Cody Garrett was 2 months old when he first visited Meridian Speedway. He watched his dad, Robert (Bob) Garrett, race there, and his grandpa, Paul Garrett, raced in California. “I’m the third generation racing in my family,” says Cody, who started racing at Meridian Speedway in 2010. A Boise native, Cody says the racing culture and environment make it feel like his second home. Cody races mini stocks, and his car is a ’91 Honda CRX named Snowflake. “I’m most comfortable behind the wheel of a car,” Cody says. “It’s the adrenaline rush of passing closely, making moves within a split second.”
Cody won the 50-lap Mini Stock Series #1 feature race at Meridian Speedway on June 22, 2024, during the YMC Mechanical Idaho 208 & Fireworks event. But his biggest win is his 3-year-old daughter, Mya, who “loves going to the racetrack and seeing the racecars.” Maybe she will be the fourth generation of racer in the Garrett family.
That sense of generational connection runs throughout Meridian Speedway.
Built in 1951, the track initially operated as a dirt oval for local racing. Constructed by the Meridian Athletic Association to create a recreational center and help fund local youth sports and community projects, it quickly became popular and was paved in 1962. Located on Main Street in Meridian, the facility was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2024 for its role in local agriculture and recreation.
The motorsport race track hosts modified racing, late model racing, and other local-level events throughout the year. The track holds weekly races under NASCAR sanction. Hailie Deegan won her first NASCAR race at Meridian Speedway, becoming only the second female to win a NASCAR race.
For others, that connection to the Speedway began decades earlier.
“Meridian Speedway is a place that I hold close to my heart,” shares Brent Arte, a Meridian native who serves as an announcer and handles marketing for the track. “The Speedway is more than a five-acre piece of property in downtown Meridian.”
In the early ’80s, when Brent was about 5 or 6 years old, his father, Richard, introduced him to racing. “The Speedway became a spot for my father and me on a Saturday night after a long week of working on the farm, getting animals ready for fairs and shows,” Brent says. “My dad and I had the same seat every Saturday night.”
After a short racing career, Brent got the opportunity of a lifetime—to announce at the track. For nearly three decades, he has been announcing and bringing his five children to the racetrack. “My grandkids are now coming out to watch.”
“It truly is a part of your life, and everyone says racing is in your blood—well, that is 1 million percent true,” Brent says. “For one night a week, 28 weeks a year, we are all chasing the same dreams and following our passion.”
Along with being the announcer and television commentator for Meridian Speedway, and part-time at Magic Valley Speedway, Brent also hosts the Pitstop Podcast on Wednesdays on YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram to help build interest and support for the sport he loves—the sport that helped him grow as a man, a father, and a person.
“My dad passed away at 94 years old on February 11, and this will be the first time that I will be at the racetrack without my dad either being with me or asking how the races went when I went to see him on a Sunday,” Brent says. “Forty-plus years ago, my hero—my father—and I walked in that gate together. It is probably one of the most amazing things he did for me. For the first time, he’s got a front-row seat in heaven, and I just hope we all make him proud, the racers stay safe, and we have a great 2026.”