AN EARLY EVENING FOR MERIDIAN SPEEDWAY FANS

MERIDIAN, Idaho – ASA's Meridian Speedway suffered its third rain out this season on Memorial Day. The morning and early afternoon weather was nice and sunny with clouds only in the distance but once the time trials started old man weather put in a concentrated effort to stop the racing.

Tom Hill, driver of the number 12 Grand American Modified got rained out twice on Monday. Hill was in Utah at for the Rocky Mountain Challenge Series Late Model race but the weather was bad and the race was cancelled early in the day. Jumping on a plane Hill made it to Meridian just in time to qualify with the rest of the Modifieds, but by a few minutes after five and just seconds after the trophy dashes the rains started, slowly at first, as if to give warning, like the lightning and the black clouds weren't warning enough.

Most fans took cover under the bleachers, a few left, and some tried to wait it out in their places, until officials requested that fans find cover other than holding their places on the metal bleachers. When the skies became filled with lightning and the hail came and then turned into a downpour the race was called. Fans were to receive credit toward the Diamond Cup races later this week and competitors were asked to save their wristbands for credit toward their next pit pass.

With just the qualifying and trophy dashes no points were to be awarded to racers but Meridian Speedway will probably award the five participation points as usual. The winged sprint drivers will receive no points for the evening but all involved will start on the same page for the next race, the two-day Diamond Cup this coming Friday and Saturday.

The qualifying started with the Street Stocks qualifying with Terry Lydell as the fastest of the night with a 15.831 which put him on the outside second row for the trophy dash. Darrell Lankford led all five laps and took home the trophy.

In the Super Stocks class Dustin Stephenson took home the quick time but Rick Baldwin took home the dash trophy. Since no points were awarded for the night only Baldwin gets to keep anything in the Super Stocks.

In the Grand American Modifieds Tom Hill returned to the track just in time to qualify first with a 14.143 which put him in the dash with his rivals, the Wurtz brothers, Jeff and Dennis. With the two of them and Travis Milburn to contend with and on top of that starting on the back row outside the chances to win a five lap dash were low. They got lower still when Hill got loose on turn one and backed into the turn one water barrels. When he hit the only barrel that was dry and there was no water to clean up some of the fans saw that as a good omen for the weather, but it was not to be.

Hill drove to the pits and did not continue in the dash, leaving Milburn to contend with Wurtz and Wurtz. Dennis Wurtz led four of the five laps and most importantly led the one that counts the most. His brother Jeff followed him across the finish line with Travis Milburn right behind.

The Winged Sprints got their trophy dash in just in time. Surprisingly, to some of the more recent fans, Brandon Johnson did not qualify fastest for the night. The biggest surprise was he did not even make the top five on the scoreboard. He did put on the wildest smoke show though. The smoke show that usually got him into the top qualifying spot on the first lap failed to get him into the top spot on the second time around. Unsurprisingly, to many of the longtime fans, Kenny Hamilton qualified fastest with a 11.767 pass around the familiar track. Hamilton also ran quick time in the dash but position favored the young gun, Cory Lockwood, in the too short race. Hamilton was on a fast track to the front but the checkered flag stopped the assault just in time for Lockwood. Lockwood took home the trophy for the dash. He was followed across the finish line by Ken Hamilton, Tyler Monroe, and James Hamilton Jr.

Lockwood pulled to the front stretch for the trophy presentation accompanied by Dennis Wurtz, Rick Baldwin, and Darrell Lankford for the trophy presentations. As the last pictures were taken the photographer tucked his camera inside his jacket to keep it dry and the cars were pushed or driven to the pits. The street stocks were lined up for the heat races but it was not to be with the bad weather becoming worse.

The memorial races will each be made up during the season so the special memorial traveling trophies can be awarded to a new driver for the year. Dates and time will be announced.

Next up for Meridian Speedway is the Diamond Cup on Friday and Saturday. On Friday it will be the Winged Sprints, Super Stocks, Mini Stocks and Hornets, and on Saturday the Winged Sprints will return for the second day's worth of accumulated points accompanied by the Super Stocks, Street Stocks, Thunder Stocks and the trailer races. For more information check with the speedway office at (208) 888-2813 or check out the website at www.meridianspeedway.com.

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