MERIDIAN, Idaho — Mike Murgoitio showed the hometown fans what he's been doing with himself lately. The Meridian, Idaho, driver walked away with his second USAC Western States Sprintcar Series main event victory in as many nights at ASA-sanctioned Meridian Speedway.
Murgoitio came home in 2010 to race a full schedule in the speedway's Mtn. Dew Winged Sprintcars, but he didn't forget how to run with the big boys of USAC, many of whom he saw during a few years running a national schedule.
He won Friday night, but Saturday's victory in a race dedicated to the memory to Meridian sprintcar mainstay Tom Elliott stood out.
"Tom was a very special person," Murgoitio said. "I was listening to the deal before the race, and it kind of got me worked up.
"He was the type of guy who would give you the shirt off his back. I feel very honored to win this trophy."
While Murgoitio completed the USAC sweep, the final championship chases of the Meridian season were decided:
Melissa Scott of Nampa, Idaho, won the final College of the Western Idaho Professional Truck Driving School feature of the year and celebrated her birthday with an emphatic end to her series title run.
Larry Hull of Boise, Idaho, gladly handed over his pink slip after winning the Tates Rents Hornets main event in exchange for a season championship. He overtook Art Heath of Nampa held a five-point lead in the standings going into the night.
Johnny Giesler of Meridian was held out of the final night of Pepsi Sprintcars action because he started in the USAC Western States Sprintcar Series feature. But Giesler still walked away with his third consecutive Meridian Speedway non-winged season championship. His rival, and another Meridian driver, Wyatt King won the 30-lap main event.
The final race of the season was a 35-lap Thunder Dogs race peppered with wrecks, yellow flags and obstacles -- just a typical night for the eight-cylinder entry class. But it was won by a four-cylinder car as the Dog Thrasher -- with Josh Parkilla of Boise behind the wheel -- outlasted the big boys in the longest race of the year for the class.
Hot Wheels won the season championship with Brett Sullivan Jr. of Boise as the jockey.
Murgoitio led the 50-lap USAC feature from the start and bolted to the front after each caution flag. Luis Ramos, a 17-year-old from Clovis, Calif., who set the track qualifying record on Friday, didn't have enough to catch Murgoitio.
"We were real close to Mike, and I thought we could get them, but he was just too fast out of the corners," Ramos said.
Another racer who calls Meridian home, Nampa, Idaho's Chris Ratterree, worked his way through the field to finish third. He passed Jimmy Wysong of West Jordan, Utah, with six laps to go to grab the final podium spot.
The weekend sweep seemingly has fired up Murgoitio, who is thinking about running in Las Vegas in October as well as possibly taking on the USAC Western States regulars in the season finale Nov. 25 during Turkey Night at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale, Calif.
Like any other racer, Hull was more than willing to sacrifice his racecar for some glory.
By virtue of winning the final Hornets main event of the season, Hull shot into the series points lead. The decision to let track officials claim his car was a no-brainer to preserve his season championship was a no-brainer.
Track rules allow speedway officials to claim a winning Hornet for $475. Hull took the money, and the trophy, and ran. He entered the night five points behind Art Heath of Nampa, Idaho, in the series standings. Heath finished out of the top five and fell out of the cat bird's seat.
Hull picked up the pieces for his little brother to win the final Hornets main event of the season. He overtook Heath in the standings. Like Hull, Heath allowed the track to claim his racecar after a victory earlier this season.
Hull passed substitute driver Josh Parkilla in the final five laps. Parkilla drove like he knew the No. 93 Hornet all year long. He led by as many as four seconds before the spectators bunched up the field by calling for a caution flag with nine laps to go.
Parkilla traded the lead with teenager Jonathan Hull, Larry's brother and a fellow Boise driver, about 12 laps into the 35-lap feature while Heath and Fortin jockeyed for position back in the pack as they settled the score for the series championship.
Parkilla put an end to his duel with Hull by jumping to a four-second lead with 13 laps to go. Hull's season ended when he slammed head-on into the frontstretch wall with eight laps to go.
Heath had crept into third place and Fortin was no one to be found, but after the restart, Heath fell out of the top five.
Melissa Scott of Nampa, Idaho, capped her College of Western Idaho Professional Truck Driving School Street Stocks championship with a victory in the season-ending main event on her birthday.
King, who finished a close second to Giesler in 2009, won Saturday's 35-lap main event by blasting in front of Boise's Eric Ransom on a restart with 16 laps to go. Ransom had snatched the lead on the race's first restart after Meridian's Aly Clark demolished the front end of her racecar with a hard collision on the frontstretch wall.
"I'm just glad I got that jump on the restart," King said. "It's good to end the year with a win."
In the Street Stocks, Scott stalked then caught rookie driver Jim Anderson of Meridian with seven laps to go.
Anderson nosed ahead of veteran Boise racer Kim Bradford 14 laps into the 35-lap feature. Anderson then stretched the lead to three seconds while Scott worked her way through the field.
By the end of the race, Both Anderson and Scott lapped early leader Jay Doughty from Kuna, Idaho.
Hometown drivers went to the front in two of the USAC heat races. Bryan Warf won the first heat race, and Johnny Giesler checked out and posted a four-second margin of victory in the second preliminary. Giesler sat out the last night of the Pepsi Sprintcars to concentrate on the USAC action. He could afford it because he had a wide margin in the championship standings for Meridian's non-winged open-wheel class.
Jimmy Wysong of South Jordan, Utah, roared out to a four-second victory in the final USAC heat race as the rest of the field battled for position. Gordon Rodgers from Winton, Calif., held off Middleton, Idaho's Sierra Jackson for second place.
Meridian Speedway will open again on Oct. 16 for the Treasure Valley Gold and Silver Enduro 250 for Hornets. As many as 100 four-cylinder cars will be allowed into the field, and the winning driver will take home $2,000.
| USAC Western Series Sprintcars (50 laps) |
|---|
| 1. Mike Murgoitio, Meridian, Idaho; 2. Luis Ramos III, Clovis, Calif.; 3. Chris Ratterree, Nampa, Idaho; 4. Jimmy Waters, West Jordan, Utah; 5. Jimmy Wysong, South Jordan, Utah |
| Tates Rents Hornets (35 laps) |
| 1. Larry Hull, Boise, Idaho; 2. Josh Parkilla, Boise; 3. Eric Harry, Boise; 4. Danny Canington, Nampa; 5. Sharlet Patero, Mountain Home, Idaho Tates Rents Hornets champion — Larry Hull |
| Pepsi Sprintcars (30 laps) |
| 1. Wyatt King, Meridian, Idaho; 2. Eric Ransom, Boise; 3. Carl Marcum, Boise; 4. Joe Ransom, Boise; 5. Ryan Wiederich, Meridian Pepsi Sprintcars season champion — Johnny Giesler, Meridian |
| College of Western Idaho Professional Truck Driving School Street Stocks (35 laps) |
| 1. Melissa Scott, Nampa, Idaho; 2. Jim Anderson, Meridian; 3. Pat Young, Kuna, Idaho; 4. Chad Bess, Nampa; 5. Kim Bradford, Boise CWI PTDS Street Stocks season champion — Scott |
| Thunder Dogs (35 laps) |
| 1. Dog Thrasher (Josh Parkilla, Boise); 2. Winged Snot Rod (Chris Carlson, Boise); 3. Hot Wheels (Brett Sullivan Jr., Boise); 4. The Cougar (John Pinkston, Meridian); 5. Sledgehammer (David Jolley, Nampa) |
