MERIDIAN, Idaho -- Chad Cannon won his first Rocky Mountain Challenge Series (RMCS) Feature Event Saturday night in a race filled with more caution laps than actual racing laps. The race was scheduled for 75 laps but was called after 37 completed green flag laps and 69 laps run in 12 separate caution periods. The race took over 80 minutes to run. Cannon took the lead from Quint Whitman on the 18th trip around the famed quarter-mile oval. Whitman leading from the start of the race had a tire go down on lap 17 after a restart.
Twenty-one drivers took the green flag and the carnage soon followed. The first caution flew on the first lap. With a single car spin, lap 30 saw the worst wreck of the night when Scott Durbin, running 5th at the time, spun in turn 1. Mike Marston running 6th avoided the spinning Durbin but the 9 cars behind Marston were hard on the brakes spinning and crashing into one another. After this incident the race was shortened to 50 laps. Two laps after the restart a single car spin brought out the 10th caution and a 2-car spin on the subsequent restart brought out the eleventh caution forcing the officials to reduce the race to 40 laps. But a caution for another multiple car incident on lap 37 forced officials to call the race.
Dave Minegar broke the RMCS track record set last year by John Dillon. Minegar, a veteran of Meridian Speedway, who won his first RMCS race at Meridian last year qualified with a 13.520 second lap around the tight quarter mile oval.
RMCS Results:
Quick Time: David Minegar – 13.520
Heat 1: Minegar, Mike Marston, Chris Ratterree, Tom Hill, Gentry Pisca
Heat 2: Chad Cannon, John Nesmith, Bryan Warf, Rus Ward, John Dillon
Heat 3: John Wood, John Newhouse, Tyler Monroe, Quint Withman, Bruce Quale
Feature: Cannon, Nick Gibson, Craig Bell, Nesmith, Marston
In Idaho Super Stock Racing Association racing action Bob Cecil won his third straight main event from the front row. Cecil qualified 11th quick out of 15 cars however, 3 Rookies and a car over 1 second off the pace were, by rule, placed in the rear of the field placed Cecil on the pole. Cecil moved out in front of Charlie Stout at the drop of the green flag. On lap 5 this 30-lap saw it’s first caution. Stout and Skip Taylor got together in the backstretch on lap 5. The contact broke the suspension on Stout’s car and he could not negotiate the turn and drove straight into the water barrels in turn 3. Stout was unhurt but the car required the hook. The race was red flagged for 10 minutes for this incident to ensure the safety of the track personnel as Stout’s car was placed on the hook. Cecil held off Taylor through the entire race to include on additional restart after a caution on lap 27.
ISSRA Results:
Quick Time: Darvin Ackerland – 14.837
Trophy Dash: Dale Bell
B Heat: Bob Cecil, Travis Milburn, Gale Carter, Charlie Stout, Dave Harris,
A Heat: Skip Taylor, Rick Baldwin, Bell, Dan Lowther, Ackerland
Main Event: Cecil, Taylor, Carter, Troy Evans, Baldwin
Terry Lydell won the Idaho Center for Professional Truck Drivers (ICPTD) Street Stock Main Event. Lydell spent the week rebuilding his engine after blowing up in an out of town race last weekend. Lydell and his crew could not get the car running right during practice. Jaramie Fuss, running the RMCS race, offered the use of his Street Stock. Lydell and crew went to retrive the car and off loaded it as the next to last car in the class was on the track to qualify. The crew quickly put air in the tires and Lydell approached the line to qualify as the last car was getting the checkered flag. Lydell and crew worked on the set up of the car and he won the heat race and the 30 lap main event.
ICPTD Street Stock Results:
Quick Time: Pat Stirm – 15.687
Trophy Dash: Craig Beckstead
B Heat: Terry Lydell, Shawn Hansen, Brian Hyde, Steve Bossleman, James Telford
A Heat: Keri Sigman, Darrell Lankford, Tyler Monroe, Beckstead, Larry Williams
Main Event: Lydell, Hyde, Lankford, Bosselman, Hansen
The Mini Stocks division Quentin Ward 13 other competitors to win the 30 lap main event.
Mini Stock Results:
Quick time: Jason Sanders – 16.049
Trophy Dash: Casey Hart
B heat: Quentin Ward, Jason Lampman, Kane Thomasson, Eddy DelRio, Scott Heap
A heat: George Gorton, Dan Eckertt, Joe Fuentes, Jason Sanders, Justin Ellis
Main Event: Ward, Lampman, Gorton, Ellis, Sanders
Hornet Results:
Quick Time: Ben Ewing – 18.072
Trophy Dash: Jason McNeil
Main Event, Kenny Synder, Camron Madsen, Ewing, McNeil, Michele Williams
In Friday night dirt track racing The Standards Construction Mini Sprints were featured
Mini Sprint Results:
600 Pro
Heat: Tyler Bailey, Austin Hagger, Cam Sinsel, Shawn Flagstad
Main: Bailey, Hager, Flagstad, Sinsel
600 Sportsman
Heat: Kole Bushman, Scott Weathers, Casey Tillman, Emmett Bushman
Main: Tillman, E. Bushman, Weathers, K. Bushman
250 Sportsman
Heat: Casey Tillman, Bud Ribordy, Chris Rowling, Rick Davis, Mike Ribordy
Main: Tillman, Davis, M. Ribordy, B. Ribordy, Rowling
In other news from Meridian Speedway: Since our last race on June 10th Eldon Cahill, driver of the #11x Legend car and driver/owner of the official Meridian Speedway push truck was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Eldon underwent surgery on June 16th. Ninety percent of the tumor was removed and Eldon is now going through radiation treatments. To everyone’s surprise, Eldon showed up at the track Saturday night to watch the races. It was great to see him getting out and all the fans, drivers, crews and staff of Meridian Speedway wish him and his family the best as he recovers.
