Giesler rallies from the wreckage
Giesler rallies from the wreckage
By Jon Brown
MERIDIAN, Idaho -- Sportsmanship triggered a reversal of fortune Saturday for Johnny Giesler, the defending champion in the Pepsi Sprintcars at ASA-sanctioned Meridian Speedway.
After crashing into the Turn 1 wall during practice, the Meridian, Idaho, driver got help and parts from up and down pit row and rebounded to win the 40-lap feature in the Sprintcar Season Opener at the quarter-mile oval.
Giesler was one of three hometown drivers to claim checkered flags along with Mike Murgoitio in the Mtn. Dew Winged Sprintcars and Ray Bolinger in the Mini Stocks. Camron Madsen of Boise, Idaho, won the Domino's Pizza Legends feature.
Giesler's day didn't start the way one would expect a champion's defense of the crown to begin.
"The welds on the front axle broke, and we tore the car up pretty good," Giesler said of his spinning wreck during hot laps. "The guys in the pits worked on it pretty hard."
The hard work and the cooperation from competitors paid off quickly for Giesler. About two hours after his wreck in practice, Giesler flashed around the track in a class-record 12.922 seconds to collect the fast qualifying time. He needed the speed.
"Everybody is getting faster, and that's what we need," Giesler said of the division known as Non-winged Sprints in 2009.
In the main event, Giesler's craftiness showed. After battling hard-charging Joe Ransom for the lead with 13 laps to go, the hometown driver used lapped traffic to put space between he and Ransom, who had to settle for second.
Murgoitio served notice that fans can expect to see him in the mix all season long in the winged sprints. He showed off his exciting skills by starting high then going low in a double move to work around speedy Chris Adams of Nampa, Idaho, to snag the lead midway through the 40-lap main.
"I've always loved racing here. I grew up racing here, and I loved it," said Murgoitio, who is home after spending time racing USAC Silver Crown cars out of an Indianapolis home base. "I'm going to be here for the whole season, you guys."
Murgoitio skated across what he called the "awesome surface" for most of the race, but had to withstand a three-lap shootout after Adams lost power in Turn 4 to bring out the race's third and final yellow flag. Murgoitio out-ran another big name in local racing circles, Kirk Wartman of Boise, to win the race.
"I'm just so glad to be back," Murgoitio said. "It's awesome."
Madsen was the second guy with the same first name to lead the Domino's Pizza Legends 40-lap main event, but he led it at the right time. After watching 14-year-old Cameron Cotta of Meridian, hold the lead briefly, Madsen took control by passing Nampa's Darin Turpen with 10 laps to go to gain control.
"This thing was pretty hooked up for the start of the year," Madsen said. "It should be a pretty fun season. Hopefully we can win another championship."
The defending champion, Travis Anderson of Boise, helped Cotta shoot into the lead earlier in the race, giving the young Legends driver some time out front.
Hometown driver Bolinger held off Dell Scott of Nampa to win the first Mini Stocks main event of the season. Bolinger got the final say in a seesaw battle, pushing past Scott with 13 laps to go in the 40-lap feature.
"We've got some great cars this year," Bolinger said after finishing on top of 23-car field. "There are five to 10 cars that are really close."
Scott and Bolinger were close throughout the race. The pair traded the lead during a seven-lap span and raced side-by-side for two laps before Bolinger nosed ahead with 25 laps remaining. Scott wasn't done, though, riding Bolinger's rear bumper as the two weaved through lapped traffic.
Bolinger lost the lead on the 22nd lap only to regain it on the side-by-side restart after Jason Lampman brought out a caution flag on Lap 27.
Bolinger got a great jump to settle the issue.
The new speedway configuration created record qualifying times again and side-by-side competition (sometimes three-wide) in several races.
Sierra Jackson of Middleton, Idaho, became the record-holder in the Winged Sprints, turning a qualifying lap on the quarter-mile at 11.426 seconds. Scott Shoecraft of Boise ran the fastest Mini Stocks lap in the history of the track with a 15.366, and Sara Henry of Nampa set the Legends fast-lap record with a 15.186.
Next Saturday marks the debut of the Hometown Team Racing Series with a double main event for the ESI Express ASA Modifieds, a return of the Winged Sprintcars, a 50-lap main event for the College of Western Idaho Professional Truck Driving School Street Stocks, the Tates Hornets and the 2010 debut of the Thunder Dogs. It's also the first Racing for Smiles of the Northwest night at the racetrack.
For more information, call (208) 888-2813 or visit www.meridianspeedway.com.
Meridian Speedway
Sprintcar season opener
Saturday's unofficial results
Main events
Mtn. Dew Winged Sprintcars (40 laps) --
1. Mike Murgoitio, Meridian, Idaho; 2. Kirk Wartman, Boise, Idaho; 3. Chris Ratterree, Nampa, Idaho; 4. Dave Parrie, Boise,; 5. Darrin Spiers, Adrian, Ore.
Pepsi Sprintcars (40 laps) --
1. Johnny Gielser, Meridian; 2. Joe Ransom; 3. Wyatt King, Meridian; 4. Kelly Newman; 5. Erik Miller, Middleton, Idaho
Domino's Pizza Legends (40 laps) --
1. Camron Madsen, Boise; 2. Darin Turpen, Nampa; 3. Ben Matheson, Kennewick, Wash.; 4. Sara Henry, Nampa; 5. Rod Stiller, Meridian
Mini Stocks (40 laps) --
1. Ray Bolinger, Meridian; 2. Dell Scott, Nampa; 3. Tyler Burlingame, Meridian; 4. Jason Sanders, Caldwell, Idaho; 5. Matt Barfuss
Ultra Touch Car Wash best-looking car
Mtn. Dew Winged Sprintcars --
Matt Elliott, Nampa
Pepsi Sprintcars --
Wyatt King, Meridian
Domino's Pizza Legends --
Cameron Cotta, Meridian
Mini Stocks --
Travis Pavlacky, Kuna, Idaho
Heat races
Mtn. Dew Winged Sprintcars
Fast Dash (8 laps) --
1. Kirk Wartman, Boise; 2. Dave Parrie, Boise; 3. Chris Ratterree, Nampa; 4. Mike Murgoitio, Meridian; 5. Sierra Jackson, Middleton
Heat (8 laps) --
1. Chris Adams, Nampa; 2. Darrin Spiers, Adrian, Ore.; 3. Mat Elliott, Nampa; 4. Tyler Monroe, Star, Idaho; 5. Darin Turpen, Nampa
Pepsi Sprintcars
Fast Dash (8 laps) --
1. Rob Grice, Nampa; 2. Kelly Newman; 3. Johnny Giesler, Meridian; 4. Joe Ransom; 5. Wyatt King, Meridian
Heat (8 laps) --
1. Victor Clark, Meridian; 2. Eric Ransom; 3. Doyle Hartman, Boise; 4. Alyson Clark, Meridian; 5. Carl Marcum
Heat (8 laps)
-- 1. Chad Cannon; 2. Erik Miller, Middleton; 3. Don Kithcart, Eagle, Idaho; 4. Josh Allen; 5. Tyler Barrow
Domino's Pizza Legends
Fast Dash (8 laps) --
1. Tom Matheson, Kennewick, Wash.; 2. Camron Madsen, Boise; 3. Sara Henry, Nampa; 4. Travis Anderson, Boise; 5. Don Milllbourn, Nampa
Heat (8 laps) --
1. Ben Matheson, Kennewick, Wash.; 2. Cameron Cotta, Meridian; 3. Rod Stiller; 4. Austin Hager; 5. Darin Turpen, Nampa
Heat (8 laps) --
1. Mark Zirschky, Nampa; 2. Lloyd Bigler, N. Powder, Ore.; 3. Jamie Leslie, Emmett, Idaho; 4. Ed Sonius, Twin Falls, Idaho; 5. Randy Keckley
Mini Stocks
Fast Dash (8 laps) --
1. Dell Scott, Nampa; 2. Ray Bolinger, Meridian; 3. Scott Shoecraft, Boise; 4. Eddie Abels, Meridian; 5. Matt Barfuss
Heat (8 laps) --
1. Kirk Sanders, Nampa; 2. John Ellsworth, Kuna; 3. Jeff Hasson, Boise; 4. Jason Sanders, Caldwell; 5. Vern Bolinger, Emmett
Heat (8 laps)
-- 1. Travis Pavlacky, Kuna; 2. Cody Mitchell, Kuna; 3. Wally Waldamar; 4. Sarah Shaw; 5. Mike Wolfe
Fast times
Mtn. Dew Winged Sprintcars --
Sierra Jackson, Middleton, 11.426 seconds
Pepsi Sprintcars --
Johnny Giesler, Meridian, 12.922
Domino's Pizza Legends --
Sara Henry, Nampa, 15.186
Mini Stocks --
Scott Shoecraft, Boise, 15.366
