5/27/2025
Meridian Speedway
Latham, Palmer Duel for 50th Bill Crow 50 Win
The grandstands and pit area were packed at Meridian Speedway Monday, May 26, as the quarter-mile asphalt oval capped Memorial Day weekend with the Crown Utilities Smash-O-Rama presented by Idaho Asphalt Services. The Speed Tour Modifieds, Zamp NASCAR Latemodels, Snake River Legends, Speedway Bandoleros, Firehouse Pub and Grill Thunderdogs, and Idaho Asphalt Services Hornets brought a heaping helping of competitors together as they ran for the night’s YMC Mechanical trophies.
Eleven Speed Tour Modifieds took the green flag for this year’s LeeRoy Nelson Memorial race. Kylie Keown jumped to the early race lead but soon found herself under fire from Dylan Caldwell and his Pine Resort entry. While Caldwell worked on Keown for the lead point leader Donovan Barr lit the wick on his IBEW 291, Sound Hound Stereo racer and carved his way through the field.
An early caution bunched the field and allowed both Caldwell to take the lead from Keown and Barr to make up a trio of positions on the restart. Barr applied heavy pressure to Keown before he ducked low in turn one to take over second place on the Pepsi-Cola scoreboard.
With Caldwell in his sights Barr laid down a bevy of qualifying laps to catch the leader before he once again hooked the inside line in turn one and zipped to the lead at the race’s halfway point.
The next battle to break out was a three-way tussle for third as Keown found her Joe’s Racing Products, T and T Towing machine under siege by Andrew Richardson and Rosalee Weller. Richardson wheeled his Rocket Science Concepts, Buzze Racing modified hard in his search for a way past Keown before he finally got the job done with a dozen laps left.
Richardson’s next task was to erase his multiple second deficit to runner up Caldwell. Richardson caught Caldwell but ran out of laps to make his move and had to settle for third place behind Caldwell and a dominant Barr, who crossed the Caleb’s Chop Shop Victory Stripe half a lap ahead of his competition.
The Zamp NASCAR Latemodels took the green flag for the fiftieth running of the Bill Crow Memorial 50. Neal Latham made all the right moves to take the early lead in his Limitless Pressure Washing, Outlaw Excavation racer. Latham looked to have the race well in hand when Andrew Palmer’s bent but still fast Bobby’s Transmission, Freedom Payments mount came to life.
Latham protected the inside line, but Palmer was more than happy to work the outside line to make his bid for the win. As the white flag flew Palmer positioned himself off Latham’s right rear quarter panel and locked in for one last challenge. Palmer used all the racetrack and more off turn two to get a run into the North turns where he slingshotted past Latham to win the fiftieth annual Bill Crow Memorial 50 by half a car length.
“I wish everyone could come live their dreams like this,” said Palmer as he collected the traveling Bill Crow Cup and his YMC Mechanical trophy. “This is amazing”
A full field of 27 Snake River Legends crowded the quarter-mile for Monday’s Austin Christopherson/Eldon Cahill Memorial race. On the break second row starter Canyon Ashley rocketed to the lead in his Ashley Heating, Air and Water, KD Roofing racer while the rest of the field jockeyed two and three wide for position. Contact was frequent as drivers wrestled their machines in and out of traffic in their bid for the lead.
With too many battles to count around the quarter-mile it was a matter of time until one went sour, and on lap twenty contact at the end of the front stretch shot John Weitz up the track and into quick qualifier Brody Whitbeck, who smacked the turn one water barrels. Both drivers were okay after the incident, but the water spilled on track was too much to clean up in the time available, and Ashley was awarded the win.
Over twenty Idaho Asphalt Services Hornets took the green flag on their twenty-lap feature. As soon as the green flag waved chaos ensued as cars darted high, low, through the middle, out, around, and everywhere else they could find to gain positions. When the checkered flag flew Tommy Harrod and his PBT Auto Sales station wagon stood victorious.
Not to be outdone the Firehouse Pub and Grill Thunderdogs wasted no time before they started trading paint. As the fenders flew and tempers flared the Knight Rider worked its way to the lead. It was a journey Knight Rider would get familiar with as Thunderdog rules tried to tame its speed. In the end Knight Rider survived the carnage and beat the Burrito Racer to the line for the win.
The future stars of Meridian Speedway took center stage with a twenty-lap Speedway Bandolero feature. Tayton Monroe outdueled Cayden Barker to jump out to the early lead. But Monroe came under immediate attack from Mason Martin and Jhett Phipps. Phipps was first to pull alongside Monroe’s Torch Towing machine, and by lap six had his Western Mountain Inc. racer out front.
Martin followed Phipps past Monroe to put his The TI Company machine in the runner up spot, but Monroe used a late round of lapped traffic to work his way back by Martin in the closing laps. But it all happened behind Phipps who rolled to his second feature win of the season.
World famous stunt performer Mr. Dizzy made his promised “one hell of a mess” as he sniped a camper van off the top of a school bus with a sedan. When the smoke cleared Mr. Dizzy emerged from his upturned stunt vehicle okay.
Jeff Atamian’s jet dragster The Beast rocked the grandstands as it applied full afterburner to a hapless Idaho Asphalt Services Hornet. In just two minutes the car was reduced to a molten mound of metal that even the Pisca Trucking water truck had a hard time extinguishing.
The Idaho Asphalt Services Hornets ran a ten-lap bonus feature through a makeshift infield figure-8. Just as Alannah Trammel pulled even with leader Travis Pavlacky an intersection collision ended the race early. This led to an intense Caleb’s Chop Shop Winner’s Circle rock-paper-scissors face off to determine who would take home the YMC Mechanical trophy. With some masterful gameplay Trammel came out on top and took home the hardware.
Crown Utilities Smash-O-Rama presented by Idaho Asphalt Services wrapped up with a bruising Boat Race of Destruction. Diamond Towing had to sacrifice his radiator but survived a three-way skirmish with John Deere Green and Bad Company to win.
The short track thrills and spills continue at Meridian Speedway this Saturday, May 31, with the Neil Alan Fine Jewelry Race for Hunger 125 presented by Toyota Dealers, benefitting the Boise Rescue Mission. Log on to www.meridianspeedway.com for more information on this event and to purchase your advance tickets. We’ll see you under the big, yellow water tower this Saturday, May 31, for the Neil Alan Fine Jewelry Race for Hunger 125 presented by Toyota Dealers, benefitting the Boise Rescue Mission at your NASCAR Home Track, Meridian Speedway.
Submitted By: Tyler Schild