7/21/2025
Meridian Speedway
Exciting Racing, Chaotic Enduro Headline Bonus Event
The crowd was great and the racing even better at Meridian Speedway last Saturday, July 19, as Enduro Night at the Races took over the quarter-mile asphalt oval. The Zamp NASCAR Latemodels, Idaho CDL Training Street Stocks, Pepsi Sprintcars, and Boise Bath and Kitchen Company Mini Stocks each ran thirty-lap features while the night concluded with a 100-plus lap Gut-and-Go Enduro endurance race.
Eighteen Gut-and-Go Enduro racers took the green flag on a chaotic 100-plus lap feature race. Cris Endicott tore through the field to lead lap one while bumping, banging, and three-wide racing ensued behind him. Endicott weathered a number of early challenges from Titus Clancy and Nick Durbin but was finally overhauled by Jon Spencer in his Firehouse Pub and Grill Bomber known as the Knight Rider.
Water was added to the racing surface sometime around lap twenty, and Durbin’s car proved to most surefooted as he rocketed to the lead. But leading proved to be boring, and soon Durbin paused to knock over the turn one and turn three water barrels. With barrels scattered everywhere around the quarter-mile Durbin turned his attention back to the race.
Endicott and Clancy used the slick track to maneuver their way back into the top two positions with Clancy using a heavy gaggle of lapped traffic to make his way past Endicott into the lead.
By lap fifty the racing surface had fully transformed into a warzone with water barrels, debris both solid and liquid, and all manner of damaged racecars spread everywhere. The fan favorite at this stage proved to be Krista Beck, who turned to the shorter tri-oval track to keep pace as her machine was stuck in speed limiting limp mode. For the rest of the race Beck would limp around the big track until she lost multiple laps, then make them back up on the tri-oval.
Back up-front Endicott and Clancy continued to lead with Beck and Brian Molloy trading third place. But Molloy had saved something for the closing laps and he took over the top spot around lap seventy. But Endicott’s car couldn’t maintain the race’s breakneck pace and on lap 84 gave up for good in a plume of smoke.
In the confusion Spencer re-emerged in the lead ahead of Clancy and Molloy who, try as they might, could not keep pace with the leader. Despite some heavy opposition from Durbin and the rest of the pack Spencer was uncatchable down the stretch and he motored across the Caleb’s Chop Shop Victory Stripe nearly half a lap ahead of second place Clancy and third place Molloy.
Seven Zamp NASCAR Latemodels roared to green for a hard-fought thirty-lap feature. The race got off to a halting start as contact in turn two sent Neil Wassmuth’s Neil Alan Fine Jewelry, Euro Sport machine spinning up the track. Seemingly only cosmetic damage was done and both Wassmuth and Scott Murri continued.
On the restart Coleman Green took the long way around Brayden Molloy to put his Thrive Chiropractic, Molloy Motorsports machine atop the Pepsi-Cola scoreboard. But Green had company in the form of division dominator Andrew Palmer, who ducked low and dropped Green into a battle with Niko Heinzel for second.
Heinzel got the best of this battle and pit the whip to his Loya Tire, Palmetto Automations mount in an attempt to catch Palmer. Lap after lap Heinzel closed on Palmer’s Freedom Payments, One Truss racer until the gap stabilized at three car lengths. As laps wound off the scoreboard Heinzel threw everything he could into his effort but ultimately came up short as Palmer continued his campaign of dominance with yet another feature race win. Green held off Molloy to finish third while Wassmuth rebounded from his early dust up to finish fifth.
Palmer pulled his machine into the pit area and hopped straight into his Idaho CDL Training Street Stock for another thirty-lap feature.
On the break Scott Cooper threw his machine into the lead with Kendra Occhipinti and Kane Thomasson in tow. Occhipinti found good grip on the high side and after a handful of side-by-side laps her Marv’s Tire Service, Nampa Sonic racer emerged in the lead. But Occhipinti wasn’t safe up front as Thomasson found the handle on his car and blew past for the lead.
At the halfway point Scott Groom decided it was go time, and he swung wide to pass Jake Altman for the runner up spot and set his sights on Thomasson. With eight laps left Groom made his move on Thomasson on the inside to take the lead. Next to Thomasson’s bumper was Palmer who also worked the low line in his Bobby’s Transmission, Freedom Payments machine. With just a half mile of racing left Palmer broke into clear racetrack, but it was too late to make a move as Groom roared across the Caleb’s Chop Shop Victory Stripe.
“I’m just glad I kept that green car [Palmer] behind me tonight,” Groom joked as he collected his Overturn Photography trophy.
A six-pack of Pepsi Sprintcars ditched the fenders and went open wheel to open wheel for their thirty-lap feature. Jamo Stephenson got to the gas pedal first and shot past Makayla Trafford for the early lead. This dropped Trafford into a heated battle with Jordan Harris and Riley Rogers for the second spot. As she pushed to keep pace Trafford’s car spun in turn four to draw the race’s first caution flag.
On the restart Stephenson again put his YMC Mechanical sprinter out front but faced an onslaught from both Harris and youngster AJ Luttmer. Luttmer hooked the inside line in his Kendalized Customs, FRB Racing machine and vaulted ahead of Stepheson with Rogers hot on his tail tank.
With Luttmer strong low Rogers worked the outside line in a bid for the lead. On lap ten Rogers pulled his Boise Bath and Kitchen Company, Performance Signs and Graphics sprinter first even with, then half a car length ahead of Luttmer. But Luttmer kept his car in striking distance, and as the handling on Rogers’ car soured Luttmer raced back ahead.
Rogers now wrestled his ailing machine to keep Harris’ Honor Automotive, Challenger Auto mount behind him. Rogers, with help from lapped traffic, would succeed in defending the runner up spot, but had nothing left to challenge Luttmer who earned his second-straight feature win.
Luttmer was barely able to contain his excitement long enough to give a post-race interview.
The Boise Bath and Kitchen Company Mini Stocks held a thirty-lap grudge match Saturday night. Michael Capps and Tyler Palmer were in a battle for the early lead when contact on the backstretch sent Capps spinning into turn three. With no significant damage done the pair filtered to the back of the pack and the race restarted.
On the restart Drew Crenshaw blasted past Troy Palmer to take the lead. This dropped Palmer into a battle with Trevor Anderson. Palmer pushed his car hard to keep ahead of Anderson, and the strain began to show with a stream of smoke from the car’s left side. With seven circuits left the smoke became too heavy and Palmer’s Laser 4Evar Engraving entry was black flagged and sent to the pit area. But it all happened behind Crenshaw, who lapped Anderson, and thereby the entire field, with three laps left on his way to the victory.
Meridian Speedway gets back to its regularly scheduled programs this Saturday, July 26, with Smoke and Iron BBQ Night at the Races presented by Ferguson Waterworks. The NASCAR Modifieds, Idaho Vintage Racers, Idaho CDL Training Street Stocks, Snake River Legends, Boise Bath and Kitchen Company Mini Stocks, and Trammel Construction Stingers buckle up as they race for the night’s Trammel Construction trophies. General admission is just $15 for adults, $13 for seniors and military members, $9 for kids 7-11, and free for kids 6 and under. Gates open at 4:45 p.m. Saturday with racing action starting at 6:30 p.m. Log on to www.meridianspeedway.com to purchase your advance tickets now. We’ll see you under the big, yellow water tower Saturday, July 26, for Smoke and Iron BBQ Night at the Races presented by Ferguson Waterworks at your NASCAR Home Track, Meridian Speedway.
Submitted By: Tyler Schild