BELL, STIRM, AND SANDERS CLAIM ASA/MERIDIAN SPEEDWAY CHAMPIONSHIPS

Source: Bill Adams
Date: 09/24/2006

Meridian, Idaho – September 24, 2006 – Craig Bell took home the Late Model Championship Saturday night winning by winning his first feature event of the season, a grueling 150 lap race. Bell came into Saturday night’s race with a 45-point advantage over Bryan Warf. Both drivers knew going in that anything could happen and they would have to be on top of their game.

By qualifying quickest, 13.697, Warf gained 6 points on Bell who qualified with a 13.864 for 4th quickest. Bell gained 3 of those points back finishing 2nd over Warf’s 5th place heat race finish. Warf needed a flawless feature event to a poor showing by Bell for any chance of the title.

All twelve cars that qualified took the green flag to start the 150-lap feature. Two new drivers, teenagers Sierra Jackson and Late Model Lite Champion Kale Freedman, joined the division for the first time this season and were relegated to the rear of the field for the start. Bob Wood in his first Late Model race of the season also started in the rear. These scratch drivers placed Bell in the 6th starting position to Warf’s 9th place start.

Tyler Monroe starting on the outside front row took the lead from Dan Lowther on the drop of the green flag. By lap 3 Bell had gained 3 spots to third and Warf moved into the 5th spot on lap 4. Jackson lost the handle on her ride coming out of turn 2 spinning bringing out the first caution of the race on lap 27. On the restart Monroe was too hot entering turn 2 and spun. Dan Buckley, Bell, and Jim Tremewan, running 2nd to 4th barely missed the spinning Monroe. Warf running 5th was not as lucky hitting Monroe’s tail end with his front end spinning Monroe around again. The rest of the field was able to miss Monroe until Jackson, the last car in line, t-boned Monroe. All drivers were ok but the cars received extensive damage retiring them from the race and ending Warf’s hopes of catching Bell in the championship battle.

Bell took the lead from Buckley on lap 61. Tremewan, John Newhouse, John Nesmith all passed Buckely on the next circuit for position. The leaders then settled in with no movement in position until lap 107 when Newhouse moved past Tremewan for the 2nd spot. Buckely spun on lap 111 to bring out the final caution of the race.

Newhouse challenged Bell hard over the remaining 30 laps of the race but was unable to get around Bell as he went on to win his first feature event and Late Model Championship. Newhouse was just .3 seconds behind Bell as they crossed the line. Nesmith started the evening in 3rd place 17 points behind Warf. His 4th place finish gave him enough points to pass Warf for 2nd in Championship points. Warf finished 9th in the race.

Late Model Results:

Qualifying: Bryan Warf – 13.697

Trophy Dash: Craig Bell

B heat: Tyler Monroe, Kale Freedman, Jaramie Fuss, Sierra Jackson, Bob Wood

A heat: Ban Buckley, Bell, John Newhouse, Jim Tremewan, Warf

Feature Event: Bell, Newhouse, Tremewan, Nesmith, Freedman

Pat Stirm took a 67-point lead over Terry Lydell into the final night of the 2006 season for the Idaho Center for Professional Truck Driving (ICPTD) Street Stocks. Lydell knew he had his work cut out for him but vowed he would try his best. Stirm knew going in all he had to do to win the championship was stay out of trouble. Stirm wanted insurance and he went all out on qualifying setting the mark with a 15.663 second lap. Lydell tried to top that mark but fell just .013 seconds short qualifying 2nd quick. Lydell finished his heat race 4th to Stirm’s 6th place finish and the two went into the 35 lap main event right where they were when the night started, 67 points apart.

Brett Buchanon starting on the pole held off Vince Spinazzolo for two laps to take the lead at the start of the main event. Spinnazzolo dropped back to 3rd as Craig Beckstead slid underneath him for the 2nd spot. By the 8th lap Lydell had moved up from his 11th starting position to 4th.

Lydell spent laps 10 through 20 battling Spinazzolo for the 3rd spot. Lydell edged Spinazzolo on lap 19 and Spinazzolo got it back on lap 20. Lydell took the spot as they crossed the line on 21 and moved a full car length ahead when Beckstead running 2nd spun in turn 3 bringing out the caution. The field revered back to the previous green flag lap. Spinazzola was placed in front of Lydell in 3rd for the restart. Lydell made every effort over the next 15 laps but could not get a run on the 43 car as he did before the caution. Buchanon went on to win the event with Spinazzolo 2nd followed by Lydell.

Stirm racing for the Championship stayed out of trouble finishing in 7th place securing his 1st Championship. Lydell finished the season 46 points back of Stirm.

ICPTD Street Stock Results:

Qualifying: Pat Stirm – 15.663

Trophy Dash: Larry Williams

B heat: Brian Hyde, Brett Buchanon, Phillip Zubizareta, Vince Spinazzolo, Craig Beckstead

A heat: Shawn Hansen, Williams, Steve Bosselman, Terry Lydell, Greg Croasdale

Main Event: Buchanon, Spinazzolo, Lydell, Zubizareta, Darrell Lankford

The Pro Trucks made their 3rd and final appearance of the season at the famed quarter mile oval. John Newhouse was one of the first trucks out to qualify and broke the track record of 14.828 set by Ralph Kincheloe back on May 20th of this year. Larson’s time of 14.747 was only in the record books for a minute when Dan Kayle set a new mark of 14.650. Kincheloe was next out the gate and let the other drivers know that he the record belonged to him when he reset the Mark for the tird time in less than 3 minutes with a 14.498. Kevan Larson also qualified Saturday night quicker than the old record with a 14.686.

Ken Kennedy took the lead at the green flag. Dan Pehrson took the lead from Kennedy on lap and led until Kayle took the lead on lap 6 moving up from his fifth starting spot. Except for a spin on the intial green flag this 40-lap race was run with out any incidents and all 12 trucks running green to checkers.

Pro Truck Results:

Qualifying: Ralph Kincheloe – 14.498 – new track record

Trophy Dash: John Newhouse

Heat 1: Dan Kayle, Jo. Newhouse, Kenny Vandaham, Alan Larson, Kevan Larson

Heat 2: Eric Jensen, Dan Pehrson, Jerry Rice, Jason Newhouse, Ken Kennedy

Main Event: Kayle, K. Larson, Vandaham, Jo. Newhouse, A. Larson

The Mini Stock division settled their championship battle Saturday night as well. Jason Sanders came into Saturday nights action just 1 point in front of Justin Ellis. In qualifying Casey Hart broke the track record. TC Ellis set the mark on May 20th this year driving his son Justin’s car, when Justin took his bride on their honeymoon.. Hart qualified with a 15.946. A few minutes later points leader Sanders set a new mark of 15.871. J. Ellis wanted to keep the record in the family and followed Sanders in the qualifying order set a new mark of 15.765. Ellis qualifying one position in front of Sanders gave him a 1-point advantage in the championship battle.

Sanders and Ellis battled each other in the heat race with Sanders finishing 2nd, 1 position in front of Ellis. Sanders earned 1 point more than Ellis in the heat race and both drivers started the main event tied with 750 points each.

With the inverted start Ellis would start the main event in the 5th row inside while Sanders started in the 4th row outside. Clint Whitney took the lead from the drop of the green flag as the fast qualifiers battled their way from the rear of the field to the front.

With Sanders and Ellis running in the middle of the pack Hart and Joe Fuentes made contact on lap 23 spinning in turn 3 bringing out the first of 2 cautions in this 35 lap race. Both drivers restarted in the rear of the field. Whitney was being watched for an oil leak for several laps before this incident. He was directed to the backstretch for inspection during this caution. The leak was sufficient enough for the officials to direct him to pit to fix the problem.

When the field was relined for the start Scott Heap was the new leader with Sanders and Ellis running 2nd and third respectively. Ellis went high on the restart and attempted to pass but could not get the job done. Ellis spent the next few laps content to run right behind Sanders. On lap 28 Ellis again went to the outside and attempting to pass Sanders when Daune Gerber and Joe Hoffman got together bringing out the 2nd caution.

Ellis attempted several times over the last 7 laps to make the pass and could not get it done. The battle of Sanders and Ellis allowed Heap to keep his lead and win his first Mini Stock main event. Sanders finished 2nd with Ellis in 3rd. Each gained the same amount of position gained points. Sanders earned 3 points more than Ellis for the 2nd place finish giving him the championship by 3 points.

Mini Stock Results:

Qualifying: Justin Ellis – 15.765 – new track record

Trophy dash: Casey Hart

B heat: John Ellsworth, George Gorton, Clint Whitney, Daune Gerber, Joe Hoffman

A heat: Quentin Ward, Jason Sanders, Ellis, Hart, Joe Fuentes

Main event: Scott Heap, Sanders, Ellis, Gorton, Ellsworth

Roy Cleaver won his 5th Thunder Stock Main event of the season, however missing the first race of the season hurt him in the final points standings. Darrell Stogsdill who won the other two events made every race and captured the Thunder Stock Championship by 13 points.

Thunder Stock Results:

Heat Race: Bill Lacy, Roy Cleaver, Darrell Stogsdill, Dion States, Matt Hart

Main event: Cleaver, Stogsdill, States, Lacy

Meridian Speedway continues it’s championship races next Friday and Saturday night with 5 local championships and the ASA/NSRA championship also on the line.

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