6/2/2025
Meridian Speedway
Tillman, Clausen Duel for Race for Hunger 125 Win
Triple digit temperatures greeted fans and racers alike at Meridian Speedway on Saturday, May 31, as the Neil Alan Fine Jewelry Race for Hunger 125 presented by Toyota Dealers took over the quarter-mile asphalt oval. The Idaho Asphalt Services Hornets turned 125 laps to benefit the Boise Rescue Mission, while the NASCAR Modifieds, Idaho CDL Training Street Stocks, and Boise Bath and Kitchen Company Mini Stocks did battle for their own Trammel Construction trophies.
Thirty Idaho Asphalt Services Hornets packed the Concrete Jungle for the Neil Alan Fine Jewelry Race for Hunger 125. On the break Paul Valentine led lap one but quickly came under fire from Mike Anderson and Ben Sommerfeld. As Anderson worked his way to the lead contact sent Tommy Harrod head on into the back stretch barriers. Harrod would emerge from his demolished PBT Auto Sales racer okay after the hard hit though his run at the Race for Hunger 125 win was over.
The early standouts in Saturday night’s race were Casey Tillman and Ron Clausen who expertly wove their way through the pack to crash the top-5 party after just a dozen circuits. Tillman worked his borrowed Nampa Floors and Interiors, Timberlake Construction car to the lead, but immediately came under siege from Clausen. As the leaders traded body blows Dirk Myers worked his PBT Auto Sales racer into third place.
By lap 24 Tillman had had enough contact with Clausen and he thumped the second place runner into the infield on the back stretch. An unrelated caution flag waved as this disagreement was settled, which lined Clausen up alongside Tillman for the restart. With a target now painted squarely on his rear bumper Tillman threw caution to the wind as he scampered back to the lead. But Tillman’s worry was unfounded as Clausen pulled to the pit area with mechanical trouble.
Clausen’s pit stop left the runner up position to Makayla Trafford who strained to keep her car within contact of Tillman. This effort would prove unsuccessful as contact with lapped traffic forced Trafford onto the brakes and let Tillman slip out to an over two second lead.
By the race’s halfway point Tillman had the race lead well in hand with just himself and defending division champion Titus Clancy on the lead lap. As the race turned from a battle of position to a battle of survival Tillman eased off the gas and allowed Clancy to close to within a straightaway of the leader. But no sooner had Clancy closed to within striking distance the second place runner found fluid on the track and spun into turn one. Clancy avoided contact with the wall but was forced to restart at the back of the still fifteen car strong field.
Once the green flag waved for the final time Tillman was free to cruise to the victory. Clancy soldiered on to finish second ahead of Kyla Vanderpool, Alannah Trammel, and Cody Ballantyne.
A 12-pack of NASCAR Modifieds rolled to green for a hard-fought forty-lap feature. Mike Davis made the most of his outside front row starting spot as he piloted his Bigelow Tea, Josay’s Labradors machine past Dan Doan to take the early lead while the rest of the field jockeyed for position. This jockeying would last for ten laps until contact was made between Brendon Fries and Kyle Latham amid lapped traffic. The bump shot Latham’s Conrad and Bischoff, Outlaw Excavation modified headlong into the turn one barriers. Latham was okay after the hit and jumped from his car in time to express his displeasure to the involved lapped car.
When the race resumed Doan got the better of Davis and shot to the lead with Alex Duda and James Strikwerda in tow. Duda moved his Dairy Pros of Idaho, HD Concrete machine to the high line and, with some effort, motored to the point. Strikwerda was next to move his All Parts Brokers, Alder Farms machine past Doan and the young racer set his sights on Duda.
With ten laps left Strikwerda arrived on Duda’s rear bumper. Duda slammed his car into the inside lane and dared Strikwerda to pass him on the outside. Strikwerda didn’t hesitate and immediately raced his way up alongside Duda. After a tense two lap duel Strikwerda took over the lead and, a handful of laps later, the victory.
“I’m surprised too,” joked Strikwerda in his second Caleb’s Chop Shop Winner’s Circle interview of the year.
A dozen Idaho CDL Training Street Stocks thundered to green for a blazing fast forty lap feature race. Kendra Occhipinti and Scott Cooper got out of the blocks quick to take the top two spots on the Pepsi-Cola scoreboard while Samantha Occhipinti and Josh Parkkila traded paint for third place.
Meanwhile point leader Andrew Palmer got his Bobby’s Transmission, ApexPicks racer in a groove and roared his way onto the podium behind the two Occhipintis. An ensuing caution flag lined Palmer up on the inside of Kendra Occhipinti, and in just half a lap Palmer established himself as the leader. It was a lead Palmer would never relinquish despite a late race push from familiar divisional foe Scott Groom.
While Palmer collected his Trammel Construction trophy Groom was awarded a crisp one-hundred-dollar bill for his charge to second place.
Chaos erupted early in the Boise Bath and Kitchen Company Mini Stock feature as contact mid-pack split the field in half. Up front, Scott Heap dispatched Troy Palmer to take the early lead but brought Travis Pavlacky and his lightning fast 208 Towing pickup with him to the front. After just two circuits Pavlacky raced his way to the lead while Heap fought lapped traffic to keep his Rogers Excavation racer in the runner up spot.
Deep in the field division point leader Morgan Trammel and Drew Crenshaw stormed through the field in a bid to make up for lost time. By lap fifteen of the forty-lap feature Crenshaw and Trammel found themselves in second and third places behind Pavlacky. An opportune caution flag flew and erased Pavlacky’s two-plus second lead and set up a heavyweight fight to the finish.
But just as the action began to heat up, the ambient heat started to take its toll on the field. One by one competitors pulled off track as they lost power, overheated, or succumb to other heat-related gremlins. But Trammel’s Trammel Construction, Scott’s Cage Works mount seemed immune to these issues, and he motored to yet another divisional win.
Meridian Speedway goes main event racing this Saturday, June 7, with the American Staffing Twin 35’s featuring Bike Races for Kids. The NASCAR Modifieds, Zamp NASCAR Latemodels, NASCAR Trucks, Pepsi Sprintcars, Project Filter Pro-4s and Mini Modifieds, and Trammel Construction Stingers run double features in pursuit of the night’s DataTel trophies. General admission to Saturday’s full night of high octane racing action 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 the Bike Race for Kids going green around 6 p.m. and the first feature race at 6:30 p.m. Visit www.meridianspeedway.com to purchase your advance tickets now and be sure to text ‘meridianspeed’ to 84483 to receive exclusive race day updates. We’ll see you under the big, yellow water tower this Saturday, June 7, for the American Staffing Twin 35’s at your NASCAR Home Track, Meridian Speedway.
Submitted By: Tyler Schild