9/1/2020
Redwood Acres Raceway
Two Races Remain To Decide 2020 Redwood Acres Raceway Track Champions
The 2020 season at Redwood Acres Raceway is rapidly coming to a close. Only two races remain on the schedule which should increase the intensity of the on-track action for all five local divisions for every position on every lap of every race.
The roadrunner division features a battle of the Brandts with Bryan Brandt leading JR Brandt by 12 points. Bryan Brandt has scored two main event victories this season while JR Brandt has achieved his second place in the standings thanks to good finishes and consistency. Jeremiah Martin is third in the standings, 27 points behind the leader. Rookie Joseph Brown is fourth and 41 points in arrears to Brandt while LeRoy Marsh, Jr. rounds out the top five in the points and is 49 points out of the lead. Marsh was the victor in the most recent main event on August 30.
Gary Klinetobe is hoping to take his third mini stock track championship and he currently leads the division’s standings thanks in part to a main event victory. C.J. Dalton was able to close into Klinetobe’s lead thanks to him and several local drivers partaking in a 100-lap mini stock event at Madera Speedway this past weekend. Dalton is only two points behind Klinetobe. Brett Murrell’s season has been filled with disappointment but in spite of much bad luck he has a main event win and is only six points out of the lead. Gannon Cyphers in fourth is 20 points behind the lead while fifth place Jarrett Mayo is four points behind Cyphers with a main event win. Eric O’Ferrall was the winner of Saturday’s main, his first ever and he is sixth in points.
Dustin Walters has the largest points lead of the five divisions as his advantage is 19 points over second place Ed Rasmussen. Rasmussen is a rookie in the late models and has done an excellent job learning on the fly this season. David Henderson is the only other driver competing for points in the division and is out of the running as he is 65 points behind Walters. The three main events for the late models have featured three different winners. David Miller won the July event while Luke Hall and Walters have won the other two.
Things couldn’t be tighter in the bomber division as the standings feature a tie for the lead between Donnie Brown and Sam Brown. Bridget Steeves is a rookie and has made a good account thus far as she is third in points, 25 points behind the leaders. Raquel Krupa is hoping to repeat as bomber champion but will have a lot of catching up to do as she is fourth in points, 27 behind both Browns. Jordan Krupa rounds out the top five in standings as he is 36 points down to the leaders. Interestingly, none of the championship contenders have won a main event in 2020. Brandon White won the season opening main in July. Dustin Walters won the thrilling event which saw local bomber racers compete against the Upstate Bomber Series. Loren Powers, Jr. has won the other two features including the one from this past Saturday.
Dane Nissen’s points lead in the Legends division took a hit on Saturday when he was involved in an incident in his heat race that prevented him from starting the main event. Nissen’s point lead is only four markers as James Nichols was able to cut into his lead. Tyler Krupa in third is 12 points behind Nissen. Fourth place Andy Thornton has had a great rookie year but has a large gap to overcome if he’s going to win the division crown as he is 36 points behind the leader. Buddy Cox is fifth and 59 points off of Nissen’s lead. Nissen is the only title contender to win in 2020. Chris Lawrence won the opener while Derek Copeland has won the last two events.
The next race on the schedule for Redwood Acres Raceway is September 12 with all five local divisions in action. Because of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, the Fall Spectacular has been altered as racing will only take place on Saturday September 26. The North State Modified Series will be joining in as 2020 champions will ultimately be decided. Test and tunes will be held on the Friday before both races.
Redwood Acres Raceway would like to thank the following sponsors for helping making the 2020 season possible: Eureka Oxygen, Four Star Realty, Four Star Mini Storage, Harper Motors, McMurray & Sons, Mid-City Motor World, Northcoast Lighting & Electric, Redwood Capital Bank and Vern’s Furniture. A special thank you to our race fans for their continued support throughout this pandemic.
Follow Redwood Acres Raceway on Facebook or on Twitter @RacinTheAcres.
Submitted By: Matthew Sullivan