The Pepsi Sprintcars led a packed pit area of Meridian Speedway competitors Saturday, June 19, as they battled for a $3,000 payday on Walking Sombrero Dollar Taco Night. The Coors Big 12 Pro-Late Models, Mulder Engineered Race Engines Junior Late Models, Domino’s Legends, and Zamp Stingers all ran twin 25-lap features to round out a full night of short track action.
A double-handful of Pepsi Sprintcars rumbled to the green flag on their 30-lap, $3,000 to win feature. Preston Henderson got out of the blocks first and moved his The Ranch in Caldwell, R and B Racing sprinter to the lead, while outside polesitter Brent Collins fell into the clutches of second-row starters Jamo Stephenson and Bryan Warf.
Stephenson and Warf wasted no time as they dispatched Collins to take over second and third on the Pepsi-Cola scoreboard. Just two laps later Warf dove to the inside of Stephenson’s YMC Heating and Cooling, Alder Creek Landscaping entry and forced his way to second.
An early caution flag slowed the field and set Warf outside of Henderson for the restart. The green flag flew and by the time the pack rocketed down the back stretch Warf was gone. This left first feature winner Ryan Newman, along with quick qualifiers Nate Little and Johnny Giesler, to work their way around Henderson to track down the leader.
Little was the first to make it through, but faced a nearly two-second deficit to the leader. The Boise, Idaho racer wheeled his Absolute Construction and Consulting, A to Z Pool Supplies sprinter hard over the race’s closing laps to catch Warf, but he ran out of laps to catch Warf, who after a season of frustration and futility, finally found the Caleb’s Chop Shop Winner’s Circle.
“This thing was a rocket shop from the word go,” Warf said of his Allan Marsh RV and Marine Center, Hunziker Racing machine.
The first Pepsi Sprintcar feature came down to the wire, literally, as Newman edged Kate Jackson by twenty-two one-thousandths of a second to put his Lifecare Center of the Treasure Valley, North American Recycling sprinter in the Caleb’s Chop Shop Winner’s Circle.
Pat Tully and Melissa Weaver left nothing on the racetrack in either of the Walking Sombrero Dollar Taco Night Twin 25’s, but it wasn’t enough to keep Daytona Wurtz and her All Makes Towing, Certified Services machine from racking up her fifth and sixth feature wins of the 2021 Coors Big 12 Pro-Late Model campaign.
The Mulder Engineered Junior Late Models joined the Coors Big 12 Pro-Late Models for both features on Saturday. Nevaeh Hull, at the wheel of her Drake Mechanical, All American Towing racer, claimed the Feature Flag in both races, while Delaney Grace limped her Coretec Floors, Splash and Dash Groomerie machine, damaged early in the night’s first feature, to a trophy dash win.
The Domino’s Legends saw Chance Davis take the evening’s first Feature Flag in his GCAT Towing, Interstate Batteries entry. In the second race, Chance’s brother Johnethan Davis looked to have a victory well in hand, but a late spin caused the leaders to slow and allowed Joe Daily to put his Daily Fit Body, Major Tire and Hitch machine up front. But Brok Kidd was able to track Daily down and put his The Winning Edge, Better Built Concrete machine out front on the final lap and score his second victory of the season.
Payton Weller scored her first Zamp Stinger victory in Saturday’s early feature. Nampa, Idaho’s Niko Heinzel took home the Feature Flag in the division’s second feature race.
Meridian Speedway gets off to a late start this Friday, June 25, with the Idaho CDL Training Dairy Days Races. Gates open at 6:30 p.m. Friday, with races featuring the Bud Light NASCAR Modifieds, Project Filter Pro-4s, Pauly’s Bar Room Street Stocks, Big Daddy’s Barbecue Hornets, and Firehouse Pub and Grill Bombers begin at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are just $13 for adults, $11 for seniors and military members, $7 for kids 7-11, and free for kids 6 and under. Log on to www.meridianspeedway.com to purchase your advance tickets, and be sure to text ‘Speed2021’ to 84483 for exclusive text club updates. We’ll see you under the big yellow water tower this Friday, June 25, for the Idaho CDL Training Dairy Days Races at your NASCAR Home Track, Meridian Speedway.
- Clint Doll on Nov 18, 2021
- Article Date: 6/21/2021