Wednesday, June 22, 2011

NAPA Auto Parts Welcomes the RMCS Back to Meridian Speedway


MERIDIAN, IDAHO (June 22, 2011) The CarbonX Rocky Mountain Challenge Series returns to Meridian (ID) Speedway Saturday night for round five of the championship series and their only stop at the tricky quarter-mile paved oval this season. The series known for its full field invert will stage the 10th series event at the historic racetrack that has no repeat series winners in nine previous races.




The local area NAPA Auto Parts store owners, employees and customers from throughout the Treasure Valley and the central mountains have all come together to bring the NAPA Treasure Valley 100 back to Meridian Speedway. "All our 15 local area stores, including Council, McCall, Eagle, Emmett, Parma, Mountain Home, Nampa, Caldwell, Homedale, Marsing, Boise, Kuna and Meridian all have contributed to make the NAPA Treasure Valley 100 one of the best shows of the season", stated Mark Keas, President of MDI Marketing. "Fans are encouraged to take advantage of an additional $2.00 off on-line discount coupon codes that are available exclusively at these participating NAPA stores."



Jeff Hillock of Cedar Hills, UT enters the event leading the point standings by 31-points over Steve Jones of Meridian. Jones is the defending series champion and makes his home in Meridian but has only been an occasional competitor at the speedway over the years. Through four races, Hillock has one win, three top five and all four finishes in the top ten while Jones has one finish outside the top ten after a distributor broke in the opening event this season.



Several long-tow participants continue to support this series. Thane Alderman out of Las Vegas, NV has been a regular on the series for the past four seasons and picked his third career series victory here at Meridian Speedway last September. Alderman is currently mired down in 12th place in the standings after several mechanical issues this year.



Devin Lahorgue from Redding, CA will also visit Meridian Speedway for the first time this weekend and is currently outside the top ten in the 13th position. Dan Rhodes out of Olympia, WA returns the series this weekend after picking up the victory June 11 down at Magic Valley Speedway in Twin Falls. The start this weekend will be Rhodes' third start in the series.



Former Meridian Speedway competitor Dylan Caldwell returns town this weekend from his new home in North Carolina. Caldwell was a regular in the RMCS the past two seasons and a former track competitor at Meridian Speedway.



Former two-time series champion Dave Minegar of Boise will also return to the series this weekend making his first start of the season. Minegar, will make his 60th career series start piloting the #99 Minegar Racing Chevrolet. Minegar is also the track record holder at Meridian Speedway with a quick lap of 13.145 seconds and leads the series with 23 career Sharp Powder Coating Fast Time Awards. Minegar also has six career wins along with 23 top five and 43 top ten performances.



Craig Bell out of Kuna who cut his racing teeth at Meridian Speedway will also be back in action after a long layoff. Bell will be driving the #25 normally driven by Lonnie Lowder. Bell is a former Meridian Speedway winner in RMCS action and has 33 top five and 43 top ten performances to go along with five series victories.



Previous series winners at Meridian Speedway include Thane Alderman, Brett Thompson, Craig Bell, Jeff Jefferson, Tyler Monroe, Tom Hill, Chad Cannon, Zan Sharp and Dave Minegar who picked up the first series victory at Meridian back in 2005.



While Jeff Hillock and Steve Jones battle for the top spot in the standings, Zan Sharp, who is also a two-time series champion, has moved into the third position 39-points behind Jones with Lynn Hardy and Bruce Quale rounding out the top five. John Wong from Parma sits sixth in the standings followed by Eric Rhead, Jim Wulfenstein, Lonnie Lowder, and John Newhouse rounding out the top ten. Local Meridian star John Nesmith sits 11th in the standings just one point out of tenth.



Engineered Structures Inc (ESI) based in Meridian has again sponsored the ESI Lap Leader Award paying $5 per green flag lap led to all competitors this season. Through four races, Jeff Hillock holds the top spot with 97 laps led followed by Lynn Hardy (67), John Newhouse (65), Dan Rhodes (39), and Steve Jones rounding out the top five (35). In total, there have been 14 different lap leaders this season.



Devin Lahorgue out of Redding, CA leads the A-1 Heating and Air Conditioning Rookie of the Year standings by one point over Meridian's Tyler Bailey.



The RMCS action gets underway at 5:30 MT with qualifying along with a whole host of local racing action featuring several racing divisions. With series regulars geared to get on track and battle for the championship, series icons returning to the series, new faces highlighting the action this season, and a host of local competitors on hand, the the NAPA Auto Parts Treasure Valley "100" is expected to be one of the best and highly competitive racing events of the season.







The RMCS utilizes a racing format not found in ANY other regional touring series around the country. The RMCS inverts the full starting field putting the fast qualifiers at the back to start the race. This format ensures race fans see what they paid for and that is passing. Each driver is awarded three points per position gained in the event. Points are also awarded for qualifying and heat race finishes. Through the history of the series, the winning driver has averaged a 15th place starting position. To ensure competition, the RMCS pays it purse based on total point accumulation for the event and provides several special performance awards at each race. Century Boatland in Twin Falls is a major sponsor to the series providing significant support to the series all season.



The CarbonX Rocky Mountain Challenge Series is a regional touring series that allows all competitors to race and gain experience on different types of racetracks. It is a high-quality professional racing series that offers maximum opportunity at an affordable price serving the intermountain West. The motto of the series is to “Race Hard and Have Fun!” For all the latest news and information regarding the CarbonX Rocky Mountain Challenge Series log on to our website at http://www.rmcsracing.com/  .



About CarbonX:

CarbonX® non-flammable fabrics offer the best level of fire and heat protection in flame-resistant clothing for the most extreme conditions. Based on patented blends of oxidized fibers, CarbonX is the only fabric able to withstand the direct flame of a blow torch without melting, igniting, or burning—even when exposed to the flame for up to 20 times longer than the leading competition. CarbonX flame-resistant fabrics also retain this level of persistence and protection against molten metal and arc flash, leaving it as the only choice for professionals working in conditions where safety matters most. Our non-flammable fabrics can be found in flame-resistant clothing for industrial, fire, motorsports and tactical industries, although its uses in safety are endless. CarbonX FR fabrics are the non-flammable fabrics that save lives—accept no substitute. Log onto http://www.carbonx.com/  for full details.

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