The rumble of NAPA Auto Parts Big 5 Latemodels shook Meridian Speedway Saturday, April 28, as the quarter-mile asphalt oval hosted the Pro Build 100. The PitStopUSA.com NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Modifieds, TEAM Mazda Mini Stocks, Domino’s Legends, Big Daddy’s Barbecue Hornets, and High School Tuners rounded out a full night of hard short track competition.
The High School Tuners made their season debut with a twenty lap feature. Meridian, Idaho’s Hailey Rogers made use of her front row starting spot to take the early lead, but quickly came under attack from DJ Sirani. Sirani slung his Husky Auto Electric machine inside Rogers, and on lap three moved to the lead.
As Rogers pushed to keep pace with Sirani, the Meridian, Idaho racer spun in turns three and four to bring out a caution flag. On the restart Rogers charged hard to get back to the point. On lap six Rogers broke loose in turn two and slammed hard into the concrete. The impact sent her H&H Accounting, Goodwill Finance racer side over side.
Rogers climbed from her car under her own power. During the caution flag Sirani encountered mechanical issues and retired, which handed the lead and the win to Nampa, Idaho’s James Gates and his YMC, PBT Auto Sales machine.
A dozen Big Daddy’s Barbecue Hornets fought to the finish of their 25 lap feature. On the green Caldwell, Idaho’s Joe Pettit jumped to the lead while DJ Sirani, his racer repaired after the High School Tuner feature, carved through the field to take the lead on lap two.
Behind Sirani’s Husky Auto Electric entry, Jamo Stephenson and Tommy Harrod hooked up and shuffled their way through traffic to take second and third. Harrod used lap seven to pull even with Stephenson, but contact on the back stretch sent both racers hard into the turn three wall.
The restart saw Neil Wassmuth battle hard in the outside line to take the lead from Sirani, but the young driver held onto the top spot. After a tangle with lapped traffic, Wassmuth fell to Brandon Kelley. Kelley rattled off a series of fast laps to catch Sirani, and with eight circuits remaining Kelley made his bid for the lead.
Sirani hung tough down low, and for the next five laps the pair swapped the lead. Kelley finally broke through as the leaders picked their way through lapped traffic. Though Sirani kept pace with Kelley over the race’s closing laps, Kelley was too strong and the Nampa, Idaho racer parked his Kelley Rooter machine in the Caleb’s Chop Shop Winner’s Circle.
The Domino’s Legends rolled to the green flag for a 25 lap feature. Boise, Idaho’s Brok Kidd got to the gas first and piloted his Vicky’s Country Gardens, Fat Cat Enterprises racer into the lead. Behind Kidd, quick-qualifier Ethan Jones worked his way through the field, and on lap five the Meridian, Idaho youngster dove inside to take the top spot on the Pepsi-Cola scoreboard.
This left Kidd in the clutches of Evan Brown and Zach Telford. By lap ten Brown and Telford had dispatched Kidd and began their duel for the runner up spot. Telford slid his Rocky Mountain Racecar Supply, Pro Build legend around Brown to take second, but faced a five second gap to the leader. Telford needed help to catch up, and with two laps to go a caution flag bunched the field for one last shootout.
The restart put Telford even with Jones. The green flag waved and the field roared into turn one, but the rain-slicked asphalt proved too tough for Telford, Brown, and Frickey, who slid into the concrete. All competitors were able to continue, but no one had the answer for Jones, who sped through the final two laps in route to his second main event win on the young season.
The TEAM Mazda Mini Stocks had twenty short laps to find a main event victor. On the break Will Ostrum tiptoed around the outside of Billy Shipp to take his Diversified Carpet Cleaning entry to the early lead. With precipitation building on the racetrack Ian Michael found the handle on his SSLP Racing, HYLA USA machine and pulled to the runner up spot.
By lap seven Michael was inside the race leader, and at the race’s halfway point Michael scooted to the lead. But as Michael passed, he and Ostrum made contact. Ostrum lost steering and darted across the track into Terrell Daffron and both ended up in a heap on the front stretch.
With the mess cleaned up and Michael relegated to the back of the pack for the restart, Boise, Idaho’s Luke Wolverton and James Pahl led the field to green. Wolverton got the better of this battle to take the lead, with Andrew Harbeston and Jayson Wardle in hot pursuit. Wardle was first to make a move as he worked low to take the second spot.
Next, Wardle caught Wolverton, and with just two laps left, piloted his Catapult 3, Lazee Days RV Rentals machine to the top spot on the Pepsi-Cola scoreboard. Wolverton wouldn’t be able to counter the move, and Wardle crossed the Caleb’s Chop Shop Victory Strip first.
A full field of NAPA Auto Parts Big 5 Latemodels rumbled onto the asphalt quarter-mile for their debut race, the Pro Build 100. On the green Kim Bradford used his starting spot on the outside pole to take the early lead. Nampa, Idaho’s Dylan Caldwell followed Bradford forward, and on lap two he jabbed low in his bid for the lead. Contact was made, and Caldwell’s Hot Box Farms machine shot to the back stretch wall while Bradford spun in front of the field. Somehow, Caldwell and Bradford were the only two seriously damaged in the incident.
On the restart Lynn Sharp held the lead in his A1 Chem Dry, La Sierra Tire and Wheel racer, but was soon under pressure from John Newhouse and quick-qualifier Trevor Cristiani. Twin Falls, Idaho’s Newhouse took the top spot on lap twelve with Cristiani in his tire tracks. A restart on lap eighteen brought Cristiani to Newhouse’s rear bumper, and two laps later Cristiani claimed the top spot. But a grinding crash on the back stretch brought out another caution flag and reset the field to the previous lap, with Newhouse out front.
On the restart Cristiani went back to work on Newhouse. This fight for position turned sour on lap 32, when the lead duo made contact and spun in turn two. This handed the lead to Kyle Telstrom, who sped away from Justin Ellis and Daytona Wurtz on the restart. Wurtz’ All Makes Auto Salvage car came alive at lap forty, and the young racer chopped into Telstrom’s advantage.
At the halfway point in the Pro Build 100 Wurtz arrived at Telstrom’s rear bumper and attacked the leader. Wurtz jabbed low, but Telstrom weathered the storm until a lap 53 caution slowed the field.
On the restart Telstrom rocketed to the lead, but Wurtz kept pace and continued her gambit of hard racing. But behind Wurtz, a resurgent Cristiani entered the lead fight, and with thirty laps left the Ukiah, California driver took over the second spot. Cristiani ducked low on Telstrom, but the leader held station until contact and a spin on lap eighty sent the top two to the back of the pack again.
This handed the lead to Wurtz on the restart, with Ellis and Newhouse in her rear view mirror. Wurtz blasted to the point as Newhouse looked for a way around the Star, Idaho racer. Newhouse pinned his The Car Store machine to the low side, and with four laps to go wedged himself into the top spot. Wurtz struggled to keep pace, but a lap 98 yellow allowed her one last chance at Newhouse.
But Newhouse was too strong, and on the restart he walked away from the field to take the Pro Build 100 victory.
The PitStopUSA.com NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Modifieds swarmed Meridian Speedway to contest the first of five, fifty lap PitStopUSA.com NASCAR Modified Shootout events. The green flag flew and Wyatt King overpowered Joe Thuss to lead lap one. The first to challenge King was Caitlyn Stroebel, who took her Trinity Construction, D&R Drainage Systems modified to the lead on lap nine.
The revolving door up front kept spinning as Josh Jackson took his turn up front two laps later. Behind Jackson’s Jacksonbuiltracing.com, Motor Mayhem Chassis Dyno Tuning machine, Colton Nelson, Chris Fenton, and Bryan Warf powered their way to the leader’s rear bumper. Fenton was first to break ranks, and he stormed around the outside of Nelson to move his modified to second.
By the halfway point Fenton filled Jackson’s mirror, and quickly pulled inside in his bid for the lead. For five laps Jackson fought Fenton, but resistance proved futile as Fenton took the lead with twenty laps left.
But Fenton soon faced a new challenge as Warf cruised by Jackson and began to close on the top spot. Lap by lap Fenton’s lead shrank, and with seven circuits left Warf stuck his nose under Fenton. Fenton answered the challenge, so Warf switched to the high line. As the laps wound down Warf worked to dispatch the leader, but Fenton refused to yield as he sped into the Caleb’s Chop Shop Winner’s Circle.
Upon post race inspection, Fenton’s machine was disqualified, which handed the victory to Meridian, Idaho’s Warf.
The thrills and spills continue Saturday, May 5, as Meridian Speedway hosts Ladies Night. The PitStopUSA.com NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Modifieds, Coors Super Stocks, Domino’s Legends, Teleperformance Claimer Stocks, and Junior Stingers come together as they dash for the Shake N’ Bake Racing hardware. Saturday also features the season debut of Clarity Credit Union’s Penny Gold Rush. General admission to Saturday’s festivities is just $11.50 for adults, $9 for seniors and military members, $6.50 for kids 7-11, and, as always, kids 6 and under get in free. Gates open at 4:45 p.m. and the green flag drops at 6:45 p.m. Log onto www.meridianspeedway.com for all the latest news and notes, and be sure to text ‘meridianspeed’ to 84483 to receive exclusive updates from around the quarter-mile. We’ll see you Saturday, May 5 under the big yellow water tower for Ladies Night at your NASCAR Home Track, Meridian Speedway.
Meridian Speedway PR
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