Redwood Acres Raceway

Redwood Acres Raceway will induct 11 new members into the track’s Hall of Fame, it was announced this week.

The 2022 class includes Clyde “Fergy” Ferguson, Jim Wilson, Leon Warmuth, Randy Olson and Vic Blanc, as well as a group of six posthumous inductees.

That group includes Curly Wright, Mike Cahill and Tom Dilling, who helped form the Six Rivers Racing Association in 1964, as well as drivers Fred Randall and Ken Wallen and longtime raceway official Gerry Holtz.

Ferguson raced at at the raceway for more than 40 years and was a fan favorite who was much-loved for his tenacity as a low-budget racer and relatability as a locomotive mechanic and railroad engineer.

Ferguson’s number 21 car became a permanent fixture at Redwood Acres Raceway throughout the 70s and 80s and in 1981 he won the limited sportsman championship. 

When the track was converted to pavement later in the decade, Fergy made the transition and began racing in the super stock class. 

He continued racing through the 90s in the sportsman division and was a regular frontrunner and winner. 

Ferguson switched to racing the limited street division in the new millennium and in 2008 he won the division’s track championship. 

He is one of only four drivers who has the distinction of winning a championship at Redwood Acres Raceway on the dirt and on the pavement. 

Wilson, meanwhile, began working as an official at the raceway in 1963 and was the flagman for the speedway for seven years. 

In 1975, he took over as track announcer while also owning his own car.

In his 25 years of involvement in the sport, Wilson was elected as president of the Six Rivers Racing Association seven times and was involved in promoting and staging some of the biggest dirt track races in the region, which attracted large crowds, as well as the top dirt racers of the time to Redwood Acres Raceway.

Leon Warmuth is a name that is well-known in Humboldt County. He is the namesake and founder of Leon’s Car Care Center, one of the premiere auto shops in Northern California. 

While the family business has been a huge supporter of the racers and Redwood Acres Raceway itself, Leon Warmuth himself has played an important part in the history of the track.

His first experience at RAR came in 1956 as a crew member for Harold Hardesty in the NASCAR Grand National race. 

In 1964, the promoter of the raceway left town suddenly and unexpectedly. Several folks met at Leon’s shop and ultimately the Six Rivers Racing Associated was formed with Leon elected as the board member and treasurer. Thanks to Leon and the SRRA, racing at Redwood Acres Raceway continued through the 60s and 70s.

Leon’s has continued to help bring top notch racing to RAR to this day, and without his contributions in helping create the Six Rivers Racing Association, it’s possible that racing at Redwood Acres Raceway wouldn’t exist today.

Olson, meanwhile, began his racing career at the age of 17 and that number would be pivotal in his career as the number 17 became synonymous with Olson.

He was an immediate success in racing, winning the track championship at Ukiah Speedway in his first full season in 1982. 

Olson competed regularly in open competition events all over the west coast and quickly became one of the top drivers in the region.

Following a successful season in NASCAR’s Southwest Tour Series where he placed eighth in the overall points, Olson became a permanent fixture in Redwood Acres Raceway’s super stock and later sportsman divisions. 

Olson won the 1990 super stock championship then won the sportsman division crown in 1991 and 1992. He is one of only three drivers to have won championships in three consecutive years at RAR and is one of the most decorated and accomplished short track drivers in Northern California racing history.

Blanc was one of the top drivers at Redwood Acres Raceway throughout his entire career. 

Whether it was on dirt or on asphalt, you could bet Blanc would be at or near the front by the time the checkered flag drew near.

The lifelong Eureka resident will forever be remembered for his beautiful white and blue number 23 car sponsored by Pepsi and he won numerous feature events on the dirt at the Acres throughout the 80s, including the 1983 super stock championship.

As the decade continued, Blanc raced regularly on the dirt at RAR while also racing and winning on the pavement in open competition events at tracks throughout the region. 

Blanc’s biggest career victory came in 1986 at Shasta Speedway when he beat the top late model drivers of the time to win the Toby Elder Western 100.

Blanc continued to race and win at Redwood Acres Raceway when it was paved in the latter part of the decade before stepping away from the sport in the early 90s. 

All inductees will be honored on Saturday at the raceway’s annual champions’ banquet, which will take place at the Redwood Acres Fairgrounds in the Home Economics building.