Eureka, CA (September 9, 2017) – It was another action-packed night of racing at Redwood Acres Raceway this past Saturday night. It was Bear River Casino And Resort Night at the Races and joining the usual crowd of roadrunners, Legends, bombers, mini stocks and Thunder Roadsters was the North State Modified Series which made their third and final stop at the Acres in 2017.

In the California State And Federal Employee’s Credit Union roadrunner division, Daniel Buell set fast time in qualifying with a 20.664. The first lap of the first 20-lap main was run backward with Andy Savage leading the first lap. Tim Ratzlaff took the lead on lap two before giving way to Tim Buzzard, Jr. on lap three. Lap four saw Ratzlaff and Savage hit the wall forcing both drivers out of the race. The final 10 laps featured a thrilling duel for the race win between the Buzzard and Buell. The two went back and forth for the lead several times before Buzzard took control on lap 18. Buzzard was able to hold on from there to take his first main event win in the roadrunners in 2017. Buell placed second while Dennis Anderson, Jennifer Murrell and Nick Ford rounded out the top five finishers.

The second main got started off with Ratzlaff leading. On lap three, Ford took over. Ford and Anderson traded the lead midway with Ford maintaining the lead. In the closing laps, Buell made himself known as he moved into second. On lap 19, Buell moved past Ford to take the lead. From there Buell took the checkered flag first. Ford placed second over Anderson, Murrell and Buzzard.

Qualifying for the Nor-Cal Automotive Legends class was led by Brad Curtice with an 18.081. Curtice took the trophy dash win while Robert Miller won the heat. The 25-lap feature started off with an unfortunate accident that took out Mkinzy Uselton. Robert Miller jumped to the lead on the restart while Curtice moved to second. The two played a cat and mouse game between each other until the final lap. Going into the third turn, Curtice moved under Miller to try to take the lead. The two drivers locked together coming off turn four. The incident allowed Tyler Peach to drive by and take his second main of the season. Miller was able to get second followed by Tyler Krupa, Curtice and Uselton.

James Moore was fast time in the Fortuna Wheel & Brake bomber division with a time of 18.382. The four-lap dash was won by late model veteran, Mic Moulton who was subbing for John Lally. Jeff French took the heat race win. Jimmy Sorrels led lap one but Moulton moved by on lap two. The big turning point in the race came on lap four when several drivers spun in turns three and four including Moulton. French made a daring three-wide pass to take the lead. From then on French was able to run away from the field. At the checkered flag it was French getting the win over Jim Redd, Moulton, Kolby Jackson and Bethany Rapp.

The Humboldt Hydroponics mini stocks were paced by Brett Murrell in qualifying as he times in with an 18.840. Scott Taylor won the dash while heat race wins went to Trevor Eacret and Murrell. Brian Murrell, Jr. led the first two of 25-laps in the main event. On lap three, Trevor Eacret took over. While Eacret led the most laps, a lap 20 restart did him in as he got loose and into Brian Murrell, Sr. Jordon Paiment took over and showed surprising speed in his new ride. Paiment was able to hold off a late race charge by Brett Murrell to take his first-ever mini stock main event win. Brett Murrell took second over Taylor, Eacret and Eugejne Palmer.

After several years away from racing, Alan Olson was able to set fast time in the Lone Star Junction Thunder Roadster division with a 17.391 time. Tommy Payne came through in the trophy dash and heat race to win. The 30-lap main saw thrilling racing between Payne and Chris Lawrence. The two raced wheel-to-wheel before Lawrence took over. O’Neil moved to second on lap seven and set his sights on Lawrence’s lead. The front two had an exciting but clean race for the top spot. With four laps remaining, O’Neil finally got under Lawrence to take the lead. Payne and Olson were able to follow through. At the finish it was O’Neil taking the victory. Payne placed second with Olson, Paul Baker and Lawrence finishing the top five.

Over 20 North State Modifieds made the trek to the Acres. Darrin Knight set a new track record with a 16.064. The Lucas Oil Dash for Cash was won by Tom Elam, giving him 100 dollars. Jeremy Kay placed second in the dash which earned him 50 dollars. The field saw a 10-car invert which gave Willie Thompson pole position. Thompson led the 10 laps before hitting the wall. The race’s only caution came a lap later when Thompson couldn’t get to the pits.

Kyle Tellstrom was driving Richie Potts’ car for the night and took the lead briefly before Knight took over. Knight clearly had the dominant car as he pulled away through the long green flag run. The best action was the battle for second between Tellstrom and Sierra Furia. The closest incident that nearly brought out the yellow flag was contact between Eric Johnson and Charlie Collins down the front stretch. Fortunately, neither car suffered significant damage and both drivers were able to make it to the lap 60 finish. Furia had transmission issues in the final handful of laps which cost her the third position. At the checkered flag it was Knight winning by nearly ¾ of the track. Tellstrom placed second over Randy Houston, Furia and Terry Deal. Only six cars finished the race on the lead lap.

The end of the 2017 season is drawing near at Redwood Acres Raceway as the final weekend of racing is set for the end of September. The annual Fall Spectacular will occur and track championships in all six divisions will be decided. For the Super 6 Late Model Challenge Series, it will be the first of two playoff races. Mid-City Motor World will present the festivities and the weekend will be in honor of the late Dennis Wendt who was a beloved member of the Humboldt County racing community. Those looking to see the outlaw karts will have a chance this Saturday as they will have their final race of the season as well. For more information please visit Redwood Acres Raceway’s website, www.redwoodacresracing.com