MERIDIAN, Idaho — On a night filled with dramatic crashes, a little wiggle was all Thane Alderman needed to win at ASA-sanctioned Meridian Speedway.
The Las Vegas driver became the seventh different man to win a Carbon X Rocky Mountain Challenge Series late model tour race this season, taking home honors in the Pepsi Gem State 75 on Saturday night.
In other main events, Boise, Idaho's Travis Anderson won the fifth annual Austin Christopherson Memorial 50 for the Domino's Pizza Legends; Meridian, Idaho's Jeff Hill picked up his second consecutive trophy in the ESI Express ASA Modifieds; 15-year-old Colin Parker of Kuna, Idaho, stepped up into Mini Stocks and took home the checkered after a 40-lap feature; and Bob Garrett won his first feature of the season in the Tates Rents Hornets.
Alderman went to the lead in the Pepsi Gem State 75 when A-1 Heating and Air Conditioning RMCS Rookie of the Year leader Eric Rhead of West Jordan, Utah got loose coming out of Turn 2 after leading 22 laps. Alderman, Lynn Hardy of West Valley City, Utah, and Twin Falls, Idaho driver Bruce Quale all drove past Rhead on the backstretch after his bobble.
Alderman held on through two more caution flags to win as Eagle, Idaho's John Dillon ran out of time and racetrack in his hard charge that netted him a third-place finish. Previous 2010 tour stop winner Quale wound up second.
Saturday's first session of a two-night Labor Day Weekend show attracted drivers from five state, including Idaho, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Nevada.
The night's action also claimed at least two racecars after spectacular wrecks that left fans on their feet anticipating the good health of the men involved.
Early into the Christopherson Memorial, the Legends car driven by Austin Hager left the pavement and spun like a helicopter blade high into the catch fence in Turn 4. The Meridian, Idaho driver appeared to get to high on the racetrack midway through the turn and his racecar launched off the wall and into the safety barrier. Hager emerged shaken but otherwise unhurt. The racecar was destroyed.
Boise, Idaho's Ron Hayes inherited the Legends lead, but his night ended four laps later when the right front wheel disengaged from his racecar on Lap 9, causing a frontstretch wreck involving Tacoma, Wash.'s Jim Landon.
Defending Christopherson champion Memorial champion Ben Matheson of Pasco, Wash., continued to lead the race (he passed Hayes in Turn 3 seven laps in) until Anderson's second try for the lead succeeded with 13 laps remaining. He stretched his lead to as many as three seconds and even pushed back out to a two-second edge in just two laps after Sara Henry of Nampa, Idaho brought out the race's final caution flag by smacking the Turn 1 wall with three laps to go.
By winning the race held in honor of a 14-year-old boy who died from Muscular Dystrophy in August 2006, Anderson put his name on a perpetual trophy and won $1,000 from various sponsors.
"It was on a rail," the 2009 track champion said of his car. "We just had to have some racing time and no more yellows
"I want to thank the Christopherson family. This is great to get a chance to put my name on the trophy."
Race fans also collected $476 for the Muscular Dystrophy Association after Legends drivers passed racing helmets through the stands earlier in the night.
Jeff Hill was at it again in the Modifieds. For the second consecutive outing, the Meridian racer on the Modifieds main event to continue to put pressure on his brother, defending series champion and 2010 points leader Tom Hill of Eagle, Idaho.
Jeff Hill passed Jentry Pisca of Nampa, Idaho, after a caution flag and then led the final 19 dramatic laps for the victory. Even though his brother finished near the back of the pack after tangling with Boise, Idaho's Dennis Wurtz Jr., Jeff Hill didn't seem optimistic about his chances of taking the points lead.
"I qualified bad again, and that's why I got to start up front and I'm sure I lost points because they chased me down," Hill said. "That was a hard race. That was a hard race."
Hill had to hold off Pisca and another Nampa driver, Shelby Stroebel, for the victory. Stroebel may have gained ground in his quest to move out of third place in the points standings because of Tom Hill's bad luck.
Colin Parker, a 15-year-old from Kuna, made a successful jump into Mini Stocks, winning a feature marred by a chain reaction crash on the frontstretch that destroyed Fruitland, Idaho driver Travis Pavlacky's racecar just three laps into a 40-lap event.
Pavlacky's car hit the fronstretch wall and came to rest in both grooves on the front chute. Points leader Art Heath of Nampa and Tyler Burlingame of Meridian had nowhere to go and violently plowed into the passenger side of Pavlacky's car. The impact of the hit on the wall and the subsequent collision with Heath and Burlingame narrowed the width of Pavlacky's racecar and tore sheet metal off the safety cage. Pavlacky walked away.
The son of Mini Stocks racer Donovan Parker (he even runs his dad's 54 racing number) worked his way from in the middle of the 23-car field to get his first career victory in the division. He thanked his dad and his uncle for helping set up the car.
In reality, it seemed to be all Parker as he moved into the top five 10 laps and patiently picked his way up to second place with 17 laps remaining.
He found himself on the rear bumper of race leader Larry Hull of Boise with 13 laps left, but still had to hold off veteran Dell Scott of Nampa, who was challenging from his third-place spot.
Parker made his move with 10 laps to go and then used the lapped cars of Billy Shipp and Everett Meeks to block Boise's Scott Shoecraft and get a three-second lead.
Unlike Parker, who has seen action in the entry four-cylinder division for 11- to 14-year-olds, Bob Garrett's name was new to fans. The car he drove to victory in the 25-lap Hornets main event wasn't, however. The 93x had been driven by Shane Parkkila of Boise earlier in the season, and originated with the guy who sits atop the Hornets series standings.
"This thing's a rocket, I tell you what," Garrett said. "We bought this car from Art Heath, and he said run it on the outside. He said if you get it in on the bottom, you'll get a push."
Garrett took the advice and ran with it. He dodged a dicey restart when Brian Burger and Wyatt Wagner drove into the Turn 2 wall right after the green flag dropped following the first caution flag.
Nampa, Idaho's Danny Canington chased Garrett for the final 13 laps, moving up from outside the top five to second place in eight laps.
Garrett had led by as many as four seconds, but Canington cut the advantage down to size. She couldn't come all the way back, however.
Meridian fans may be seeing more of Twin Falls, Idaho driver Jeff Pohlman. A week after making the trip to win a NAPA Latemodel Sportsman feature, Pohlman joined the Carbon X RMCS drivers for the Pepsi Gem State 75. And he got an early checkered flag.
Pohlman started the 12-lap Heat 1 in the top five, but was gunning hard to get around early leader Dan Lowther of Boise with nine laps left.
Pohlman was running so hard, in fact, that he skidded into the high groove in Turn 4 and nearly lost his position on the same lap in which he jumped into Lowther's rear-view mirror. He got past Lowther at the midway point and stretched his advantage to as many as four seconds.
Nampa's Dylan Caldwell roared out to a big lead early in Heat 2, but the youngster couldn't hold off the charge of Meridian veteran John Nesmith, who was racing on hometown pavement.
Nesmith snagged the lead when Caldwell washed up into the high groove existing Turn 4 with three laps left. Nesmith carried the momentum to the checkered flag.
Saturday is City of Meridian Night at the speedway. The Idaho Sprintcar and Roadster League tour makes its return, and the NAPA Latemodel Sportsman series holds its final race of the year. The Jr. Stingers and Domino's Pizza Legends also wrap up their schedules, while the Mini Stocks hit the track for their second-to-last event of 2010.
Tickets are $10 for adults, $7.50 for senior citizens and military personnel with ID, $6 for children ages 7-11 and free for children 6-and-younger.
Pick up advance tickets at participating Treasure Valley NAPA Auto Parts stores and save time waiting in line Saturday night. Ask for "Speedway" tickets.
Gates open at 4 p.m. with racing at 6:30 p.m.
For more information, visit the speedway's Web site or call (208) 888-2813.
Meridian Speedway
Carbon X Rocky Mountain Challenge Series
Pepsi Gem State 75
Saturday's unofficial results
Main events
Carbon X RMCS Pepsi Gem State 75 —
1. Thane Alderman, Las Vegas, Nevada; 2. Bruce Quale, Twin Falls, Idaho; 3. John Nesmith, Meridian, Idaho; 4. John Dillon, Eagle, Idaho; 5. Eric Rhead, West Jordan, Utah
ESI Express ASA Modifieds (35 laps) —
1. Jeff Hill, Meridian, Idaho; 2. Jentry Pisca, Nampa; 3. Shelby Stroebel, Nampa; 4. Chris Fenton, Meridian; 5. Darvin Ackerland, Boise
Tates Rents Hornets (25 laps) —
1. Bob Garrett; 2. Danny Canington, Nampa; 3. Mike Fortin, Durkee, Ore.; 4. Larry Hull, Boise; 5. Art Heath, Nampa
Mini Stocks (40 laps) —
1. Colin Parker, Kuna, Idaho; 2. Scott Shoecraft, Boise; 3. Jason Sanders, Caldwell, Idaho; 4. Kirk Sanders, Nampa; 5. Larry Hull, Boise
Domino's Pizza Legends Austin Christofferson Memorial 50 —
1. Travis Anderson, Boise; 2. Camron Madsen, Boise; 3. Ben Matheson, Pascoe, Wash.; 4. Phil Zubizareta, Boise; 5. Darin Turpen, Nampa
Spectacular Drags winner —
Rod Marcum
Heat races
Carbon X Rocky Mountain Challenge Series
(12 laps each)
Heat 1 —
1. Jeff Pohlman, Twin Falls, Idaho; 2. Eric Rhead, West Jordan, Utah; 3. Bruce Quale, Twin Falls; 4. Steve Jones, Meridian, Idaho; 5. John Wong, Parma, Idaho
Heat 2 —
1. John Nesmith, Meridian; 2. Dylan Caldwell, Nampa, Idaho; 3. John Newhouse, Twin Falls; 4. Dave Minegar, Boise, Idaho; 5. Lynn Hardy, West Valley City, Utah
(Eight laps each)
Tates Rents Hornets
A Heat —
1. Danny Canington, Nampa, Idaho; 2. Mike Fortin, Durkee, Ore.; 3. Art Heath, Nampa; 4. Larry Hull, Boise; 5. Mary Johnson, Meridian
B Heat —
1. Amber Rogers, Meridian; 2. Stacy Heath, Nampa; 3. Fred Nagele, Meridian; 4. Brendon Fries, Meridian; 5. Brandon Monson, Kuna, Idaho
C Heat —
1. Bob Garrett; 2. 38; 3. Brian Burger, Meridian; 4. Terry Dodge, Nampa; 5. Nathan Derring
ESI Express ASA Modifieds
Fast Dash —
1. Tony Ackerland, Star, Idaho; 2. Tom Hill, Eagle, Idaho; 3. Darrell Dolling, Boise; 4. Shelby Stroebel, Nampa; 5. Dennis Wurtz Jr., Boise
B Heat —
1. Jentry Pisca, Nampa; 2. Jeff Hill, Boise; 3. Darvin Ackerland, Boise; 4. Charlie Ham Jr., Kuna; 5. Chris Fenton, Meridian
C Heat —
1. Keri Davey, Nampa; 2. Mike Winchel, Kuna; 3. Jeff Goade, Boise; 4. James Telford, Middleton, Idaho; 5. Rod Vest, Twin Falls
Mini Stocks
Fast Dash —
1. Scott Shoecraft, Boise; 2. Jason Lampman, Middleton; 3. Eddie Ables, Middleton; 4. Jason Sanders, Caldwell, Idaho; 5. Ray Bolinger, Meridian
B Heat —
1. Tyler Burlingame, Meridian; 2. Kirk Sanders, Nampa; 3. Dell Scott, Nampa; 4. Quentin Ward, Meridian; 5. Vern Bolinger, Emmett, Idaho
C Heat —
1. John Ellsworth, Kuna; 2. Cody Mitchell, Kuna; 3. Sarah Shaw, Boise; 4. Brandon Shira, Boise; 5. Rob Taylor, Boise
D Heat —
1. Art Heath; 2. Duane Gerber, Boise; 3. Billy Shipp; 4. Travis Pavlacky, Fruitland, Idaho
Domino's Pizza Legends
Fast Dash —
1. Austin Hager, Meridian; 2. Garrett Archer, Emuclaw, Wash.; 3. Travis Anderson, Boise; 4. Randy Schaaf, Fife, Wash.; 5. Sara Henry, Boise
B Heat —
1. Ben Matheson, Pasco, Wash.; 2. Brent Collins, McCall, Idaho; 3. Jim Landon, Tacoma, Wash.; 4. Camron Madsen, Boise; 5. Phillip Zubizareta, Boise
C Heat —
1. Darin Turpen, Nampa; 2. Ron Hayes, Boise; 3. Rod Stiller, Meridian; 4. Randy Keckley, Boise; 5. Troy Peterson, Middleton
Fast times
Carbon X RMCS —
Dillon, 13.493 seconds
ESI Express ASA Modifieds —
Stroebel, 14.151
Mini Stocks —
Ray Bolinger, 15.403
Domino's Pizza Legends —
Anderson, 15.209
