Meridian Speedway honored past, present, and future members of the armed services Saturday, May 19, as the quarter-mile oval hosted Military Appreciation Night. The Project Filter Pro-4s, Teleperformance Claimer Stocks, TEAM Mazda Mini Stocks, Pepsi Crate Cars and ISRL Super Sixes, Coors Super Stocks, and Big Daddy’s Barbecue Hornets filled a Saturday night slate of good, old-fashioned short track racing.
After a rousing opening ceremony that included a fresh class of military recruits being sworn into service, eleven Project Filter Pro-4s kicked off main event action with the first of their twin 25 lap features. On the break Alex Duda went wheel-to-wheel with Wes Summers for two laps before the Eagle, Idaho racer took his Boise Boys Transportation, TS Fuel and Oil machine to the lead. Hot on Duda’s trail was Jordan Harris, who used the outside line to relieve Duda of the top spot two laps later.
Next to break free from the crowd was Boise, Idaho’s Brendon Fries, who stuck his Chick-Fil-A of Meridian, ATS Inland racer in the inside groove. Harris used the momentum of the high lane to keep his Kim’s Kars, H&H Auto machine out front as laps wound off the Pepsi-Cola scoreboard.
A caution with twelve laps to go lined Fries up beside Harris when the green flag flew. Fries got to the gas pedal first and rocketed around Harris for the lead. Nampa, Idaho racer Ryan Bailey followed Fries past Harris, then set to work on the new leader. Bailey ducked low, but Fries held station in the high lane.
With just three circuits left Bailey got the drop on Fries in turn two and stole the lead. Fries ran out of time to mount a comeback, and Bailey parked his Specialty Supply, Les Schwab Downtown machine in the Caleb’s Chop Shop Winner’s Circle.
The Teleperformance Claimer Stocks rumbled to green for their 25 lap main event. Josh Fanopoulos made the high lane the place to be as he stormed to the lead on lap one. Behind Fanopoulos’ Certified Services, A-1 Towing entry, Pat Tully, Kendra Occhipinti, and quick-qualifier Taylor Occhipinti parted the pack and pulled into second, third, and fourth on the Pepsi-Cola scoreboard.
Before Tully could mount a challenge on Fanopoulos, siblings Kendra and Taylor Occhipinti pulled to the runner up’s rear bumper. With the top four separated by less than a second something had to give, and with six laps left it was Kendra Occhipinti that stepped out of line to challenge Tully in her Marv’s Tire Service, Dillon Performance Engines racer.
Kendra’s bid for second ended when she slid sideways and allowed younger brother Taylor Occhipinti to take the final podium position spot. But no one could catch Fanopoulos, who sped across the Caleb’s Chop Shop Victory Stripe first.
A full field of fourteen TEAM Mazda Mini Stocks crowed the quarter-mile oval for a 25 lap main event. The inside line was quick early and Meridian, Idaho’s Terrell Daffron used it to take his 208Tire.com, The Wrap Shop entry to the early lead. But Billy Shipp was on the move, and the Melba, Idaho pilot squeezed around the outside to claim the top spot on lap three. Shipp’s turn up front was short-lived as defending division champion Jason Sanders stormed from his mid-field starting spot to the front one circuit later.
Next to emerge from the pack was Jayson Wardle, who immediately started to trim Sanders’ lead. With ten laps to go Wardle’s Lazee Days R.V., Catapult 3 machine filled Sanders’ mirror, and two laps later Sanders lost control spun to the infield.
This left Wardle in the lead with Ian Michael Pedersen, Luke Wolverton and Fred Vigil in hot pursuit. The race restarted and Pedersen sped into turn one with Wardle along side. For a full lap the lead pair battled, but when they reached turn one again, an oil slick awaited. When the smoke cleared six cars sat sideways in turn two, but somehow all avoided serious damage.
The restart was retried, and Wardle resumed his place up front with Pedersen and Vigil behind him. Vigil applied heavy pressure to Pedersen’s SSLP Racing, HYLA North America machine, and as the two raced for second Wardle scooted out to a two second lead. That was all the Kuna, Idaho driver needed and Wardle flashed across the Caleb’s Chop Shop Victory Stripe for his second division win of the season.
The Pepsi Crate Cars and Idaho Sprintcar and Roadster League Super Sixes battled through a thirty lap main event. Boise, Idaho’s Brandal Glenn was quick out of the blocks to lead lap one, but Kuna, Idaho racer Pat Young had his sights set on the top spot, and piloted his Dick’s Chevron, Sticker Mafia machine to the top spot on lap two. An early race caution brought Caldwell, Idaho’s Justin Segura to Young’s inside, and when the green flag waved the battle for the lead was on.
Young held the high line while Segura scooted around the low side. After three hard fought laps Segura secured the top spot in his TEAM Mazda Subaru, PBT Auto Sales sprinter, and brought Mike Anderson and Rob Grice with him to the front. Anderson wasted no time and immediately jumped into the high groove, but Segura withstood the challenge and kept the lead.
Next to try Segura was Grice, who wheeled his A.R.T. Speed Equipment, BLG Blue entry around the low side of the track. Segura slammed the door on Grice to keep the top spot until the race’s halfway point, when Grice cut below the leader in turn three. Next to Segura’s tail tank was Tony Ackerland, who searched high and low for a way around the second place runner. With four laps to go Ackerland seized his opportunity and took the second position in his Kick’s Chevron, Ackerland Construction entry. But it all happened behind Grice, who parked his sprinter in the Caleb’s Chop Shop Winner’s Circle.
As shadows fell over Meridian Speedway the Project Filter Pro-4s rolled back onto the track for their second 25 lap main event. On the green Kuna, Idaho racer Kenny Chandler zipped to the top spot with first main event contenders Jordan Harris and Ryan Bailey in pursuit. After mechanical issues plagued the veteran campaigner throughout the first feature, Chandler quickly opened a three second gap over the battle for second place.
Chandler looked to be unbeatable until lap sixteen, when his engine expired in a plume of smoke. This would have left the lead to Harris, but a fuel leak under caution sent him to the pit area and left previously fourth place runner Brendon Fries in the lead.
Fries didn’t waste his opportunity as he sped into the lead on the restart. But Brandon McLean wouldn’t settle for second, and the Meridian, Idaho racer pinned his Traditional Electric, Kenny Chandler Racing machine to the low line and ripped around Fries to take his turn atop the Pepsi-Cola scoreboard. Behind the leaders Harris turned up the wick on his repaired Kim’s Kars, Challenger Auto racer and marched forward. Harris made significant progress, but could only muster third at the checkers behind Fries and winner McLean.
The Coors Super Stocks had 25 short laps to find a Military Appreciation Night winner. Boise, Idaho’s Ron Hayes blew by Hunter Gates to claim the early lead, but Josh Jackson was the man on the move. The Nampa, Idaho racer made short work of the field and sped into the second spot on lap three with Melissa Arte and Pat Tully in tow. Jackson wouldn’t wait, and on lap eight he took his Jackson Built Racing, Motor Mayhem Chassis Dyno machine to the point.
As Arte chased Jackson the handling on her Marv’s Tire Service, Dillon Performance Engines racer soured, which left Jackson alone up. As the white flag waved lapped traffic slowed Jackson to a crawl. Arte saw her opportunity and ran to the leader’s rear bumper, but wasn’t able to make a move and was forced to settle for second behind Jackson.
The Big Daddy’s Barbecue Hornets had ten minutes to find a feature winner. Ron Compton led the charge up front while James Pahl set the pace for the second pack. Pahl tangled with a back marker early, which left the second group to chase Lynn Sharp. By lap nine Sharp made his way around Compton for the overall race lead, but was soon under siege from a resurgent Pahl.
Pahl slid around the high side of the track as he worked to reel Sharp in, then unleashed his machine in the race’s closing minutes. On the white flag Sharp slid into Pahl on the backstretch. Though Pahl was momentarily airborne he never lifted and sped across the Caleb’s Chop Shop Victory Stripe less than one foot ahead of Sharp.
Meridian Speedway honors the racing legends that put the quarter-mile oval under the big yellow water tower on the map with a Memorial Day double header this Saturday and Monday, May 26 and 28. Saturday night’s action includes the Naylor Classic for the Mountain Dew Interstate Winged Sprintcars, Pepsi Crate Cars, the Dee Forrey and Don VanSchoiack Memorial for the Coors Super Stocks, the Austin Christopherson and Eldon Cahill Memorial for the Domino’s Legends, the TEAM Mazda Mini Stocks, and the Super Modified Reunion. General admission to Saturday night’s action is just $13.50 for adults, $11 for seniors and military members, and $6.50 for kids 7-11. Monday night the NAPA Auto Parts Big 5 Latemodels contest the Bill Crow 50, the Project Filter Pro-4s battle for the Sean Miller Memorial, and the Teleperformance Claimer Stocks race in memory of LeeRoy Nelson. The PitStopUSA.com NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Modifieds, Rebel Modifieds of Idaho, High School Tuners and Junior Stingers round out Monday’s slate of races. General admission is $11.50 for adults, $9 for seniors and military members on Monday. We’ll save you a seat this Saturday and Monday under the big yellow water tower at your NASCAR Home Track, Meridian Speedway.
Meridian Speedway PR
