EUREKA >> Twenty-five cars turned out for the inaugural Dale Baldwin Challenge, the richest race in the history of the North State Modified Series, on Saturday night at Redwood Acres Raceway in Eureka where Scott Winters of Tracy pulled down the $5,000 first prize.
McMurray & Sons Roofing along with Mark and Sharon Baldwin and friends sponsored the NSMS race.
Jason Philpot of Sacramento not only set the fast time but broke the track record for the series at Redwood Acres Raceway with a 16.152-second lap. He received the O’Reilly Fast Time Award. Ian Elliott of Lakeport clocked in at 16.227, Kelseyville’s Darrin Knight was third fastest at 16.252, and both Winters and Kyle Tellstrom of Ukiah were next at 16.279.
The invert for the 60-lap main event gave pole position to SRL Pro Late Model Series and Spears Modified star Jeremy Doss of Upper Lake, with Winters starting on his outside. Veteran Sal Lopez had mechanical issues prior to the 60-lap feature as his car came to a stop on the front stretch during warmups and was unable to return to the track.
When the green flag dropped the race quickly came to a halt as Elliott’s car lost power going down the backstretch on the first lap, which caused several cars to bunch up, resulting in a yellow flag. Elliott was pushed to the pits and didn’t return.
Doss took the lead on the restart while Winters settled into second. Tellstrom moved up to third while Knight fell back to fourth. On lap four, Darrin Sullivan and Philpot tangled down the backstretch while racing for position. Philpot fell out of the race while Sullivan was forced to pit to replace a flat tire.
Doss moved back to the lead on the subsequent restart while Kylei Keown pitted in a shower of sparks. Tellstrom moved by Winters into second and began to chase Doss for the lead. The caution flew on lap eight when Simi Tour and Idaho’s Rosalee Weller tangled going into the first turn. Fortunately, neither driver’s car suffered significant damage and both continued in the race.
The next restart featured excellent wheel-to-wheel action between Doss and Tellstrom. Doss gained the advantage after four laps of tight racing. The trio of Doss, Tellstrom and Winters pulled away from the pack as the field spread out for a green flag run. Knight pulled into the pits on lap 19, ending his race. On lap 23, the caution flew again when Randy Houston spun in the fourth corner and fell out of the race.
Tellstrom was able to outduel Doss for the lead on the lap 24 restart while Brandon White had issues on the restart and fell back into the pack. Winters kept himself in the picture in third place. Doss was able to gain ground on Tellstrom as the two began to work traffic and the laps clicked off.
The race turned on its head on lap 53. While trying to pass Cody Braund for position off turn two, White made contact with Eric Johnson, and Jeremy Nowlin also was involved. As a result, all three drivers were forced from the race. With eight laps remaining, both Tellstrom and Doss knew that the restart would play a huge factor in who would win. Coming to the green, the front row appeared to get together. Doss lost control in turns one and two, bringing out the yellow flag. NSMS officials penalized Tellstrom for his involvement in the incident, which moved Winters into the lead.
Winters and Charlie Collins took the field for the green flag for what would be the final time. Unfortunately, the caution quickly flew yet again when Doss and Tellstrom tangled off the second turn.
Because of the numerous caution periods and the necessity to start the scheduled late model feature before 10 p.m., the race was called after 52 laps. Winters earned the $5,000 victory, Collins took $2,500 for second, and Cameron Austin was third and earned $1,500. Cole Brown, who ran a smart and smooth race in honor of the late Steve Taylor, was fourth and earned $1,200. Keith Bloom received $1,000 for fifth place.
Winters also won the $100 Lucas Oil Dash for Cash and Bloom placed second for $50. Both Winters and Bloom took home the Scribner Plastic Jugs
Bloom earned the Naake Hard Charger Award for passing 12 cars.
The North State Modified Series returns to action Oct. 9 at the Shasta Speedway for the sixth running of the Lloyd Burton Against the Wind Modified Challenge, which will be the final race of the 2021 season.
The North State Modified Series would not be possible without the support of Protect the Harvest, Lucas Oil, Economy Heating and Air of Roseville and Nashville, Tennessee, Sullivan Construction and Masonry, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Supercuts, Hoosier Tire West, Sunoco Race Fuels, Naake Suspension, Five Star Bodies, Vogel’s RVs, Mark & Sharon Baldwin, Scribner Plastics, Mort Houston, McMurray & Sons Roofing, Mission Foods and, Frank’s Radios.
— Submitted by Nadine Strauss
