4/25/2022
Meridian Speedway
Treasure Valley 125 One for the History Books
The thrills kicked into high gear Saturday, April 23, as Meridian Speedway hosted the NAPA Auto Parts Treasure Valley 125 presented by Boise Spa Movers. The Speed Tour Big 5 Super Late Models powered by Pit Stop USA headlined a jam-packed night of short track action that also featured the Speed Tour Modifieds presented by Pit Stop USA, Pepsi Sprintcars, Trammel Construction Stingers, and the All-Star Club Series.
A full field of sixteen Speed Tour Big 5 Super Late Models powered by Pit Stop USA treated fans to a Saturday night stunner as they took the green flag for the thirteenth running of the NAPA Auto Parts Treasure Valley 125 presented by Boise Spa Movers.
On the break Emilee Newman overpowered polesitter Nevaeh Hull to lead lap one, but came under fire from Meridian, Idaho’s Wyatt King and Dan Lowther. King took the lead on lap three in his Moto One, Major Tire and Hitch machine and settled in for the final 122 circuits.
Back in the pack, defending NAPA Auto Parts Treasure Valley 125 winner John Newhouse was on the move. By the race’s first caution flag on lap twenty Newhouse sat sixth, then rocketed to fourth on the restart.
Up front, Lowther motored past King for the lead, but had quick company in the form of TJ Monroe and his Torch Towing and Transport, Torch Trucking entry. Lowther pushed his Hands On Painting, Fire Snacks racer hard to stay up front, but a slide in turn four handed the top spot to Monroe. Behind the new leader sat Newhouse, Kyle Tellstrom, King, and Mike Doss.
Tellstrom was first to clear the pack and attack Monroe in his wedge-bodied QuickCar Racing Products, Carbon Designs Racing Vinyl racer. On lap 40 the Ukiah, California racer sat alongside Monroe for the top spot, when his engine coughed, sputtered, and died on the front stretch. Somehow Tellstrom coaxed his machine back to life as it coasted into turn one, but he now sat a quarter-track behind the leader in sixth place.
As Tellstrom struggled to recover his lost track position the battle for the lead heated up as Doss and Newhouse tangled as they worked lapped traffic. Both drivers regained control of their cars and just a handful of laps later Newhouse sliced to the inside of Monroe to put his machine out front. Doss followed suit as Monroe’s car expired one lap later.
This left Newhouse, Doss, and a resurgent Tellstrom as the top three runners on the Pepsi-Cola scoreboard. Tellstrom ripped off a series of fast laps and by the race’s halfway point, had battled back to within two seconds of the leader.
As the laps wound down, Tellstrom’s car got stronger, and with fifty laps left he went to work on fellow Californian, Doss. Before Tellstrom could make his move, the parked car of Pat Tully caught fire in the infield and caused the race’s second caution flag.
Newhouse shot out of the blocks first on the restart as Doss fell into the clutches of Tellstrom. Tellstrom had just pulled even with Doss when his car again lost power for a straightaway. Tellstrom once again refired his machine, again pulled even with Doss, and again stalled as soon as he drew even with the runner up.
Just as before, Tellstrom’s car came back to life, but not before he fell back to sixth position. With forty laps left Tellstrom could only put his head down and fight.
Eighteen laps later Tellstrom threw his car inside of Doss and took over second spot. This left Tellstrom one second behind Newhouse as the pair raced into lapped traffic.
With fifteen circuits on the board Tellstrom took his first look to the outside of Newhouse. But the veteran racer countered Tellstrom’s move. Next Tellstrom looked inside, but a lapped car stymied this run. Finally, with ten laps left, the lead duo found open race track. It took Tellstrom just a quarter-mile to blast around Newhouse and take the lead.
Tellstrom raced hard to open a gap in case of another mechanical failure. But no failure came, and Tellstrom took the NAPA Auto Parts Treasure Valley 125 victory by four car lengths over Newhouse and several seconds over third-place Doss.
“Hand it off to Kyle,“ said Doss post-race. “He kept stopping, and he kept coming.”
“Bottom line is we had the fastest late model tonight,” said an indignant Newhouse. “We just couldn’t compete with that.”
Newhouse went on to say, “Kyle’s a hell of a shoe, he knows what he’s doing,” Newhouse went on to say. “He did a great job.”
“That was a tough one. I’m pretty pooped,” Tellstrom said in the Caleb’s Chop Shop Winner’s Circle. “We got really, really, really lucky tonight that there were a lot of green flag laps. It seemed to get worse on restarts when I had to run real hard.”
Rosalee Weller and Dylan Caldwell led the Speed Tour Modifieds presented by Pit Stop USA to the green flag of their 55-lap feature. Weller got the drop on Caldwell and led the pack into turn one. But Caldwell was strong on the outside, and the Nampa, Idaho racer motored around Weller to lead lap one.
But Caldwell wasn’t safe up front, and within three laps Donovan Barr worked his Sound Hound Stereo, Corner Hustle Neighborhood Bar modified inside of Caldwell and took the top spot. Next around Caldwell was Andrew Richardson in his Renegade Race Fuel, Pit Stop USA machine.
Richardson wheeled his modified hard to reel in Barr, but progress was slow as the evenly-matched racers stayed about 3 seconds apart. The only thing that could close the gap up front was a caution flag, and with 25 circuits left one flew as Natalie Waters slid her Wickless Sensations, West Valley Collision entry sideways down the front stretch.
Richardson restarted outside of Barr, but couldn’t make a move as Barr hooked the inside line and shot back to the lead. This would be the decisive move as Barr raced away from the rest of the field and survive a late-race restart to take the night’s The Ranch in Caldwell Feature Flag.
Jamo Stephenson and Ryan Newman dueled for the victory in the Pepsi Sprintcars’ 25-lap feature. Newman, at the controls of his North American Recycling, RMac Shop sprinter claimed the victory while Stephenson brought his YMC Mechanical, Restoration Rods machine home second despite late contact with Preston Henderson.
The brand-new in 2022 All-Star Club Series ran a caution-free 25-lap feature in their speedway debut. Tommy Harrod sliced his way to the front at the race’s midway point, and piloted his PBT Auto Sales machine across the Caleb’s Chop Shop Victory Stripe first.
Defending Trammel Construction Stinger champion Niko Heinzel started his 2022 campaign with a feature victory at the wheel of his Idaho Laser and Design racer.
The excitement continues this Saturday, April 30, with Touchdown Automotive Ladies Night. All ladies get in free Saturday to watch the Bud Light NASCAR Modifieds, Project Filter Pro-4s, Boise Bath and Kitchen Company Mini Stocks, Big Daddy’s Barbecue Hornets, and the Touchdown Automotive Street Stocks, who remember fire crew member Mike Hasson with a 50-lap memorial feature. General admission is just $14 for adults, $12 for seniors and military members, $8 for kids 7-11, and free for all ladies and kids 6 and under. Gates open at 4:45 p.m. with racing at 6:30 p.m. Log on to www.meridianspeedway.com for all the latest news and notes and text ‘meridianspeed’ to 84483 to join our text club for exclusive updates from around the quarter-mile. We’ll see you this Saturday, April 30, under the big yellow water tower in downtown Meridian, Idaho at your NASCAR Home Track, Meridian Speedway.
Submitted By: Tyler Schild