Rain cancels racing at the Acres

Rain cancels racing at the Acres

By Matthew J. Sullivan

For the first time in the 2010 racing season, Mother Nature brought bad weather to Redwood Acres Raceway on Saturday night forcing officials to cancel the evening’s events. A heavy mist befell the 3/8-mile paved oval just after time trials in all of the divisions had finished. Redwood Acres Raceway promoter, Rich Olson waited for the skies to clear but after 15 minutes and the mist falling harder Olson called for the races to be cancelled.

The cancellation of this event means that there will be another two week break until action returns to the track in all four local divisions.

Remaining Schedule:
June 19th
June 25th & 26th - Fair Races
July 10th
July 31st – AABLM series
August 7th
August 28th – Pro-4 Modifieds
September 11th
September 25th – Fall Spectacular featuring AABLM series and Pro-4 Modifieds

Points Standings:
Mini Stocks
Track Record: Craig Baker 18.597
1. 7 Scott Baker 127
2. 8 Ken Barrett 118
3. 11 Craig Baker 79
4. 23 Robbie Robinson 57
5. 74 Brian Murrell, Jr. 56
6. 68 John Blake 11

Real Stocks
Track Record: Shawn Craig 18.763
1. 47 Ryan Robinson 270
2. 89 Craig/Walters 252
3. 69 Casey Mitchell 251
4. 1 Nick Green 247
5. 44 Redd/Simon 236
6. 52 Ray Middleton 165
7. 51 Ronnie O'Neill 148
8. 57 Wyatt Roach 125
9. 11 Bill Middleton 118
10. 55 Bob Lima 54
11. 18 Landon Newell 50
12. 14 Aaron Sandifer 48

Roadrunners
Track Record: Raleigh Willoughby 21.307
1. 8 Raleigh Willoughby 268
2. 25 Nick Hansen 261
3. 20 Jimmy Murray 244
4. 88 Charlie Anderson 241
5. 24 Robbie Nelson 219
6. 10 Kolby Jackson 218
7. 33 Dax Kinsey 200
8. 42 Dustin DelBiaggio 174
9. 44 Dylan Cook 147
10. 92 Kent/Carrie Campbell 146
11. 71 Bill Snow 128
12. 28 Rice/Crowley 117
13. 47 Michael Lawrence 100
14. 00 Mark Benzinger 58
15. 38 Jake Moxon 53
16. 69 Tim Apeyta 46
17. 49 Ken Barrett 45

Thunder Roadsters
Track Record: Paul Peeples, Jr. 16.839
1. 15 Paul Peeples, Jr. 292
2. 66 Thomas Payne 252
3. 9 Brandon Barnwell 241
4. 13 Mike Ward 237
5. 21 Chris Sarvinski 228
6. 5 Bruce Ziemer 223
7. 95 Belinda Ward 207
8. 2 Dave Henderson 189
9. 18 Rob Nelson 188
10. 99 Jim Rich 147
11. 21X Fergy Ferguson 117
12. 3 Jay Bahner 101
13. 82 Robert Miller 62

Sportsman
Track Record: Shawn Andrews 15.794
1. 09 Joe McDonald 261
2. 19 Dennis DelBiaggio 261
3. 25 Angelo Marcelli 252
4. 07 Jerry Peterson 249
5. 1 Mic Moulton 245
6. 01 Larry Pries 238
7. 55 Donnie Brown 212
8. 8 Kenny Demello 207
9. 40 Al Acuna 10

Favorites yet to be determined in Acres points races

Favorites yet to be determined in Acres points races

By Matthew J. Sullivan

Much like the racing has been at Redwood Acres Raceway this season, the chase for the track championships in nearly all of the five local divisions are tight. Even after three races, there has yet to be a clear favorite to win the title in almost all of the classes.

The mini stock class has only participated in two of the three race dates in 2010. Because of the poor car count in the division, the mini stocks did not partake in the last race on May 8th. Currently Scott Baker leads the standings over rookie driver, Ken Barrett however whether or not the division will continue to race through the rest of the season has yet to be determined. The real stock points standings are tight amongst the top five drivers. Ryan Robinson leads with 200 points even over the duo of Shawn Craig and Ryan Robinson who have 195 points. Third is Casey Mitchell with 192 points, fourth is Nick Green 186 while Jim Redd lies fifth with 172 points.

Though Raleigh Willoughby has won the roadrunner main event in all three races this season, his points lead over Dax Kinsey is only 21 points, 221-200. Nick Hansen holds third with 186 while Jimmy Murray and Charlie Anderson are tied for fourth place with 178 points accumulated. In the thunder roadster class, Paul Peeples, Jr. holds a 25 point lead over Tommy Payne, 217 points to 192 points. Mike Ward is third with 180 points, Brandon Barnwell fourth with 171 and Bruce Ziemer fifth with 169. The tightest points race at the Acres thus far is in the sportsman division. Joe McDonald holds the lead with 197 points, but the gap between he and fifth place is only 13 points. Jerry Peterson lies second with 191 points followed by Angelo Marcelli with 190, Dennis DelBiaggio with 188 and Larry Pries with 184.

Racing at the Acres resumes this Saturday May 22nd. Joining the local divisions will be the Airport Auto Brokers Late Model series for the Scottfield Executive Hotels 75. The event will mark the third points race of the season for the AABLM cars and the first points race for the series at Redwood Acres Raceway. The AABLM held a non-points event last season at the Acres during the season finale Fall Spectacular. Noel McCormack, Jr. was able to score the win in that event.

Redwood Acres Raceway Points Standings

Mini Stocks
Scott Baker 127, Ken Barrett 118, Craig Baker 79, Robbie Robinson 57, Brian Murrell, Jr. 56, John Blake 11

Real Stocks
Ryan Robinson 200, Shawn Craig/Ryan Walters 195, Casey Mitchell 192, Nick Green 186, Jim Redd 172, Ronnie O’Neill 148, Wyatt Roach 125, Ray Middleton 111, Bill Middleton 57, Landon Newell 50

Roadrunners
Raleigh Willoughby 221, Dax Kinsey 200, Nick Hansen 186, Jimmy Murray 178, Charlie Anderson 178, Robbie Nelson 157, Kolby Jackson 149, Dylan Cook 147, Kent/Carrie Campbell 146, Bill Snow/Ryan Walters 128, Dustin DelBiaggio 117, Eric Rice/Rick Crawley 117, Russell Robinson 60, Mark Benzinger 58

Thunder Roadsters
Paul Peeples, Jr. 217, Tommy Payne 192, Mike Ward 180, Brandon Barnwell 171, Bruce Ziemer 169, Chris Sarvinski 165, Belinda Ward 159, Jim Rich 147, Rob Nelson 143, David Henderson 122, Fergy Ferguson 117, Robert Miller 62, Jay Bahner 53.

Sportsman
Joe McDonald 197, Jerry Peterson 191, Angelo Marcelli 190, Dennis DelBiaggio 188, Larry Pries 184, Mic Moulton 178, Donnie Brown 161, Kenny Demello 156, Al Acuna 103.

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

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

By Matthew J. Sullivan

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Two races left at Redwood Acres Raceway

Although I am far from being a professional writer, I try to write my race reports for Redwood Acres as though I were/am a professional. That means that I can never put my personal opinion on matters on the race track. Sometimes I have to "gloss" over an incident where one driver clearly runs over another driver. It's not hard to pull back and not have an opinion about matters of that nature, but it has been fairly difficult for me to continue to keep the "juice" going when this season at the track has been dominated by a few drivers who continue to win every week. There have been several races this season that have quite frankly been dull, and I've had to figure out how to add more excitement to those races through my writing. Hopefully, I've been able to do that.

In case you don't know, there are five divisions that Redwood Acres Raceway has at every race; the limited street stocks, mini stocks, real stocks, thunder roadsters and the sportsman division. The limited street stocks are kind of like old Winston Cup cars from the 1970s. I'm not savvy when it comes to what's on cars, but that's kind of the idea of that class. The mini stocks are a four cylinder engine division comprised of smaller cars like Pintos. The real stocks are probably the closest to cars that are on the street. They have to have a roll cage in them, and they have adjustable suspension and a race tire. The thunder roadsters are a spec class where all the cars are the same, the only difference is the drivers. The sportsman division is the local late model class which is similar to divisions all over the United States.

The limited street stocks have had a real down season. Only six cars have raced the division the entire season, and they have had a real main event type race in a long time. It looks as though Fergy Ferguson is going to win the title based on showing up every weekend and earning points for doing. It's not as though he's not deserving of the track championship, it's a shame though that there aren't enough cars to force the championship to be decided on the race track.

The mini stock class has been dominated by Craig Baker this year. Of all the drivers in the division, he by far has the most experience. He's able to get the absolute maximum out of his car, and were it not for issues early in the season, he probably would have clinched the championship by now. One great thing about the mini stock class is that there have been a few drivers who've brought cars out. Three rookies Norm Carmichael, Brian Murrell, Jr. and Ryan Ahrens started their seasons off at the halfway point and although all three have had to learn what it takes to go fast, they've all done a great job of being smart on the track and giving room to faster drivers.

My personal opinion is that the best driver at the Acres is real stock racer, Trevor Miller. I've watched him race for several years and have been impressed with his ability to get everything out of his race car without getting out of shape. Besides that, he's a clean and respectable racer. He definitely deserves a shot to drive in the sportsman division, because I think once he gets that chance, he'll be able to move to a touring division very quickly. Shawn Craig is another guy who's a good racer and gets a lot out of his car. He and Miller have raced head-to-head several times this season, and it's been fun to watch. Jim Redd is the points leader at the moment, but he's definitely going to have a hard time holding off Miller. In reality, Miller could have been leading the points right now had his car been able to pass inspection the first race of the season. He's been playing catchup ever since.

The thunder roadster class has been the most predictable this year. Paul Peeples, Jr. has won all but three main events this year. There just isn't anyone that's capable of giving him a hard time. I don't mean to disrespect any of the roadster drivers, but it's the truth. Peeples has so much more experience than the others that they will always be a step behind him. It's also a shame that the car count for the division has been so low this season, because that would be a big challenge for him as well.

Brandon Barnwell and Dennis Delbiaggio have been going back and forth for the points lead in the sportsman division all season. Until the Fair Night races in June, it was hard to predict who would win a main event in the division. That changed with the team of Mic Moulton and Tim McCracken came back. From the Fair Night races on, I believe they've won all but two races. Hopefully the competition will step it up and at least give the 1 car a challenge in the final two races.

More than anything though, the biggest disappointments for this season has involved the cancellation of the BCRA/WMRA midgets on Fair Nights as well as the August 9th cancellation of the North State Challenge Series late models. From what I understand, there was going to be a good field of midgets on Fair Nights, but both series had to cancel because the drivers couldn't get to Eureka because of the wildfires that were going on at the time. I know the North State series has struggled with the car count for various reasons of which I'm not qualified to comment on, and the reason why that race was cancelled was because there weren't a lot of cars signed up for pre-entry. It seems like so long ago when they did race here in April.

Hopefully the final two races will be exciting. I'm looking forward especially to the Fall Spectacular at the end of September, because the IMCA modifieds will be here and they always have a strong field of good cars, and the North State series will be back. Hopefully the lack of races during the season and it being the end of the year will entice drivers to show up for that race.

Mic Moulton returns to Acres victory lane

Mic Moulton returns to Acres victory lane

By Matthew J. Sullivan

It proved to be a fairly clean night of racing Saturday night at Redwood Acres Raceway. The racing action got started just after 6:30 in the evening and was finished just before 9:00. In between there was close competition, tight finishes and familiar faces taking home trophies for the mini stocks, real stocks, thunder roadsters and sportsman divisions. Unfortunately, for the second straight week the limited street stocks were not running.

After a serious accident in the previous race at the Acres, Jim Redd came back to win the trophy dash over Trevor Miller, Shaun Craig and Ryan Walters who was making his first race of the year behind the wheel of Bill Middleton’s yellow number 11. Dustin Walters won the heat race narrowly beating out Miller, Craig, Redd and Bob Lima. The first two laps of the main event were lead by Lima, until Craig took the help at lap three, stretching out to what would prove to be an insurmountable lead. Miller would prove to be the only car capable of running down leader Craig, but Miller was unable to get by Redd and Lima until the 8th lap of the 20 scheduled. At that time, Craig had a straightaway and a corner lead on Miller. By the end of the race, Miller was able to cut the lead to less than half a straight, but of course it wasn’t enough. It was a strong victory by Craig who had suffered engine woes the previous race. Redd held onto third while Ray Robinson took fourth and Lima fifth.

The mini stock dash was won by Denzil Barrett, a thin margin ahead of Chad Grammer who was driving Max Capps truck on the night. Craig and Scott Baker rounded out the dash finishers. Craig Baker won the heat race over brother Scott, Grammer, Barrett and Brian McIntosh. The lead in the main event was taken by Craig Baker in the early laps while the field stretched out. The lone incident of the night took place between Grammer and Scott Baker when the two made contact in the second turn. Craig Baker proved to have the race in hand as he was able to cruise to victory. Grammer moved his way into second with Barrett third, McIntosh fourth and rookie Brian Murrell, Jr. having his best finish of the year thus far in fifth.

Paul Peeples, Jr. must have had something to prove on the night in the thunder roadster division seeing as he was unable to win the previous race’s main event. Right off the bat in the dash Peeples was victorious over Tommy Payne, Bruce Ziemer and Mike Ward. Peeples followed up with the heat race victory over Doug Pulver in Jay Bahner’s car, Payne, Ziemer and Chris Lawrence. Dave McMurray led the first two laps of the main event only to be passed by Peeples on the third. From that point on, the race was for second position. Things got tight on lap nine when Robert Miller and Ward briefly locked their cars together, but both were able to separate and get back to racing. Payne held on to Peeples for a while, but at the end nobody was within range of pressuring Peeples and he took the victory over Payne, Ward, McMurray and Miller.

The trophy dash in the sportsman division went to Mic Moulton as he was able to beat Dennis Delbiaggio, Brandon Barnwell and Larry Pries. Jerry Peterson used the high line on the last lap between turns three and four to take the lead and the heat win away from Barnwell. Marcelli, Delbiaggio and Pries finished third through fifth. Al Acuna took the early lead in the main before Marcelli grabbed it away on lap four bringing Delbiaggio with him. Going into the third turn on the same lap, Delbiaggio got in too hard and spun out. Acuna had nowhere to go and ran into the side of Delbiaggio busting his radiator and ending his night.

Delbiaggio was able to continue as the top five to the green was Marcelli, Moulton, Barnwell, Peterson and Pries. On lap six Peterson used the high line to get by Barnwell. Three laps later, he used the same trick to get by Moulton for second and Marcelli for the lead. On lap 14, Moulton moved under and by Marcelli. On lap 24 Keith Dias spun bringing out the yellow flag. The restart proved to be just what Moulton needed. Coming off the green and down the back chute, Moulton moved under and by Peterson for the lead. Moulton was able to stretch his lead at the end and take the checkered flag first with Peterson second, Pries third, Barnwell fourth and Delbiaggio coming from the back to finish fifth.

Racing returns to the Acres August 9th. Joining the local classes will be the North State Challenge Series late model tour cars who will be making their second start of the season at the Acres, and their first race in several weeks.

Redwood Acres Fair Classic provides two nights of excitement

Redwood Acres Fair Classic provides two nights of excitement

By Matthew J. Sullivan

After a two week break from racing at the 3/8 mile paved Redwood Acres Raceway, drivers in the limited street stock, mini stock, real stock, thunder roadster and sportsman divisions saddled up for back-to-back races Friday and Saturday night during the Redwood Acres Fair. The large crowds for both evening’s events were not disappointed by what they witnessed either as there was close competition in many of the races. An added feature for this special race weekend was a Fair Night Champion determined as to which garnered the most points in their respective division.

Friday night for the limited street stock division kicked off with the trophy dash which was won by Orion Mosher who was making his first start of the 2008 season at the Acres. Scott Lyons took second with Craig Huffman and Fergy Ferguson rounding out the finishers. The heat was taken by Mosher over Duayne Mayo, Lyons, Ferguson and Kenny Demello. Unfortunately, Huffman’s engine blew during the heat and he was not able to return to the track for the rest of the weekend. Although Mosher had not raced since the end of last season, he showed no signs of rust in the main. He charged his way to the front and won over Ferguson, Demello, Lyons and Mayo.

Saturday night was not so great for the limited street class. With Huffman sidelined for the weekend and Lyons not making the show, only four cars were left, thus eliminating the class from holding a main event. Mosher took the dash win over Ferguson, Mayo and Demello. The heat race proved to be little different as the finishing order was the same, Mosher, Ferguson, Mayo and Demello. With wins in all five of the races, Mosher took the overall weekend title for the limited street stocks at fair races.

Scott Baker won Friday night’s mini stock trophy dash over brother Craig, Brian Murrell and Marty Walsh who was piloting Jaison Chand’s Mustang. Brian McIntosh won the heat race over Denzil Barrett, Max Capps, Walsh and Scott Baker. Walsh used his vast experience in the main event to get through the field and swipe the lead away from McIntosh to take the victory. McIntosh took second over Craig Baker, Scott Baker and Capps.

Walsh won the dash on Saturday night ahead of Craig Baker, Scott Baker and Murrell. The heat race win went to Murrell with Scott Baker, Craig Baker, Barrett and Capps rounding out the top five. Scott Baker took off to a large lead early on in the main event, but by races end the gap was closed to within one car length. That proved to be enough though as Scott Baker took the win over Walsh, Capps, Murrell and McIntosh. The fair night champion in the mini stock class ended up being two drivers, Scott Baker and Marty Walsh.

Trevor Miller showed his strength Friday night winning the real stock trophy dash over Shawn Craig, Jim Redd and Ryan Robinson. Miller took the heat victory over Craig, Bill Middleton, Redd and Donnie Hyman. Unfortunately for Miller, he was involved in an incident during the main event that ended up putting him several laps down and out of contention for the race victory. Craig was able to win followed by Middleton, Robinson, Redd and Marvin Savage.

Saturday night started off much the same Friday night did with Miller victorious in the dash over Pat Conway behind the wheel of Redd’s car, Craig and Robinson. Miller won the heat ahead of Craig, Conway, Middleton and Ryan Peeples who wasn’t able to make it out to Friday night’s races. Miller quickly made his way to the front in the main, while Craig had to battle through traffic a bit more to catch up, but near the conclusion of the race, the duo raced nose to tail, maneuvering themselves through traffic. The lone incident of the main occurred on lap 23 when Middleton had an issue going into the third turn and hit the wall. Although his car was severely damaged, Middleton walked away okay. The last two laps were run clean with Miller holding off Craig to win. Conway took third with Peeples fourth and Dustin Walters fifth after a severe accident in the heat Friday night.

Paul Peeples, Jr. found himself in familiar territory over the weekend, winning the thunder roadster dash ahead of Thomas Payne, Gerhy Foster and Troy Combs. Chris Sarvinski won the first heat race over Combs, Rick Crawley, Jay Bahner and Foster. Peeples was victorious in heat two over Robert Miller, Donn Cole, Mike Ward and Payne. Combs took the lead from Bruce Ziemar in the main event just before the halfway point and tried to put distance between himself and the dominant car/driver combination of Peeples. Unfortunately for Combs, Peeples proved to be too strong as he was able to take the lead away with only a few laps left and hold off Combs for the win. Mark Arroyo took third, Ziemar fourth and Foster fifth.

Combs broke Peeples’ win streak in the Saturday night dash win the win over Foster, Peeples and Payne. Combs also won the first heat race over Foster, Sarvinski, Bahner and Belinda Ward. Peeples won the second heat ahead of Arroyo, Payne, Mike Ward and Donn Cole. Sarvinski grabbed the early lead in the main event while the faster cars moved from the back to the front. One of the scariest incidents in recent memory at the Acres occurred on lap 7 when Foster and Baher touched wheels between turns three and four and went head on into the concrete wall in the fourth turn. Thankfully both drivers were able to walk away from their destroyed race cars, though the ambulance was brought out for Bahner for precautionary reasons regarding his back.

Sarvinski held the lead until lap 17 when Peeples took it away. The two raced within two car lengths for the rest of the event with Peeples crossing the line first over Sarvinski, Cole, Combs and Miller. Not surprisingly, Peeples proved to be the fair night champion for the thunder roadster division.

Racing in the sportsman division got hot and heavy before the green flag was even thrown in the trophy dash. Tim McCracken, returning to the Acres after several years away from racing and Rick Fox got into each other coming down the back stretch to take the green. Coming off the fourth turn with the green flag waving, Fox lost control and hit the wall hard. The damage was severe enough to end Fox’s race weekend. McCracken was sent to the rear of the dash. After all of that, it was Dennis Delbiaggio the winner with McCracken second and Brandon Barnwell third.

Angelo Marcelli won the closely contested first heat race over Barnwell, Al Acuna, Lissa Uselton and Keith Dias. Delbiaggio won the second heat over Preston O’Dell who was driving Frank Billy’s car. Larry Pries took third, with Jerry Peterson fourth and Romeo Venza fifth. Lissa Uselton took the early lead and looked strong in the main event, but McCracken was able to maneuver his way to the front, getting by Uselton at the halfway mark to take the win. Uselton finished second over Pries, Barnwell and Delbiaggio.

McCracken returned Saturday night to win the heat race over Barnwell, Delbiaggio and Pries. With Fox out and Billy having an accident in practice, the sportsman cars ran only one heat this time. Barnwell nabbed the heat victory over Delbiaggio, Acuna, Pries and Peterson. McCracken took the lead from Delbiaggio coming to an early caution flag, and that proved to be the race winning pass in the main event. Delbiaggio held on for second over Barnwell, Pries and Peterson. With wins in both main events, Tim McCracken was crowned the fair night champion for the sportsman division drivers.

Racing at the Acres takes a two week break, returning Saturday July 12th. All five local classes will return once more to provide some more of the great racing excitement that fans have come to expect at Redwood Acres Raceway.

Peeples, Walsh opening night winners at the Acres

Peeples, Walsh opening night winners at the Acres

By Matthew J. Sullivan

After the initial season opening race was cancelled the previous Saturday thanks to Mother Nature, racing returned to Redwood Acres Raceway this weekend. As fans have come to expect at the Acres, there was some great racing action provided by the drivers in the limited street stock, mini stock, real stock, thunder roadster and sportsman divisions.

Before the night’s events, former Acres regular and North State Challenge Series competitor Hank Hilton was honored. Fans and crew members applauded as “Hammerin’” Hank’s number 98 car made one final ceremonial lap around the 3/8 mile oval with Acres racer Frank Billy behind the wheel. The flag was flown at half staff in honor of Hilton as well as Humboldt County Second District Supervisor Roger Rodoni who was tragically killed in a car accident Thursday evening.

Scott Lyons paced qualifying for the limited street stock cars with a 17.663 lap. Dwayne Mayo won the trophy dash over Romeo Venza, Kenny Demello and Lyons. With only five cars showing up for the evening, the heat race turned out to be the final race of the night for the class. Venza took the win, his first of any kind at the Acres over Rick Armstrong after attrition knocked out Demello, Mayo and Lyons.

Qualifying for quick time in the mini stock division was very, very close. Max Capps claimed the honor with a 19.205 time, just five-thousandths quicker than Craig Baker. In the dash, Baker took the win ahead of Denzel Barrett, Scott Baker and Capps. The heat race was won by Brian McIntosh with Baker, Barrett, Capps and Brian Murrell rounding out the top five. Although only six cars started the 15 lap main, the racing was close. McIntosh took the early lead over the Baker brothers. On lap five, Scott and Craig made contact while racing for second sending Scott spinning. On lap 11, Craig Baker dropped off the pace and went into the pits. Barrett tried his best to find a way around McIntosh in the remaining laps, but couldn’t muster enough strength as McIntosh won. Capps finished third, Murrell fourth and Craig Baker took fifth.

Shawn Craig set the qualifying mark for the real stocks with a 19.067 time in. Craig won the dash over Jim Redd, Ryan Peeples and Bob Lima. Pat Conway won the first heat ahead of Nick Green, Dustin Walters, Casey Mitchell and Dana DeVane. Lima won heat two over Donnie Hyman, Redd, Ryan Robinson and Craig.

14 cars made the start of the 25 lap main event. Walters and Ray Middleton paced the field to the green flag. Walters took the initial lead, but by the end of the completion of the first lap it was Green in the lead. Robinson spun off the second turn on lap two but was able to keep going. On lap five, Redd moved by Hyman for third. The next lap Redd moved by Lima for second, but a lap later Lima regained the position. On lap seven, Hyman, Walters and Craig tangled up in the fourth turn bringing out a yellow flag. During the caution period, Green pulled into the pits from third place and did not return. The green returned for five more laps before an incident in the first and second turns involving Walters and Conway.

On the restart, the front trio of Lima, Redd and Peeples pulled away from the rest of the field. On lap 15, Redd moved by Lima for the lead. Two laps later, Lima spun off the second turn moving Peeples into second and Craig into third. On lap 18, an incident between Robinson and Walters brought out the final caution flag. Redd got a good start when the green flew again, but Peeples and Craig kept in close touch. With two laps remaining, Craig moved by Peeples for second, but by that point it was too late for him to mount a serious charge for the lead. At the checkered flag it was Redd winning with Craig, Peeples, Hyman and Lima rounding out the top five.

Qualifying in the sportsman division was close. Dennis DelBiaggio set the quick mark with a 16.342 barely beating Brandon Barnwell’s 16.347. Marty Walsh driving Rick Fox’s car won the dash over DelBiaggio, Barnwell and Larry Pries. Al Acuna returned to the division after being absent for a year and won the heat over Walsh, Jerry Peterson, DelBiaggio and Barnwell.

Walsh and Pries led the field to the green flag in the main event. It was short lived however as an incident involving Acuna, Lissa Uselton and Romeo Venza brought the yellow out. Acuna was finished for the night but Uselton and Venza were able to continue in the race. On the restart, Walsh led while Barnwell moved inside Pries for second. That opened the bottom line for Peterson to move into third and Angelo Marcelli for fourth. Uselton spun in turn three on lap five bringing out the yellow flag.

When racing resumed, Walsh put a gap over Barnwell and Peterson who were dueling for the second position. After a lap 14 caution for debris, the green flew again and once again Walsh pulled away. On lap 22, the yellow dropped when Pries got loose in turn four and was helped around by DelBiaggio who had nowhere to go. Walsh hit his gears and his marks on the final restart and crossed the line first at the checkered flag ahead of Barnwell, Peterson, Marcelli and DelBiaggio.

Paul Peeples, Jr. was the fastest of the thunder roadster drivers with a 16.892, the only driver under 17 seconds. Peeples took the dash win over Chris Banfill, Leroy Marsh, Jr. and Chris Sarvinski. Mike Ward won the first heat race over Donn Cole, Jay Bahner, class rookie Robert Miller and Dave McMurray. Peeples won heat two over Thomas Payne, Marsh, Sarvinski and Gerhy Foster.

McMurray and Bahner comprised the front row for the 15 car, 25 lap main event. McMurray took the early lead, but by lap three Foster moved into the top spot bringing Payne and Bahner with him. On lap six, Peeples began to maneuver his way to the front getting by Bahner. Three laps later, Peeples took second from Payne. By lap 11, Peeples took the lead from Foster and began to pull away. On lap 14, Payne moved inside Foster for second. The two dueled side by side for a lap before Payne took firm hold of the position. The caution flag dropped on lap 17 when McMurray hit the turn three wall.

After the restart, Sarvinski spun coming off turn four after running in the top five. He was able to get going again without a yellow flag. Payne was able to stay close on Peeples bumper and tried his best to find a way by the veteran driver, however he was unable to find a line by as Peeples took the win. Foster held on for third over Banfill and Marsh.

Racing returns to Redwood Acres Raceway May 10th with all five classes of cars looking to put on another fantastic show.

Wright masters the modifieds at the Acres, Middleton clinches real stock title

Wright masters the modifieds at the Acres, Middleton clinches real stock title

By Matthew J. Sullivan

The 2007 racing season came to a close this past Saturday night at the Redwood Acres Raceway with the annual Fall Spectacular. The I.M.C.A./Grand American modifieds joined the local runners in the thunder roadsters and the real stocks to make for an exciting finish to what has been a thrilling year of racing. Lakeport Speedway racer Thomas Wright led from start to finish in the 40-lap modified main event to earn the victory. David Henderson held off the challenges of 2007 RAR thunder roadster champion Paul Peeples, Jr. to win the 35 lap feature. The real stock division concluded it’s 2007 season in dramatic fashion with Shawn Craig winning the main event and Bill Middleton taking the season long title by a mere point.

Qualifying for the real stock division was paced by Shawn Craig with a 19.359. Ryan Peeples won the trophy dash over Bill Middleton, Craig and Ryan Robinson. Troy Wood won the first heat ahead of Nick Green, Bob Lima, Robinson and Mark Mullan. Charles Essex won the second heat followed by Middleton, Kimberling, Craig and Nick Mitchell. 16 cars started the 25 lap main event. The field was brought to the initial green by Mitchell and Wood, but Mitchell spun in turn two along with Robinson and the race was completely restarted.

With Mitchell being relegated to the tail end of the field, Jim Redd inherited the pole position and took full advantage of it off the start by taking the lead. Almost immediately after the drop of the green flag, Essex pulled his car into the pits ending his night. The field spread out with Redd leading Wood, Kimberling and Middleton. The front four ran this way all race. Craig was the driver on a mission. On lap seven he moved by Lima for fifth. The next lap he moved by Middleton for fourth, then outside of Kimberling for third, completing the past two laps later.

On lap 11, Craig made the pass for second getting by Wood. Lima spun in the fourth turn on lap 14, but got his car going again. Craig finally caught up to Redd on lap 17 and quickly made his way by to take the lead. In the final few laps, Craig was slowed by traffic at the tail end of the lead lap which allowed Redd to close back in. At the checkered flag though it wasn’t enough to prevent Craig from winning over Redd, Wood, Kimberling and Middleton. Thanks in part to his run in the trophy dash on this evening, Middleton was able to claim the 2007 real stock championship over Wood by one point. The title was particularly emotional for Middleton and his family as earlier this year, his nephew, Raymond, Jr. died in a car accident. Raymond was planning to race in the real stock division this year.

David Henderson set fast time for the thunder roadster cars with a 17.096. Randy Olson won the trophy dash over Henderson, Paul Peeples, Jr. and Donn Cole. While warming up for the first heat, Dave McMurray spun in the second turn collecting Jay Bahner. Fortunately both drivers were able to make it out for the main. Chris Sarvinski won the heat over Chris Banfill, Leroy Marsh, Jr. Mark Arroyo and Bill Bradbury. Mike Ward won the second heat over Thomas Payne, Gehry Foster, Olson and Peeples.

Chris Lawrence and Ward led the 18 car field to the green flag in the 35 lap feature. Payne spun in the fourth turn on the first lap. Cole stopped to avoid hitting Payne, but unfortunately Marsh couldn’t avoid hitting Cole with his right front tire, knocking it out of kilter and sending him behind the wall for the night. On the restart Ward got the jump to take the lead while the Bill O’Neill, Henderson, Payne and Olson shuffled by Lawrence. Henderson moved by O’Neill quickly to take second on lap two. On lap four, Henderson took the lead from Ward while Olson moved by O’Neill into third.

Meanwhile, Peeples was charging his way to the front. On lap six, he moved by Foster for fifth, then on lap nine he got by O’Neill for fourth. While Henderson slowly pulled away, Ward and Olson battled for the second position. On lap 14, Olson finally found the fast line and moved under and by Ward. Peeples used the same tactic on lap 16 to take third. On lap 19, Peeples moved inside of Olson for second. The two dueled side-by-side while Henderson continued to pull out his lead. Finally on lap 22 after great wheel-to-wheel action, Peeples moved by for second. On lap 24, Banfill moved by Foster for the fifth position. Payne spun on lap 27 bringing out the yellow and tightening the field.

After the restart, the yellow flew once again for a spin by Foster in the fourth turn. On the last restart, Henderson, Peeples and Olson pulled away from the dueling cars of Ward and Banfill. Peeples tried to find the faster route, but couldn’t manage to get by Henderson. The closest he would get would be a friendly tap in the rear coming off the fourth turn on the last lap. At the checkered flag it was Henderson, Peeples, Olson, Ward and Banfill the top five finishers.

All-American Speedway driver Jay Linstroth took quick time honors for the modifieds for the second year in a row. Linstroth’s lap was a 16.293. Eddie Laws won the dash over Linstroth, Charlie Kramm and Kelly Peacock. The first heat saw misfortune for Cody Barba who blew an engine. Defending race champion Willie Thompson took the heat win over Thomas Wright, Scott Field, Terry McIntire and Brent Barney. Ken Scales won the second heat over Richie Potts, Peacock, Linstroth and Jason Philpot.

Wright and Field led the 15 car modified field in the 40 lap feature event. The initial start was called off due to a sloppy lineup. In the confusion to slow the cars down, Scales cut a tire and had to pit. On the restart, Wright took the lead over Field. On lap four, Potts used the outside to get by Laws and Dan Knight to move into third. On lap six, Potts moved by Fields into second. Laws maneuvered his way by Knight for the fourth spot on lap seven. Philpot got by Knight for fifth on the eighth lap. The yellow flew on lap 11 when Field had problems in the first turn.

The front three of Wright, Potts and Laws pulled away on the restart. On lap 18, Linstroth began to make himself known as he moved inside Philpot for fourth, bring Kramm with him. With the field spread out, racing for positions became very difficult. On lap 27, Linstroth took third away from Laws. Two laps later, Kramm moved by Laws for fourth bringing Guy Young with him. On lap 32, Linstroth moved into second and it looked like he would be able to give Wright a serious charge for the lead. However, when Linstroth moved into second, it appeared that Wright began to pick up the pace as he put a six car gap on Linstroth and maintained it all the way to the checkered flag. At the line it was Wright, Linstroth and Potts while Redding racers Kramm and Young finished fourth and fifth.

Fair Night Races Exciting At The Acres

Fair Night Races Exciting At The Acres

By Matthew J. Sullivan

With a packed grandstand and the fair atmosphere in the air, a nice field of late model cars arrived for two thrilling nights of racing at Redwood Acres Raceway in Eureka, California. Night one saw Myrtle Point, Oregon’s Mike Sackett take the main event honors while night two saw another Oregonian, David Miller take the victory and the overall fair race bonus.

Along with the late models, the real stock, mini stock and sportsman divisions showed up for their regular night of racing action. The first race of night one was a prelude of the racing action to come for the next two nights as Rick Fox took the trophy dash victory over Shawn Craig by a bumper. In heat racing action, Jimmy Thornbury, Dana Porter and Donnie Hyman each took the trophies in their respective heat races.

The high turnout of real stocks forced a “B” main event with the top two cars transferring to the main event. Taking those positions were Mike Peeples and Thornbury in that order. The “A” main event action got started with a bang... literally as Keith Conn and Ryan Thompson made contact going into the first turn on the first lap. Chad Gurney trying to avoid the incident spun and Travis Maytanes, who had nowhere to go rammed into the back of Gurney’s car ending the night for both drivers. Fox took his car to the lead after the restart and fought off several challenges from defending champion, Craig, winning the first night of racing for the real stocks. Third was Porter and fourth was Doug Way.

There was a larger field of mini stocks for both nights. In the first night, Jason Rhodes took the trophy dash victory over Phil Wood and Dan Brown. In the heat race, Rhodes and Wood raced wheel-to-wheel in an exciting race which saw Rhodes win again over Wood, this time by about a foot. These two continued their battle into the main event.

Rhodes took the lead on lap one and tried to stretch his lead over the rest of the field. Wood worked his way through traffic and caught up to Rhodes and began to make an attempt to pass him on the outside. Lap 9, Wood took the lead but didn’t pull out to a big margin over Rhodes and Brown who made his way to third. While working traffic on lap 12, Wood lost the lead to Rhodes. By lap 18, however, Wood regained the lead and never looked back taking the victory over Rhodes, Brown and Jerry Shaha who was making his first appearance of the season.

In the sportsman trophy dash, David Henderson took the win over Roger Sanderson and Shawn Andrews. Points leader going into the night, Scotty Turner won the heat race over Pat Walsh and Al Acuna. The main event action was bumper to bumper and rousing to say the least as Walsh and Henderson brought the field to the green flag. Ed Peters, who had been having problems with his car smoking all afternoon pulled his car into the pits and was done for the night. Sanderson and Jacob Winfrey made contact coming off of four early in the race but both continued on. Lap 9, rookie Joe McDonald spun for a caution. On the restart, Walsh continued to hold his lead over Henderson.

Lap 24, Andrews who had been working on passing Sanderson got too aggressive and spun Sanderson off of turn two. Sanderson let Andrews know how he felt about the incident and because of that, Sanderson was given a one lap penalty while Andrews was sent to the rear of the field. After the restart, Henderson tried his best to make a move on Walsh but all attempts were thwarted as Walsh won over Henderson, Angelo Marcelli, and James Norris.

The late model trophy dash was fast as Crescent City driver, Howard Ford took the victory over David Miller, Larry Bayless and Randy Hvall. Roger LaHorgue took the first late model heat race win over Preston O’Dell. Unfortunately, LaHorgue had car problems and didn’t race the rest of the two nights. An accident in the second heat race between Ford and Dennis DelBiaggio took both cars out of racing action for the rest of the weekend. Shawn Hayes of Redding won over Mike Sackett and Miller.

Local favorite, Larry Pries and Sackett led the field to the green flag in the main event. Sackett took the early lead over Pries as the field sorted itself out. Lap 3, Paul Peeples had a motor problem and was done for the night. On lap 7, Hayes spun in turns three and four. After the restart, Sackett stretched out a tremendous lead over the field. On lap 31, Hayes spun in turn 3 while trying to move out of the leaders way. A few laps later, Bill Ward hit the wall coming off turn two. On the same lap, Mic Moulton spun his car in turn four. The rest of the race was clean as Sackett took the victory over Bayless, Miller and Hvall.

The second night of racing was even more exciting. Doug Way took the trophy dash victory in the real stock class over Rick Fox and Travis Maytanes. Mike Peeples, Jimmy Thornbury and Way took the trophies home in the three heat races. The main event action got off to a rough start as Fox had problems with his car going into turn one on the first lap and spun into the infield. Later that same lap, Gary Adams and Way made contact and spun. Adams, who had a flat tire was slow on the inside coming to the caution flag. Behind him came Thornbury who had nowhere to go and rammed into the back of Adams ending the night for both drivers.

After the restart, a battle for the lead ensued between Mike Peeples, Travis Maytanes and Donnie Hyman. Peeples took the lead on lap 19 and looked to stretch his lead over Hyman, Maytanes and Shawn Craig who had moved his way through the field. While working his way through traffic, Peeples was slowed. Hyman took advantage of Peeples’ unfortunate break and took the lead. Craig also took advantage and made his way to second. Hyman took the victory over Craig, Peeples and Maytanes.

Dan Brown took trophy dash honors over Jason Rhodes, Phil Wood and Brian Murrell. In the first of the two mini stock heat races, Chad Grammer held off a hard charge by Mac Collado and Jason Shaha while in the second heat Brown held off Rhodes, Murrell and Matt Wolfe.

Jaison Chand, who had been having motor problems all weekend and Grammer led the field to the green flag in the main event. Wood made a quick charge to the front as he began to chase down Chand. Shaha began to leak fluid on the track and a yellow flag was thrown to check his car as well as the track for any fluids. After the restart, Wood again made a challenge on Chand and by lap 11 he took the lead. Lap 17, Collado who had been making a strong charge through the field lost his power plant and pulled his car into the infield. Wood took the victory over Rhodes, Brown and Chand.

Scotty Turner won the sportsman trophy dash. Second was Shawn Andrews followed by David Henderson and Pat Walsh. Roger Sanderson took the heat race win over James Norris, Al Acuna and Angelo Marcelli. Joe McDonald and Sanderson led the field in the main event. Early, Acuna and Sanderson made contact in turn three resulting in a caution. After a lap five restart, Andrews took advantage of cool tires and after several attempts at passing leader Norris he took the lead on lap 10. On lap 15, Acuna and Sanderson again made contact. Acuna was black flagged and done for the night. Andrews went unchallenged for the rest of the race as he took the victory over Norris, Henderson and Walsh.

The late model trophy dash was fast. Randy Hvall won it over Bill Ward, Larry Pries and Mike Sackett. The most exciting event happened in the first of the two heat races when Shawn Hayes and Luke Hall made contact in turn 3. Hayes car climbed over the hood of Hall and flipped over Hayes’ car. Hayes clambered out of the car uninjured. To his delight, his car suffered only slight body damage and he was able to make it back out for the main event.

Fan favorite, Jimmy Walker, who had been having problems with his car all weekend, took the victory over Ron Peters, Preston O’Dell and Mic Moulton. Walker did not make a qualifying attempt earlier in the day has he and his crew took the car back to the shop for an engine change. The second heat race had it’s share of the action as well as Larry Bayless and David Miller made contact coming off of turn two. Mike Sackett ran into the back of Randy Hvall trying to avoid the incident and tore up the whole front wrap of his car. On lap 9 of the 10 lap race, Miller made a bold pass on the outside of Eric Graham going into turn one and took the victory over Hvall, Graham and Rick Spencer.

Miller and Spencer brought the field to the green flag in the main event. Miller took the advantage as Spencer fell in behind him. On lap 16, Hall and Pat Walsh, who was running in the late model class as well made contact in the backstretch. Both cars slid onto the track in turn three but nobody was damaged. At the same time, Walker broke a rear-end and made contact with the wall going into turn 3. A few laps later, O’Dell spun in turn one from some fluid that Walker had left on the racetrack as a result of his problem.

After the restart, Spencer again tried to put the pressure to Miller. On lap 31, Graham got into the wall. Once the field got going again, Sackett passed Ward on lap 36 after a long battle with him. A few laps later, Pries moved Ward out of his way for position. On lap 47, Sackett passed Hvall for third. Two laps later, Ward went into the pits. With five laps to go in the sixty-lap feature, Moulton and O’Dell made contact resulting in Moulton hitting the wall in turn 3.

Miller got a good jump on the field on the restart as Spencer tried to hold off Sackett for the second spot. On the last lap coming off of turn two, Sackett got loose trying to get under Spencer. When Sackett lifted off of the throttle to save his car, Hvall got into the back of him and sent him into the infield. Sackett came through the infield and back onto the track on the front straightaway, luckily with nobody hitting him. Miller took the victory over Spencer, Hvall and Pries.

Acres Action Sharp And Prompt

Acres Action Sharp And Prompt

By Matthew J. Sullivan

Racing at Redwood Acres was exciting on Saturday, June 1, as the late model tour cars made their first visit to the fast 3/8-paved oval in Eureka, California. Originally, the cars had been scheduled to make a visit earlier in the year; however, the race was rained out. Mike Sackett of Myrtle Point, Oregon took the hard fought victory over Rick Spencer. All of the defending champions of the Acres regular racing action won; Shawn Craig in the real stock division, Shawn Andrews in the sportsman division and Phil Wood in the mini stock class.

The racing action was fast in all of the classes, in fact the entire race time lasted from 7:00 to about 9:45. In the mini stock trophy dash, Wood took the victory over Jason Rhodes and Dan Brown. Jason Chand who was also in the race had motor problems; something that would plague him for the rest of his evening.

Racing action was intense in the heat race. Wood quickly made his way to the front as Rhodes and Troy Boyce attempted to chase him down. Bad luck struck both drivers; on lap 2 Rhodes spun between turns three and four, a lap later in the same part of the track, the same thing happened to Boyce. Boyce was fortunate enough not to loose any positions to cars but he lost a lot of track position to Wood who went unchallenged. Boyce finished second with Mac Collado third.

The 20 lap mini stock main event was fast and furious as Brian Murrell led the field to the green. Soon after, Boyce took the lead and made an attempt to move out to a sizeable lead. That wouldn’t be the case though as Wood made a charge to the front from the back and passed Boyce on lap seven. A few laps later Boyce went into the pits and didn’t return. Wood took the sizeable advantage and won the race over Brown, Rhodes and Collado.

The real stock field was strong again at the Acres. Rick Fox won the trophy dash over Shawn Craig, Donny Hyman and young driver Travis Maytanes. In the first of the three heat races another youngster, Gary Adams fought off a hard charging Marty Walsh. The second heat consisted of a lot of bumping and grinding. On lap 3, Aaron Byers and Mike Peeples made contact resulting in a caution flag. On the restart a tight battle ensued between leader, Chad Gurney, Steve Kimberling and Byers. Gurney held off the challenge for the victory. The third heat was calmer with Doug Way taking the victory over Craig and Fox.

Because of the high car count, a B-main event was held allowing only the top two in the race to transfer to the main event. Adams and Walsh continued their hard fought battle in the first heat with Walsh coming out the victor with Adams taking the second transfer position. The 25 lap main was very exciting as Peeples led the field to the green flag. On lap 6, Bill Middleton spun to bring out the caution. After the restart, Craig who had made his way quickly through the field took the lead. By lap 14, Rick Fox had made the pass for second and set his sights on Craig.

On lap 20 when going into turn three, Peeples blew his motor. Keith Conn and Doug Way hit the oil and hit the wall ending both of their nights. On the restart, Fox applied as much pressure as he could on Craig, trying to force him into making a mistake. Maytanes spun on lap 22 but there was no caution. Shawn Craig took the checkered flag with Fox, Hyman, Walsh and Lissa Uselton behind him.

Defending sportsman track champion, Shawn Andrews took the trophy dash victory over Acres veteran Pat Walsh, sportsman rookie Scotty Turner and second year sportsman driver David Henderson. Angelo Marcelli, Walsh and Andrews were closely contesting the lead in the heat race. Marcelli held off all challenges and took the heat race victory. Rookie Jim Norris led the field to the green flag, disaster struck in turn four on the first lap when rookie Joe McDonald spun. Al Acuna tried to avoid McDonald’s spun vehicle but ended up hitting the wall ending his night of racing. Ed Peters also spun his car but avoided damage to his car.

After a restart, Peters took the early lead. On lap 7, Turner lost his car coming off of turn two. Peters slowed up for the incident but was spun by Walsh also trying to avoid Turner’s car. After a quick restart, Andrews took advantage and passed Norris. He quickly caught up to Walsh and began to make an attempt for the lead. On lap 16, Andrews was successful and passed Walsh. That same lap, Norris lost power and took his car to the pits. Lap 18, Henderson spun but he continued on. Andrews held off Walsh on the restart and took the victory with returning driver Roger Sanderson third and Marcelli fourth.

In late model action, Mike Sackett won the six-lap trophy dash over fan favorite, Jimmy Walker, Mic Moulton and Larry Pries. The heat race was fast as David Miller took the victory over Rick Spencer, Bill Ward and Sackett. The main event action was exciting to say the least as Spencer led the field to the green flag. Paul Peeples who started on the outside got a good start and took the lead going into turn one and led the field for the first twelve laps however on lap thirteen he had car problems and pulled his car into the pits allowing Spencer to take the lead.

On lap 21, Walker pulled his ill handling racecar into the pits and did not return. Sackett made his way to second and began to apply pressure to leader Spencer. Several times Sackett tried to make the pass on Spencer but he couldn’t get the run. The two fought tooth and nail for many, many laps bumper to bumper. Finally on lap 27, Sackett saw his opportunity and took it passing Spencer for the race lead. Though it seemed that he was faster, Sackett didn’t draw a very large lead over Spencer.

As the two hit the “slower” cars Sackett pulled out to a larger margin. Sackett had trouble passing Miller however allowing Spencer to close back up to him. Sackett made the pass with Spencer passing Miller a few laps later. With only a few more circuits left in the race, Pries, Luke Hall and Preston O’Dell were collected in a wreck with Pries suffering the brunt of the damage. Mike Sackett held off the rest of Spencer’s challenges for the lead as he took the victory with Moulton third, Bill Ward fourth and David Miller fifth.

Racing At Redwood Acres Raceway Off To Exciting Start

Racing At Redwood Acres Raceway Off To Exciting Start
By Matthew J. Sullivan

An exciting Saturday night at Redwood Acres saw some old faces in familiar places as defending mini stock champion, Phil Wood, defending real stock champion, Shawn Craig and Acres racing veteran, Al Acuna each claimed main event victories.

The mini stock cars had a turnout of 10 cars total. In the trophy dash, Wood took the victory over Jason Chand who passed Jason Rhodes on the final corner of the final lap of the race. The heat race saw the car of driver Chad Grammer lead the field into turn one, however at the end of the first lap, Jason Rhodes took command of the field. The next lap, Wood took the lead. On lap 5, the cow car driven by, Dan Brown spun. The rest of the race was clean as Wood took the victory over Rhodes, Grammer and Chand.

The 25 lap mini stock main event had the 13 car of, Brian Murrell on the pole. On the start Grammer and Murrell made contact. Rhodes, trying to avoid the incident ended up spinning but all were able to continue on. The restart had Brown and Wood pacing the field. Off the start, Wood took the lead. On lap 3, the 19 truck of, Mat Wolfe had radiator problems and pulled off of the track and the 09 of Joe McDonald pulled into the pits. On lap seventeen, the Grammer spun resulting in a caution. After the restart, Wood pulled out to a large lead and into victory. Second was Jason Chand, third was Jason Rhodes and fourth was Brown.

The pure stocks had a large turnout of 21 cars. Defending champion, Shawn Craig paced the field with a 20.248 lap around the 3/8 mile paved oval. In the trophy dash, Rick Fox held off a hard charging Craig for the victory. In the first of two heat races, the 45 of, Curt Vance sat on the pole next to the 8 of Keith Conn. After a restart, Conn took the lead going into turn one. By lap three however, Mike Peters took the lead going into turn three. That same lap saw a multi car wreck. After a restart and two green laps, the 73 of Hymie Yellon spun for a caution flag. The rest of the race was tight as Peters took the victory over Steve Kimberling, Brad Fite and Daren Gallagher.

The second pure stock heat was exciting and the first five laps were tight however the fifth lap was a little too tight as Gary Adams and Don Hyman made contact resulting in a flat tire for Adams and no more racing action for Hyman for the rest of the evening. The rest of the race was full of excitement as Fox made it two for two with the heat race victory. He was followed by Craig who passed Aaron Byers for second off of the last turn on the final lap.

The 87 of Jimmy Thornberry had the pole for the 25 lap main event. On lap 4 the Curt Vance slowed to a stop in turns one and two resulting in a caution. After a restart, the side-by-side was intense and at times too intense. On lap 11, Lisa Uselton made contact with another driver and the result was Uselton in the grass; there was no caution however. By lap 12, Craig who had started 14 had moved his way to second and began an assault on first place Brad Fite. Lap 15 the 7 car of, Carl Bowling and Gary Adams collided resulting in the 7 car out of the race. Adams continued on. After the restart, Craig took advantage of it and took the lead. He went unchallenged for the rest of the event and took the victory. Second was Fite, third was Rick Fox and fourth was the Aaron Byers.

The sportsman cars had a turnout of 8 cars, however there is an expectation of more cars for the upcoming season. In the trophy dash, sportsman rookie, Scotty Turner won followed by David Henderson, veteran Pat Walsh and Ronnie O’Neill. The heat race was fast paced as Al Acuna led the field to the green. Early in the heat, defending champion, Shawn Andrews and O’Neill made contact resulting in a dinged up fender for Andrews. On lap 8, Andrews and Walsh made contact resulting in a spin for Andrews, there was no caution as Andrews continued on. Acuna took the victory over 2000 champion Angelo Marcelli, Walsh and Henderson.

During tire warm ups, rookie Jim Norris spun and pushed the nose a bit on his car. This gave the pole to Marcelli with Acuna at his side. Marcelli jumped to the lead off the start. On lap 2, O’Neill pulled into the pits and was done for the night. It was close racing up front for most of the race with the cars nose to tail within inches of each other. On lap 10, Norris pitted and was done and a lap later Henderson visited the pits as well. On lap 14, Scotty Turner got a little loose and Andrews took advantage and moved by. Turner got loose again but couldn’t save it and spun. The car was not damaged and he was able to continue on. After the restart, Andrews tried to make the outside work on Acuna who was running second. Going into turn one, Andrews spun for another caution, he continued on. After the restart, Acuna took advantage of cool tires and made a charge on Marcelli going into turn 3. The two made contact and Marcelli spun into the infield as Acuna continued on with Walsh by his side. Acuna with the inside line took the lead back and held on for the victory over Walsh.