5/24/2026
Redwood Acres Raceway
Barnwell Withstands Late Challenge To Win Acres Season Opener
The 2026 season at Redwood Acres Raceway kicked off this past Saturday night much to the delight of North Coast race fans. Nor-Cal Automotive presented a full slate of action which featured the Mid-City Motor World Late Models, bombers, Legends, Jr. Legends, mini stocks and the Dirt 4 Bangers.
Prior to the start of the main events, a memorial lap was ran in honor of former track champions Doug Way and Bob Ratzlaff as well as NASCAR driver Kyle Busch who passed away earlier in the week.
2023 and 2025 Mid-City Motor World late model track champion Brandon Barnwell was quickest in qualifying with a 15.566. Dennis DelBiaggio was the winner of the heat race. Jerry Peterson led the opening handful of laps in the 65-lap feature before giving way to Barnwell. A spin by Chad Grammer in turn four briefly bunched the field but Barnwell was able regain the lead on the subsequent restart and build what looked to be an insurmountable lead.
Barnwell’s route to victory had a monkey wrench thrown in when Luke Hall had mechanical issues driving Christian Sanchez’s car in turn four with 10 laps remaining. The restart saw a fantastic door-to-door duel between Barnwell and Peterson. Barnwell was able to eventually prevail while Peterson fell back to third as Landen Green took the runner-up position. At the finish it was Barnwell winning followed by Green, Peterson, DelBiaggio and Grammer.
The night for the bomber division belonged to Raymond Taylor, Jr. The Laytonville driver paced qualifying with a 18.243, was victorious in the heat race and dominated the 30-lap feature winning by a lap over second place Jimmy Sorrels. Jeff French placed third followed by T.J. Sorrels and Nathaniel Foley who had a highly impressive effort in his first-ever race.
The Legends field was joined by the lone Jr. Legends driver in Phoenix Venza for the night. Ryan Skidmore from Benicia set the fastest lap in qualifying with a 17.831. The heat race featured an incident that knocked Venza’s car out for the night. Chris Lawrence was the heat race winner.
The 30-lap feature saw thrilling racing between Scott Taylor, Skidmore and Lawrence. Taylor led the opening 10 circuits before Skidmore moved by to take the lead. Lawrence moved to second by the halfway mark and was able to power by Skidmore off of turn two to take the lead after Skidmore got tight coming out of the turn. Skidmore was able to regain his composure and closed in on Lawrence in the final handful of laps. Lawrence was able to hold off Skidmore’s last lap charge to take the win. Taylor placed third followed by Fort Bragg’s Kassidy Fraser and Redwood Valley’s Matt Page.
Jarrett Mayo was the dominator in the mini stock class Saturday night. Mayo set quick time with a 18.679 then followed up with wins in the heat race and main event. Cole Peterson finished second in the 20-lap main followed by Alyssa Sorrels and T.J. Rollins while Tim Ratzlaff was credited with fifth.
The Dirt 4 Bangers delighted the fans in attendance with some slam-bang dirt racing in the infield. Christian Sanchez led early and went unchallenged in the 25-lap race to cruise to the win. Matt Merrill took second followed by Mateo Gutierrez, T.J. Applewhite and Truman Elmore.
Racing returns to Redwood Acres Raceway for a two-day special during the annual Redwood Acres Fair. Saturday June 20 will feature the Jim Walker Tribute Twin 48 races which will feature two 48-lap feature events for the Mid-City Motor World Late Models. The Upstate Bomber Series, Legends and mini stocks will also be racing. Sunday June 21 will see the Redwood Sports Car Club on display as well as the Dirt 4 Bangers and the fan favorite Hillbilly Boat Races.
For more information regarding the 2026 season including the full season schedule and points, visit RacinTheAcres.com. Redwood Acres Raceway can also be found on Facebook and Instagram.
Submitted By: Matthew Sullivan
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