CNS Staff
Sep 25, 2016
Updated: Mar 11, 2022
(09-24-2016 Dacono, CO) The second to last race of the season was capped off with wild racing and the crowning of 4 different champions on Lincoln College Championship Night at CNS. Young Brett the “Maverick” Yackey proved his dominating season was no fluke as he swept the night’s events in the Late Models and secured the season championship. Justin Case’s consistent top 3 finishes propelled him to his second Grand American Modified championship in 3 years. Tyler Davis was crowned the 2016 Pure Stock champion while Jereme Wall absolutely dominated the Figure division winning his second straight championship.
Palomino Industries Late Models
Greeley Colorado’s Brett Yackey followed up his 2015 Palomino Industries Late Model Rookie of the Year season with a dominating 2016 season. The young star recorded an amazing 9 feature wins in 2016 easily winning the Late Model Championship adding to last season’s Super Stock Championship. Yackey could have easily cruised to the Championship without needing a big final night but the “Maverick” has a nose for the checkered flag and he finished 2016 with an exclamation point as he swept the night’s events. Yackey set quick time with a 17.842, won the fast dash and also won both the 20 lap feature event as well as the final 30 lap main event of the season. Yackey’s dominating performance this season clearly makes him one of the rising stars to watch in the coming years.
#32 Brett Yackey battles #3 Wade Grove (Starr photo)
Wade Grove finished 2nd in points and also had a strong final night coming home just behind Yackey in the final 30 lap feature. 3rd place in the final feature went to #11 Montie Paulsen from Pueblo West while #19 Robert Davey from Aurora and #49 Dennis Pobanz from Colorado Springs took home 4th and 5th.
Third place in points went to rookie driver Michael Valentine who struggled on the night after getting caught up in an early race wreck but that didn’t tarnish his brilliant season that easily secured him the 2016 Rookie of the Year Award.
Brett Yackey celebrates in winner’s circle at CNS (Starr photo)
30 LAP FEATURE: #32 Brett Yackey
20 LAP FEATURE: #32 Brett Yackey
FAST DASH: #32 Brett Yackey
DASH: #2 Rick Duckworth
QUICK TIME: #32 Brett Yackey 17.842
CHAMPION: #32 Brett Yackey
Rookie of the Year: #18 Michael Valentine
SUNOCO Fuels Grand American Modifieds
#44 Justin Case from Brighton only won 1 SUNOCO Race Fuels Grand American Modified feature event in 2016 but also recorded 6 top 3 finishes which catapulted him to his second GAM championship in 3 years. Case’s consistent high finishes were the key to winning the GAM title as 6 different drivers won features in 2016 proving that the Grand American Modifieds are one of the more competitive divisions at CNS.
The final feature of 2016 appeared to be all but in the bag for #58 Kyle Ray who snuck by early race leader #55 Gary Land and built a massive lead on the field. A late race caution allowed #48 Eddie Vecchiarelli a shot at Ray for the lead and the fans prepared for what promised to be a great battle to the finsih. Unfortunately for Ray he blew his motor and left the track in a massive cloud of white smoke.
#44 Justin Case on his way to winning his second championship in 3 years (Starr photoO
With Ray out of the picture Eddie Vecchiarelli cruised to the win followed by Ron O’Neil from Colorado Springs who had a great 2016 campaign taking home the runner-up spot in the season standings. 3rd place went to Parker Colorado’s John Seely in the black #66 car while #84 Aaron Paulsen from Pueblo West finished 4th. The final spot in the top 5 went to #88 Jeff Walbaum from Brighton who also ended up 3rd in points. The 2016 Rookie of the Year went to Gary Land in the #55 car who earlier in the night won his DASH race.
Eddie Vecchiarelli celebrates in winner’s circle (Starr photo)
FEATURE: #48 Eddie Vecchiarelli Jr.
FAST DASH: #44 Justin Case
DASH: #55 Gary Land
QUICK TIME: #58 Kyle Ray 17.302
CHAMPION: #44 Justin Case
Rookie of the Year: #55 Gary Land
Lincoln College Pure Stocks
Michael Matthiesen in the #31 car won a wild Lincoln College Pure Stock main event that featured dramatic 4-wide racing for several laps at the start of the race. To secure the win Matthiesen had to hold off a pair of #99 cars of Sam Messerli and Ryan Raley Jr both from Thornton Colorado. It was Matthiesen’s first ever feature win in the Pure Stocks capping off a great season as he finished 3rd in the season point standings.
#31 Michael Matthiesen navigates traffic to grab his first Pure Stock win (Starr photo)
Taking the 2016 Pure Stock Championship was 16 year old Tyler Davis in the #33 El Camino who won 4 feature events on the season. Davis had mechanical problems on the night which didn’t allow him to take the initial green flag and therefore he received no points for the feature but in the end it didn’t matter as he still finished 24 points ahead of Jamie Ward in the #21 car. Now that Davis is a Pure Stock champ he will be forced to move out of the division next season and it appears that he has chosen the Pro Truck division for his next challenge.
#33 Tyler Davis is the 2016 Pure Stock champions
FEATURE: #31 Mike Matthiesen
FAST DASH: #4 Mike Steward
DASH: 21J Jeremy Jackson
QUICK TIME: #7 David Robinson 20.291
CHAMPION: #33 Tyler Davis
Chick-Fil-A Figure 8s
The Chick-Fil-A Figure 8s prepare to take the green flag (Starr photo)
Jereme Wall’s incredible 11 race win streak dating back to August 2015 came to an end when his brother Jared held him off for the final two laps of the last Chick-Fil-A Figure 8 feature of the year. Jereme intentionally started a full corner behind the field of 16 cars and worked his way to the front to finish second behind his brother in the #52 car. Jared grabbed the lead from 27x Luke Zike who had passed #81 “Hot Rod” Dave Smith a couple laps earlier. As Jereme worked through the field he got stuck behind #50 Justin Mckeachie who did a great job holding off the #15 car for several laps.
But in the end it was Jared “Wally” Wall taking the win with Jereme right on his tail. Mckeachie snagged 3rd position and Luke Zike and Brent Cave were 4th and 5th.
#52 Jared Wall holds off his brother Jereme Wall breaking his 11 race win streak (Starr photo)
The 2nd place finish was just icing on the cake for Wall who had a dream season winning every feature event except this one as he cruised to his second consecutive Figure 8 championship. #4 Sean Smith finished 6th in the standings which will make him the 2016 Figure 8 Rookie of the Year.
FEATURE: #52 Jared Wall
FAST DASH: #4 Sean Smith
DASH: #67 Keith Swenson
CHAMPION: #15 Jereme Wall
Rookie of the Year: #4 Sean Smith
30 Lap Late Model Feature
Pos No. Name Hometown
1. 32 Brett Yackey Greeley
2. 3 Wade Grove Thronton
3. 11 Montie Paulsen Pueblo West
4. 19 Robert Davey Aurora
5. 49 Dennis Pobanz Colorado Springs
6. 16 Ryan McFadden Divide
7. 88 Brent Miller Brighton
8. 28 Alan Carter Commerce City
9. 6 Jason Sharp (R) Fountain
10. 27 Wendi Lewis Johnstown
11. 17d Dave Deines Frederick
12. 1G Dale Geist
13. 75 Emilio Abeyta Denver
14. 18 Mike Valentine (R) Gering
15. 30 Jan Oxley Ft Lupton
16. 2 Rick Duckworth
17. 29 Rayshawn Carter Commerce City
20 Lap Late Model Feature
Pos No. Name Hometown
1. 32 Brett Yackey Greeley
2. 88 Brent Miller Brighton
3. 17d Dave Deines Frederick
4. 49 Dennis Pobanz Colorado Springs
5. 75 Emilio Abeyta Denver
6. 11 Montie Paulsen Pueblo West
7. 19 Robert Davey Aurora
8. 1G Dale Geist
9. 3 Wade Grove Thronton
10. 27 Wendi Lewis Johnstown
11. 30 Jan Oxley Ft Lupton
12. 29 Rayshawn Carter Commerce City
13. 28 Alan Carter Commerce City
14. 18 Mike Valentine (R) Gering
15. 16 Ryan McFadden Divide
16. 6 Jason Sharp (R) Fountain
17. 2 Rick Duckworth
Grand American Modifieds
Pos No. Name Hometown
1. 48 Eddie Vecchiarelli Brighton
2. 0 Ron ONeil Colorado Springs
3. 66 John Seely Parker
4. 84 Aaron Paulsen Pueblo West
5. 88 Jeff Walbaum Brighton
6. 44 Justin Case Brighton
7. 59 Charlie Wilson Primrose
8. 57B Brady Balderston Parker
9. 51 Joe Mares Jr (R) Aurora
10. 55 Gary Land (R) Littleton
11. 13 Darin Clark Cheyenne
12. 42 Eric Bowers Colo Springs
13. 44s Clint Schubert (R) Calhan
14. 58 Kyle Ray Littleton
DNS 72 Ryan Higgs (R) Lakewood
DNS 94 Kyle Morse Peyton
Pure Stocks
Pos No. Name Hometown
1. 31 Michael Matthiesen Dacono
2. 99S Sam Messerli Thornton
3. 99R Ryan Raley Jr Thornton
4. 21J Jeremy Jackson Lakewood
5. 21 Jamie Ward Denver
6. 03 Tyler Mander Evans
7. 86 Tim Coate Littleton
8. 98 Natalie Phelps Cheyenne
9. 77 Michael Merchant LaSalle
10. 26 Josh Friberg Westminster
11. 5 Zayne Tatro Northglenn
12. 45 Rebecca Simpson Co Springs
13. 16 Chris Hageman Arvada
14. 02 Chandani Raley Thornton
15. 00x Jake Fitzgerald Longmont
16. 17j Lynette Hoselton Denver
17. 3 Brian Lengvenas Thornton
18. 38D Jesse Davis Thornton
19. 96R Rhonda Miller Severance
20. 17 Elizabeth Beierle Platteville
21. 29G Justin Griffin Greeley
22. 7 David Robinson Johnstown
23. 4 Mike Steward Thornton
24. 8 David Lewis Firestone
DNS 33 Tyler Davis Lafayette
Figure 8s
Pos No. Name Hometown
1. 52 Jared Wall Commerce City
2. 15 Jereme Wall Commerce City
3. 50 Justin McKeachie Aurora
4. 27x Luke Zike Arvada
5. 9 Brent Cave Thornton
6. 4 Sean Smith (R) Littleton
7. 67 Keith Swenson Byers
8. 5 Curtis Chavez (R) Loveland
9. 87 Bill Farris Englewood
10. 01 Michael Haywood Greeley
11. 17 Harry Livermore Jr. Denver
12. 44 Jerome Hohn Jr. Denver
13. 81 David Smith Englewood
14. 13 Frank Gastineau Denver
15. 11 Joe Gastineau Denver
DNS 19 Phil Taylor Commerce City