Thursday, July 20, 2017

2017 Season At Redwood Acres Raceway Past The Halfway Point



Eureka, CA (July 17, 2017) – After a long two-week break, racing returns to Redwood Acres Raceway this weekend for Nor-Cal Automotive Night at the Races. In addition to the local stars in the roadrunners, bombers, mini stocks, Thunder Roadsters and Legends will be the North State Modified Series. It will be the second visit of three to the 3/8-mile paved oval this season.

The California State & Federal Employees Credit Union roadrunner points are currently being led by Daniel Buell. The gap between first and second is a mere four points as Nick Ford fills that position. Tim Ratzlaff is 21 points behind Buell in third. Bob Ratzlaff is fourth and Jennifer Murrell is fifth but both drivers will need massive luck to catch the top three in the standings.

John Lally holds a somewhat comfortable lead in the Fortuna Whell & Brake bomber division. Lally leads rookie driver, Bethany Rapp by 23 markers. Jim Redd is third in points, only six behind Rapp. The top five is rounded out by Kolby Jackson and Kim Sorrels.

Brian Murrell, Sr.’s lead in the Humboldt Hydroponics mini stock division is a mere nine points. Eugene Palmer is the second place man and has been a thorn in Murrell’s side all year long. Scott Taylor has been impressive in his rookie season and is third in points. Brett Murrell has been on a tear since missing the first race of the season. He sits 25 points behind his father. Another rookie rounds out the top five as Trevor Eacret holds the position.

It’s been nearly a month and a half since the Nor-Cal Automotive Legends division has been on the track. The top two in the standings are youngsters as MKinzy Uselton leads division rookie, Dominic Vogelsang by 10 points. Tyler Peach is another rookie in the Legends division and he is third in the standings. Brent Mack is fourth and Cody Winchel is fifth.

Like the Legends cars, the Lone Star Junction Thunder Roadster class has been on hiatus for the same time. Veteran racer, Paul Peeples, Jr. has a grasp on the lead as his margin is 16 points ahead of Ronnie O’Neil. Third in the standings is division veteran, Tommy Payne who is only seven points behind O’Neil. Rookie, Jason Mitchell is fourth in the standings and Chris Sarvinski is fifth.

The Super 6 Late Model Challenge Series held its fifth of six races this past weekend in the series’ only visit to Ukiah Speedway. The series is presented by Danielson Construction, North Coast Lighting and Electric and Mid-City Motor World. Eric Gannon prevailed after last lap contact between Brandon White and Luke Hall. Gannon’s victory pulled him within six points of Mic Moulton. Marty Walsh is third only one point behind Gannon. The championship will likely be decided among the top three as White is fourth in the standings but 26 behind Moulton. David Henderson is a single point behind White in fifth. The next and final points race for the Super 6 Late Models will be on August 26th.

As noted, the North State Modified Series will be making its second visit to the Acres this year. It’s a tight point race for the mods as Darrin Knight’s advantage over Charlie Collins is only seven points. Darrin Sullivan won the series’ first visit on May 28th and is third in points, 29 in arrears to Knight. Eric Johnson is three points behind Sullivan in fourth while Jason Philpot is fifth. Other top stars expected to race this weekend at the Acres include Sierra Furia, Cody Braund, Rich Cobb, Dustin DeRosier and Bryan Denton.

An open practice is scheduled for Friday. Saturday the grandstands open at 5:00 PM while racing begins at 6:00 PM. For more information on the 2017 season at Redwood Acres Raceway, please visit the track’s official website www.RacingTheAcres.com

Monday, July 17, 2017

Gannon Avoids Last Lap Tangle To Win



Ukiah, CA (July 16, 2017) – The Super 6 Late Model Challenge Series made its only visit to Ukiah Speedway this weekend. The series presented by Anderson Logging, Danielson Construction, Mid-City Motor World, North Coast Lighting and Electric ran its fifth of six races with its only stop in Ukiah. The Super 6 racers provided what proved to be a memorable night on the 1/3-mile paved oval.

Brandon White set the mark for the 14-car field in qualifying with a 12.709. As always, the heat race results determined who would start where in the 75-lap feature. Dustin Walters made his first start in the series for the year and won the first heat garnering him the ninth starting position. Marty Walsh earned pole position in the second heat race with a victory.

Walsh took the lead at the start of the feature and led the opening 14 laps. An early caution due to a spin by Ryan Walters bunched the field on the restart. White used the restart to his advantage as he quickly moved from third to first.

White dominated the event and looked to have the race well in hand. The huge turning point of the event came on lap 41 when White made contact with Myles Anderson sending Anderson spinning. Due to his initiating the contact, White was sent to the rear giving the lead to Luke Hall. The ensuing restart set the stage for a thrilling but controversial finish.

Lap 56 saw a spin by Ryun Leazer which brought out the caution. In the meantime, White had quickly knifed his way through the field into the third position. On the restart, White moved past Eric Gannon for second and slowly closed in on the leader Hall as the laps clicked off in a hurry. White closed the distance by lap 73 and on the final lap who would win was up in the air. Contact was made between the two cars sending Hall and White out of the top two positions. At the finish, Gannon took the win over Marty Walsh. David Henderson placed a strong third while Hall was able to recover with a fourth place effort. Dustin Walters rounded out the top 5 with an impressive run.

The Super 6 Late Model Challenge Series has its final race of the season at Redwood Acres Raceway. The championship race will likely be decided among three drivers, Mic Moulton, Eric Gannon and Marty Walsh. It will be a can’t-miss event at the Acres.