Dual division doubleheaders headlined Teleperformance Twin 25s Night at Meridian Speedway on Saturday, June 16. The Teleperformance Claimer Stocks and PitStopUSA.com NASCAR Modifieds both pulled double duty, while the Project Filter Pro-s, Coors Super Stocks, Domino’s Legends, and Junior Stingers staged their own battles for the Racing for Smiles of the Northwest hardware.
The PitStopUSA.com NASCAR Modifieds kicked off Teleperformance Twin 25 Night at Meridian Speedway with the first of their two thirty lap main events. Boise, Idaho’s Jonathan Hull got the better of Joe Thuss to lead lap one in his Diversified Carpet Cleaning, All American Towing modified. But Wyatt King piloted his Major Tire and Hitch, Stock Construction machine around Thuss for second on lap two before he turned his sights to Hull.
King worked the inside line, but the Kuna, Idaho racer couldn’t find enough grip to get the lead. King’s struggles allowed fellow Kuna, Idaho driver Casey Tillman to work his way into the runner up spot on lap seven. Tillman hooked the low line and was quickly wheel-to-wheel with Hull for the lead.
Lap seven saw the fight for first turn sour as contact out of turn four sent Hull to the outside wall. As the field scrambled to avoid Hull’s stricken machine King hopped a tire and soared through the rear of Bryan Warf’s Integrity Pools of Idaho, Dave’s Quick Lube modified before he slid to a stop in turn one.
King emerged from his wrecked racer okay, but was forced to retire for the evening. Warf continued on, minus a good amount of driver’s side body work, and Hull rejoined the race for one lap before he deemed the damage to his modified too great to continue.
Colton Nelson and Larry Hull III led the field to the restart. Hull III battled hard to keep pace with Nelson’s Integrity Construction, YMC Heating and Air racer, but a bobble at the race’s halfway point dropped Hull III to Nelson’s rear bumper. This was all Nelson needed as, despite Hull III’s best efforts, the Meridian, Idaho racer sped into the Caleb’s Chop Shop Winner’s Circle.
Fourteen Teleperformance Claimer Stocks rolled to green for their first of two 25 lap main events. Outside pole sitter Fred Nagele got to the gas pedal first to put his Canton Café pickup up front on lap one. But Boise, Idaho’s Jamie Hyde had other plans, and on lap three Hyde’s Western Sandblasting and Powdercoating, Wacky Shacks machine rumbled to the top spot.
On the move early were quick-qualifiers Dan Lowther and Pat Tully, who hooked up and used the outside line to freight train the field on their way onto the Pepsi-Cola scoreboard. An early caution reset the field with Hyde and Dakota Allen on the front row, and Caldwell, Idaho racers Tully and Micky Lawson in row two.
The green flag waved and Tully sliced his way to the top spot with Lowther and Josh Fanopoulos in pursuit. Lowther’s machine faded over the race’s closing stages, which allowed Fanopoulos and rookie Taylor Occhipinti to make their way into second and third. Though Fanopoulos tracked Tully’s Dean Wilson Racing, Glen Alleman Custom Farming racer down, lapped traffic stymied the Boise, Idaho racer’s progress and he could only watch as Tully took the checkers.
A dozen Domino’s Legends took the green flag for their 25 lap feature. Boise, Idaho’s Brok Kidd made the inside line the place to be as he piloted his Grinker’s Arcade, Kiddtronics to the top spot. Behind Kidd, speedster Kaiden Anderson was on the move, and on lap four the Yakima, Washington driver took the point.
Also on the march was season dominator Ethan Jones, who slithered his way through traffic and took the runner up spot on lap seven. An early restart lined Jones up outside of Anderson, and when the green flag waved the Meridian, Idaho racer rolled around the top side for the lead.
Anderson pedaled his machine hard to keep pace with Jones, but lap by lap Jones eased further and further away from his pursuers. The only thing that could slow Jones was a caution, but no yellow flag waved as Jones sped to his sixth victory of the season.
The Project Filter Pro-4s stormed Meridian Speedway as they battled for the Racing for Smiles of the Northwest hardware. Scott Shoecraft motored around the outside of pole sitter Sean Young to lead the first of 25 circuits. But Shoecraft soon came under attack from Alex Duda and his Boise Boys, Carbon Designs entry. Duda took to the high line and raced to the point with Ray Bolinger and Kenny Chandler in tow.
Chandler jumped out of line first, and on lap ten dispatched both Bolinger and Duda to put his Project Filter, Sound Depot machine in the lead. Chandler quickly opened up a two-second lead before the Kuna, Idaho racer was black flagged for dumping oil on the racing surface. This brought out a caution flag and relegated Chandler to the pit area.
This left the lead to Nampa, Idaho’s Jordan Harris, with Brendon Fries in second. On the restart Fries rocketed to the lead with Harris and Ryan Bailey in his tire tracks. Harris gave Fries all he could handle in the race’s closing stages, but the Meridian, Idaho driver proved too strong and Fries parked his Chick-fil-A of Meridian, Frogman Trucking machine in the Caleb’s Chop Shop Winner’s Circle.
The Coors Super Stocks brought nine competitors to bear on their 25 lap feature. The green flag waved and Hunter Gates hung the low line to lead lap one in his YMC, Blue Line Graphics machine. But Ron Hayes found grip on the outside and overpowered Gates to lead the next three circuits. But Hayes had company, and it was Nampa, Idaho’s Melissa Arte who worked her way into the outside lane and blazed a trail to the point.
But Arte wasn’t alone, and no sooner had the lady racer taken the lead than Josh Jackson pounced to move his Jackson Built Racing, Sticker Shack machine to first. As Jackson sped away from the pack Arte fell into the clutches of Tommy Harrod as she fought to keep second. But Harrod got the best of that battle and by halfway Arte found herself fighting to hold off Pat Tully for third place.
Arte fought hard from the outside line, but Tully fought harder and with five laps left the Caldwell, Idaho racer took over the final podium spot. But it all happened behind Jackson, who sauntered across the Caleb’s Chop Shop Victory Stripe four seconds ahead of second place Harrod.
The Junior Stingers crowded the quarter-mile for a fifteen lap feature. Logan Castricone zipped to the top spot on lap one, but Jessika Harris right behind him. Harris pulled out of line to pass Castricone, but contact sent both drivers sliding across turns one and two. When the smoke cleared Castricone, Harris, and Rusty Houpt sat in a heap under the Pepsi-Cola scoreboard. Thanks to some quick pit work Harris returned to the race, but Castricone and Houpt were forced to retire with crash damage.
On the restart Bailey Fanopoulos outdueled Jerome, Idaho’s Jodi Moen for the lead. But Moen found the handle on her Fast Lane Automotive machine and soon tore around the inside line and took the top spot. Just as Moen settled into first, Meridian, Idaho’s Cody Castricone blew past her to put his Fast Glass, Linder Learning Academy racer up front. This would prove the winning pass as Castricone cruised to victory.
The PitStopUSA.com NASCAR Modifieds retook the quarter-mile for their second thirty lap main event of the evening. On the break Meridian, Idaho racers Chris Fenton and Caitlin Stroebel went wheel-to-wheel for the early lead. Stroebel used the inside line to best Fenton early, but on lap five Fenton’s car came alive and he motored back to the front.
As Fenton and Stroebel battled back and forth, Bryan Warf piloted his rebuilt Integrity Pools of Idaho, Allan Marsh Travel Center racer into the lead fight. A caution flag restacked the pack and allowed Warf to take the lead on lap fifteen. This left Fenton and Stroebel to hold off first main event winner Colton Nelson and Larry Hull. The second place battle wound tighter and tighter, but Stroebel eventually took her modified to the runner up spot.
First to Stroebel’s Trinity Construction, Rudy’s Pub and Grill entry was Hull, who blasted around the outside line and moved his Diversified Carpet Cleaning, Drake Mechanical machine into the runner up spot with eleven laps left. A yellow flag lined Hull up alongside Warf for one final shootout. The green flag waved and Warf motored to the point while Nelson moved past Hull for second.
Though Nelson gained on Warf through the race’s final laps the first main event winner had nothing for his teammate, who went from wreckers to checkers on his way to the second main event trophy.
The Teleperformance Claimer Stocks closed main event action with their second 25 lap main event. As in the first feature, Fred Nagele piloted his pickup to the early lead, but Dakota Allen used a good run off of turn four to take the top spot. But Allen wasn’t safe up front as he soon came under fire from Nampa, Idaho’s Preston Henderson. Contact on lap three sent Allen headlong into the backstretch concrete. As Allen’s A&E Sharpening, Idaho Recovery Towing racer caromed off the catch fence, first main event winner and division point leader Pat Tully piled into the stricken racer. Both drive emerged from their battered machines unscathed, but retired from the event with heavy damage.
On the restart Scott Lawson powered to the point, but a black flag sent him to the pits and put Scott Kelly in the top spot. Kelly wheeled his Cross Hair Customs, Amanda Muller Century 21 Realty pickup hard to stay ahead of Jamie Hyde in the race’s opening stages. Lap after lap Hyde looked for a way around the truck, but he found none as the field compressed. Something had to give, and with eleven laps left contact sent Rich Lawson for a wild slide through the infield. The ensuing caution flag allowed Hyde to Kelly’s outside.
Hyde capitalized on his opportunity and when the green flag flew the Boise, Idaho driver motored to the lead. But defending division champion Dan Lowther followed Hyde forward, and took the lead for himself two laps later. Siblings Taylor and Kendra Occhipinti soon filled Lowther’s mirrors as they moved into second and third on the Pepsi-Cola scoreboard. Taylor Occhipinti tore around the second groove to close on Lowther, and with three to go the young racer arrived at the veteran’s rear bumper.
Lapped traffic loomed, and with the white flag in the air the leaders weaved their way through to open track. But Taylor Occhipinti wasn’t close enough to make the pass and Lowther won Saturday’s second Teleperformance Twin 25.
“That was a really good race,” Lowther said in the Caleb’s Chop Shop Winner’s Circle. “A lot of great talent in this class…everybody’s really good this year.”
Join Meridian Speedway as we celebrate Dairy Days this Friday and Saturday, June 22 and 23. The Dairy Days fun kicks off Friday night with monster truck rides and fireworks before Saturday features the Malicious Monster Truck Insanity Tour as they tear up the quarter-mile oval. The Bombers and Big Daddy’s Barbecue Hornets join in the car crushing fun while the Dairy Days carnival lights peek over the North End bleachers. General admission to Saturday night’s Malicious Monster Truck Insanity Tour is $20 for adults, $18.50 for seniors and military members, and $12 for kids 7-11. Gates open at 4:45 p.m. with the Malicious Monster Truck Insanity Tour pit party at 5 p.m. and racing at 6:45 p.m. Seats are going fast. Log on to meridianspeedway.com to purchase your advance tickets, and text ‘meridianspeed’ to 84483 to receive all the latest updates from around the quarter-mile. We’ll see you this Friday and Saturday, June 22 and 23 for the Malicious Monster Truck Insanity Tour at your NASCAR Home Track under the big yellow water tower, Meridian Speedway.
Meridian Speedway PR
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