7/1/2025
Magic Valley Speedway
Lester Fends Off Palmer in Latemodel Feature
Magic Valley Speedway kicked off the summer swing on Saturday, June 28, with Pacific Steel and Recycling Lucky Rides Night. The Speed Tour Modifieds, Western Mountain Inc. NASCAR Latemodels, McDonald’s Street Stocks, Idaho Vintage Racers, Budweiser Thunderdogs, and Southern Idaho Mini Stocks attacked the third-mile in pursuit of the night’s J&L Machine Works trophies.
The Speed Tour Modifieds followed Tyler Phernetton and Willie Dalton to green. Dalton zipped to the early lead while Rosalee Weller and Donovan Barr hooked up nose to tail and charged through the pack to second and third. Barr navigated his Allied DCS Electrical, Sound Hound Stereo modified to the inside line and after a handful of laps passed both Weller and Dalton to take the lead.
While Barr set sail Weller worked her Idaho State Towing, Outlaw Excavation racer into the runner up spot while Dalton settled into third place on the McDonald’s scoreboard. But all was not well with Dalton’s machine as it began to push badly in the race’s middle stages. This allowed Phernetton to close on the third place runner. A timely caution flag bunched the field and set up a pivotal mid-race restart.
When the green flag waved Barr rocketed back to the lead, Weller resumed the runner up spot, and Phernetton worked to move his machine to the inside of Dalton. But Dalton proved too strong as he crossed the line third behind Weller and the J&L Machine Works trophy winning Barr.
As is now tradition, Barr and announcer Patrick Bauman celebrated his win by shotgunning various beverages in the Winner’s Circle. Barr was more successful in his celebration than Bauman was.
The Western Mountain Inc. NASCAR Latemodels battled door-to-door through a twenty lap feature. Bad Fast Racing teammates Shawn Lester and Scott Gilligan hopped to the top two spots as third place runner Andrew Palmer looked for a way around this speedy duo for the lead.
With five laps left Gilligan slid wide in turn two and allowed Palmer to break the teammate blockade for a moment, but Gilligan recovered to once again build a wall of Jackson Spuds, Turn Key Realty machines in front of Palmer. Undeterred, Palmer saved his Freedom Payments, Bobby’s Transmission racer for the last lap. Palmer dove low in turns three and four but came up half a car length short at the line as Lester won his fourth feature of the year.
Jeff Peck and Ronn McClimans led the McDonald’s Street Stocks to green Saturday. McClimans got the jump on Peck to put his Advantage Archery, Monterey Jacks car up front. But McClimans soon had company in the form of Mitch Pehrson and Zaine Newberry. Pehrson pinned his Donate Life, Commercial Tire machine to the inside line while McClimans rolled around the outside line in a bid to hang on the top spot. McClimans would succeed in his defense and cross the finish line first ahead of Pehrson, Newberry, Peck, and Zach Rydalch.
Veteran open-wheel racer Dean Waltman found the handle on his Cody South-owned sprinter and outran fellow Idaho Vintage Racers Johnny Wiggington and Joey Layman to take the Pacific Steel and Recycling Lucky Rides Night victory.
The Budweiser Thunderdog feature started off with a bang as the big, blue Shamuu lost control and the turn one wall. On the restart Knight Rider and BossHogg squared off in a reverse run around the third mile. With the white flag in the air BossHogg backed into the infield barriers which allowed Knight Rider to take the win.
The Southern Idaho Mini Stock feature saw Keith Green take the early lead, but Green soon fell to defending division champion Jordan Carpenter. Once out front, Carpenter checked out from the rest of the field to score the night’s final J&L Machine Works trophy.
Magic Valley Speedway gets a jump start on Independence Day this Thursday, July 3, with the Fireworks Spectacular and Hornet Meltdown. The NASCAR Trucks, Western Mountain Inc. NASCAR Latemodels, Project Filter Mini Modifieds, Speedway Midgets, and Fast Lane Automotive Hornets are on track for a full night of racing action before The Beast Jet Dragster lights up a hapless hornet and fireworks light up the skies. General admission to Thursday night’s action 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. Thursday with racing taking the green flag at 6:30 p.m. Skip the line at the ticket gate by grabbing your advance tickets at www.magicvalleyspeedway.com before they’re gone! We’ll see you on the high banks this Thursday, July 3, for the Fireworks Spectacular and Hornet Meltdown at Idaho’s fastest NASCAR Home Track, Magic Valley Speedway.
Submitted By: Tyler Schild