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IHRS General Membership Elect 2026 Board

Meridian, Idaho – October 8, 2025 – The Idaho Historical Racing Society General Membership met for there October meeting Tuesday night and held elections for officers and board members for the next year. The new officers will assume office in November and serve a term for 1 year.

Elected to the Executive Board: President – Brent Arte, Vice President – Bill Adams, remaining in the Secretary position – Riley Roberts, and Treasurer – Monica Heath.

Returning to the Board of Directors: Steve Casteel, Brent Kuhl, and Don Kithcart. Andrew Palmer and Becky Palmer are newly elected Board of Directors. Monte Tish and Kevin Anthony were elected as At Large Board Members. Joe Shull, Outgoing President and one of founding members of the IHRS, elevated to Emeritus Board Member Status by unanimous vote of the outgoing board.

The next General Membership meeting will be held at the Beer Barn at Meridian Speedway, October 28, 2025 at 7pm.

Western Idaho Racing Hall of Fame/Humanitarian Achievement Award Banquet Tickets on Sale

Meridian, Idaho – October 8, 2025 – Tickets for the 2025 WIR HoF /IHRS Humanitarian Achievement Award went on sale last night at the October General Membership Meeting. This Years Banquet honoring Hall of Fame Inductees: Kirk Wartman, Dave Parrie, Steve Casteel and Brent Arte and Awarding Marti Hill the 2025 IHRS Humanitarian Achievement award.

The event will take place at The Lake Side Barn 13067 Lake Shore Dr, Nampa, ID. The event will start with Cocktails at 5pm. Dinner will be provided by the Walking Sombrero at 6:15 with the Induction Ceremony to follow.

Tickets are on sale now, $25.00 per person. There is a limited number of seats available. If you wish to attend contact an IHRS Board Member.

Idaho Historical Racing Society Names 2025 Humanitarian Achievement Award Recipient

Meridian, Idaho, August 8, 2025 – What an amazing week it has been honoring some great members of our racing family, today we honor one more.

Stan Fuller, Steve Towery, Joe Shull, and Brent Arte, in 2004 started honoring certain members of our community with the Idaho Historical Racing Society Humanitarian Achievement Award. Many deserving recipients have put their name on that list, and today, we add one more that is very deserving. The 2025 Idaho Historical Racing Society Humanitarian Achievement Award goes to a gentleman that was a member of the Meridian Dairy Board for nearly three decades. While he was on that board he definitely was a link between the dairy board and Meridian Speedway, a huge part of the dairy farming community, south of town you could always find this gentleman growing his crops tending to his animals and moving agriculture forward in the treasure valley. From 1988 to 2002, this gentleman was the pace car driver every Saturday night at Meridian Speedway working for Ken Hamilton. It was always a Saturday night tradition to see him helping with open wheel cars getting ready to be fired up for the big race rolling out of turn number three. As chairman of the Meridian City and Rural fire department, he was active in assisting and coordinating whenever the Ada County paramedics were on site for the races. He was the one everyone depended on to talk to dispatch as the paramedics and EMS would be attending to a driver or someone that was in need of their assistance. He would make those decisions if we needed to upgrade to fire or EMS in the event of an accident, which is definitely a very important and pivotal part of the Saturday night show at Meridian Speedway.

Away from the racetrack, he was a third generation dairy farmer, and this is something he was very proud of and kept him very involved in the community outside of our circle track. Upon his retirement, when the time came to start selling off pieces of the property that his family had farmed for generations, he did the most generous thing anybody could ever do, donating 15 Acres to the development of Hillsdale Park and land for the new South Meridian YMCA to be built on, for future generations of the City of Meridian. As we look back at the support and keeping the shows running at Meridian Speedway and being a vital part of our local community both agriculturally and in the auto racing world, we all remember this gentleman helping with the trophy girls, driving the pace car and making sure everyone that needed assistance was taken care of in a timely and sufficient fashion. So when you think of someone that has given so much to the dairy community and the agricultural community in our city, and then found the time to be a vital part of keeping things rolling during a Saturday night racing show in the ’80s and 90s and into the 2000s, and then after all the hard work, all the labor, and all the hours he put in to both the racing and agriculture he decides to hand over a huge portion of his land for future generations to come. As we look and see what the humanitarian Achievement Award really means, I think we are all in agreement that is those people that support racing, those people that keep our community vibrant and moving forward, it is those people who deserve to be recognized by the Idaho Historical Racing Society as a recipient of the 2025 Humanitarian Achievement Award, so it is our honor to wrap up this amazing week that we’ve had and introducing you to the 2025 Idaho Historical Racing Society Humanitarian Achievement Award winner…

Marti Hill

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The Final Member of the Western Idaho Hall of Fame Class of 2025 is…

Meridian, Idaho, August 7, 2025 – It’s Thursday, and that means it is time to introduce to you our fourth and final 2025 Western Idaho Racing Hall of Fame inductee, and this is a big one!

This final inductee has been a long-time competitor, a member of our racing associations and community, he has been an official, a crew member, and a car builder. He has done this on both a local and regional level and has received many many awards while doing this. The passion this gentleman has for the sport is shown in many ways, with many people, over his lifetime. As a long-time member of the Western Idaho Racing Association and the Idaho Historical Racing Society, this gentleman has shown his support for our racing community and our competitors in numerous ways. Starting his racing career in 1978, along with help from Glen, Tom, and Bob Naylor, he was given a jalopy car that definitely needed lots of love. Along with his crew and learning how this whole racing thing worked, he made his first race in the Easter Seals Benefit of 1978. Building and racing street stocks for over 3 years he then had a great opportunity to rebuild a Lloyd Winters Sprint car, and raced in the Super 6 class for one season before moving into the class where the majority of us remember him, the midgets. He had a great opportunity to drive a Bowers stock car a few times while going to college as well, which was a highlight of his career. While doing all of this, helping and learning and driving, he found time to help Davey Hamilton and Ron Bernard build and fabricate race car parts and race cars. Our inductee and his father acquired a Curtis chassis built in 1948, a midget car that he was excited to race, although he would rather have had something more up to date, it was all they could afford and in the end he realized that this was going to teach him how to set up a race car and hopefully make him a better driver, which we all know it definitely did. He had an opportunity in the late 80s to drive a midget for Maggards, and a lot of us remember that crazy night, with a spectacular scary crash down the front stretch of Meridian Speedway. Throughout his career and lifetime he had the amazing opportunity to drive cars for people like Ed Kopple, Don Bowers, Dwayne Dillon, Ken Hamilton, Rick Rule, Courtney Lewis and Mike Burtz, Rick Cameron, Don Newman, Tom Joyce, and Jim Birges along with the late Mike Elliott. Moving into the mid-90s, this gentleman had an opportunity to run a sprint car for Ken Hamilton and Don Newman. In over 100 plus career starts, he only had one DNF, he was in the top four qualifying at every event he entered. One highlight of his career, while driving for Ken Hamilton, was that he had the opportunity to race the Little 500 in Anderson, Indiana. Obviously with an amazing career, and the way he helped each and every driver and competitor that he came across, the awards piled up, he was a two-time Energy Release Choice of Champions recipient, too many Mechanic of the Year Awards to count, he was the Diamond Cup feature winner in the sprint car versus super modified showdown. He also tied twice for the overall Diamond Cup Championship. Many main event wins, and tons of quicktime awards were a regular event for this driver, but in every class that he drove chasing championships, he was always the best bridesmaid of the bunch. Jumping into super modifieds, he was ultra successful. He had multiple quick times and many top three finishes. And every year that he ran a super modified, he finished in the top three in points. As he made his way through his career he also enjoyed helping other teams get better, and get to victory lane, some of the great names that he had a part of their success are Kyle and Andy Alberding, Craig Bell, Dave Minegar, Tom Hill, Davey and Kenny Hamilton, Jim Birges, Jerry Bowers, and John Newhouse. Also spending many years as a tech official for the Rocky Mountain Challenge Series and the SRL series, he was a fabricator and built many new tools for lots of other racing series over the years. After stepping away from the driver’s seat around 2010, he enjoyed helping all racers with whatever they needed, always lending some advice, lending a hand, and sharing that smile. One of his proudest moments in his racing career was stepping out of the driver’s seat and spending many countless hours with his daughter, Aubree, helping her learn the sport in all facets and helping her be successful in her career as well, making family memories that can never be replaced. This passion for racing still finds him at a race track, helping people, chatting with his friends in whatever class they may be in, and still willing to lend that helping hand. From 1978 until today he spent many hours in the shop to find the better mousetrap! How to make the sport better and go faster. As we wrap up our list of inductees for 2025, no one is more deserving than this gentleman, a true racer, a true friend, amazing man, and just an all-around great human being. As race fans we get to meet our heroes, sometimes if we’re lucky we get to chat with our heroes, and sometimes we even get to become friends and a racing family member with those heroes, all of us that are friends with this year’s inductee are lucky enough to be all of the above. It is our honor to introduce to you 2025 Western Idaho racing Hall of Fame inductee…

Kirk Wartman

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The Third 2025 Western Idaho Racing Hall of Fame Inductee Is…

Meridian, Idaho, August 6, 2025 – Happy Wednesday, Race fans! It’s time to introduce you to our third 2025 WIR Hall of Fame Inductee. And we are all honored and lucky to have known and cheered on this guy over the years! Our next Hall of Fame member has been a staple not only at our local race tracks but around the west and beyond for over four decades. He has taken over 400 green flags in eight different states, at 20 different race tracks, racing in eight different classes, both on dirt and asphalt tracks. His list of Main Event wins is well over 50 in the street stocks, super 6s, Wing Sprint cars, and the amazingly fast super modifieds. A hero, a competitor, and a hell of a great guy, he has a long list of racetracks that he says are his favorites, of course on that list is Meridian Speedway, but he is always happy to talk about Irwindale, Phoenix, Magic Valley Speedway, Indianapolis Raceway Park, Lovelock Nevada Raceway, Roseburg Oregon had a race track that he loved, and always loves making the trip to Great Falls, Montana. Aside from his amazing racing career this inductee has made it a point to mentor, train, sponsor, and help many many young drivers take the next step in local short track racing right here in the Treasure Valley over the years. He takes his hard-earned money and he will sponsor laps, he will sponsor special fast time and hard charger awards, he does track sponsorship, all of this pulling some hard-earned cash out of his pocket, handing it to the promoter or track manager, all for the good of the sport. This is all on top of him building owning and driving many different race cars in many different classes over his lifetime. As an owner, 10 different drivers have strapped into his cars, and some of the names are legendary and some of them will be, the list includes Kenny Hamilton, Dave Brodigan, Van Graves, Brian Shafer, Randy Anderson, Justin Segura, Ryan Newman, Tony Ackerland, Jimmy Hamilton Jr., and he is currently mentoring and paving the way for young Jacob Smith to go sprint car racing. Aside from being a driver, car owner, and mentor, he was also the president of the Western Idaho Racing Association in the ’80s, he promoted and ran the Super Oval Speedway, later known as Chaparral Speedway, for two seasons. Always the most beautiful race cars you’ll see at a racetrack ,he puts his heart his soul and his passion into making his cars shine and stand out, many best looking car wins, you could always find one of his cars at a car show, in a parade, or hanging out in front of one of the businesses that sponsor him, as he promotes the races that he is about to be a part of that upcoming weekend. And if he’s not doing that he always has his spot in the North End grandstands at Meridian Speedway with his friends & his family cheering on the drivers, and he is always in the pits after the races congratulating all the drivers talking to everyone and always staying connected with his racing family and friends. A business owner, a family man, a friend, a competitor, and all of us are very “Lucky” to have gotten to know him and be a part of his life and career. Please honor us in introducing the newest member of the 2025 Western Idaho Racing Hall of Fame….

“Mr Lucky” Dave Parrie

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Second 2025 Western Idaho Racing Hall of Fame Inductee Announced This Morning

Meridian, Idaho, August 5, 2025 – Today we progress to our second of four Western Idaho Racing Hall of Fame inductees for 2025! If you would like to nominate future inductees, all you have to do is become an active member of the IHRS and submit a nomination, and the nomination stays valid for 3 full years.

Our second well deserved inductee is Brent Arte!

Brent’s involvement with racing started when he was a young boy, spending every Saturday night with his father enjoying a foot long hotdog and watching his heroes at Meridian Speedway. Brent finally got involved with racing himself, but most of his time and money was spent on go karts with his kids. Brent eventually took the position of an announcer at Meridian Speedway and for over 20 years he has kept the crowd informed, engaged and entertained!

Brent is the kind of announcer that you want, as he is not doing the job just to hear himself talk. His goal is to make sure the fan has a good experience and understands what is happening Brent has done so much behind the scenes chasing down sponsorships and helping make sure that Meridian Speedway and Magic Valley Speedway run smooth every Saturday

Brent gives freely of his time and quite often gets very little if any monetary pay, but he will tell you in a heartbeat he would do it all for free if need be. On any given weekend,you will find him at either of the Hwy 16 LLC tracks, maybe at a the Motorplex at the Mill, or possibly one of the dirt go kart tracks .

Brent has served many years with the Western Idaho Racing Association , one of the founders of the IHRS, Brent had also been a key player in several Internet based racing related shows promoting racing in Idaho. His level of commitment and lack of selfishness is exactly what the WIR Hall of Fame is all about.

Please welcome our next WIR Hall of Fame Member

Brent Arte

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Western Idaho Racing Hall of Fame Inductees Announced This Week

Meridian, Idaho, August 4, 2025 – It’s that time of year again, The Idaho Historical Racing Society and the Western Idaho Racing Hall of Fame committee have gathered the nominations for the 2025 Hall of Fame Inductees. If you would like to nominate future possible inductees, all you need to do is become a member of the society and you can submit your nomination, the nominee will be on the ballot for 3 years, at that time if not voted in, the person can be nominated again! This year, four amazing ambassadors to our sport and our community are being inducted… we start with an amazing friend, racer, official, and mentor……

Our first inductee has spent his life as a devoted racer, fan, Western Idaho Racing Association president , executive board member, track and touring series official. His impact on new racers and growing the sport his passion. Notably, as president of the Western Idaho Racing Association, he negotiated what has been called the greatest season in Southern Idaho racing history, with the joining of Meridian and Chaparral Speedways for one full combined championship. His work as a vital member of the Rocky Mountain Challenge Series helped fuel the growth of that Premier late model touring division. The Intermountain Pro 4 challenge series, the Northwest Sprint car series, the Royal Purple modified series, and the Intermountain Outlaw Modified Series have all benefited from his leadership, his knowledge, and his commitment. Currently the race director at Magic Valley Speedway, revitalizing that racetrack as well, Probably one of the most overdue recipients of being added to the Hall. He joins his best friend Dan Breach as an inductee, It is our honor to introduce the 2025 Western Idaho Racing Hall of Fame Inductee…

Steve “Spanky” Casteel

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We remind our great members to renew their memberships for 2025. We have progressed a lot in the past year as we were able to purchase an enclosed trailer to store and show past racing memorabilia, we were able to have the trailer wrapped and we are now working on the interior at this time. IHRS also uses the funds to send flowers or funds to our racing family members when we all together, as the society, pay respect. We invite all our “motorhead” family to join us to continue our endeavors. You can join as a member of IHRS for only $25.00 a year! With your membership, you get discounts for some of the IHRS activities, have the right to nominate and vote for the yearly officers and/or be an officer yourself, you also can nominate people that you feel should in the WIR Hall of Fame. We also have the “Checkered Flag Club” that makes you a lifetime recognized donor on our board displayed in the trailer at this time. You can join the club as a Bronze member for $250+, Silver for $500+ or Gold for $1000 +. If you paid your 2025 membership already, we appreciate you joining us!

To join us, go to our website www.Idahohrs.com and fill out the form. We offer the use of Venmo or PayPal to pay on the site. You can also attend a general membership meeting, see us at the tracks or contact one of our officers to get a membership form.

The Idaho Historical Racing Society was created to Preserve Idaho’s Racing Heritage. We want to educate future generations of racers and fans about the significant role racing has played in the state of Idaho and surrounding regions.
As a not-for-profit organization, we are funded entirely by membership, individual donations and private foundations.

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The Boise Roadster Show has come and gone, now the 2025 racing season is upon us! We are working on the trailer to have on display at the speedways and we hope that you will plan to stop by and see us! The 2025 IHRS membership is available to purchase and also if you want to join the Checkered Flag Club! All the proceeds go toward our endeavors to share our past racing and beyond!

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Come join us at the Boise Roadster Show! IHRS-Idaho Historical Racing Society will have the trailer on display at the front main entrance, stop by to see us and the trailer. We will be introducing ourselves to the general public (Motorheads) that will be attending the show. We hope to have success for our 2025 membership drive and looking for more members for our “Checker Flag Club”! Stop by and say hello, we love to see our racing family! 

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Keynote Speaker Slated for the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

Hall Of Fame & Humanitarian Award Induction Ceremony Announced

Meridian, Idaho – October 15, 2024 – The Idaho Historical Racing Society (IHRS) to honor Western Idaho Racing Hall of Fame and Humanitarian Award Inductees Saturday, November 23, 2024. The event will take place at The Lake Side Barn 13067 Lake Shore Dr, Nampa, ID. The event will start with Cocktails at 5pm. Dinner will be provided by the Walking Sombrero at 6pm with the Induction Ceremony to follow.

Due to reorganization the IHRS has not honored anyone since 2021 with the Humanitarian Award. This will be corrected this year with Stan Fuller and Joe Shull receiving the honor for 2022 and 2023, respectively. Both Stan and Joe are founding members of the IHRS. Both are still active with the society, Stan maintains our facebook account and Joe is the President. Our 2024 recipient is the Meridian Historical Preservation Committee. This group of 7 individuals worked tirelessly over the last decade to have Meridian Speedway listed in the National Registrar of Historic Places.

Tickets are on sale now, $25.00 per person. There is a limited number of seats available. If you wish to attend contact an IHRS Board Member.

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Western Idaho Racing Hall of Fame Inductees

Meridian, Idaho – August 10, 2024 – Today we are going to introduce you to our fourth and final 2024 Western Idaho Racing Hall of Fame inductee!

Meridian, Idaho – August 9, 2024 – Today we introduce you to our third inductee into the 2024 Western Idaho racing Hall of Fame

This gentleman is a staple at the tracks, as well as his name is etched in the history books at Meridian Speedway. Helping his dad wrench on a 64 Plymouth Belvedere drag car, he learned set up and mechanical skills at a young age. At 15 he got a Dodge Monaco Enduro car, and in his dad’s words, joined the “circle jerkers” of local short track racing at Meridian Speedway. One of his street stocks was famously known as the cow car, as he ripped it around the quarter mile every weekend, his daughter, racing a couple of years ago, in a late model replica of the original cow car to keep the family history alive. Winning multiple championships in several classes, racing at multiple tracks against the best in the west, breaking track records and way to many victories to count, he has had a huge impact on our racing community, way more than he even realizes

Meridian, Idaho – August 8, 2024 – Today we introduce you to our second inductee into the 2024 Western Idaho racing Hall of Fame.

This driver got the need for speed at age 10 and began racing go karts. He raced karts until he was 14 years old. He raced motorcycles at OMC winter and summer series for years, winning over 20 championships!

In 1990 he was the Junior National Champion in Sturgis, North Dakota. Also, at age 18 he began racing super sixes. He won the super 6 championship in 1995. In 1996 he moved on to super modifieds. He had 4 quick times and 5 race wins in his first year racing super mods. In 2002 and 2005 he won the diamond cup at Meridian Speedway. Racing Super modifieds was his dream. He didn’t always have the big funds other drivers had but he always said, “I drive what I have!” He was a fierce competitor winning races at several tracks over the years and was always a fan favorite. He was also a helpful competitor. Always willing to help other racers and lend parts out!