Idaho Racing News

By Jon Brown
MERIDIAN, Idaho -- Mike Murgoitio is back home and loving it.
The 26-year-old racecar driver returned to Meridian, Idaho, this season after running USAC races based out of the Midwest.

On Saturday night at ASA-sanctioned Meridian Speedway, he got the biggest win in a season that has had its share of spectacular victories.

Murgoitio used a late charge to capture the 50-lap finale of the 96.1 BOB FM Diamond Cup presented by Hendrickson's Fine Jewelry. It also set off the fans in the stands of his home track. The weekend served as the season opener for the ASA Northwest Sprintcar Racing Association.

“Being back in front of the home crowd and hearing that meant just as much as winning the Diamond Cup,” said Murgoitio, who also thanked his pit crew, which had thrashed on his No. 80 sprintcar until 2 a.m. Friday to get ready for the two-day show.

Justin Mack of Benton City, Wash., finished second in Saturday’s main, giving him enough momentum to take home the $2,000 diamond ring from Hendrickson’s Fine Jewelry as the 2010 Diamond Cup overall champion.

He won Friday’s 40-lap feature.
Other feature winners from Saturday’s crash-filled racing card included Meridian's Johnny Giesler in the 30th running of the Bob/Tom Naylor Memorial for the Pepsi Sprintcars; Boise, Idaho's Tim Elam in the College of Western Idaho Professional Truck Driving School Street Stocks; Dell Scott of Nampa, Idaho, in an abbreviated Mini Stocks feature; and 14-year-old, second-year driver Jonathan Hull of Boise in the Jr. Stingers.

Other feature winners from Friday included Boise's Kelly Newman in the Intermountain Vintage Sprintcar series; hometown driver Kale Freedman, who beat fellow Meridian racer Dave Short in an exciting Project Filter Pro-4 feature; and defending series champion Travis Anderson of Boise in the Domino's Pizza Legends.
No ASA NSRA driver was able to lay claim to the bounty for breaking into the 10-second realm on the newly paved quarter-mile on either night. Roseburg, Ore.'s Andy Alberding set the series record for Meridian Speedway with an 11.157-second qualifying lap one night after running the top fast time of 11.4.

The prize, which was increased to $900 with a contribution from Fast Track Auto Sales of Fruitland, Idaho, on Saturday, will remain up for grabs through the remainder of the season for the winged sprintcar drivers. Anyone who wants to add to the bounty can call Meridian Speedway at (208) 888-2813 for more information.
After Saturday’s victory, Murgoitio announced that he would donate his $1,000 first-place check to help Langley, British Columbia, dirt-track sprintcar driver Travis Rutz. Rutz was seriously injured in a horrific crash last September at the Terre Haute (Ind.) Action Track, and is still undergoing therapy.

Mack seemed poised to sweep the Diamond Cup features during the two-day show. He won Friday's 40-lap main event and got the jump in Saturday's 50-lapper, leading the first 44 circuits around the newly paved quarter-mile Meridian bullring.

But with his right rear tire getting hot and smoking, Mack began to find the sledding a little slippery, and his three-second lead over Murgoitio began to dissipate.

With six laps to go, Murgoitio drove under Mack and into the lead right before the race's final caution flag.
On the restart, the 26-year-old Murgoitio raced out to an advantage that would grow to 2 1/2 seconds in the waning laps.

After roaring past Boise veteran Kelly Newman with three laps to go, an emotional Giesler summed up in a short sentence what in means for a driver to win the Bob/Tom Naylor Memorial.

"This is my dream to have my name on this trophy, and my name is on this trophy. Yeah!" the 22-year-old defending series champion said.

Giesler needed patience to attain that dream, enduring an exciting pursuit of Newman over the final 13 laps.
Newman had claimed the lead with a sprint to the front early in the 30-lap race run annually to honor the memory of brother drivers who were killed in separate racing accidents. Newman went from fourth to second in one lap and overtook Nampa's Chad Cannon for the lead with 18 laps to go.

Giesler passed Newman with 14 laps to go, but the change in order was negated when Newman maintained the lead after Meridian's Aly Clark flipped above the Turn 3-4 retaining wall to trigger a red-flag situation with less than 15 laps to go.

In the Street Stocks, Elam may have benefited from the fact that the main event was shortened to 20 laps because of a rash of caution flags and nasty wrecks throughout the program.

Leading by as many as four seconds at one points, Elam held on for the victory as Nampa’s Chad Bess ran out of time. Elam had taken the lead from Nampa’s Daniel Vanderveen with eight laps to go. He then denied Bess during a five-lap shootout to the checkered flag set up when Pat Young spun on the backstretch.

Scott took an early checkered flag in a Mini Stocks main event that was scheduled for 30 laps. The race was shortened to 25 laps after a rash of caution flags. The race was shut down when Star, Idaho's Matt Barfuss and Travis Pavlacky of Fruitland slammed into each other on the frontstretch during the restart after the third yellow flag.

Pavlacky and Barfuss had paced the field early in the contest, checking out from their competitors until Kirk Sanders of Nampa spun and slowed the majority of the 27-car field with the first yellow flag.
Another yellow came out when Sanders hopped the backstretch wall trying to avoid a crash that collected Todd Seaver and Rob Taylor of Boise.

Two restarts were marred with immediate yellow, including the second-to-last caution when Jamie "Frosty" Frostrom of Meridian was pinned against the frontstretch wall by Boise's Sarah Shaw.

Comparatively speaking, the 11- to 14-year-old drivers in the entry-level Jr. Stingers division raced a clean 15-lap feature. There was only one yellow flag when Nampa, Idaho 11-year-old Hunter Gates went around while running in fourth place.

Hull went to the inside to take the lead on the restart and held on over the final three laps for the win. Colton Nelson of Meridian rallied with some daring passes to finish third, with Devin Lee of Boise taking second place.

Next up at Meridian Speedway is EMS/Police/Fire and Corrections Officers Appreciation Night on Saturday. On tap are the NAPA Latemodel Sportsman, a double main event for the ESI Express ASA Modifieds, Domino's Pizza Legends and Thunder Dogs.

Gates open at 4 p.m. with racing starting at 6:30 p.m.
Tickets are $10 for adults, $7.50 for senior citizens and military personnel with ID, $6 for children ages 7-11 and free for children 6 and younger.

For more information, call the speedway or visit www.meridianspeedway.com.
Meridian Speedway

96.1 BOB FM Diamond Cup
presented by Hendrickson's Fine Jewelry
Unofficial results

ASA NSRA Diamond Cup
Diamond Cup champion
-- Justin Mack, Benton City, Wash.

Saturday's main event (50) --
1. Mike Murgoitio, Meridian, Idaho; 2. Mack; 3. Matt Hein, Roseburg, Ore.; 4. Sierra Jackson, Middleton, Idaho; 5. Andy Alberding, Roseburg

Friday's main event (40) --
1. Mack; 2. Chris Ratterree, Nampa, Idaho; 3. Hein; 4. Jeff Bird, Lake Shawnigan, British Columbia; 5. Jackson

Saturday's main events

Pepsi Sprintcars Bob/TomNaylor Memorial 30 --
1. Johnny Giesler, Meridian; 2. Carl Marcum, Boise; 3. Kelly Newman, Boise; 4. Wyatt King, Meridian; 5. Erik Miller, Caldwell

Mini Stocks (25 laps) --
1. Dell Scott, Nampa; 2. Ray Bolinger, Meridian; 3. Travis Pavlacky, Fruitland, Idaho; 4. Matt Barfuss, Star, Idaho; 5. Jason Sanders, Caldwell

College of Western Idaho Professional Truck Driving School Street Stocks (20 laps) --
1. Tim Elam, Boise; 2. Chad Bess, Nampa; 3. Nick Lane, Caldwell; 4. Melissa Scott, Nampa; 5. Shawn Hansen, Boise

Jr. Stingers (15 laps) --
1. Jonathan Hull, Boise; 2. Devin Lee, Boise; 3. Colton Nelson, Meridian; 4. Zack Blume, Eagle, Idaho; 5. Chance Davis, Emmett, Idaho

Friday's main events

Intermountain Vintage Sprintcars --
1. Kelly Newman, Boise; 2. Dean Waltman, Boise; 3. Dan Lyons, Boise; 4. Alan Lane; 5. Eldon Sailor

Project Filter Pro-4 --
1. Kale Freedman, Meridian; 2. Dave Short, Meridian; 3. Kenny Chandler Jr., Boise; 4. Casey Tillman, Kuna, Idaho; 5. Rob Powers, Meridian

Domino's Pizza Legends --
1. Travis Anderson, Boise; 2. Camron Madsen, Boise; 3. Cameron Cotta, Meridian; 4. Austin Hager, Meridian; 5. Don Milbourn, Nampa

Saturday's trophy dashes

ASA NSRA Diamond Cup
(4 laps each)
A Dash --
1. Jeff Montgomery, Victoria, British Columbia; 2. Hein; 3. Matt Mansell, Victoria, B.C.; 4. Alberding
B Dash --
1. Chris Adams, Nampa; 2. Randy Dubois, Poulsbo, Wash.; 3. Mack; 4. Greg Middendorf, Snohomish, Wash.

Saturday's heat races
(8 laps each)
ASA NSRA Diamond Cup
A Heat --
1. Jackson; 2. Middendorf; 3. Mansell; 4. Alberding; 5. Adams
B Heat --
1. Mack; 2. Ratterree; 3. Murgoitio; 4. Kirk Wartman, Boise
C Heat --
1. Cory Lockwood, Nampa; 2. Todd Coleman, Lynnwood, Wash.; 3. Montgomery; 4. Dubois; 5. Chris Schmelze, Victoria, B.C.

Mini Stocks
A Heat --
1. Eddie Abels, Middleton; 2. Jason Sanders, Caldwell; 3. Dell Scott; 4. Ray Bolinger, Meridian; 5. Scott Shoecraft, Boise
B Heat --
1. Donovan Parker, Kuna; 2. Kirk Sanders, Nampa; 3. Jamie "Frosty" Frostrom, Meridian; 4. Barfuss; 5. Quentin Ward, Meridian
C Heat --
1. Everett Meeks, Boise; 2. Todd Seaver; 3. Cody Mitchell, Kuna; 4. Sarah Shaw, Boise; 5. Vern Bolinger, Emmett
D Heat --
1. Brandon Shira; 2. Pavlacky; 3. Duane Gerber, Boise; 4. Rob Taylor, Boise; 5. Andrew Clark, Meridian

Pepsi Sprintcars
A Heat --
1. Giesler; 2. Joe Ransom, Boise; 3. Zach Wilson, Boise; 4. King; 5. Marcum
B Heat --
1. Eric Ransom, Boise; 2. Kelly Newman, Boise; 3. Miller; 4. Josh Allen, Meridian; 5. Alyson Clark, Meridian
C Heat --
1. Doyle Hartman, Boise; 2. Chad Cannon, Nampa; 3. Ryan Wiederich, Meridian; 4. Rex Reve; 5. Tyler Barrow, Boise

CWI PTDS Street Stocks
A Heat --
1. Elam; 2. Marv Weaver, Nampa; 3. Melissa Scott; 4. Bess; 5. Kim Bradford
B Heat --
1. Nick Lane, Caldwell; 2. Jim Anderson, Meridian; 3. Pat Young, Kuna; 4. Shawn Hansen, Boise; 5. Doug Frisbie
C Heat --
1. Zach Elam, Boise; 2. Daniel Vanderveen, Nampa; 3. Craig Beckstead; 4. Don Danfield; 5. Devin Stephens

Jr. Stingers
(6 laps each)
Heat 1 --
1. Hunter Gates, Nampa; 2. Chance Davis, Emmett; 3. Colton Nelson, Meridian; 4. Jonathan Hull, Boise; 5. Cody Garrett, Boise
Heat 2 --
1. Matthew Burger, Meridian; 2. Devin Lee, Boise; 3. Zack Blume, Eagle; 4. Jordan Kirkland; 5. Nick Isaacson, Boise
?

Fast times
ASA NSRA Diamond Cup --
Alberding, 11.157 seconds (ASA NSRA track record)

Mini Stocks --
Barfuss, 15.367

Pepsi Sprintcars --
Joe Ransom, 13.248

CWI PTDS Street Stocks --
Melissa Scott, 14.972 (track record)
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