4/13/2026
Meridian Speedway
Lawson Dominates Latemodel Opener
The rain, rain went away from Meridian Speedway on Saturday, April 11, as even Mother Nature wanted to catch the Project Filter Twin 35’s powered by Meridian Lanes. The heartiest fans in short track racing were treated to a night of side-by-side thrills thanks to the NASCAR Latemodels, NASCAR Trucks, Idaho CDL Training Street Stocks, Boise Bath and Kitchen Company Vintage Sprintcars, Speedway Midgets, Firehouse Pub & Grill Thunderdogs, and Tates Rents Stingers and their quest for the night’s Crown Rentals and Services trophies.
Coleman Green and Neil Wassmuth led the NASCAR Latemodel field to the start of the division’s 35-lap feature. On the break Green piloted his HazTech Drilling racer to the lead with Niko Heinzel and Jesse James Lawson in tow. Green held on to lead the first lap, but was quickly overcome by Henizel’s Loya Tire, Palm Meto Automations racer and began to fall back through the pack.
Heinzel wasn’t safe up front as Lawson launched a furious challenge for the lead. Heinzel hung tough on the inside line, but Lawson’s Candor Pest Control, Farmer’s Insurance mount was too strong, and he roared around the high side to the lead. Next around Heinzel was defending division champion Andrew Palmer, who methodically worked his Freedom Payments, Bobby’s Transmission machine around the inside line to take away the runner up spot.
Lawson set the cruise control and looked to have the race well in hand when he encountered a knot of lapped traffic with ten laps left. Unable to make a third lane around the side-by-side slow cars Lawson watched as Palmer grew larger and larger in his rearview mirror. Finally with six circuits left on the Pepsi-Cola scoreboard, Lawson saw a seam and drove through it into open racetrack. Palmer followed, but couldn’t close the gap and was forced to watch Lawson take the checkered flag. Palmer finished second ahead of Heinzel, Wassmuth, and Green.
“I looked in the mirror, saw Andrew there, and went, ‘Dang it! There goes my whole lead,” Lawson said of the lapped car battle.
Scott Cooper and Kendra Occhipinti led the Idaho CDL Training Street Stocks to the green flag for their Saturday night feature. Cooper got the drop on Occhipinti to lead lap one, but Occhipinit rebounded to move her Marv’s Tire Service racer to the point after a handful of laps. Next to the top of the leaderboard was Kane Thomasson, who took over with 22 circuits left on the board. Ironically, this was the same lap that Andrew Palmer and his number 22 car arrived at Thomasson’s rear bumper.
Palmer worked the outside line to perfection as he not only took the lead but also held his chief championship rival Scott Groom at bay as well. Groom dogged Palmer for the rest of the race, but couldn’t find a way around Palmer’s Freedom Payments, One Truss Roofing and Solar machine before the checkered flag fell.
“I saw [Groom] there, and I was just waiting to give him a lane,” Palmer said as he stood in the Zamp Winner’s Circle. “Wooh! That was a hard race.”
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before, but John Newhouse took the NASCAR Truck field to the woodshed again Saturday as he won both of the division’s features going away. The first feature saw Shawn Lester and Jeff Wade tangle in turn one on lap one, but both drivers were able to maintain control and drive away to finish the event.
The second feature saw less contact, but the same amount of Newhouse domination up front while the battle for third raged between Lester and rookie Mason Martin. Martin kept the pressure on Lester until the last lap, where he cut underneath the long-time racer to earn a third-place finish.
“This is my favorite track,” Newhouse said as he collected his Crown Rentals and Services trophy. “I appreciate everybody hanging out and waiting out this weather.”
Joey Layman made his way through the Boise Bath and Kitchen Company Vintage Sprintcar field to take the top spot in just seven laps. Behind Layman, the battle for second place raged as Clint Budell wheeled his machine hard to stay ahead of the legendary Kenny Hamilton and his equally legendary Pink Lady roadster. Hamilton got the better of this battle but had nothing for Layman, who sped to the victory. Michael Capps took home fourth place honors with Dan Arriola coming home fifth.
Speedway Midget competitor Casey Heesch found the handle on his Zamp Racing, Dave Lewis open-wheeler and raced his way to the early lead in the division’s first feature of the season. But Heesch wasn’t safe up front as long-time speedway racer Matt Elliott caught the relative newcomer and mounted challenge after challenge on Heesch for the lead. But Heesch kept his cool down the stretch and battled to his first feature win.
Hayden Wenderoth made a splash in his Tates Rents Stigner debut as the youngster sliced through the field and into the lead after just a handful of laps. Once up front, Wenderoth kept the pedal to the metal in his River City Glass racer while Camden Kerr, Jacobi Pavlacky, and Joselyn Tridle fought for the runner-up spot. Kerr and Tridle got the better of this battle as Pavlacky endured a string of terrible luck in lapped traffic. As the laps wound down, Tridle drew closer and closer to Kerr until with two laps remaining the pair made contact in turn one. Kerr slid his Work Star, DataTel machine to a stop just short of the turn one barrier while Tridle raced away to cross the finish line second behind Wenderoth.
In a wet and wild Firehouse Pub and Grill Thunderdog feature the number 51 Mellow Yellow machine slipped and slid his way across the Zamp Victory Stripe first.
Next week, Meridian Speedway ramps up the action with the Busch Light Boat Bash powered by Red Right Hand. Before competitors tow, tow, tow their boats around the quarter-mile Saturday, April 18, the NASCAR Modifieds, Pizza Hut Legends, Allied Fence Mini Stocks, Speedway Bandoleros, Firehouse Pub and Grill Thunderdogs, and Idaho Asphalt Services Hornets take to the track for a full night of racing thrills and spills before we light up the skies with the first fireworks of the season. Plus, the Spectator Drags make their long-awaited return to the Concrete Jungle on Saturday night! General admission to the Busch Light Boat Bash is $22 for adults, $20 for seniors 60 and over and military members with ID, $9 for kids 7-11, and free for kids 6 and under. Gates open at 4:45 p.m. Saturday with races starting at 6:30 p.m. The World Famous Boat Race of Destruction will follow the night’s racing action. Tickets are selling out fast! Log on to www.meridianspeedway.com and use the Tickets link to purchase yours before they’re gone. We’ll see you under the big, yellow water tower this Saturday, April 18, for the Busch Light Boat Bash powered by Red Right Hand at your NASCAR Home Track, Meridian Speedway.
Submitted By: Tyler Schild