6/12/2023
Meridian Speedway
Gomez, Tellstrom Duel for Treasure Valley 125 Win
The Speed Tour Super Late Models powered by Pit Stop USA invaded Meridian Speedway on Saturday, June 10, for the Builder’s First Source Treasure Valley 125. The Bud Light NASCAR Modifieds, Pepsi Sprintcars, Domino’s Legends, Boise Bath and Kitchen Company Mini Stocks, and Bandoleros rounded out a full night of EMS, Police, Fire, and Correctional Officers Night action as they battled for the night’s Trammel Construction feature flags.
A dozen Speed Tour Super Late Models powered by Pit Stop USA roared to green for the Builders First Source Treasure Valley 125. This field was thinned immediately as a stack up off turn two damaged both Dan Lowther and pre-race favorite John Newhouse.
On the restart Dylan Caldwell motored around Ryan Phipps to take the early lead in his Hotbox Farms, National Coatings entry. Meanwhile, Kyle Tellstrom, Wyatt King, Jonathon Gomez, and Zach Telford battled their way onto the Pepsi-Cola scoreboard.
Twenty-five laps into the race Ukiah, California’s Tellstrom held the top spot, but was under heavy attack from new track record holder Gomez. The Twin Falls, Idaho racer searched low and high for a way around Tellstrom, but lapped traffic stymied his advances through the race’s next twenty-five circuits. However, once in clean track, Gomez wound his Baxter’s Excavation, Precision Aviation machine up and dispatched Tellstrom after a hard-fought eight laps.
As Gomez worked by Tellstrom the battle for third heated up as Telford laid siege to King’s Moto One, Major Tire and Hitch machine. Telford got the best of this battle and immediately unleashed his Project Filter, James Hardie mount on second place Tellstrom.
Telford worked low while Tellstrom planted his QuickCar Racing Products, Carbon Designs Racing Vinyl racer in the high line. This duo ran wheel-to-wheel and door-to-door until the caution flag flew with twenty laps left.
This set up one last shootout for the win. Gomez shot back to the lead with Tellstrom in second while King and Telford traded first bumper and then body blows for third place. Telford weathered the beating better than King, and with seven circuits left pulled into third place.
But it all happened behind Gomez, who cruised to his first Builder’s First Source Treasure Valley 125 victory.
Fourteen Bud Light NASCAR Modifieds rumbled to green for their forty lap feature race. Alex Duda, at the controls of his Boise Boys Transportation, Idaho Dairy Pro entry, had his way through the race’s first 27 laps, but a caution flag for Andrew Richardson’s hard wall contact changed all that.
Duda and Chuck Youngblood led the field to the restart. Duda got the jump on the inside line, but Youngblood’s PBT Auto Sales, Idaho CDL Training machine was strong and he held tough on the outside. For seven circuits Youngblood worked Duda over before he finally took the lead. This opened the outside line and allowed Brendon Fries to move forward.
With three laps left Fries found his ATS Inland Northwest, Ryan Shelby at Academy Mortgage racer on Youngblood’s rear bumper, and with the white flag in the air the Meridian, Idaho racer hooked the inside line shot past Youngblood to the victory. Neal Latham, Russ Ward, and Duda rounded out the top five finishers.
Seventeen Boise Bath and Kitchen Company Mini Stocks crowded the quarter-mile for a thirty lap feature. Don Trafford navigated his Pollo Y Mariscos, American Tire machine through traffic to take the victory, followed by Travis Pavlacky and Jerome, Idaho’s Tyler Palmer.
Despite a heat race tangle that left his LaMoure Trucking, Straddles Industries machine laid over on its right side, Leon Tridle III boogied around Brok Kidd, Roxali Kamper, and the rest of the Domino’s Legends field to take the feature victory.
Jamo Stephenson and his YMC Mechanical, Gen 3 Electric sprinter survived a slew of challenges from Carson Ackerland en route to the Pepsi Sprintcar victory. Nate Little came home third ahead of Carson’s father Tony Ackerland and Kaleb Johnson.
Niko Heinzel took his talents to the Bandolero division on Saturday. While Heinzel cruised to victory Ryan Barlow, Jacobi Pavlacky, and Alanna Bergseng battled hard to settle the rest of the top four spots. Barlow held on for second, with Pavlacky third and Bergseng fourth.
The best open-wheelers in the West descend on Meridian Speedway this Friday and Saturday, June 16 and 17, for the 35th Annual Ninja Kitty Fireworks Diamond Cup presented by Neil Alan Fine Jewelers. The fire and fury of the Speed Tour Sprint Cars and Supermodifieds presented by Pit Stop USA headline the two-day event alongside the North West Tour Truck Series, Salt Lake City Midgets, Big Daddy’s Barbecue Hornets, and Project Filter Pro-4s. Tickets are going fast! Log on to www.meridianspeedway.com to purchase yours before they’re gone. We’ll see you under the big, yellow water tower this Friday and Saturday, June 16 and 17, for the Ninja Kitty Fireworks Diamond Cup presented by Neil Alan Fine Jewelry at your NASCAR Home Track, Meridian Speedway.
Submitted By: Tyler Schild