7/11/2021
Redwood Acres Raceway
Miller Dominates Firecracker 100, Mucci Wins Instant Upstate Bomber Classic
Mother Nature was not kind to drivers and fans alike Saturday night at Redwood Acres Raceway. A packed house was on hand to witness a great night of racing at the 3/8-mile paved oval however heavy fog and mist plagued the evening. Thankfully, the unseasonable weather only briefly put a pause to the action which featured local roadrunners, mini stocks and Legends as well as the Upstate Bomber Series. The evening concluded with the 100-lap Firecracker 100 and a post-race fireworks spectacular. The entire night of thrills and spills was presented by Harper Motors which also hosted a pre-race show and shine at the fairgrounds.
Qualifying for the roadrunner division was led by Jeremiah Martin with a 20.200. Ukiah Speedway racer Jeff French was victorious in the first heat race with the second heat race claimed by Bob Ratzlaff. Dylan Ford got the jump at the start of the 20-lap feature but Martin was in the lead by the end of the first lap. Ratzlaff moved to second with Ford dropping back to third. While Martin led from start to finish in the caution-free race, he was never quite able to get away from Ratzlaff. Ratzlaff hounded Martin lap after lap but was never able to force Martin into making an error. At the finish it was Martin crossing the line ahead of Ratzlaff and Ford. After the race, Martin’s car was disqualified for failing post-race technical inspection handing the race victory to Ratzlaff. Ford was scored second while Brian Hopkins, Tanisha Ratzlaff and Nick Ford completed the top five.
Brian Murrell, Jr.’s 19.069 was the standard setting time for mini stock qualifications. Colton Kinsey prevailed to win the first heat while Murrell, Jr. won the second. C.J. Dalton moved to the lead on the first lap of the 20-lap main event while Gannon Cyphers settled into second. On lap two, Dalton got loose and spun in the second turn handing Cyphers the lead. Cyphers pulled out to nearly half of a straightaway lead over Eric O’Ferrall who was now in second. On lap seven, O’Ferrall suddenly slowed between turns one and two and quickly pulled his overheating car into the infield for a caution.
When racing resumed, Cyphers again pulled away from the pack. As the laps began to wind down, Murrell, Jr. moved by Jarrett Mayo for second. With six laps left, Dalton’s engine blew in spectacular fashion going into the third turn with flames coming out from under his car. The race was red-flagged but thankfully Dalton was unharmed. Cyphers regained the lead on the restart and was able to hold off Murrell, Jr.’s late race charge to take the win. Mayo placed third while Cole Peterson and Sam Brown took fourth and fifth.
Brandon White was once again fastest in Legends division qualifying with a 17.796. Tyler Krupa took the first heat race win with North State Modified Series star Cameron Austin taking the second. A strong field of 14 Legends took the green in the 35-lap main event but was quickly downed three as a multi-car wreck on the backstretch on lap one knocked Andy Thornton, Carlee Austin and Steve Davis out of action. Tyler Krupa moved to the lead on the restart but Austin was quick to take the top spot by the end of the first lap. White moved by Krupa on lap two and set his sights on Austin for the lead. On lap four, Austin pushed high off the fourth turn giving White the line he needed to move into first. A spin by Emily Vest on lap six brought out the only caution of the race.
White resumed leading on the restart while Austin initially kept pace with him. As the laps clicked off, the handling on Austin’s car seemed to fall off slightly while White was able to maintain a strong pace. Slower traffic allowed Austin to close the gap a bit on White in the final handful of laps but he wasn’t close enough to pressure White into making a mistake. At the checkered flag it was White winning over Austin. Chris Lawrence, Brett Murrell and Jordon Paiment finished third through fifth.
The Upstate Bombers had their only visit to Redwood Acres Raceway Saturday night and it was a local, Dustin Walters who had fast time with an 18.252. Roy Ingalls was the winner in heat race one with Trystan Mucci coming up aces in heat two. The 40-lap main event featured some of the best action that’s happened at the Acres in recent memory. Ingalls took the lead from Steve Kimberling on lap one. Lap two featured the only caution of the race as a caution flew when the three Redd Family Racing cars got together. Jordan Krupa and Raquel Krupa got together and Donnie Brown got collected and spun into the infield. Thankfully nobody suffered damage and all drivers were able to continue albeit at the rear of the field.
Mikey Collins used the restart to his advantage as he took the lead from Ingalls. Mucci followed into second with Ingalls settling in third. On lap five, Walters and Loren Powers, Jr. moved by Ingalls for third and fourth. The top four cars settled under a blanket as Collins was doing all he could to hold off the faster three behind him. The race for the lead was as hard and as clean as it could get with all four drivers using all the skill and patience they could muster. Mucci attempted to use the outside line on several occasions but never could make it work. Meanwhile, Walters and Powers traded the third position on several occasions as they tried to keep touch with the leaders.
With 15 laps remaining, Mucci was able to use the outside to his advantage as he took the lead from Collins. Mucci quickly pulled away as Collins had to now fight off Powers and Walters. In the meantime, Brown had made a spectacular run through the field and was fifth and quickly catching the cars in front of him. With six laps left, Powers moved under Collins for second off the fourth turn. This opened the door for Walters and Brown to move to third and fourth. With two laps left, Walters was able to move by Powers for second but Mucci was long gone at the front. At the finish it was Mucci winning over Walters. Brown won the race for third over Powers while Collins finished fifth.
David Miller set quick time for the late models with a 16.595. Miller took the heat race win which gave him pole position for the Harper Motors Firecracker 100. Miller jumped to the lead at the drop of the green while second place featured a battle between David Henderson and Sierra Furia which Henderson was able to eventually win. Racing was clean and green as Miller pulled out to a substantial lead and looked to have the race well in hand until a lap 40 spin by Henderson in the third turn brought out the yellow.
Luke Hall tried to stick with Miller on the restart but as the laps continued, Miller’s car was clearly superior. Meanwhile, Henderson was doing everything he could to claw his way back to the front. With 30 laps remaining, Henderson finally caught up to Hall and was able to pass him for second. Henderson desperately needed a caution to allow him a chance to battle Miller for the lead but that caution never came. Miller was able to take the Harper Motors Firecracker 100 victory over Henderson and Hall. Scott Baker had a solid fourth place finish while Nick Ford had an impressive finish of fifth.
Racing at Redwood Acres Raceway will return in two weeks on July 31 for Fan Appreciation Night. Legends, bombers, mini stocks and roadrunners will be in action. Also joining the event will be the new General Tire Super Late Model Series presented by Hoosier Tire West. Stay up to date with everything going on at Redwood Acres Raceway by visiting www.RacinTheAcres.com. You can also follow RAR on Facebook or on Twitter @RacinTheAcres.
Submitted By: Matthew Sullivan
