Idaho Racing News

By Jon Brown

MERIDIAN, Idaho -- Kenny Chandler says he’s surprised he can still hear after all his years of racing.
It’s clear the veteran driver still has what it takes to dominate, though, as he showed Saturday night at ASA-sanctioned Meridian Speedway.
The 49-year-old continued a hot streak that has its roots in a record-setting night at the East Wenatchee Super Oval in Washington state a week ago by winning the Pro Filter Pro-4s 25-lap feature race during Meridian’s Racin’ for a Cure night.
Other main event winners included Emmett, Idaho’s Dan Buckley for the second time in as many features for the NAPA Latemodel Sportsman class; Meridian, Idaho’s Mike Murgoitio grabbing his second Mtn. Dew Winged Sprints win of the year; and two Boise, Idaho, drivers: Camron Madsen for the second time in the Domino’s Pizza Legends; and Jonathan Hull in the first Jr. Stingers appearance of the season.
Chandler served notice to the younger drivers in the Pro-4 class that he once again is a force to be reckoned with. He pulled the hat trick with the feature victory, the Fast Dash win (bringing in his first trophy of the night) and a record-setting fast time.
The 2003 Western Idaho Racing Association Hall of Fame inductee ran a 13.367 qualifying lap and rode that momentum to a victory in the 25-lap main event on the recently repaved Meridian racing surface.
"It's working really good," Chandler said of his Fairly Reliable Bob’s Corvette. "I can't tell you all that we did to get it running this well. This new surface is amazing."
It was the second week in a row in which Chandler set a track record. At Wenatchee, he ran a 13.010-second qualifying lap in the Northwest Pro-4 Alliance stop at the Super Oval.
Buckley’s second victory in as many starts at Meridian in 2010 came with a bit of luck as he watched Meridian’s John Nesmith and Star, Idaho’s Tyler Monroe crash in front of him while they were racing for the lead with eight laps to go in the 30-lap Latemodel Sportsman feature.
The track record-holder for fast time, Buckley got a huge jump on the side-by-side restart, leaving Nampa, Idaho’s Dennis Brodigan in his wake.
There was some luck involved in Murgoitio’s second feature win of the season -- bad luck on the part of fellow Meridian-based Winged Sprints racer Matt Elliott.
Elliott was far and away the leader in the early stages of the 25-lap main event. But with less than 10 laps remaining and Elliott’s dominance all but cemented, the right rear tire on his No. 77 machine began to smoke.
Three laps later, Murgoitio pulled even with Elliott, and the former USAC Silver Crown racer took the lead with a Turn 3 move with five laps left.
"Let me tell you something," Murgoitio said after winning for the second time at his home track in 2010. "Matt Elliott had a heck of a run. I was impressed, and I was thinking, ‘Holy cow. How am I gonna catch this guy?’
"But then I saw tire smoke. I caught a break."
Like Murgoitio and Buckley, Madsen is 2-for-2 this season in the Meridian Legends.
The Boise driver led most of the 25-lap race to capture the trophy, but the win didn’t come without a little drama and strategy.
Madsen, a former champion who won on April 24, and defending series champ Travis Anderson of Boise were in a tight battle for the lead until they ran into lapped traffic with less than 10 laps remaining.
With six left, Madsen got the edge as Anderson got pinned behind the lapped cars of Ron Hayes (Boise) and Ed Sonius of Meridian.
"Travis is a pretty tough competitor, and I seen him there a-comin’, so it was time to go," Madsen said.
Madsen’s march to victory was delayed by a red flag situation when 13-year-old Mike Guttenberger of Boise slammed head-on into the wall coming out of Turn 2 on the first restart of the night. Making his Legends debut, Guttenberger emerged from his race car shaken but otherwise unscathed.
A second yellow was issued when Nampa’s Sara Henry lost power in Turn 3 while running second.
In the first Jr. Stingers feature of the season, second-year driver Jonathan Hull passed Cody Garrett of Boise with three laps to go and cruised to a victory in the entry class for 11- to 14-year-olds. There will be eight Jr. Stingers nights total in 2010.
Caldwell, Idaho’s Michael Williams held the lead until 13-year-old Matthew Burger of Meridian tagged the wall on the front stretch to bring out a yellow flag with five laps remaining in the 15-lap main event.
On the restart, Garrett shot the front, and Hull went with him. Two laps later, though, Hull grabbed the momentum and let the rest of the field battle it out for consolation honors.
Fourth-generation driver Colton Nelson, 13,, battled from the back of the field to finish third to kick off his second season of Jr. Stingers racing.
Next Saturday, the Maverik Monster Trakker Monster Truck will invade the speedway as part of Smash-o-Rama presented by Canyon Honda.
In addition to exciting racing, the evening will include a motorcycle demo derby and fireworks. Rules and more information on entering the motorcycle demo derby are available on www.meridianspeedway.com.
The racing action will be provided by the Pepsi Sprintcars, College of Western Idaho Professional Truck Driving School Street Stocks, Tates Rents Hornets and Thunderdogs.
Admission is $12 for adults, $9.50 for military personnel with ID and senior citizens, $8 for children ages 7-11 and children 6 and younger are free, as always.
Gates open at 4 p.m. with qualifying at 5 p.m. and racing at 6:30 p.m.
For more information, visit www.meridianspeedway.com or call (208) 888-2813.
Meridian Speedway
Racin’ for a Cure Night
Saturday's unofficial results
Main events
Mtn. Dew Winged Sprintcars (25 laps) --
1. Mike Murgoitio, Meridian, Idaho; 2. Chris Ratterree, Nampa, Idaho; 3. Dave Parrie, Boise; 4. Kirk Wartman, Boise; 5. Don Kithcart, Eagle, Idaho
NAPA Latemodel Sportsman (30 laps) --
1. Dan Buckley, Emmett, Idaho; 2. Dennis Brodigan, Nampa; 3. Jaramie Fuss, Kuna, Idaho; 4. Dan Lowther, Boise; 5. Dylan Caldwell, Nampa
Project Filter Pro-4s (25 laps) --
1. Kenny Chandler, Boise; 2. Kale Freedman; 3. Casey Tillman, Kuna; 4. Jim Bailey, Middleton, Idaho; 5. Tyler Bailey, Middleton
Domino’s Pizza Legends (25 laps) --
1. Camron Madsen, Boise; 2. Travis Anderson, Boise; 3. Austin Hager, Meridian; 4. Darin Turpen, Nampa; 5. Rod Stiller, Meridian
Jr. Stingers (15 laps) --
1. Jonathan Hull, Boise; 2. Cody Garrett, Boise; 3. Colton Nelson, Meridian; 4. Chase Davis; 5. Michael Williams, Caldwell, Idaho
Ultra Touch Car Wash best-looking car
Jr. Stingers --
Tyson Fuss, Kuna
Heat races
(8 laps each)
Mtn. Dew Winged Sprintcars
Fast Dash --
1. Wartman; 2. Ratterree; 3. Matt Elliott, Meridian; 4. Murgoitio; 5. Sierra Jackson, Middleton
Heat No. 2 --
1. Parrie; 2. Darren Spiers, Adrian, Ore.; 3. Darin Turpen, Nampa; 4. Kithcart
NAPA Latemodel Sportsman
Fast Dash --
1. John Nesmith, Meridian; 2. Buckley; 3. Lowther; 4. Brodigan
Heat No. 2 --
1. Fuss; 2. Caldwell; 3. Terry Lydell, Mountain Home, Idaho; 4. Tyler Monroe, Star, Idaho; 5. Rick Baldwin, Middleton
Project Filter Pro-4s
Fast Dash --
1. Chandler; 2. Tillman; 3. Tyler Bailey; 4. Jordan Fitch, Meridian; 5. Freedman
Heat No. 2 --
1. Jim Bailey, Middleton; 2. Rob Powers, Meridian; 3. Dave Short, Meridian; 4. Denny Smith, Emmett; 5. John Peterson, Boise
Domino’s Pizza Legends
Fast Dash --
1. Turpen; 2. Madsen; 3. Sara Henry, Nampa; 4. Anderson; 5. Austin Hager, Meridian
Heat No. 2 --
1. Rod Stiller, Meridian; 2. Ron Hayes, Boise; 3. Mark Zirschky, Nampa; 4. Mike Guttenberger, Boise; 5. Randy Keckley, Boise
Jr. Stingers
Heat No. 1 --
1. Matthew Burger, Meridian; 2. Williams; 3. Garrett; 4. Tyson Fuss; 5. Devin Lee, Boise
Heat No. 2 --
1. Hull; 2. Nelson; 3. Davis; 4. Zach Bloom, Eagle, Idaho; 5. Ryan Van Buren
Fast times
Mtn. Dew Winged Sprintcars --
Jackson, 11.574 seconds
NAPA Latemodel Sportsman --
Buckley, 13.850
Project Filter Pro-4s --
Chandler, 13.367
Domino’s Pizza Legends --
Anderson, 15.223