get by Betournay but much to his chagrin, Betournay never faltered and held a tight enough line to where Mosher could not make the move he needed. At the drop of the checkered flag it was Betournay fending off Mosher followed by Young, Mayo and Scott Lyons.

Jason Shaha returned to racing his mini stock truck at the Acres after an absence of a few years. Shaha took fast time with a 19.254 lap time. The trophy dash win went to Brian Murrell who was followed by Scott Baker and Stacy Minnick, while Shaha did not start the four lap event. The heat race featured an unfortunate accident when Brian McIntosh spun off the fourth turn. With McIntosh in the middle of the track and little time to react, Denzel Barrett hit McIntosh ending his night. Fortunately for McIntosh the damage was fixable and he was able to start the main event. Murrell won the heat over Shaha, Glenn Bernald, Max Capps and Nick Karanopoulos.

Nine cars started the 15 lap mini stock main event. The McIntosh brothers of Brian and Byron led the field to the green flag with Byron getting the advantage going into the first turn to take the top spot. By the end of the first lap, Baker and Murrell were also able to get by Brian McIntosh relegating him to the fourth spot. On lap two, Shaha used the high line to get by McIntosh for the fourth position. Meanwhile Byron McIntosh was stretching his lead over Baker and Murrell as the two dueled for second. On lap four, Shaha caught Murrell and moved outside of him for third. Going into the third turn with Baker beginning to sputter, Shaha moved high and Murrell moved low to make it three wide. Shaha and Murrell continued their side-by-side battle while Baker began to sputter more and more.

On the eighth lap, Capps was able to maneuver his way by Minnick for the fourth position. At the front of the field, Murrell and Shaha began to close in on Byron McIntosh. On the eleventh lap, McIntosh, Murrell and Shaha were nose-to-tail. On lap 13, Karanopoulos spun in turn two but was able to keep going. Coming to take the white flag, Murrell attempted to make his move for the lead, but unfortunately the lapped car of Brian McIntosh was running the low line in attempt to give the leaders room to race. This was enough to break Murrell’s momentum and give Byron McIntosh the room he needed to take the victory. Murrell was able to hold onto second while Shaha finished third. Bernald took fourth after Capps spun off the second turn on the last lap. Minnick rounded out the top five finishers.

The real stock trophy dash went to Troy Wood over Bill Middleton, Jim Bailey and Ryan Robinson. Barry Barnwell won the first heat race over Cecil Arispe, Robinson, Jim Redd and Ryan Peeples who was making his first ever start at the Acres. Steve Kimberling won the second heat followed by Wood, Chad Grammer, Marvin Savage and Nick Green. An unfortunate casualty of the second heat was Bailey who lost the drive line in his car ending the rest of his night.

14 cars lined up for the 25 lap real stock main event. Redd and Savage lead the field to the green flag. Redd took the early lead over Peeples and Arispe. On the third lap, Doug Way slowed and pulled into the infield. Around the same time, Chuck Essex spun off the fourth turn. In the confusion coming to the yellow, Barnwell hit the wall. Despite the early chaos, Redd was still the leader over Peeples, Arispe, Kimberling and Middleton. On the restart, Peeples was able to get by Redd to take the lead off the second turn. The next lap, Arispe maneuvered his way by Redd to take second. Redd was then hung out to dry on the high line as Kimberling and Middleton both followed Arispe by.

On lap seven, Arispe looked to Peeples’ inside for the lead but did not have the line to get by. The next lap, Middleton moved outside of Kimberling to take the third position. Middleton then moved to Arispe’s outside for second. On lap nine going into the first corner, Arispe made contact with Peeples sending him spinning. Fortunately no other cars were involved. Arispe pulled into the pits under the yellow and the top five had a new look to it with Middleton leading Kimberling, Bob Lima, Wood and Redd.

On the restart, Middleton was able to pull away from Kimberling by one or two car lengths. On lap 15, the front four tightened up and the tension began to build. On lap 18, Green spun off turn four but the caution flag was not thrown. On lap 19, Lima moved to Kimberling’s outside but got loose. Grammer moved himself into fifth on lap 21 going into the third turn. With three laps left, Wood got by Lima for third. At the front, Middleton continued to withstand the pressure from Kimberling. The two raced cleanly, and at the checkered flag it was Middleton winning, Kimberling second, Wood third, Lima fourth and Grammer fifth. The win had to be particularly emotional for Middleton and his family after the tragic loss of his nephew Raymond, Jr. in a car accident. Raymond had planned to begin his racing career in the real stock division this season.

Larry Pries had the quickest lap in qualifying for the sportsman division setting a lap of 16.819. Pries took the trophy dash victory over Rick Fox, Aaron Byers and Angelo Marcelli. The heat race victory went to Marcelli followed by Fox, Brandon Barnwell, Byers and Lissa Uselton. Nine cars started the 25 lap main event with Marcelli and Barnwell comprising the front row. After taking the green flag, going into the first turn mayhem ensued with several cars spinning and wrecking. Those involved included Donnie Brown, Byers, Joe Bonomini, Jason Belt and Uselton. Brown, Byers and Uselton were able to get back on track while Bonomini and Belt were unable to repair their cars. With the long cleanup and the time constraints, the main was cut to 15 laps.

The field doubled up for the restart and took the green flag again. Marcelli took the top spot coming off the second turn and lead the first lap clean. Barnwell moved back to Marcelli’s outside and the two dueled doorhandle-to-doorhandle for the lead. On lap three, Barnwell gained the advantage and set sail while Marcelli battled Fox for second. On lap nine, Fox moved to Marcelli’s outside and was able to make the pass the next lap with Pries following him to take third. On lap 11 Brown and Byers made contact sending Byers spinning and bringing out the yellow flag.

On the restart, Brown moved outside and completed the pass on Marcelli for fourth on lap 13. Uselton maneuvered her way by Marcelli for fifth on the last lap. Meanwhile at the front, Fox was not able to make a good charge on Barnwell. At the finish line it was Barnwell over Fox, Pries, Brown and Uselton.

Paul Peeples, Jr. set quick time in the thunder roadster division with a 17.056 lap. David Henderson held off Peeples in the dash to win with LeRoy Marsh, Jr. third and Mark Arroyo fourth. Jay Bahner won the first heat followed by Waylon Hentz, Bruce Ziemer, Rob Nelson and Mike Ward. The second heat featured a multi-car wreck which eliminated Marsh from the rest of the night’s racing action. Peeples was able to score the heat win over Bill O’Neill, Arroyo, Gary Foster and Donn Cole.

20 cars started the 30 lap main event with Ward and Chris Lawrence leading the field to the green. Ward was able to get the initial lead while Cole moved by Lawrence for the second slot. On lap two, Cole moved to Ward’s inside completing the pass on the next lap. Meanwhile, Peeples was quickly coming through the field. On lap five, Peeples moved by Nelson and Ron Borges forfourth and third. The next lap, Peeples was by Ward for second. A lap later, Peeples challenged Cole for the lead, taking it on lap seven. Coming off the fourth turn on the same lap, Ray Elliott and Rob Nelson spun but got going again avoiding a yellow flag.

On lap 10 the top five was Peeples, Cole, Chris Banfill who quietly moved to third, Ward and O’Neill. On lap 11, there was a major jam up from sixth on back. Fortunately nobody spun or was damaged, but the incident did allow the front five room to race amongst themselves. On lap 13, O’Neill made his way by Ward. In the meantime, Peeples maintained a sizeable lead over Cole. On lap 14, Ziemer spun in the fourth turn bringing out the yellow flag.

After the green flag came back out, Ward got loose giving Arroyo the room he needed to take over the fifth position. At the front, Peeples began to pull away again as the front three spread out. On lap 18, Arroyo moved on O’Neill’s bumper for fourth. On lap 20, Henderson moved inside Arroyo for fifth while Banfill moved outside of Cole to take second but could not muster the strength to get by. On lap 26, Banfill found the inside line to his liking getting by Cole to take second. The same lap, Henderson moved to O’Neill’s outside for fourth, however O’Neill was able to use lapped traffic to box Henderson in and maintained fourth while Arroyo and Borges used the same tactic to get by Henderson. Up at the front though Peeples was comfortably alone and took the win handily over Banfill, Cole, O’Neill and Arroyo.

The next race at the Acres takes place May 12th. The Best Appearing Car Contest which was originally scheduled for April 21st will take place before the night’s racing action.

Expect 2007 to be another exciting season at the Acres

Expect 2007 to be another exciting season at the Acres

By Matthew J. Sullivan

If the 2007 season at Redwood Acres Raceway in Eureka, CA is anything like the 2006 season was, race fans should be in for a real treat. The 2006 season proved to be one of the most memorable in the track’s 50 year history. Along with the regular schedule of sportsmans, mini stocks, real stocks and limited street stocks was the addition of the thunder roadsters. Throughout the season, all five divisions provided some great side-by-side racing, narrow finishes and unfortunately many incidents.

Although the limited street stock division struggled with its car count throughout 2006, there should be more drivers racing in 2007. The 2006 champion was young rookie Adrien Betournay, however Betournay won’t be back to defend his title. The two drivers who will be the ones to beat are division veteran Orion Mosher and youngster Trevor Miller. Both drivers raced against each other several times in 2006 with neither having a real clear speed advantage over the other.

The real stock class was the most wide open division at the Acres in 2006 and 2007 should be no different. On any given night, ten drivers could easily find themself leading the field to the checkered flag. Bill Bradbury was able to win the championship, but it will not be of any advantage to him in the coming season with the competition he has to face. The closest points battle at the Acres in 2006 occurred in the mini stock division between Chad Grammer and Brian Murrell. Grammer was able to take the title by a mere eight points over Murrell, but with Grammer moving on the 2007 championship is completely up for grabs.

The car count for the thunder roadster division at Redwood Acres Raceway is the highest in the nation. Throughout 2006, the division averaged 20 cars per race and 2007 shouldn’t be any different. David Henderson won the track championship over a number of great drivers by maintaining a top five consistency. The roadsters feature what is the most diverse lineup of drivers ranging from young to old, completely inexperienced to many years of experience.

Marty Walsh was the 2006 champion in the sportsman division, but will not be back to defend the title in 2007. That leaves the door open for a number of drivers such as veterans Larry Pries, Angelo Marcelli, and less experienced drivers like Brandon Barnwell and Rick Fox. It is definitely hard to say who will be the favorite in 2007.

Along with the regular schedule of cars, the North State Challenge Series and the BCRA Midgets will be visiting the 3/8-mile paved oval. The BCRA Midgets will make their annual stop at the Acres on May 19, while the North State Challenge Series late model tour cars will be making their stops April 28, June 23 and September 28. Among the special events this season are the Best Appearing Car Contest on opening night April 21, the Redwood Acres Fair Classic June 22 and 23, Fan Appreciation Night August 4, Back-To-School Night August 25 and the Fall Spectacular September 28 and 29. There will also be two Powderpuff races June 9 and August 25.

2006 Sportsman season: a look back

2006 Sportsman season: a look back

By Matthew J. Sullivan

The 2006 season for the Sportsman division was one of the most competitive in recent memory with seven different winners in 13 races. Although the points margin wasn’t as tight as some of the other local divisions, the racing proved to be as exciting. Marty Walsh was able to keep his car clean from the start of the season to its finish winning four main events, the most in the sportsman class, and taking the 2006 championship. Every Saturday night, Walsh proved to be the driver that every other driver knew they absolutely had to beat.

In only his second full season of racing, Brandon Barnwell was able to finish second in points and won one main event. Barnwell was constantly at or near the front in every race, and it wasn’t surprising to see he and Walsh battling for a top three position on any given night. Rick Fox was able to finish third in the standings scoring one main event win. While Fox was one of the fast drivers, many times he was the victim of circumstance, getting involved in incidents that weren’t of his own doing.

Fourth place in the standings went to Acres veteran Angelo Marcelli. As has been the norm for many years, Marcelli was a consistent top five finisher, taking two main event wins in 2006. Perhaps the driver with the hardest luck at the Acres in 2006 was veteran Larry Pries. He won three main events and was consistently one of the fastest cars, yet too often he was the victim of misfortune. Another Acres veteran Al Acuna finished sixth in points. Although Acuna surprisingly wasn’t able to take a main event victory, he made it a habit to finish every race. At one point in the season, Rick Fox kindly loaned his backup race car to Acuna when his car wasn’t able to race.

The rookie of the year in the sportsman division was seventh place points finisher Lissa Uselton. Although 2006 was her first year behind the wheel of a sportsman car, Uselton used her past experience as a real stock driver to help guide her around the track, and she was able to notch some impressive finishes as the season progressed. One driver that should be a real threat in 2007 is Donnie Brown who took the eighth spot in the standings. At the end of the 2006 season, Brown looked to have a good handle on his car and nearly won several main events.

Although Aaron Byers missed several races in 2006 due to accidents, he was able to get back on the track and finished ninth place in points. Byers notched one main event victory, and hopes to have better luck in 2007. Rounding out the top ten points finishers was Jerry Peterson. Much of the early part of 2006 for Peterson involved getting everything squared away so he could be among the fast cars. In 2007 he should do that.

One driver who took home a victory was multi-time champion, Glen Shewry. Shewry didn’t make it out to the Acres until the late stages of the season, but proved that the time off hadn’t hindered his ability behind the wheel. Other drivers of note who competed in the sportsman division in 2006 were former mini stock champion Joe Bonomini, Ken Hallis, Mike Bourbon, rookie Keith Dias and J.D. Frey who raced on one occasion.

The car count for the 2007 season looks to be quiet promising. Along with most of the drivers previously mentioned will be the addition of now former real stock driver Jason Belt and now former limited street driver Kavin Conn. With Marty Walsh moving on from the division there will be a new champion crowned in 2007. Whether it will be a past champion like Pries or Marcelli, or an uncrowned driver such as Barnwell or Fox is hard to say. It will definitely be interesting to see what happens at the Acres this season.

Walsh, Bradbury, Baker victorious

Walsh, Bradbury, Baker victorious

By Matthew J. Sullivan

It was another full night of racing at Redwood Acres Raceway and by the night’s end, several familiar faces returned to victory lane once more. Marty Walsh ran away in the sportsman division, while Bill Bradbury held off Dan Browne to win the real stock main event. Scott Baker also did his share of domination as he handily won the mini stock main. Andrien Betournay won the closest main of the night as he held off Trevor Miller to claim the real stock main event literally by inches.

Six limited street stocks showed up for the evening with the addition of George Young’s new car. Orion Mosher set fast time with a 17.328 lap. Andrien Betournay took home the dash win with Kenny Demello, Trevor Miller and Mosher following behind. Miller won the exciting heat race beating Demello, Mosher, Betournay and Young. Five cars started the 10 lap main event with Young not being able to make the start. Off the start, Duane Mayo and Demello raced side by side for the first lap and a half until Demello got loose on the high side giving Mayo the lead. On lap three, Demello moved back to Mayo’s outside. Coming off turn two, Betournay found room on the low side of the front two to make a daring three-wide pass going into the third turn. Miller was able to follow Betournay into the second position. For several laps, Miller looked for a way by Betournay. With one lap to go, Miller drove his car hard into the outside line going into turn one. His car stuck and the two drag raced doorhandle to doorhandle going into the third turn. Coming off four, the two were still side by side and as the two cars hit the start/finish line it was Betournay beating Miller by inches. Mosher finished third, Mayo fourth and Demello fifth.

Eleven mini stocks showed up to take time, unfortunately Justina Shaha had to wait to make her debut in the class as she hit the wall during her qualifying run. Two other drivers made their debut in the class; Max Cap and Robbie Robinson. Scott Baker set the fastest lap of 19.203. Bryan McIntosh won the heat race over Stacy Minnick, Chad Grammer and Baker. A multi-car incident in the heat race knocked out McIntosh as well as Denzel Barrett. Brian Murrell was able to win the heat followed by Baker, Glen Bernald, Grammer and Minnick. Eight cars made the start of the 20 lap main event with the front row comprised of Murrell and Bernald. The initial start saw contact between Murrell and Bernald in the first and second turns and Grammer spin out. The second start was much cleaner as Murrell took the lead while Bernald slotted into second and Minnick third. On lap two, Minnick made her way by Bernald and set her sights on Murrell’s lead. Grammer made his way to fifth by Byron McIntosh on lap three. On the fifth lap, Baker got by Bernald for third and tried to close on the front duo of Murrell and Minnick who had a six car length gap over him.

Grammer spun in turn two on lap nine but was able to get his car going not resulting in a caution flag. Baker moved past Minnick on lap 10 for second. A lap later, Baker moved by Murrell to take the lead. On lap 12, Minnick moved to Murrell’s outside to challenge him for the second position, but Murrell was able to hold her off. With two laps to go, Minnick tried the same maneuver again but got too high allowing Bernald to move to third. Meanwhile, Baker was able to cruise to victory followed by Murrell, Bernald, Minnick and Grammer.

Ryan Walters was fastest of the 13 real stock cars setting a mark of 19.380. Dan Browne won the dash followed by Bill Bradbury, Walters and Doug Way. Walters was able to win the first heat race over Barry Barnwell, Ray DeMello, Way and Ray Robinson. Browne won the second heat with Lima, Bradbury, Jim Redd and Steve Kimberling in his wake. Lima and Robinson lead the field to the green in the 25 lap main event. Lima took the initial lead but a restart had to come after Walters spun in the first and second turn. Walters was unable to take the green when it came out again as he was in the pits. Lima grabbed the lead again while Barnwell moved inside Robinson for second. On the second lap, Barnwell powered his way by Lima on the high side to take the lead. Coming off the second turn, Lima lost power and pulled his car into the infield.

Bradbury made his way by Way for second on lap three and began to close on the leader Barnwell. Redd was black flagged for leaking fluid, but before he could pit, he made contact with Way spinning Way out and bringing out the yellow. Coming to take the caution flag, Bradbury was able to beat Barnwell to the line to take the lead. The green came back out with Browne moving into the inside of Robinson for third. On lap 12, Way got by Kimberling for fifth. Browne began to challenge Barnwell for second on lap 17 before the caution came out on lap 19. When the green flew again, Browne moved quickly by Barnwell for second. Robinson and Barnwell made contact fighting for third sending Barnwell into the infield, however no caution came. For the last few laps, Browne and Bradbury battled for the lead, but Browne couldn’t gather enough steam to get by as Bradbury held him off for the win. Robinson took third, Way fourth and Kimberling fifth.

Marty Walsh set quick time for the sportsman division with a 16.791 lap. Rick Fox won the dash over Donnie Brown, Walsh and Brandon Barnwell. Larry Pries nabbed the win in the first heat over Walsh, Fox, Al Acuna and Lissa Uselton. Brown won the second followed by Jerry Peterson, Angelo Marcelli, Frank Billy and Barnwell. 12 cars started the 25 lap main event. Brown planned to merely take the start and earn points as he graciously donated his car for the use of North State Challenge Series driver Andrew Snider who suffered problems with his car. Joe Bonomini and Pries lead the field to the green flag. Pries took the early lead before Bonomini spun off turn four. Officials deemed Pries at fault and sent him to the rear.

Fox inherited the lead over Walsh, Barnwell, Marcelli and Peterson and the green came back out. The field strung out as Fox and Walsh battled for the top spot. After several nose to tail laps, Walsh managed to get by Fox to take the lead on lap seven. Uselton spun off the second turn on lap 12 but got her car going again. On lap 15, Peterson pulled into the pits from the fifth position. Meanwhile, Walsh had a sizeable gap over Fox and the rest of the field. Pries provided the excitement on the track as he moved by Acuna for fifth on lap 21. Barnwell closed on Fox’s bumper on lap 23 and tried to find a way by but by the end wasn’t able to. Walsh won handily over Fox, Barnwell, Marcelli and Pries.

The next race at the Acres is August 5, Fan Appreciation Night. Free tickets can be found at various locations. Sportsman, real stock, mini stock, limited streets will be racing along with the return of the thunder roadsters after a month hiatus from the 3/8 track.

Fair races thrill a full grandstand for two nights

Fair races thrill a full grandstand for two nights

By Matthew J. Sullivan

The usual North Coast clouds and fog were not present as blue skies and sunshine were out to welcome fans to the Redwood Acres Fair Classic for two full nights of racing. Both nights proved to be exciting for fans, many of whom were watching their first ever races at the Acres.

Friday night proved to be the only night of competition for the limited street stock class. Nevertheless, the drivers put on a great show while they were out there. Six cars showed up to take time with Orion Mosher setting the pace with a 17.534 lap time. Kenny Demello won the dash over Mosher, Jim Bailey and Trevor Miller. The heat race had a bit too much excitement as Kelly McBride driving Craig Huffman’s vehicle spun off turn four collecting Demello. Mosher won the main event which unfortunately proved to be the last race of the weekend for the division. Duane Mayo took second followed by Adrien Betournay, Miller and Mark Burris who showed up after qualifying. While the division only ran one night, it did have its highest car count of the season.

Friday qualifying was extremely important for the real stock and mini stock cars as it determined where drivers would start for both nights of racing. Jim Bailey hung it all out in qualifying for the real stock cars turning a 19.536 lap. Dan Browne won the dash over Bailey, Ryan Walters and Steve Kimberling. Browne then took the first heat win over Doug Way, Cecil Arispe, Mike Peeples and Kimberling. Bill Bradbury won the second heat over Bailey, Marvin Savage, Ray DeMello and Barry Barnwell. DeMello and Arispe brought the field to the green flag in the Friday night main event. Arispe was able to move by DeMello to grab the lead while Way moved into the second position. Early on there were several spins including Nate Trim, DeMello and Walters, however none of the incidents resulted in a yellow. On lap 11, Dana Devane spun bringing the yellow flag.

On the restart, the front duo of Arispe and Way pulled away while Barnwell and Bailey fought for the fourth position. On lap 15, Bailey got by Barnwell and set his sights on Bradbury for third. Meanwhile, Way was looking inside and outside of Arispe for the lead. The racing among the front two allowed third, fourth and fifth to catch up and make it a five car race. On lap 21, Browne moved by Barnwell for fifth. Bailey began to have problems and pulled his car into the pits. The race for the lead was close, but in the end Arispe was able to fend off Way to win followed by Bradbury, Browne and Barnwell.

Ryan Walters took home the dash win on Saturday night followed by Steve Kimberling, Dan Browne and Jim Bailey. Bob Lima won the first dash over Kimberling, Doug Way, Mike Peeples and Cecil Arispe. Walters took the second over Barry Barnwell, Marvin Savage, Bill Bradbury and Ray DeMello. DeMello and Ryan Robinson lead the field to the green flag in the main event. Demello got the jump off the start and took the early lead, while Lima slotted himself into the second position. On lap three, Walters moved his car into the third position by Robinson. On lap six, Barnwell, Kimberling and Mike Peeples spun on the backstretch bringing out the yellow. Coming back to the flag, Lima beat DeMello to the line to take the lead.

On the restart, DeMello and the field got a great jump on Lima who fell back several positions. Jim Redd and DeMello began racing for the lead, but the two made contact sending DeMello spinning and bringing out another yellow. The green came again and Walters decided to make his move for the lead taking it from Redd on lap 11. Soon after, Redd spun into the infield. As the race wound down, the field stretched out and Walters pulled away. On lap 14, Lima moved inside and by Robinson for the third position. It was smooth sailing for Walters though as he was able to take the victory handily over Browne, Lima, Robinson and Savage.

Jaison Chand returned to race in the mini stock division for the weekend, and he showed no signs of rust as he set a quick time of 18.821. Scott Baker took Friday’s dash win with Jerry Peterson, Chand and Byron McIntosh in his wake. Chad Grammer won the heat race followed by Baker, Stacy Minnick, Chand and Peterson. Grammer and Minnick lead the field to the green flag in the main event. Grammer took the initial lead, but got loose off the second turn allowing Minnick to move into the lead with Brian McIntosh slotting in the second position. Grammer moved outside and by McIntosh on lap two. The next lap, the caution flag flew when Baker and Peterson had an incident.

The restart came and Chand tried to take advantage of the tightness of the field as he moved outside of Brian Murrell for fourth. Chand then made his way by McIntosh for third. On lap six, Grammer got by Minnick to take the lead. Chand got by Minnick the next lap. Peterson got by McIntosh on lap eight, then by Minnick on lap nine. On lap 13, Judge John Morrison spun bringing out the yellow. Under caution, Chand pulled his car behind the wall ending his evening. The green came back out and Peterson and Grammer began to duel for the lead. The two raced side by side for several laps, but Grammer eventually was able to pull out the lead from Peterson to score the victory. Baker finished third, Minnick fourth and Murrell fifth.

Saturday night proved to be a fresh start for Jaison Chand who won the trophy dash over Scott Baker, Jerry Peterson and Byron McIntosh. Chand followed that up with a heat race victory followed by Brian Murrell, Baker, Peterson and Brian McIntosh. Denzel Barrett and Brian McIntosh lead the field to the green flag in the main event. Brian McIntosh nabbed the lead while brother Byron took second and Murrell third. On lap four, Baker moved by Murrell for third. The next lap, Peterson moved outside of Murrell to take fourth. On lap six, Baker made his way by Byron McIntosh, bringing Peterson with him. The next lap, Baker and Peterson made contact in turn one bringing out a yellow and sending both drivers to the rear of the field.

The restart came and Murrell made his presence known in Brian McIntosh’s mirror. On lap 13, Grammer spun off the fourth turn but kept going. On lap 15, Peterson made contact with Murrell’s bumper bringing out another yellow and forcing himself to the back of the field once more. Out came the green flag and to the outside of McIntosh went Chand to take the lead. With two to go, Chand got severely loose off the second turn almost costing himself the win and bunching up the field behind him, however he gathered his car. Chand’s mistake proved to be Glen Bernald’s good fortune as he was able to move into the second spot. Chand was not to be challenged though as he took his third win of the night over Bernald, Brian McIntosh, Byron McIntosh and Grammar.

Qualifying was held on both nights for the thunder roadsters and the sportsman division. Troy Combs set fast time on Friday with a 17.060 lap. David Henderson won the dash over Paul Peeples, Jr., Mark Baldwin and Combs. Bill O’Neill won the first heat over Donn Cole, Ray Elliott, Jay Bahner and Gary Payne. Henderson took the second over Baldwin, Peeples, Combs and LeRoy Marsh, Jr. O’Neill and Bruce Zeimer lead the field to the green flag in the main event. A restart would have to be made however when Peeples got into Rusty Olson sending him spinning into the third turn. Olson pulled his car into the pits suffering from a loose oil fitting.

After a lengthy cleanup, the green flag came out again with O’Neill getting the lead and Elliott taking second. Marsh and Combs raced side by side for third for several laps until Marsh got loose and into Combs allowing Henderson to get by for third. Henderson moved outside and by Elliott for second before a lap seven caution for a spin by Ziemer. Peeples took advantage of Elliott on the restart moving to the outside to take third. He then moved inside Henderson to try to take second, but Henderson showed strength moving to the outside of O’Neill for the lead.

On lap 10, Combs moved by Peeples for third. Two laps later, Combs moved by Henderson and began challenging for the lead. Peeples got by Henderson for third on lap 17 while Combs and O’Neill continued to fight for the top spot. Combs finally got his car to stock on the outside, taking the lead from O’Neill on lap 18. Peeples began to challenge O’Neill for second allowing Combs to pull out a lead. On lap 23, Peeples got by O’Neill for second and tried to close the gap on Combs. Meanwhile, O’Neill, Henderson and Baldwin were having their own fracas for third. Peeples tried to close the gap but he didn’t have enough laps as Combs took the win while O’Neill held off Baldwin and Henderson.

Randy Olson came out to race Saturday night breaking Ryan Zeck’s track record, setting a new mark of 16.885. Olson took the dash win over David Henderson, Paul Peeples, Jr. and Rusty Olson. Dave McMurray won the first heat race over Bill O’Neill and Gary Payne. Mark Baldwin held off Randy Olson to win the second heat with Troy Combs third, Ray Elliott fourth and Rusty Olson fifth. O’Neill and lead the field to the green for the second night in a row. Combs spun on the initial start forcing a restart. When the green came, O’Neill took the lead while Elliott slotted into the second position. The racing for first few laps were fast and furious as Chris Sarvinski, Marsh, Rusty Olson and Randy Olson all dueled for position. On lap 4, the yellow came out when Combs spun again off the second turn.

Randy Olson tried to take advantage of the restart moving inside of brother Rusty, however Rusty moved to the outside and by Sarvinski on lap five. Rusty then moved outside of Elliott to challenge for second. Randy Olson followed Rusty through by Sarvinski and Eliott, then made his way by Rusty for second on lap seven. The same lap, Randy moved outside and by O’Neill to take the lead. Rusty tried to follow by on the high line but wasn’t able to find the grip allowing Henderson to move inside and by for the third position. While O’Neill, Henderson and Olson were fighting for position, Randy Olson was enjoying a comfortable lead and continued to pull away.

On lap 11, Rusty Olson moved back by Henderson for third. He then moved outside of O’Neill to try to take second the next lap. On lap 13, O’Neill and Olson made contact sending Olson spinning into the infield and bringing out the yellow. Officials put O’Neill to the back and racing resumed with Randy Olson leading Henderson, Baldwin, Sarvinski and Marsh. Combs moved by Marsh on the restart, then moved by Sarvinski. As this was going on, Henderson and Baldwin were having a duel for second giving allowing Olson to pull away. Baldwin got by Henderson on lap 16. The next lap Sarvinski spun off turn four but no yellow came. On lap 23, McMurray made contact with Ziemer sending Ziemer spinning and bringing another yellow.

After another restart, another caution flew when Rusty Olson got into McMurray sending him spinning. Olson was sent to the rear, and the green flag flew for the final time. Randy Olson pulled out once again while Combs moved outside Baldwin for second, however Baldwin held off his challenges. When the checkered flag fell it was Randy Olson winning over Baldwin, Combs, Henderson and Marsh.

Larry Pries had fast lap for Friday night’s racing in the sportsman division timing in with a 16.489. Brandon Barnwell won the dash over Marty Walsh, Pries and Aaron Byers. Donnie Brown took the first heat over Rick Fox, Walsh, Kyle Cattanach and Lissa Uselton. Joe Bonomini took the second heat over Byers, Angelo Marcelli, Pries and Ken Hallis. Al Acuna and Fox comprised the front row for the main event. Acuna took the lead off the start while Fox lost several spots. Acuna pulled out a few car lengths on Marcelli in second and Walsh in third. On lap three, Marcelli pushed off the fourth turn allowing Walsh to move into second. On lap five, Barnwell and Marcelli made contact bringing a yellow out.

After the restart, the cars singled out and ran nose to tail before a lap 11 incident when Barnwell got loose off turn four causing Pries to spin to avoid running into Barnwell. Officials deemed Barnwell at fault and sent him to the rear and the green came out again. Walsh moved to the inside of Acuna for the lead on lap 14, taking the spot. Byers tried to follow him through but made contact with Acuna sending the two hard into the backstretch wall resulting in a red flag.

After the cleanup, the green came again with Walsh leading Fox, Uselton, Cattanach and Browne. A few green flag laps of racing occurred before lap 21 when Browne got into Barnwell for another yellow. The green came out again and Cattanach moved inside Uselton on lap 22. Cattanach then moved under Fox for second, then on lap 27 he moved by Walsh for the lead, bringing Fox with him. Cattanach took the checkered flag first over Fox, Walsh, Uselton and Hallis, however in post race inspection, officials deemed Cattanach’s carburetor illegal giving Fox the win.

After seemingly struggling with his car Friday night, Marty Walsh took fast time Saturday with a 16.433 lap. The dash ran without Rick Fox with Larry Pries winning over Walsh and Brandon Barnwell. The heat race was taken by Al Acuna driving a car borrowed from Fox, followed by Uselton, Donnie Brown, Barnwell and Joe Bonomini. Angelo Marcelli and Bonomini lead the field to the green flag in the main event with Marcelli getting the early lead and Barnwell taking second. On lap three, Barnwell moved by Marcelli to take the lead. Marcelli fell back to the fifth position as Walsh, Bonomini and Pries moved by.

Pries moved inside Bonomini on lap six to take third. On lap 11, after riding behind Barnwell for several laps, Walsh took the lead. The strung-out field allowed the race to go incident free and the best battle for the rest of the race was between Barnwell and Pries. Several times Pries tried to find grip off the corners, but he never could find a way by Barnwell. In the end, Walsh cruised to win over Barnwell, Pries, Bonomini and Angelo Marcelli.

Linstroth, Shewry and Miller big winners in Eureka

Linstroth, Shewry and Miller big winners in Eureka

By Matthew J. Sullivan

A beautiful weekend ushered in the final race weekend at Redwood Acres Raceway for the 2005 season and it couldn’t have been more beautiful for several drivers. Citrus Heights native, Jay Linstroth took advantage of an outside front row start to dominate the fifty lap feature in the first leg of the Western Modified Nationals, Fortuna resident Glen Shewry ran away from the field in the inaugural sportsman division open race. Jason Belt won the Saturday night feature for the local real stock division while Trevor Miller won Sunday’s main event sealing the division title for himself.

Going into the weekend’s final two points races, three drivers had a chance of winning the title, Miller the points leader, Bill Middleton and Jason Belt. Acres veteran Doug Way grabbed the trophy in Saturday night’s dash over Jim Bailey, Belt and Miller. Barry Barnwell won the first heat followed by Bob Lima, Middleton, Belt and Way while Miller won the second heat with Shane Toole, Ray Demello, Ryan Walters and Troy Wood close behind. Brian Belt and Bryan Murrell lead the twenty car field in the twenty five lap main event. Off the start, Murrell grabbed the lead but by lap two Wood took over the top spot. Points leader Miller spun on lap four relegating him to the back of the field. After the restart, Wood and Walters tussled for the lead while Brian Belt watched the two. On lap twelve, Brian Belt spun resulting in a yellow flag. At this time Wood lead Walters, Jason Belt, Toole and Middleton.

On the restart, the action resumed up front with excellent bumper-to-bumper racing between Wood, Walters and Jason Belt. On lap fifteen, Belt moved his way to the outside and moved by Walters. A lap later, Belt used the same technique to get by Wood for the lead. Walters nabbed second from wood on lap eighteen. The next lap, Wood lost power coming down the front straightaway causing a major jam up but no major incident. By lap twenty, Belt held a sizeable lead over Walters, Toole and Way. Middleton suffered problems in the final laps from fifth and fell back while Miller drove his way to fifth. When the checkered flag flew, it was Belt over Walters, Toole, Way and Miller.

Sunday’s action started off with a trophy dash win for Miller over Way, Bailey and Belt. Jim Redd won the first heat race followed by Miller, Bailey, Toole and Walters while Way won the second head over Belt, Lima, Barnwell and Steve Kimberling. Nineteen cars started the second twenty five lap main event of the weekend lead by Chuck Essex and Rick Stone driving the car normally piloted by Gary Adams. Wood drove his way to the lead early while the field jockeyed for position. On lap three, Fred Taylor and Demello spun resulting in a yellow flag. When the green flew, Wood led Lima, Cecil Arispe, Bailey and Essex.

On lap four, Miller moved into fifth. Meanwhile, Wood and Lima fought for first while Arispe and Bailey fought for third. On lap six, Lima and Arispe spun between turns three and four bringing out another yellow. Arispe drove his car to the pits with a flat tire under the caution. The green flew again with Wood leading Bailey, Miller, Middleton and Essex. Miller got a good start and moved outside and past Bailey on lap six and on lap seven he moved past Wood for the lead. On lap eleven, Middleton got by Bailey and Wood to take the second position while Jason Belt moved his way to the third position. As all this was happening, Miller moved out to a huge lead over Middleton. By lap twenty it was Miller, Middleton and Belt with Way fourth and Toole fifth. Coming down to the finish, Toole and Way battled for fourth with Way eventually getting by. At the race’s end Miller wrapped up the race and the championship over Middleton, Belt, Way and Toole.

The sportsman division held its first annual open race. Glen Shewry won the trophy dash with Phil Wood following while Fergy Ferguson and Larry Pries didn’t finish the four lap race. Shewry won the first heat race over Rick Fox, Marty Walsh, Roger Sanderson and Ferguson earning himself the pole for Sunday’s main event. Aaron Byers won the second heat over Jerry Peterson, Brandon Barnwell, Angelo Marcelli and Shasta Raceway Park late model track champion Jerry Nichols. Sixteen cars started the fifty lap main event. Shewry took the lead off the start over Fox, Walsh, Ferguson and Redding visitor Richie Crowell. On lap six, Sanderson moved his way under Crowell. Coming off turn two, Crowell spun resulting in the yellow flag. Under the yellow, Peterson had mechanical issues and was pushed behind the wall.

On the restart, Shewry and Fox ran away from the pack while Walsh tried to hold off the advances of Ferguson. On lap eleven, Donnie Brown spun for a yellow. When the green came back out, the race went back to where it was before with Shewry maintaining a large lead over Fox while Fox maintained a larger lead over Walsh, Ferguson and everyone else. Ferguson continuously applied pressure on Walsh, giving him several bumps not resulting in anything of consequence. On lap nineteen, Barnwell made a great save as he got loose between turns one and two. As the race wound down, Shewry worked his way through the field while Fox gained little ground. On lap thirty-five, Ferguson finally found a hole under Walsh taking the third spot. It was a freight train behind him as Sanderson, Byers, Barnwell and Wood all got past Walsh. On lap forty-one, Wood spun off turn two but no caution flew. Shewry was held up by slower traffic in the final five laps which allowed Fox to close up but it wasn’t enough as Shewry lead flag-to-flag over Fox, Ferguson, Sanderson and Byers.

Jay Linstroth had fast time honors for the first leg of the three race Western Modified Nationals with a 16.433 qualifying lap. Oregon driver Ken Scales won the trophy dash over Lakeport racer David Sullivan, Anderson racer Guy Young and Linstroth. The first modified heat was won by Lakeport track champion Gary Lowblad followed by Jeremy Ammon, Rick Lavallee, Rob Taguchi and Rick Anderson. Derek Thorn won the second heat and pole honors for Sunday’s race over Linstroth, Tom Berry, Ed Schanuth and Willie Thompson. The third heat was won by Sam Potter with Kelly Peacock, Corey James, Jerry Dubach and Mike Morrisey behind him. B main event honors went to Lowblad while Ammon grabbed the second transfer position.

Thorn and Linstroth lead the twenty-one car field into turn one of the fifty lap main event. Linstroth got the jump on Thorn, drove his car deep into turn one and took the lead. Through the early laps, Linstroth and Thorn ran away from the pack while Schanuth held off Berry and Scales. On lap fifteen, Scales moved outside of Berry and took fourth position. Just after Scales’ pass, Berry suffered problems and pulled his car behind the wall. By lap eighteen, Scales moved past Schanuth for third. On lap twenty, Stan Gunderson spun off turn four bringing out the yellow. The top five on lap twenty was Linstroth, Thorn, Scales, Schanuth and Thompson.

After the restart, Morrisey spun off turn four blocking the track and bringing out the red flag. Fortunately, nobody ran into Morrisey. When the green came back, Scales tried to find a way past Thorn while Linstroth pulled out to a good size margin over the two. Scales finally made his way past Thorn and set his sights on Linstroth for the race lead. As this happened, Sullivan was making a real race out of it for fifth position trying to make the high line work. By lap thirty-five it was Linstroth, Scales, Thorn, Thompson and Richie Potts. On lap forty-two, Thorn’s right front suspension broke forcing him to stop on the track bringing out the yellow flag. This closed up Linstroth and Scales but it wouldn’t be enough. After the final restart, Linstroth pulled away from Scales while Scales pulled away from Thompson, Potts and Sullivan and that was how the race would finish. The second race of the Western Modified Nationals will be held October 7, 8 and 9 at Shasta Raceway Park in Anderson, California.