8/25/2025
Magic Valley Speedway
Tillman Takes Thrilling Stinker Skunk Cup
The Speed Tour Winged Sprint Cars blistered the Magic Valley Speedway asphalt on Friday and Saturday, August 22 and 23 as they stormed the high banks for the two-day Stinker Skunk Cup. Friday night’s action included the first round of the Snake River Legends’ inaugural Snake River Showdown, plus the Speed Tour Modifieds, Speedway Midgets, and Speedway Bandoleros. Saturday the Speed Tour Modifieds, Speedway Midgets, Western Mountain Inc. NASCAR Latemodels, Southern Idaho Mini Stocks, and Budweiser Thunderdogs battled alongside the Speed Tour Winged Sprint Cars to win the night’s YMC Mechanical trophies.
A full field of fifteen Speed Tour Winged Sprint Cars rattled the grandstands Friday as they battled to kick their Stinker Skunk Cup run off with a victory. Matt Elliott got out of the blocks first and roared to the lap one lead as the field jockeyed for position behind him. After three laps of intense action Cory Lockwood found himself pushed into the marbles in turn three where he spun and collected Casey Tillman. Luckily the damage was minimal and both Lockwood and Tillman refired their sprinters and rejoined the race.
On the restart Elliott piloted his mount back to the front while Colton Nelson pulled his Busch Light, Freedom Payments sprinter into the runner up spot. Nelson worked the low line while Elliott ripped around the high side of the racetrack. While the top two runners battled each other, Chowchilla, California’s Eric Humphries and Speed Tour Winged Sprint Car point leader Bryan Warf raced their way into the lead fight.
Warf motored his way around the outside of Humphries and Nelson in one furious lap, then set his Allan Marsh Travel Center, Smania Fine Finishings sprinter upon Elliott for the lead. For two laps Warf studied Elliott then made his move on the high side of turn four. Once out in front Warf never looked back as he stormed to the victory. Elliott held off Nelson to finish second, with Humphries fourth and a resurgent Tillman fifth.
Due to his Friday night domination Warf entered Saturday’s action a full sixteen points ahead of Tillman in the Stinker Skunk Cup standings. Warf’s third-place qualifying effort and heat race win in Saturday’s preliminary action only bolstered his lead headed into the night’s feature.
Stacy Jensen and DJ Lyons led the thirteen surviving Speed Tour Winged Sprint Cars to green for the Stinker Skunk Cup Finale. Lyons made the most of his front row starting spot and blasted to a one second lead. But the real story developed on lap four when Warf’s sprinter lost power on the back stretch. Warf was able to navigate his way out of the pack without incident but was forced to retire from the event.
On the restart Eric Humphries and Colton Nelson blasted around Lyons to take the top two spots. With Warf out of the race Tillman lit the wick on his Westside Machine, TS Fuel and Oil entry and charged his way into the top five where his dash forward was blunted by Lyons’ Stinker, Eloy & Sons Landscaping machine.
Back up front Humphries dueled with Nelson as the pair weaved in and out of traffic. Every time Nelson eased close to Humphries, the California wheelman would stand on the gas pedal and pull away. When the checkered flag waved Humphries led Nelson across the line ahead of Lyons, Tillman, and Josh Fanopoulos.
With his fourth place finish Tillman amassed enough points to surpass Warf and claim the Stinker Skunk Cup championship trophy.
Seven battle tested Speed Tour Modifieds took the green flag Friday night for a hard fought 35 lap feature. On the break Willie Dalton moved his Coldwell Banker, High Mountain Logistics machine to the lead despite a healthy dose of hard racing and contact from Darrell Dolling.
On the move early was quick qualifier Donovan Barr, who hooked the inside line with his Internation Brotherhood of Electric Workers Local 291, Allied DCS Electrical machine’s left front and screamed into the lead fight. An early flurry of caution flags and restarts blunted Barr’s charge momentarily, but it only delayed the inevitable as Barr blasted his way to the lead on lap twenty.
As Barr set a torrid pace up front second place Tyler Phernetton came under fire from Rosalee Weller. Weller, who had been on the receiving end of constant contact throughout the race’s first half, finally got into a rhythm and took over the runner up spot on lap 26. Faced with a four second deficit to Barr Weller settled her Idaho State Towing, Outlaw Excavation modified into second until the caution flag flew with just four circuits remaining and bunched the field for a restart.
Weller got to the gas pedal fast, but not as fast as Barr, who zoomed back to the lead and cruised across the finish line to win Friday night’s feature.
Barr continued his Speed Tour Modified domination in Satruday night’s feature, where he stormed to the lead in just two circuits. With Weller sidelined due to a lap one incident Barr faced no real challenge on his way to the victory. When the checkers fell only Barr, Phernetton, and Dalton remained on the lead lap.
The Snake River Legends brought nineteen racers to the start of Friday night’s Snake River Showdown feature. The green flag waved and chaos broke out as contact on the back stretch sent half a dozen machines spinning and two others into the backstretch barriers. Cooler heads prevailed on the restart and John Newhouse jumped to the front of the pack.
But Newhouse wasn’t safe up front and the veteran racer came under fire from Brenden Ruzbarsky and Tanner Reif. Ruzbarsky was first to overtake Newhouse, followed by Reif and Gavin Ray.
With clear racetrack to work with Reif went to work on Ruzbarsky. The inside line proved unfruitful, so instead Reif shifted to the second groove. With Ruzbarsky already there Reif couldn’t find a way through until a caution flag bunched the field and lined him up alongside Ruzbarsky for the restart.
Ruzbarsky got to the gas pedal fast, but not fast enough as Reif darted into the lead while Ruzbarsky was dropped into a frantic fight with Ray and others for the second spot. Ray would get the better of the runner up battle but could only watch as Reif flashed across the finish line to win the first Snake River Showdown feature.
Twenty-two Young Lion and Semi-Pro division Snake River Legends went wheel-to-wheel for a 35 lap feature Friday. On the break Leon Tridle III took the early lead with Austin Murphy and Kai Lovell in tow. An early caution flag allowed Murphy to move his Phoenix Fire Games, Ace of Fades Barber Shop racer to the top of the scoreboard while Tridle III fell into the clutches of Chase Burgeson and Lovell.
It took Burgeson only three laps to size Murphy up and make his move for the lead. Once out front Burgeson set the cruise control and motored to the victory over Lovell, Ashton Williams and Murphy. The biggest mover of the night had to be Williams, who raced his way through the entire field after he was called involved in an early caution flag.
Fourteen Speedway Bandoleros packed the high banks for a hard-fought Stinker Skunk Cup Friday night Feature. The green flag waved and Jhett Phipps piloted his Western Mountain Inc. machine past Caitlyn Ford into the lead. Once up front Phipps never looked back as he buzzed across the finish line first ahead of Ford, Tayton Monroe, Mason Martin, and Cru Bowen.
The Western Mountain Inc. NASCAR Latemodels saw a three-wide pass for the lead on lap one as Shawn Lester vaulted himself to the top of the McDonald’s scoreboard around Stacy Borgeman and Peyton Hardenbrook.
But Lester wasn’t safe up front as traffic parted and allowed Kylie Ith to mount a challenge for the top spot. Ith wheeled her car hard to draw even with Lester down the frontstretch, then finished the pass with authority in turn one. Lester emptied his bag of tricks as he fought to get back to the lead, but he would come up short and be forced to watch Ith collect the YMC Mechanical trophy.
Brady Ransom dominated the Speedway Midget division Friday night. Ransom worked his YMC Mechanical, Zamp Race Products machine around the high side and in just three laps the youngster took the lead. Behind Ransom, Dan Arriola held off a furious charge by Matt Elliott to come home second with Casey Heesh fourth.
Ransom would meet his match Saturday night as River Merrill took the track, the lead, and the win without so much as a glance back at Ransom, Elliott, or Heesh.
The Southern Idaho Mini Stock feature saw early leader Robbie Hyde overcome by Tyler Palmer for the win. Hyde would also fall victim to Ryan Lott in the race’s closing laps before he stabilized in third place. Josh Lucero brought his machine home in the fourth position.
The Budweiser Bombers saw a zany feature end with the Knight Rider high centered on an upturned infield barriers and Project Freedom voted the winner by crowd cheer-off. Knight Rider’s pilot Jon Spencer was in good spirits after the incident, even calling the collision ‘fun’ in a trackside interview.
Racing and wrecking are on the Magic Valley Speedway menu Saturday, September 6, as the 2025 season continues with Eve of Destruction III. General admission to Eve of Destruction III is just $20 for adults, $18 for seniors and military members, $8 for kids 7-11, and free for kids 6 and under. Gates open at 4:45 p.m. Saturday with the destruction starting at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are going fast! Log on to www.magicvalleyspeedway to secure yours before they’re gone! We’ll see you on Saturday, September 6, for a night of wrecking and racing at Eve of Destruction III on the high banks of Idaho’s fastest NASCAR Home Track, Magic Valley Speedway.
Submitted By: Tyler Schild