Idaho Racing News

By Jon Brown
MERIDIAN, Idaho —Veteran racecar drivers don’t need many breaks on the track, but Kenny Chandler was more than willing to take advantage Saturday night when the door opened at ASA-sanctioned Meridian Speedway.
The rejuvenated racer took control of the Project Filter Pro-4 main event on a side-by-side restart with 10 laps to go after rival Jim Bailey of Middleton led the series leader take the green flag with the inside line.
Three Nampa, Idaho, drivers won the other main events in the Cricket Communications Dairy Days Race program, including David Tankersley in the 100-lap Tates Rents Hornets feature that attracted 33 cars; Shelby Stroebel in the ESI Express ASA Modifieds main events; and Dell Scott in the Mini Stocks finale.
By the end of the Pro-4s main event, which kicked off the features for the night, Chandler had a two-second cushion to continue his dominating early season on new pavement.
“The car’s working good,” Chandler said of his No. 33 Fairly Reliable Bob’s Chevrolet Corvette. “The surface is great. We’re having a really good time.”
Chandler originally worked his way into the lead with 16 laps to go, working his way past Tyler Bailey of Middleton. But Bailey drove out of Turn 2 a little too strong trying to stay with Chandler and spun out, bringing out a yellow flag.
Chandler and Jim Bailey took the next green side-by-side, with Bailey eventually jetting ahead in Turn 3 with 14 laps to go.
But Chandler got the low side — and the quicker way around the track — with 11 laps to go after Tyler Bailey’s hood blew up and blocked his vision, forcing another caution flag.
Chandler took advantage big-time, building a three-second lead almost immediately.
A final yellow with four laps to go gave Chandler one last bit of momentum because of a single-file restart.
“That last four lap run, it got a little loose and we couldn’t hang with the 33,” Jim Bailey said.
Kuna, Idaho, 18-year-old Casey Tillman finished third.
“I think it’s time for some new tires,” Tillman said. “I couldn’t really go anywhere on the low or the high side. Jim was giving me a battle.”
In the Hornets feature, 33 cars took the green flag to start the marathon. Points leader Art Heath appeared to have the strongest car in the field winning battles against Tillman and Nampa teenager Kaitlyn Stroebel to stay in front of the pack.
After enduring nine caution flags in the first 62 laps, Heath appeared ready to run away with the race.
Tankersley methodically chewed into Heath’s lead as the two approached lapped traffic. With 30 laps to go Heath was pushed out of the groove in Turn 1 when a lapped car drifted off its line, and that opened the door for Tankersley, who zipped out to an eight-second lead in the waning laps.
In the Modifieds main event, Shelby Stroebel won for the second time in as many starts, but still finds himself chasing Eagle, Idaho’s Tom Hill for the series lead.
Fighting an ill-handling car and driving the unconventional high line around the track to stay in front, Stroebel dominated the 30-lap feature.
“The car didn’t like both grooves tonight, so we had no choice,” Stroebel said.
But, at the end of the night, he still found Hill in his rear-view mirror. Hill finished second to build a few more points onto a 58-point lead over Stroebel.
“Tom was definitely coming hard,” Stroebel said.

Meridian Speedway takes Saturday night off, but only to gear up for the first 2010 visit of the Carbon X Rocky Mountain Challenge Series. Some of the best Latemodel racers in the Intermountain West will compete in the NAPA Auto Parts Treasure Valley 100.
The Pepsi Sprintcars, College of Western Idaho Professional Truck Driving School Street Stocks and the Tates Rents Hornets also will race.
Tickets are $15 for adults, $12.50 for senior citizens and military personnel with ID, $11 for children ages 7-11, and children 6 and younger get in free.
The gates open at 4 p.m. with racing at 6:30 p.m.
For more information, visit www.meridianspeedway.com or call the track at (208) 888-2813.

Meridian Speedway
Cricket Communications Dairy Days
Wednesday’s unofficial results
Main events
ESI Express ASA Modifieds (30 laps) — 1. Shelby Stroebel, Nampa, Idaho; 2. Tom Hill, Eagle, Idaho; 3. Tony Ackerland, Star, Idaho; 4. Charlie Ham Jr., Kuna, Idaho; 5. Jeff Hill, Meridian, Idaho
Project Filter Pro-4s (30 laps) — 1. Kenny Chandler, Boise; 2. Jim Bailey, Middleton, Idaho; 3. Casey Tillman, Kuna, Idaho; 4. Rob Powers, Meridian; 5. Neal Latham, Boise
Mini Stocks (40 laps) — 1. Dell Scott, Nampa; 2. Travis Pavlacky, Fruitland, Idaho; 3. Tyler Burlingame, Meridian; 4. Eddie Ables, Middleton, Idaho; 5. Jason Lampman, Middleton
Tates Rents Hornets (100 laps) — 1. David Tankersley, Nampa; 2. Art Heath, Nampa; 3. Marshall Burnham, Nampa; 4. Casey Tillman; 5. Fred Nagele, Meridian

Heat races
(Eight laps)
ESI Express ASA Modifieds
Fast Dash — 1. Tony Ackerland, Star, Idaho; 2. Tom Hill; 3. Jeff Hill; 4. Charlie Ham Jr., Kuna, Idaho; 5. Chris Fenton, Meridian
B Heat — 1. Shelby Stroebel, Nampa, Idaho; 2. Jentry Pisca, Nampa; 3. Darrell Dolling, Boise; 4. James Telford, Middleton; 5. Rosalee Weller, Caldwell, Idaho
Project Filter Pro-4s
Fast Dash — 1. Casey Tillman, Kuna; 2. Kenny Chandler, Boise; 3. Kale Freedman, Meridian; 4. Jim Bailey, Middleton, Idaho; 5. Neal Latham, Boise
B Heat — 1. Tyler Bailey, Middleton, Idaho; 2. John Peterson, Boise; 3. Rob Powers, Meridian; 4. Kyle Latham, Boise; 5. DJ Lyons, Nampa
Mini Stocks
Fast Dash — 1. Jason Sanders, Caldwell, Idaho; 2. Tyler Burlingame, Meridian; 3. Eddie Ables, Middleton; 4. Ray Bolinger, Meridian; 5. Dell Scott, Nampa, Idaho
B Heat — 1. Richard Brees, Meridian; 2. Donovan Parker, Kuna; 3. Kirk Sanders, Nampa; 4. Vern Bollinger, Emmett, Idaho; 5. Travis Pavlacky, Fruitland, Idaho
C Heat — 1. Sarah Shaw, Boise; 2. Larry Hull, Boise; 3. Everett Meeks, Boise; 4. Jerry Perkins, Nampa; 5. Rob Taylor, Boise
Tates Rents Hornets
Heat No. 1 — 1. Tony Martinez, Nampa; 2. John Smith; 3. Amber Rodgers, Meridian; 4. Fred Nagele, Meridian; 5. Stacy Heath, Nampa
Heat No. 2 — 1. Ken Canington, Nampa; 2. David Tankersley, Nampa; 3. Casey Tillman; 4. Cody McCue, Baker City, Ore.; 5. Colin Parker, Kuna
Heat No. 3 — 1. Marshall Burnham, Nampa; 2. Larry Hull, Boise; 3. Art Heath, Nampa; 4. Mary Johnson, Meridian; 5. Bob Garrett
Heat No. 4 — 1. Jerry Davis, Emmett, Idaho; 2. Jonathan Davis, Emmett; 3. Andy Stote, Meridian; 4. Brent Kuhl

Fast times
ESI Express ASA Modifieds — Jeff Hill, 14.236 seconds
Project Filter Pro-4s —Chandler, 13.659
Mini Stocks — Ray Bolinger, Meridian, 15.503