Wild Weather, Wrecks Highlight Dairy Queen Bike Race Night at Meridian Speedway

From wild weather to wicked wrecks, Saturday, April 24’s Dairy Queen Bike Races for Kids event had a little bit of everything.  The Bud Light NASCAR Modifieds, Pepsi Sprintcars, Coors Big 12 Pro-Late Models, The Boise Bath and Kitchen Company Mini Stocks, and Zamp Stingers packed Meridian Speedway’s tight confines in search of the night’s Trammel Construction Feature Flags. 

Under threatening skies, ten Bud Light NASCAR Modifieds rumbled to the night’s first green flag.  On the break, Rus Ward used the outside line to take the early lead.  Pole sitter Mike Davis soon got his Haz Tech Drilling, Josay’s Labradors Dog Wash and Boarding machine wound up, and fought hard to keep the rest of the pack at bay. 

First to pass Davis was Chuck Youngblood, followed by defending division champion Brendon Fries, most recent division winner Josh Fanopoulos, and others.  Youngblood wasted no time trying the inside line on Ward, but the slick track conditions thwarted his efforts.  Those same treacherous conditions would catch Ward out laps later, as the Boise, Idaho racer spun out on lap ten. 

This left Youngblood and Fries on the front row for the restart.  The green flag flew and so did Youngblood back to the lead in his PBT Auto Sales modified.  But Fries kept pace in his ATS Inland Northwest, Horizon Credit Union machine, and prevailed on the high side, which brought Fanopoulos, Colton Nelson, and Kyle Latham into the lead battle. 

Fanopoulos charged to the inside of Fries lap after lap, but Fries held strong on the outside and sped across the Caleb’s Chop Shop Victory Stripe first. 

“Four fast cars like that, [it’s] going to be a hell of a year,” Fries said as he collected the Trammel Construction Feature Flag. 

The Zamp Stingers turned in one of the most thrilling main events of the evening as these young competitors weaved and dodged their way through traffic.  At the end of the division’s 25-lap feature, Nampa, Idaho’s Niko Heinzel raced his way to the checkers, followed by Joey Wiederich and Aaden Fanopoulos. 

A hard-hitting The Boise Bath and Kitchen Company Mini Stock main event rolled onto the quarter-mile next.  Cody Garrett, at the controls of his Scott Cage Works, Garrett Mobile Mechanics car, seemed to have the race well in hand before he and fifth-place James Pahl plowed into Josh Lucero’s Trammel Construction machine as it spun out of the infield.  This handed the lead to Taylor Occhipinti, who piloted his The Boise Bath and Kitchen Company, Fiesta Guadalajara car to victory in his first division race. 

Familiar Coors Big 12 Pro-Late Model foes Melissa Weaver and Daytona Wurtz added another epic race to their collection on Dairy Queen Bike Races for Kids Night.  After Weaver jumped to the early lead in her Marv’s Tire Service, Graphics by Rhonda Kellerer racer, Wurtz dispatched outside pole sitter Pat Tully and stormed to the leader’s rear bumper.  Weaver left Wurtz some racing room to the outside, and for the next ten laps the pair raced side-by-side for the lead.  In the end, Wurtz’ All Makes Towing, United Metals machine proved too strong and she powered to the win. 

The Pepsi Sprintcars rumbled to green as another storm front blew over the Concrete Jungle.  Jamo Stephenson piloted his YMC Heating, Cooling and Plumbing, Neil Alan Fine Jewelry racer to the early lead, but was soon embroiled in a six-way, full contact fight for the lead with Johnny Giesler, Ryan Newman, Kate Jackson, Nate Little, and Bryan Warf.  A caution flag at halfway bunched the field and on the restart Giesler moved into the lead with Newman’s Lifecare Center of the Treasure Valley, Ashley Heating and Air sprinter on his tail tank. 

As the laps wound down, the intensity first picked up, then boiled over with nine circuits remaining when Warf and Little made contact in turn four.  This sent Warf’s Allan Marsh RV & Marine Center, CF Floor Covering sprinter sideways into the path of Connor Elliott and the two pounded the retaining wall at the flag stand.  Behind Warf and Elliott, Kate Jackson hopped a tire and sailed her Giesler’s Auto Repair, Mulder’s Auto Machine racer headlong into the concrete as well.  Despite the hard hits all drivers climbed from their wrecked racers okay. 

As track crews worked to clean up the carnage, the rains returned and soaked the racetrack.  Leader at the caution Giesler was awarded the Trammel Construction Feature Flag and the evening’s final Bud Light NASCAR Modified race was called off.

Ladies of all ages get in free this Saturday, May 1, for the Ladies Night Twin 25’s featuring the Coors Big 12 Pro-Late Models, Mulder Engineered Race Engines Junior Late Models, Pauly’s Bar Room Street Stocks, Big Daddy’s Barbecue Hornets, and Firehouse Pub and Grill Bombers as they battle for the Angry Easel Feature Flags.  General admission is just $13 for adults, $11 for seniors and military members, $7 for kids 7-11, and free for both ladies and kids 6 and under.  Gates open at 4:45 p.m. Saturday with racing scheduled for 6:30 p.m.  Log on to www.meridianspeedway.com to purchase your advance tickets now, and be sure to text ‘meridianspeed’ to 84483 to receive exclusive updates from around the quarter-mile.  We’ll see you under the big yellow water tower this Saturday, May 1, for the Ladies Night Twin 25’s at your NASCAR Home Track, Meridian Speedway. 

Meridian Speedway PR