RMCS ends long hiatus, returns to valley for Fourth
Meridian Speedway
News release
July 2, 2009
RMCS ends long hiatus, returns to valley for Fourth
By Jon Brown
MERIDIAN, Idaho — The first CarbonX Rocky Mountain Challenge Series visit to ASA-sanctioned Meridian Speedway in nearly three years will cap a whirlwind weekend for the Late Model stock car series.
RMCS drivers tackle Meridian's tight paved quarter-mile oval Saturday for the NAPA Auto Parts Bottle Rocket 150, less than 24 hours after taking on Twin Falls' Magic Valley Speedway in the Pepsi 125.
Eagle, Idaho's John Dillon opened the weekend with a slim one-point series lead over Boise, Idaho's Dave Minegar, who out-pointed Dillon last year for the season championship.
The RMCS hasn't raced at Meridian since August 2006.
Saturday night also will feature a Fourth of July fireworks launched from the speedway while the City of Meridian’s Fourth of July Celebration takes place at adjacent Storey Park. The city is helping with the display in a joint sponsorship with the speedway.
John Nesmith, a Late Model competitor at Meridian Speedway who is a part of Meridian Automotive and Machine located down Main Street from the speedway, was instrumental in bringing the city and the track together on the festivities, speedway managing partner Adam Nelson said.
In addition to the RMCS action, the ASA Modifieds, Non-winged Sprints, Mini Stocks and Hornets will heat up the night.
The 150 laps for RMCS drivers will encompass four heat races of 12 laps apiece and a 102-lap main event.
General admission is $15 for adults, $13.50 for senior citizens and military personnel with ID, $11 for children ages 7-11, and children 6 and younger get in free. Additionally, the first 500 kids through the gate get free grab bags compliments of Stinker Stations.
Advance tickets are available at NAPA Auto Parts locations in Meridian and Kuna for fans who don't want to stand in line Saturday night.
Gates open at 4 p.m. with qualifying at 5 p.m. and racing at 6:30 p.m. For more information about the speedway, call (208) 888-2813 or log on to www.meridianspeedway.com.
A former NASCAR Northwest Tour rookie of the year and champion, Dillon collected two top-five finishes in the RMCS' first two races in 2009, including a victory in the season-opening 100-lap race at Rocky Mountain Raceways in West Valley, Utah, on May 25. He was second to fellow NASCAR regional veteran Eddy McKean on June 7 at Magic Valley on a night that saw teenaged Meridian ASA Modified regular Dylan Caldwell of Nampa, Idaho, grab third place in a Late Model race.
Heading into the weekend, Dillon has two wins in the past three RMCS races dating to last season.
Minegar holds the Meridian Speedway record for fast qualifying lap in an RMCS car, turning a 13.520-second quarter-mile in June 2006.
RMCS is in its sixth season of bringing the Intermountain West's best Late Model drivers to local tracks. Utah's Zan Sharp, who is ninth in the points this year, won the first two championships in 2004 and 2005 before Minegar grabbed his first season title in 2006. John Newhouse of Twin Falls collected the trophy in 2007.
Drivers from Idaho, Nevada, Utah, Washington, California, Florida and the Canadian provinces of British Columbia and Calgary have taken turns in RMCS races through the years.
The series returns to Meridian on Aug. 29 for its second-to-last race of the season.
The RMCS utilizes a racing format not found in ANY other regional touring series around the country. The top 20 qualifiers are inverted for every race putting fast time in the 20th starting position. This format ensures race fans see what they paid for, and that is passing. Each driver is awarded three points per position gained in the event. Points are also awarded for qualifying and heat race finishes. Through the history of the series, the winning driver has averaged a 15th place starting position. To ensure competition, the RMCS pays its purse based on total point accumulation for the event and provides several special performance awards for the event.
The CarbonX Rocky Mountain Challenge Series is a regional touring series that allows all competitors to race and gain experience on different types of racetracks. It is a high-quality professional racing series that offers maximum opportunity at an affordable price serving the intermountain West. The motto of the series is to “Race Hard and Have Fun!” For all the latest news and information regarding the CarbonX Rocky Mountain Challenge Series log on to our Web site at www.rmcsracing.com
As an American Speed Association-sanctioned track, Meridian Speedway is part of the ASA Member Track National Championship for the Modified division.
The goal of the ASA Short Track National Championship is to activate a measuring system that takes into account many variables, such as field size, inversion, wins and number of races in a season, and create a level playing field to determine who is the ‘best-of-the-best’ of the ASA Member Track Champions Nationwide.
The ASA Joe Gibbs Driven National Member Track Champion Award was designed to give the National Champion exposure with one of the top teams in racing — Joe Gibbs Racing. Joe Gibbs Driven Oil, a division of Joe Gibbs Racing, sells the actual oil products developed and used by Joe Gibbs Racing to racers at all levels. More information can be found at www.joegibbsdriven.com.
The ASA Member Track program is comprised of a network of short tracks around the United States, as well as a variety of regional and national touring series. For news and information from all the racetracks and tours involved in the American Speed Association, visit www.ASA-Racing.com.
Meridian Speedway
Meridian, ID
2009 points standings
(Through June 27 races)
ASA Modifieds — 1. Rus Ward, Boise, ID, 361 points; 2. Chris Fenton, Meridian, ID, 309; 3. Charlie Ham Jr., Boise, ID, 288; 4. Tom Hill, Eagle, ID, 268; 5. Jeff Hill, Meridian, ID, 243
Winged Sprints — 1. Chris Ratterree, Nampa, ID, 325 points; 2. Cory Lockwood, Nampa, ID, 307; 3. Cody Veenstra, Emmett, ID, 297; 4. Sierra Jackson, Middleton, ID, 251; 5. Jim Todd, Weiser, ID, 230
Non-winged Sprints — 1. Johnny Giesler, Meridian, ID, 391 points; 2. Wyatt King, Meridian, ID, 364; 3. Rob Grice, Nampa, ID, 224; 4. Zach Wilson, Boise, ID, 219; 5. Sierra Jackson, Middleton, 209
Super Stocks — 1. Phillip Zubizareta, Boise, ID, 228 points; 2. Gale Carter, Boise, ID, 187; 3. Dennis Brodigan, Nampa, ID, 181; 4. Rick Baldwin, Middleton, ID, 167; 5. Terry Lydell, Mountain Home, ID, 144
Late Model Lites — 1. Joe Barton, Nampa, ID, 211 points; 2. Shaun Tubbs, Nampa, ID, 207; 3. (tie) Rob Powers, Meridian, ID, 200; Kale Freedman, Meridian, ID, 200; 5. Jim Bailey, Middleton, ID 170
Street Stocks — 1. Jaramie Fuss, Kuna, ID, 370 points; 2. Marv Weaver, Nampa, ID, 326; 3. David Short, Meridian, ID, 266; 4. Chad Bess, Nampa, ID, 256; 5. Shawn Hansen, Boise, ID, 233
Mini Stocks — 1. Eddie Abels, Meridian, ID, 293 points; 2. Ray Bolinger, Meridian, ID, 286; 3. Dell Scott, Nampa, ID, 214; 4. Tyler Burlingame, Meridian, ID, 207; 5. Jason Sanders, Caldwell, ID, 205
Late Models — 1. John Nesmith, Meridian, ID, 99 points; 2. Travis Milburn, Eagle, ID, 84; 3. Eddy McKean, Jerome, ID, 74; 4. Craig Doehling, Boise, ID, 56; 5. Dan Lowther, Boise, ID, 49
Legends — 1. Travis Anderson, Boise, ID, 311 points; 2. Camron Madsen, Boise, 249; 3. Ryan Byrd, Salt Lake City, Utah, 232; 4. Kenneth Allen, Meridian, ID, 147; 5. Connor Elliott, Meridian, ID, 130
Thunder Dogs — 1. Tommy White, Boise, ID, 207 points; 2. Bill Lacy, Melba, ID, 189; 3. Chris Carlson, Boise, ID, 141; 4. Dion States, Meridian, ID, 134; 5. Jim Anderson, Meridian, ID, 127
Hornets — 1. Vern Cornish, Nampa, ID, 309 points; 2. Mike Davis, Boise, ID, 217; 3. Eric Harry, Boise, ID, 182; 4. Tyler Saxton, Payette, ID, 175; 5. Tony Johns, Boise, ID, 165
Jr. Stingers — 1. Andrew Clark, Meridian, ID, 74; 2. Chance Davis, 66; 3. Colton Nelson, Meridian, 64
Bandoleros — 1. Andrew Clark, Meridian, ID, 87; 2. Chase Gilbertson, 78; 3. Brok Kidd, Meridian, ID, 70; 4. Cameron Cotta, 61; 5. Colton Nelson, Meridian, 50
CarbonX Rocky Mountain Challenge Series
2009 points standings
(Through two races)
1. John Dillon, Eagle, ID, 407 points; 2. Dave Minegar, Boise, ID, 406; 3. Craig Bell, Kuna, ID, 385; 4. John Newhouse, Twin Falls, ID, 360; 5. Jonathon Gomez, Twin Falls, ID, 326; 6. Jeff Jefferson, Yakima, Wash., 285; 7. Steve Jones, Meridian, ID, 263; 8. Zan Sharp, Wellsville, Utah, 245; 9. Dylan Caldwell, Nampa, ID, 236; 10. Travis Monett, Springcreek, Nev., 224
