With no chance of rain in the forecast, seven strong divisions took to Meridian Speedway Saturday, October 13, for the rescheduled Weed Man Lawn Care Championship. The Mountain Dew Interstate Winged Sprintcars, Pepsi Crate Cars and Idaho Sprintcar and Roadster League Super Sixes, Coors Super Stocks, Domino’s Legends, and Bombers took the checkers on their 2018 season, while the Project Filter Pro-4s and Big Daddy’s Barbecue Hornets jockeyed for late-season points in their penultimate showdowns.
Five fast Domino’s Legends kicked off main event action with a twenty lap dash. On the green Boise, Idaho’s Brok Kidd muscled his way to the top spot with Camron Madsen, Ken Frickey, and Donovan Barr in tow. As the field fought three wide for real estate Barr was shuffled up the track into Frickey and catapulted into the turn three wall. Despite the heavy contact Barr climbed from his Sound Hound Stereo, Competition Carbs racer unscathed.
On the restart Madsen pulled even with fellow Boisean Kidd, and on lap three Madsen claimed first on the Pepsi-Cola scoreboard. This allowed quick-qualifier Ethan Jones of Meridian, Idaho into the runner up spot, and by the race’s halfway point the division dominating Jones owned the lead. While Jones sailed away from the pack Madsen fought to hold Kidd’s Grinkers Arcade, Kiddtronics machine at bay. Madsen would keep the second position but could only watch as Jones took the first Weed Man Lawn Care Championship Night checkered flag.
With his ninth win of 2018 Jones claimed the Domino’s Legend title over Barr and Frickey.
A six pack of Coors Super Stocks rumbled to green for their final 25 lap feature of 2018. Outside pole sitter Ron Hayes bolted to the lead with Nampa, Idaho drivers Tommy Harrod and Chuck Youngblood in his tire tracks. A mechanical issue on lap five sidelined Hayes’ RC Willey, All Around Property Services racer, and left Harrod, Youngblood, and Gale Carter in the top three spots.
Youngblood drove his PBT Auto Sales entry hard to catch Harrod, but he would run out of time as Harrod sped across the Caleb’s Chop Shop Victory Stripe first.
Despite missing the division’s final race, Melissa Arte was crowned the 2018 Coors Super Stock champion, her eleventh Meridian Speedway title.
Ten Project Filter Pro-4s took the green for their penultimate feature of the season. Front row starters Ben Harris and Wes Summers raced door to door through the first lap until contact sent Summers spinning in front of the field. When the smoke cleared eight Project Filter Pro-4s sat in a heap in turn three with Alex Duda upside down and championship leader Brendon Fries stuffed into the retaining wall. Thanks to quick work by their pit crews, every racer except Summers returned to action for the restart.
New to the front row, James Pahl made the most of his opportunity and charged around Harris to put his borrowed Challenger Auto, Ken Chandler Racing car in the lead. First to Pahl’s rear bumper was Kenny Chanler, who worked the low line to perfection and piloted his Project Filter, Fairly Reliable Bob’s machine to the lead. But Fries was on the hunt, and with a dozen laps left the Boise, Idaho racer wedged his damaged nose piece inside of Chandler in a bid for the lead.
Fries continued to work Chandler until a caution with nine laps left lined his Chick-fil-A of Meridian, Academy Mortgage racer inside of Chandler for the green. Fries charged hard into turn one, but Chandler thwarted his advance. Lap after lap Fries worked the inside, and corner after corner Chandler kept the championship leader in his rearview mirror. Fries saved his best challenge for the last lap, but a spin in turn two necessitated a caution flag, which handed the win to Chandler.
After Colton Nelson dominated the Mountain Dew Interstate Winged Sprintcars’ first feature of the evening, Cory Lockwood and Aaron McPeak led the field to green for their final 25 lap main event of the year. Lockwood stormed to the point on lap one in his Herold’s Auto Body, Berkshire Hathaway Reality sprinter while Bryan Warf worked his way inside McPeak for second. As eleven second laps clicked off the board smoke started to seep from Lockwood’s machine. The black flag was displayed and Lockwood pulled into the pit area.
This left Warf up front with Nelson in tow. Though Nelson closed on the leader he ran out of laps to make a move and Warf took his Allan Marsh Travel Center, Dave’s Quick Lube racer home with both the race victory and the overall season championship.
For his dual titles in 2018, Warf was also awarded King of the Y honors as Meridian Speedway’s highest total points earner of 2018
A twelve pack of Pepsi-Cola Sprintcars and ISRL Super Sixes thundered to green for their final thirty lap feature of the season. Caldwell, Idaho’s Justin Segura made the most of the outside line and fought his way to first with Kate Jackson and Johnny Giesler in trail. Giesler jabbed high and low in his bid for the runner up spot, which allowed Riley Rogers to race his way into the second place battle as well.
On lap nine Giesler decided it was go time, and he shot into the low line and dispatched both Jackson and Segura in turn one to take the lead. Jackson followed Giesler through, but before she could figure out a way around her brother-in-law, she was forced to stave off a strong challenge from Rogers. Rogers’ pressure paid off as Jackson lost the handle on her Bardahl, Spiers Construction sprinter and spun into the infield.
On the restart Giesler roared past Rogers to retake the lead. Rogers wheeled his H&H Accounting, Goodwill Finance machine hard to keep pace with the leader, but couldn’t mount a challenge as Giesler scored the main event victory.
Eight wild and crazy Bombers rolled into their final feature of 2018. Mirinda Davis muscled her way past Rob Taylor for the early lead. But it was Nick Durbin on the early move and he took the lap five lead. But an unannounced water barrel dump sent Durbin and Kevin Matuska into the turn three wall. Both drivers recovered and after a brief stint in second place, Durbin retook the lead on lap twelve. This is where Durbin would stay as he finished the 2018 season in the Caleb’s Chop Shop Winner’s Circle.
Mirinda Davis walked away with the Bomber championship.
The Big Daddy’s Barbecue Hornets packed the quarter-mile for a twenty lap feature. On the break Nick Durbin continued his hot streak as he took the early lead. First to challenge Durbin was James Pahl who, with a three-wide pass, took his Ray’s Auto Care, Beastly Gents racer to the top spot on lap seven. But Pahl whiffed on his joker lap as he missed the required 360 degree spin on the backstretch. Pahl would make up for it with a slick Rockford-style spin in turn one the next lap. This would prove enough for the officials and Pahl cruised the rest of the way to the win.
The action continues next Saturday, October 20, as the PitStopUSA.com Summer Dirt Series holds its championship event on the twelfth-mile Dirt Track at Meridian Speedway. Asphalt racing concludes with the Trunk or Treat Halloween Championship on Saturday, October 27. Stay tuned to meridianspeedway.com for event details and be sure to text ‘meridianspeed’ to 84483 to receive all the latest updates from around the quarter-mile. We’ll see you this Saturday, October 20, for the PitStopUSA.com Summer Dirt Series Championship, and Saturday, October 27 for the Trunk or Treat Halloween Championship at your NASCAR Home Track, Meridian Speedway.
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