11/1/2024
Meridian Speedway
Occhipinti Pilots Rival's Racer to Street Stock Title
Meridian Speedway closed 2024 festivities with a full evening of short track thrills as the quarter-mile asphalt oval crowned its final six season champions. The Idaho CDL Training Street Stocks, Domino’s Legends, Boise Bath and Kitchen Company Mini Stocks, Idaho Asphalt Services Hornets, Trammel Construction Stingers, and Speedway Bandoleros settled their seasons with one last dash for the night’s Trammel Construction trophies.
Drama started early in the Idaho CDL Training Street Stock ranks as division points leader Taylor Occhipinti suffered a catastrophic mechanical failure. With his Marv’s Tire Service mount out for the day fellow competitor Scott Groom offered Occhipinti his blue and white number 17 car for the night.
James Pahl and Aaden Fanopoulos led the Idaho CDL Training Street Stocks to green for their first of three 33-lap features Saturday. Pahl got to the gas pedal first and took the early lead, but soon came under fire from Chuck Youngblood, Josh Fanopoulos, and Occhipinti.
Youngblood was first around Pahl, but it was Josh Fanopoulos who stormed to the top of the Pepsi-Cola scoreboard and ultimately the victory. Occhipinti finished second, just a foot ahead of points rival Andrew Palmer.
The night’s second Idaho CDL Training Street Stock feature saw Aaden Fanopoulos sprint to the lead with Austin Savery and Kyle Latham in tow. Fanopoulos would hold the top spot for eight laps until he lost the handle on his machine and spun in turn one. In the jam up Pahl’s brakes failed, and his mount sailed hard into the turn one barrier. Pahl climbed from his car okay but was forced to retire for the evening.
Latham jumped to the lead on the restart, but soon came under fire from Palmer and Josh Fanopoulos. Palmer was first to overtake Latham, followed by Fanopoulos and Occhipinti.
Palmer held the top spot until a restart with twelve laps left allowed Fanopoulos to motor his way to the top spot. Once out front Fanopoulos eased away from Palmer and Occhipinti as they dueled for the runner up spot. Palmer piloted his Bobby’s Transmission, Freedom Payments racer to second while Occhipinti held onto third.
The Idaho CDL Training Street Stocks wrapped up the 2024 season with one final 33-lap feature. On the green Savery jumped to the early lead but was quickly dispatched by Kendra Occhipinti, Taylor Occhipinti, Palmer, and Josh Fanopoulos.
Taylor moved his borrowed machine to the high line and roared around sister Kendra then set sail away from the rest of his competitors. Palmer was next to challenge Kendra, and the two battled door-to-door for a handful of laps before Palmer took the advantage and set his sights on Occhipinti.
But try as Palmer might, he couldn’t track down Occhipinti, who cruised to the feature win and the season championship.
A strong field of eighteen Domino’s Legends took the green flag for their 33-lap feature. Paxton Guiles was first to take the lead in his machine, but soon had Andrew Tuttle and Mason Nelson on his tail. Nelson got by Guiles first to take over the lead while Tuttle fell into the clutches of the raging pack.
The mad shuffle caught up with Ron McCaul, Dylan Wardle, and championship leader Leon Tridle III on lap five when contact sent McCaul up the track where he collected Wardle and pounded the wall. McCaul was pitched into the air, Wardle dumped on his side, and Tridle III emerged with significant nose damage. Despite the spectacular incident all drivers were okay.
On the restart Nelson charged back to the front while the pack jockeyed for position behind him. This time the pack held together for six laps before contact sent another group of racers into the barriers.
When the green flag flew again Nelson resumed his lead ahead of TJ Monroe, Peyton Weller, and the rest of the field. As the laps wound down Austin Murphy lit the wick on his ATEL USA, Phoenix Fire Games machine, charged past Weller, and closed on second place Monroe.
A late race caution flag would give Murphy his best shot at Monroe‘s Torch Towing racer, and he capitalized to take the runner up spot. But it all happened behind Nelson, who parked his dominant racer in the Caleb’s Chop Shop Winner’s Circle.
Despite the early collision Tridle III was able to fight back to fourth place and cement his second straight division championship.
The Boise Bath and Kitchen Company Mini Stocks contested a physical 33-lap feature. On the break point leader Morgan Trammel motored to the lead as the pack jockeyed for position behind him.
First to tangle were Scott Heap and Riley Robert, who came to grief in turn four then had a further run in on the front stretch under caution. On the restart Josh Lucero and Michael Capps found each other in turn three, and the resulting contact sent Lucero’s Trammel Construction machine airborne and into Capps’ driver’s side window. Despite the close shave Capps continued, though his Boise Bath and Kitchen Company, Pro Source machine was now minus its left side sheet metal. Lucero made one additional lap before he retired to the pit area for the night.
On the restart Trammel bolted back to the front while father-son duo Donovan and Chase Parker fought for second until Donovan’s engine expired at the end of the backstretch. Another skirmish in the North turns prompted track officials to abandon side-by-side restarts for the rest of the race.
A resurgent Robert made the most of this change as when the next green flag waved he roared from fifth to battle with Trammel for the lead in just three laps. The next lap saw Robert and Trammel come together and sent both spinning to the infield.
This left Chase Parker in the lead with Blaine Waller, Jason Sanders, and Robbie Hyde in hot pursuit. While this group battled for second place on back Trammel locked in and set to work getting back to the lead. High and low Trammel sliced his way through traffic until with ten laps to go he had Parker’s car in his sights.
Trammel erased Parker’s lead in one lap, then took the top spot for his own on the next. This left Parker to deal with Robert, who had also worked his way into the lead battle. Robert would ultimately win the battle for second place, but ran out of time to challenge Trammel, who sped across the Caleb’s Chop Shop Victory Stripe for the win.
The Idaho Asphalt Services Hornets ran a wild feature to settle the closest points battle of the night. Zach Rydalch zipped to the early lead with Todd Hartwig hot on his tail. Championship hopeful Titus Clancy broke into the top-five early in his Radiator Xperts, 5J Electric racer, but defending champ Cris Endicott was trapped deep in traffic.
Endicott searched low and high for a way through the heavy traffic, but the going was slow. On the other hand, Clancy snaked his way through traffic and past Chuck Youngblood to take the lead on lap fourteen.
With fifteen laps to go Endicott clung to fourth place with Blaine Waller on his rear bumper and a windshield full of lapped traffic. Meanwhile up front, Clancy stormed through the traffic and never looked back as he scored the race victory and the season title.
Trammel Construction Stinger competitor Kalli Weller got the jump on Alannah Trammel to take the early lead. But Weller wasn’t safe up front as she soon came under fire from championship leaders Makayla Trafford and Ryat Gorringe.
Gorringe was first to make his move past Weller, followed by Trafford. Gorringe kept his Fast Lane Indoor Kart Racing entry in the lead until a bobble in lapped traffic allowed Trafford to make her move to the top spot.
Gorringe wouldn’t settle for second, and he took the fight to Trafford as soon as the pair broke into clear track. Trafford fended off each of Gorringe’s attempts to take the lead in the closing laps and parked her Trident Plumbing machine in the Caleb’s Chop Shop Winner’s Circle.
Bristol Monroe and Mason Martin led the Speedway Bandoleros field to green. Monroe kept her Torch Towing and Transport, Idaho Wrecker Sales machine out font until Martin hooked the inside line and blasted to the lead after a handful of laps and dropped Monroe into the clutches of Maryah Solomon.
Monroe did all she could to hold Solomon at bay until a late race caution bunched the field for a restart. When the green flag waved Solomon ripped around the inside line and pulled even with the championship leader, who fought back hard on the outside.
Door-to-door the duo banged through turns three and four until one last bump sent Monroe into the frontstretch wall. As Monroe caromed back into traffic Kyro Phipps’ Western Mountain Inc machine got clipped and tossed through the air before it landed back on all four wheels. Phipps was able to continue, but the damage to Monroe’s machine proved terminal for the event.
Once the green flag waved again Martin piloted his The TI Company, TRQ Concrete and Asphalt machine to the victory over Jhett Phipps, Tayton Monroe, Solomon, and Tucker Webster.
With that, the 2024 Meridian Speedway season comes to a close. On behalf of each and every one of our staff, officials, and volunteers, thank you for your support of local short track racing. Stay tuned to www.meridianspeedway.com to keep up with all the latest off-season news and notes from around the quarter-mile and be sure to follow our Meridian Speedway “2024” Facebook page for exclusive off-season content. We’ll see you in 2025 for another season of short track action under the big, yellow water tower at your NASCAR Home Track, Meridian Speedway.
Submitted By: Tyler Schild
