Mark in 11L

RACE #4 FOR THE NORTH STATE MODIFIED SERIES, PRESENTED BY PROTECT THE HARVEST, was canceled due to the “shelter-in-place” directive from the State of California. The following is only one version of what could have happened if the event had taken place.

BALDWIN SHOWS THE WAY AT REDWOOD ACRES

June 6, 2020 – The North State Modified Series, presented by Protect the Harvest, held its fourth virtual race at Redwood Acres Raceway in Eureka Saturday with local driver Mark Baldwin coming out of an 11 year retirement to dominate the 26 car field in the “McMurray & Sons Roofing 60” feature event. Before the race, Dave McMurray, 92, Baldwin’s passenger and event sponsor, told Baldwin that if he won he would put a new roof on Baldwin’s house and would guarantee that it wouldn’t leak for a week. Mark & Dave

The National Anthem was sung by the Tami Rodeski Stewart Choir. Jessica and Bill Middleton paced the field in their 1960 AMC Rambler mustard colored station wagon.

Cameron Austin of Santa Rosa set fast time and pulled the number 20 pill for the inversion in the feature event. Co-pilot Macy Tommila was so angry about the pill draw that she spouted out some profanity and refused to get in the car forcing track official Tony Montgomery (Big T) to take her place. This put so much right-side weight on the 7c modified that the car would barely turn left.

Front row starters Donovan Cox and Adrianna Strugnell battled for the lead for five laps before Rick Avila and Sal Lopez passed them both of the outside. Baldwin was next to join the front runners with Rich Cobb and Herman Pulyer swapping places with Cox and Strugnell on lap 10.

Randy Houston and Scott Winters were working their ways to the front just as Lopez and Avila, who couldn’t decide which one had the better looking car, lost their concentration, and spun in turn one.

The restart saw Baldwin and Cobb side-by-side with Pulyer and Dustin DeRosier in row two. Baldwin took the lead, and when Cobb’s car pushed high both Pulyer and Houston slipped into second and third. Cobb was able to get back in line on lap 20, and at the half way point it was Baldwin, Pulyer, Houston, Cobb, Houston, Winters, Strugnell and Cox.

The race was red-flagged for the half-time show where a mini race track was set up on the front stretch for a big-wheel contest between all the twins in the grandstands. The winners were three-year old twins Violet and Ryder Hendricks of Eureka, beating 32 year old twins Corey and Casey Crawford of Upper Lake by two seconds in a 10 lap relay race. All four contestants received a case of Lucas Oil Products and a box of animal crackers.

When racing resumed Baldwin forged ahead again with Houston diving under Pulyer for second. Austin’s car was so ill-handling that he told Montgomery to signal flagman Johnny Miskill for a time-out. (The virtual rule states that In all races 60 laps or more, each driver gets one time-out per season where they can signal the flagman, the race will be stopped for 5 minutes, and the driver can use that time any way he chooses.”)

Austin got out of the car, yanked “Big T” out of the passenger seat and ordered him to “go on a diet.” Then he looked around for a new passenger, spotted Gary DeRosier and asked him to be his new co-pilot. Austin was looking at DeRosier through rose-colored goggles.

At the same time Kyle Tellstrom asked for a time out. The fog was coming in and he was getting cold so he wanted to stop curb-side and order a jacket. Since the only place that had anything on display was the colored flags at the flagman’s stand, that is where Tellstrom stopped. Miskill knitted him a green, yellow, red, blue, white and checkered jacket and sold it to him for $50.

Mark wavingThe final laps saw Baldwin drive away from the pack, and at the checkered flag it was Baldwin, Houston, Cobb, Winters, DeRosier, Pulyer, Darrin Knight, Ian Elliott, Avila and Darrin Sullivan.

The 10 lap Lucas Oil Dash for Cash was won by Richie Potts followed by John Baker, Dale Didoha, Stuart Campbell and Ralph Bailey.

The North State Modified Series is presented by: Protect the Harvest, Lucas Oil, Hoosier Tire West, Sunoco Race Fuels, Naake Suspension, Five Star Bodies, Racer Bling, Keyser Racing Products, Scribner Plastics, Franks Radios, O’Reilly Auto Parts and McMurray & Sons Roofing.

The next NSMS race will be the "O'Reilly Auto Part s Night at the Races" on  July 18 at Lakeport Speedway.

McMurray and Sons 60 Feature Event:

Mark Baldwin, Randy Houston, Rich Cobb, Scott Winters, Dustin DeRosier, Herman Pulyer, Darrin Knight, Ian Elliott, Rick Avila, Darrin Sullivan, Keith Bloom, Cameron Austin, Jason Philpot, Sal Lopez, Donovan Cox, Andrianna Strugnell, Richie Potts, Kyle Tellstrom, Stuart Campbell, Ralph Bailey, Jeremy Nowlin, Dale Didoha, Tom Ford, John Baker