Thursday, October 18, 2018

Moulton Wins Third Championship In A Row

#10 Mic Moulton and #2 David Henderson finished 1-2 in the points standings for the Mid-City Motor World Late Models (Photo Courtesy Sherie Bialous)

Eureka, CA (October 18, 2018) – The 2018 season at Redwood Acres Raceway concluded in early September with the 26th Annual Fall Spectacular. Champions were decided in all six local divisions. For some, the season ended on the highest note possible. For others, the end of 2018 couldn’t have come soon enough.

Nick Ford’s 86-point victory in the championship over Tim Ratzlaff in the Compass Community Credit Union may have looked like a season-long cake walk but that definitely was not the case. Ford won six of the 16 main events but Ratzlaff won seven. In fact, Ratzlaff’s average finish in the division was an amazing 1.9 while Ford’s was 3.2. Ford’s greatest ally was his ability to start all of the roadrunner events in 2018 while Ratzlaff missed three starts early on in the season.

While Ford and Ratzlaff were the two focal points in the roadrunners, the division also saw new stars emerge. Lindsey Zito had a solid sophomore season and won her first main event on the May 12 race. Amanda Lohr placed fourth in the standings and was the highest finishing rookie in points. Lohr shared the car with Daniel Buell and he was able to win on June 9. Ronnie Crump placed fifth in the points and was a top five finisher all throughout the year.

2018 marked the debut of the Bandolero division at Redwood Acres Raceway. The new division brought young and new racers to RAR to the delight of fans. Lane Anderson dominated the division winning six times and taking the track championship in the division. Second place Aiden Kimberling came close but was unable to get to victory lane in 2018. Even so, his strong and consistent finishes allowed him to finish only 14 points behind Anderson and he will definitely be a force to be reckoned with in 2019. Kadence Mace placed third in the standings while Maleesa Miles was fourth. Miles victorious in the June 9 race. Trey Daniels took fifth in points and his May 27 win made him the only other driver to claim victory in the division in its inaugural season.

The car count in the North Coast Lighting & Electric Legends division really picked up near season’s end which will definitely make It tougher on Chris Lawrence who took the track championship. Lawrence won three times in 2018. Second place, Tyler Peach didn’t have the strength he had in 2017. Peach was the defending Legends champion and won the August 18 feature. Aiden Daniels placed third in points and will likely be a major threat in the future. Daniels’ best finish was second on July 21. Brent Mack placed fourth in points and showed real strength in the final races of the season. Kylie Daniels narrowly held on to fifth in the points and she too looked to have things figured out in the last few races.

For Jim Redd, it was a long time between championships. In 2008, Redd took the title in the real stock division. This year, Redd claimed the championship in the Fortuna Wheel & Brake bomber class with only a single main event win in 2018. Wyatt Roach might be the favorite for the bomber title in 2019 as he was Redd’s equal all year long in terms of speed. Roach missed the season opener on May 5 and won three main events but fell victim to mechanical issues much of the year. Sam Brown was third in points and really proved himself at season’s end, in particular in the Fall Spectacular feature where he raced neck-and-neck with some of the best bomber drivers in the region. Ryan Walters finished fourth in points thanks in part to two early second place finishes at the start of the year. Bethany Rapp had a best finish of third on July 7 and was fifth in points.

The Humboldt Hydroponics mini stock track championship was a long time coming for Brian Murrell, Sr. The veteran racer had come close to winning a track title on several occasions over the years including in 2017 when he lost out to his son, Brett Murrell in the final few races. In 2018, Murrell, Sr. was able to utilize three main event wins to take his much deserved first championship. Eugene Palmer stalked Murrell, Sr. all season long and won twice during the year. Unfortunately for Palmer, mechanical issues and general bad luck seemed to strike in events where he was running at or near the front. Scott Taylor had a stellar second season and placed third in points in spite of missing the Fall Spectacular thanks to a major wreck in the August 18 Murrell “500” race. Trevor Eacret won his first main event ever on May 12 and was fourth in the standings. In comparison to 2017, 2018 was a disappointing season for Brett Murrell. However, in spite of missing the first two races of the year, Murrell place fifth in points with one feature win.

Mic Moulton was almost unbeatable in the Mid-City Motor World Late Model division. For the third straight season, Moulton was able to take the championship. It was Moulton’s sixth overall championship at Redwood Acres Raceway and his fourth in the past five seasons. Moulton’s first track championship came in the mini stocks in 1995. After several years of racing on the late model tour circuit throughout the region, Moulton focused on racing on the local scene and was the sportsman champion in 2010. Moulton was also track champion in the late models when the division started in 2014. Moulton won five times in 2018 while his two non-victories were third place finishes.

In any other season, David Henderson would have been a champion. Henderson placed in the top five in all seven races and won the biggest race of his career in the Dennis Wendt Memorial Fall Spectacular race. The fact he only finished 11 points behind Moulton was a testament to how strong his season was. Dane Nissen came close to victory all year long but just didn’t have the exact combination. Nissen was third in points with three second place finishes and two thirds. Kenny Demello had fourth top five finished and was fourth in the standings. Scott Baker rounded out the top five in points.

Redwood Acres Raceway would like to thank all of our sponsors who helped make 2018 such a fantastic season; Anderson Logging, Bay Area Music Connection, Bear River Casino & Resort, Bi-Coastal Media Clarion Hotel by Humboldt Bay, Compass Community Credit Union, DelReka Distributing, Eureka-Humboldt Fire Extinguishers, Fastenal, Fernbridge Tractor & Equipment Company, Fortuna Wheel & Brake, Harper Motors, Humboldt Hydroponics, Humboldt Lighting, Jim Redd Four-Star Realty, Mid-City Motor World, NorthCoast Lighting & Electric O’Reilly Auto Parts, Pacific Towing, Pepsi, Renner Petroleum, Root 101 Nursery, Spencer Electric and Wendt Construction. A big thank you to all of our officials and crew for the hard work they do every single race. Thank you to all the drivers and crew for participating in the races this season. A special thank you to all of the loyal fans who attended the races at Redwood Acres Raceway in 2018. We look forward to seeing everyone back in 2019!

For full points standings run downs in all divisions and other news and information, visit www.RedwoodAcresRacing.com or #/RedwoodAcresRaceway/