JOHN NESMITH WINS HIS FOURTH THIS YEAR

Source: Brian Calkins
Date: 07/29/2007

In the five race classes scheduled for Meridian Speedway on Saturday night the 28th of July four of the points leaders placed first or second with one of them winning his fourth this year.

John Nesmith showed the crowds what it takes to be points leader in the Late Models at Meridian Speedway; when racing get to the front and stay there. Nesmith, who started ninth in the 50 lap main, has won four main events at Meridian this year and had a comfortable lead of 205 season points going in to Saturday night's race. That lead has now increased.

Jaramie Fuss started on the outside along side of Dan Lowther at the start and led the first lap. Clean air and no traffic worked to Fuss' advantage for the first 16 laps with his lap times being the fastest in the pack and pulling away from the others. A spin by Sierra Jackson which collected Travis Milburn and Phil Dugan kept Fuss from running away when the yellow flag came out.

Fuss stalled at the restart and then went to the pits leaving Craig Doehling as the temporary leader. John Nesmith had worked his way up to second and moved to the outside of Doehling on the backstretch a few laps after the retart. A turn four bobble by Doehling helped Nesmith gain a solid lead by the start-finish line. Bryan Warf, who had been following Nesmith since the start, passed Doehling one lap later to take second. Warf and Nesmith traded fastest lap times for the next 26 laps with Nesmith having the fastest overall and edging away for a comfortable but not quite decisive lead of just under one second at the checkered.

Top five at the end were John Nesmith, Bryan Warf, Tyler Monroe, Justin Ellis, and Craig Doehling.

Earlier in the hot night of racing another points leader, Jason Sanders, in the Mini Stocks, won the main event. This race ended with Sanders as the winner due to equal parts luck and skill. Duane Gerber had the pole at the start but spun on turn four before the start-finish line. A complete restart gave him another chance and this time there were no mistakes. While out front Gerber was able to post lap times similar to his qualifying times while those behind in traffic were forced to run slower. Cody Mitchell and Kirk Sanders traded second place for about 20 laps until Cody Mitchell and then Jason Sanders both passed Kirk Sanders for second and third. At lap 21 Jeff Hasson (quick time of the night at 16.028) running in fifth, got loose and hit the frontstretch wall hard enough to bring out the yellow and put Hasson's car on the hook. The restart had Gerber still in front with Mitchell and Jason Sanders behind. On lap 28 Mitchell got a nose under Gerber as they exited turn four. They contacted and both spun on the front stretch while Jason Sanders stayed out of trouble to take the lead and the win in the time shortened race. The spin put Gerber and Mitchell at the end of the lead lap for the official finish which put Jason in first with Quentin Ward, Kirk Sanders, Scott Shoecraft, and Scott Heap in second through fifth.

In the Idaho Super Stock Racing Association Super Stocks 35 lap main event David Harris had the pole with Les Schild on the outside. At the start Harris with Charlie Stout behind got a good jump and pulled away from Schild making it look as if Schild was about to get freight-trained to the back. The hard driving Schild moved from third back around on the outside of the leaders to take first place and was able to stay there for the next 31 laps to take the checkered flag. "Protect the bottom at all costs (and) make them go around the outside" was what Schild said was his strategy of the night.

The final at the end of the 35 lap race was Les Schild in first with Charlie Stout, Kevin Zimmer, Rick Baldwin, and Charlie Hamm Jr. following.

The Non Wing Sprints were up next with a close race through most of the 35 laps. Greg Owen and Kelly Perkins led the group to the green with Perkins leading the first lap. Corey Lockwood and Johnny Giesler traded off turning the fastest lap times for most of the race with all the other competitors suffering the results. Lockwood and Giesler both worked their way to the front with Lockwood arriving first.

Wyatt King and Kelly Perkins, both far behind the leaders, settled their battle for third and fourth by mid race leaving the excitement for Giesler and Lockwood. Giesler looked to pass at one point early on but fell back in the later laps and in the end Lockwood had a two second lead. Lockwood took first with Giesler, second, and Wyatt King, Kelly Perkins, and Tyler Bailey following.

Kale Freedman, Late Model Lite points leader, and quick time of the night with a 13.945, started eleventh in a field of 13 cars in the 40 lap main. Pat Young had the pole and the lead for three laps until Casey Tillman passed him and then Rob Powers passed Tillman for the lead. By this time Kale Freedman had moved up to third place to put the pressure on and then went around the outside of Tillman for second. Joe Barton, who started eighth, had worked his way to third and at one point was putting pressure on the leaders but fell back a bit in the later laps leaving the battle for the lead for Freedman and Powers. Powers, with a new engine this week, held off Freedman for the win. "I knew that if I held the inside in the corner I could pull him off on the straightway", Powers said.

Meridian Speedway will host the Grand American Modifieds, Non Wing Sprints, Late Model Lites, Mini Stocks, and the Bandeleros on August 4 th, 2007. The gates open at 4 with the time trials at 5. The trophy dashes will begin at 6. The trailer races will return for another race on Saturday night for the last event of the evening.

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