Photos by Sherie Bialous

The 2021 Redwood Acres Raceway season gets under way on Saturday evening, as fans return to the local track for the first time since 2019.

The first of 11 nights of racing this season will feature five divisions, with the Roadrunners, Mini Stocks, Bombers, Legends and Late Models all scheduled.

The Roadrunners are the raceway’s low budget, entry division, with Bryan Brandt the defending champion.

In the Mini Stock division, Gary Klinetobe claimed his third championship last season and will enter the 2021 season as the favorite once again.

Sam Brown, meanwhile, is the returning champion in the Bomber division, edging Donnie Brown by just four points last year in what was the closest of all season races. 

This season, Donnie Brown has turned over the wheel of his car to Tyler Krupa who will be doing double duty this season between the Bombers and Legends.

Competition in the Legends division is also expected to be tight this season, as the division continues to grow in numbers.

James Nichols is the defending champion after beating out Dane Nissen for the title in 2020.

Nissen is considered one of the favorites this season but a vicious wreck at Shasta Speedway last weekend will prevent the veteran racer from racing on Saturday. 

Photos by Sherie Bialous

This season, the local raceway has also attained INEX sanctioning for the Legends division, which will allow all participants to compete in the national points series.

The COVID-19 pandemic hit the Late Model division the hardest in 2020 with teams struggling to field entries. 

Dustin Walters is the defending champion and will be eager to make it two straight season titles in 2021.

A limited number of tickets are still available for the season-opening event and can only be purchased via the track’s website www.RacinTheAcres.com. 

Pits will open at 9 a.m., with practice beginning at 1 p.m. The grandstands open at 4 p.m., with racing starting at 5:30.

Masks must be worn by fans if they are out of their seats or if they are unable to maintain a six-foot distance from non-family or group members. 

Vendors will be moving throughout the grandstands selling food, beer, wine, popcorn, candy and soft drinks.

The event will be streamed live on YouTube and Facebook via https://www.youtube.com/c/RedwoodAcresRaceway.