Idaho Racing News

LATE MODELS RETURN TO MERIDIAN SPEEDWAY
By Pauline Calkins, Idaho Racing News

Meridian, ID –
The Late Models return to ASA Member, Meridian Speedway, on Saturday night. Les Schwab, Major Tire & Hitch, Trebar Kenworth, Geisler Automotive and J105 sponsored the six-event night featuring the returning Late Models, Non-winged Sprints, Street Stocks, Legends, Bandoleros, and Thunder Stocks.

The Dominos Pizza Bandoleros brought out seven cars to take the green flag. Pole sitter Cameron Cotta took the early lead and remained in the lead for the first six laps. In lap eight Collin Parker got loose in turn four and collected Andrew Clark. Clark went high while Parker went low into the infield. Parker gathered it back up and jetted back onto the track in front of Blade Ince. Having nowhere to go Ince collided with Parker and both veered into the front stretch wall hitting hard. The field was red flagged while the drivers were helped from their cars. Ince climbed out on his own, but Parker hurt his arm and had to be assisted by the emergency crew. Parker was taken to the hospital with a mild break in his wrist.

When the race restarted, Cotta remained in the lead, but relinquished it to Chase Gilbertson two laps later when he got high and Gilbertson went low. Cotta was freight trained to fifth and remained there to finish the race behind Gilbertson, Brok Kidd, Ally Clark and Andrew Clark.

The Thunder Stocks came to the track with 10 cars lined up and ready to race for the hardware. Dion States took an early lead and started to pull away from the field while drivers jockeyed for position behind him. Bill Lawrence started in seventh position and at the drop of the green flag quickly jumped into fourth. He worked his way to the front and on lap eight moved under States to claim the lead with RJ Lewis close behind.

Lawrence held off the hard charging Lewis to take the checkered flag with Lewis, Bill Lacy, Tommy White and Dan Tyler rounding out the top five.

Yellow was the color of the night for the Idaho Center for Professional Truck Driving Street Stocks. The first caution happened before one lap was completed when Brian Williams spun in turn two. The cars were lined back up and the green flew, but at the completion of lap one Casey Scott spun in turn one collecting Casey Hart and Kyle Stradley. The rest of the field was able to avoid it by driving through the infield or going high. The cars were stacked back up and another lap was completed before caution three waved when Stradley spun in turn two.

Race control regrouped the drivers and lined them back up to once again take the green flag with Justin Padour in the lead. Darrell Lankford worked his way up to third from an eighth place start by lap five, but Brandon Shira spun in turn four bringing out the yellow once again and freezing the field. The restart had Padour still leading with Steve Hansen Jr., Lankford, Mark Finley and Williams the top five, but at the drop of the green flag Williams spun in turn two collecting Finley bringing out the fifth caution in as many laps.

The field lined back up with Padour, Hansen and Lankford still the top three. Terry Lydell and Dave Harris rounded out the top five. Due to time constraints the checked waved on lap seven giving the win to Padour.

The growing Legends class came out with 19 cars. At the drop of the green Darin Turpen took an early lead and began to pull away from he rest of the field. Lloyd Bigler, Ron Hayes, Matt Irvin and Ed Sonius were the top five for the first seven laps.
On lap eight, Doyle Hartman who moved up through the field from the back moved to the outside of Jason Tilden to take over the sixth spot. Hartman continued his climb to the front. In lap 12 Don Allen got loose in turn one but was able to gather it back up and continue the race. Hartman was in fourth and quickly moved around Hayes and Bigler to put pressure on the leader Turpen. On lap 19 Hartman overcame Turpen for the lead, but lost it when the yellow flew. Brandon Frasier and Don Allen got together in turn two and the field was stopped to clear the track.

The restart put Turpen back in the lead, but it was quickly relinquished at the drop of the green when Hartman flew by to claim the top spot. Jamie Ransom had his eye on the top spot as well and took second from Turpen to put pressure on Hartman. In lap 21 Travis Anderson went under Turpen bringing Camron Madsen with him to take over third and fourth, bumping Turpen back to fifth. The yellow flew when Jay Cook spun in turn four. The cars lined back up and Tom Matheson jumped ahead of Turpen to claim the fifth spot for himself. Ransom went high on Hartman trying to take the lead, but Hartman held him off to remained the leader and begun to pull away from the rest of the field. The fifth place Matheson spun in turn four bringing out the caution and sending him to the back.

The checkered flag flew for Hartman with Ransom, Anderson, Madsen and Turpen rounding out the top five.

The Sterling Savings Bank Non-Winged Sprints ran a 25 lap green- white- checkered. Pole sitter Don Kithcart jumped out into an early lead and held on while drivers raced for position behind him. Phyllip Zubizarita quickly moved into second with Wyatt King, Rob Grice, and Joe Ransom falling in behind. Kithcart relinquished the lead to Zubizarita in lap eight. King, Ransom, and Grice moved in behind Zubizarita to claim second, third and fourth leaving Kithcart to battle for fifth with Johnny Geisler.

Zubizarita and King battled back and forth for the lead with Ransom, Grice and Geisler falling into place behind them. At the checkered flag Zubizarita crossed the finish line first with Ransom, King, Grice and Geisler right behind, but a tech violation on Zubizarita’s car DQ him for the night and gave the win to Ransom.

The green flag dropped on eleven Late Models returning from a month off of racing at Meridian Speedway. Terry Lydell had the pole and jumped to a quick lead. At the completion of lap one Justin Ellis and Charlie Hamm Jr. got together between turns one and two bringing out a caution. The restart put Lydell, Tyler Monroe, John Nesmith, Phil Dugan and Fred Hall from Monroe WA in the top five. As the flag dropped Monroe quickly moved under Lydell bringing Nesmith with him and freight training Lydell to the back. Monroe, Nesmith, Dugan, and Hall battled it out side by side with Chris Rattaree holding onto the fifth position.

The leaders continue the battle until lap 19 when they come up on lapped traffic Johnny Geisler who stepped in to the seat cold to fill in for Donivan Parker who went to the hospital with his son Collin. Monroe made it past Geisler, but Nesmith and Dugan got together trying to complete a three wide pass. Caution flew while the track was cleared and the field was lined back up with Monroe in the lead and Rattaree in second. Rattaree worked on Monroe for the lead and in lap 23 with the help of Hall making Monroe loose, was able to claim the lead. Lap 29 brought out the third caution when Ellis spun in turn two. Cars moved around him on both sides blocking in Dan Lowther and making a tunnel that led straight to Ellis.

The track was cleared and the green dropped on the field sending the leaders back into battle mode. The yellow waved once again as Monroe spun on the back stretch with the help of Hall and hit the wall tearing up the front end of his car. The restart saw Rattaree in the lead while the field spread out single file behind him. The checkered dropped on lap 40 with Rattaree declared the winner. Milburn, Dugan, Nesmith, and Jeff Knight from Monroe WA rounding out the top five.

Next week the Winged Sprints, Grand American, Mini Stocks, Hornets, and Thunder Stocks will return to ASA’s Meridian Speedway for a fun night of racing and excitement. Gates open at 4 with time trials and racing starting at 5 and 6.