EAGLE, Idaho -- Friday and Saturday night will be a mixture of old home week and mayhem as Idaho Motor Speedway on Chaparral Road welcomes the Monsters of Destruction Monster Truck Series and some of the best Modified race car drivers in the Northwest.
And to top all that, 24-year-old Terry Lawrence, a rookie in ARCA stock cars, will return to his home track to race his No. 13 Modified race car in the annual 7-Up Modified Smackdown.
Six trucks in the Monsters of Destruction series are in the Boise area for the 15th and 16th rounds of the season. All previous MOD tour stops have been televised on the Outdoor Channel. Show times for competition are 1 p.m. MDT on Saturdays; 11 a.m. MDT on Tuesdays and 8 a.m. MDT on Fridays. MOD Behind the Scenes airs Mondays at noon MDT, Fridays at 5 p.m. MDT and Saturdays at 11 p.m. MDT.
At IMS, the trucks will run heads-up in straight-line drag competition as well as in a freestyle competition and an obstacle course competition. Yes, crushing cars will be a prerequisite.
The top truck in the straight-line drag and obstacle course divisions in MOD this year, Dragon Slayer, is scheduled to be on hand this weekend. Other trucks on the bill include Monster Moose, Public Disturbance, Bear Foot, Obsession and Spider-Man.
Before competing Friday and Saturday, some monster trucks will make appearances around the Boise area. Wednesday night, MOD competitors will be featured on the radio program Race Traxx, which airs live from Muggsy Sports Bar in Meridian, Idaho, on KGEM 1140-AM from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. From 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. on Friday, monster trucks will be on hand at the Paul's Market in Kuna, Idaho, for a Monster Truck Therapy session. Bring out anything that causes frustration -- items from past relationships, etc. -- and the trucks will roll over them.
The Northwest Modifieds return to IMS for the Modified Smackdown. Northwest Modified drivers include Blaine Sneva of Rathdrum, Idaho, the brother of former Indianapolis 500 champion Tom Sneva.
But the centerpiece of the Modified show will be the return of Terry Lawrence. The 1999 graduate of Skyview High School in Nampa has been chasing his stock car-racing dream since catching the eye of an ARCA car team owner by calmly turning a 180 mph lap the first time he ever steered a car onto the 2.5-mile layout at Daytona International Speedway.
Lawrence is still learning life as a professional race car driver. He made his ARCA debut May 28 at Lanier National Speedway in Georgia. He started 22nd and gobbled up enough drivers to finish the race 13th in the Oostlander Racing Pontiac.
That was much like his brother, Tim, coming from the back of the pack last week to finish second in a ESI Speedway Modified race at Idaho Motor Speedway.
Now, Terry is taking over for Tim. He can do that. The No. 13 Modified is his car, after all.
But once the weekend is over, Terry Lawrence will return to North Carolina to continue his pursuit.
The Pirate Powdercoating Super Hornets will back up the show Friday, while the RO-HO Muffler Thunder Stocks share the racing card Saturday.
Each night, adult admission is $15, with children ages 3-12 admitted for $10.Children 2-and-younger get in free. There are discount coupons for $2 off admission available at participating Carl's Jr. Restaurants.
Gates open at 4 p.m. with qualifying at 5 p.m. and the first appearance of the monster trucks at 7:10 p.m.
Idaho Motor Speedway is located on Chaparral Road off Idaho 16 north of the Idaho 44/Idaho 16 intersection northwest of Boise, Idaho. For more information, log on to www.chaparralspeedway.com or call (208) 939-RACE.
