Fireworks are always a special treat at Colorado National Speedway, and thanks to General Air, we were able to give our fans an early 4th of July celebration on July 24th, 2023. Fans packed into the grandstands for an affordable night of electrifying racing and unparalleled family fun, and our drivers certainly put on a show to kick off Independence Day festivities.
Bella Flooring America Super Late Models
Feature 1 – 25 Laps
The first SLM feature was delayed for a while as track crews attended to a severe oil spill from the No. 46 of Eric Blackard during the warmup laps. After a lengthy cleanup, the No. 24 of Cody Dempster and the No. 82 of Michael Scott took the field to green. Dempster’s No. 24 assumed control, while Scott’s No. 82 fell back to defend second place. Meanwhile, the No. 89 of Zach Morris battled with the No. 22 of Chris Eggleston for fourth, ultimately sealing the deal and setting out after the leaders. Just eight laps in, Dempster’s No. 24 began to hit lapped traffic. Behind him, Eggleston’s No. 22 and Morris’s No. 89 reignited their battle for fourth, and this time, Eggleston’s No. 22 secured the position.
Meanwhile, still navigating around slower traffic, the gap between Dempster’s No. 24, the leader, and the No. 82 of Scott began to narrow. Eventually, this allowed the No. 08 of Jace Hansen to sneak up on them both and engage in a three-way battle for the top spot. Then, with just two laps left, the No. 08 of Hansen and the No. 82 of Scott were neck-and-neck for second place as they tried to reel in Dempster’s No. 24. In the throes of hard racing, the No. 82 of Scott got into the back of the No. 24 of Dempster in Turn 3, causing the latter to spin and prompting a caution. Understandably, Dempster, Hansen and Scott were not happy with each other following the incident.
Hansen’s No. 08 and Dempster’s No. 24 would then lead the field to green for the final restart. Hansen’s No. 08 got around Dempster’s No. 24 for the lead. Eggleston’s No. 22 took advantage of the dustup to nose into fourth place, putting pressure on Brett Yackey’s No. 32 for third, and eventually claiming the position at the line. Up front, Hansen’s No. 08 defended first place from the field, taking the SLM Feature 1 win.
Feature 2 – 80 Laps
Twenty SLMs took to the track for the second of two feature events, this time for an extended 80-lap race. Cassidy Hinds in the No. 3C and Kyle Ray in the No. 58 started on the front row, pulling the field across the line for the green. They battled side-by-side for the first lap, while the No. 43 of Kody Vanderwal and the No. 32 of Yackey battled for third. Hinds guided the No. 3C away with the lead, putting some distance between her rear bumper and the front of Ray’s No. 58. Behind them, the No. 22 of Eggleston got into the No. 24 of Dempster, sending the latter high and almost into the Turn 2 barrels. He exited the track while the caution flew, ultimately returning but unable to compete for the win. The restart put the No. 3C of Hinds and the No. 58 of Ray back on the front row, while Eggleston’s No. 22 and Yackey’s No. 32 fought for third behind them. Hansen’s No. 08 took control of fifth place on his way to the front, while Scott’s No. 82 continued to slice through the field on his way from a poor starting position in the back.
On Lap 15, a major incident unfolded, involving the No. 08 of Hansen, the No. 32 of Yackey, and the No. 89 of Zach Morris. Hansen and Yackey were trying to navigate around the No. 25 of Monty Skinner, who was running a lap down, causing Hansen’s No. 08 to spin and collect Morris’s No. 89, severely damaging both race cars. The No. 37 of Ethan Hunter also took on damage.
Hinds and the No. 3C once again led Ray and the No. 58 to the green flag, battling hard for the top spot. The No. 18 of Vecchiarelli muscled into fourth, entering three-way battle for second alongside the No. 22 of Eggleston and the No. 58 of Ray. Splitting Ray’s No. 58, Vecchiarelli put the No. 18 in second while Eggleston’s No. 22 settled into third. Vecchiarelli put the No. 18 next to the No. 3C of Hinds for the lead, demoting her to second place as Eggleston’s No. 22 reeled her in as well. Ray’s No. 58 fell back to battle with Yackey’s No. 32 for fourth, eventually ceding the position while Scott’s No. 82 surged past him as well. Unfortunately, just a few laps later, the engine in Ray’s No. 58 let go, billowing smoke and prompting the next caution of the night.
Eggleston’s No. 22 and Vecchiarelli’s No. 18 started side-by-side on Lap 38, allowing Vecchiarelli to claim the lead. Hinds’ No. 3C fell to defend fourth against Scott’s No. 82, ultimately losing another spot on the board. Things calmed down for a bit as they strung out behind Vecchiarelli’s No. 18 machine, who began to put car after car a lap down, all the way up to the eighth-place runner. Eggleston’s No. 22 tailed him by a wide gap as he navigated lapped traffic to a relatively tame finish, though the No. 61 of Matt Martinez swung high in Turn 4 but managed to hang onto his race car on the way to the checkers. Vecchiarelli flashed across the line in first, followed by Eggleston’s No. 22, and Scott’s No. 82 salvaged a third-place result after his charge from the rear.
Quick Time: No. 24, Cody Dempster, 16.108
Feature 1: No. 08, Jace Hansen
Feature 2: No. 18, Eddie Vecchiarelli
Matco Tools Pro Trucks
Dash – 10 Laps
The No. 85 of Jeff Walbaum snagged the lead from the No. 08 of Krystal Faulkingham on the first lap, who fell back to defend second place against the No. 16 of Travis Roe. Roe completed the pass and put the No. 16 truck after the No. 85 of Walbaum, and caught him halfway through the race. For the last few laps, Walbaum’s No. 85 and Roe’s No. 16 raced hard, side by side, for the lead. Walbaum’s No. 85 took over the outside lane and fended off a charge from Roe’s No. 16 to take the PT Dash win.
Fast Dash – 10 Laps
Brian Yackey in the No. 22 and Kody Vanderwal in the No. 43 made for a closely matched front row, as Yackey’s No. 22 barely held off the No. 43 of Vanderwal to lead the first lap. Cassidy Hinds put up a fight for second in the No. 3C against Vanderwal’s No. 43, while the No. 9 of Curtis Heldenbrand snagged fourth place from the No. 7 of Adam Deines. In front of them, the top three broke away from the rest, with Hinds’ No. 3C in third, following the No. 43 of Vanderwal and eventually pulling abreast of him. She made the pass on Lap 9, while Yackey claimed the Fast Dash win in the No. 22 truck.
Feature – 30 Laps
Sixteen trucks took the green for the PT Feature, headed by the No. 50 of Tyler Wiggans and the No. 9 of Heldenbrand. Hinds in the No. 3C and Vanderwal in the No. 43 fought hard for second behind them, while the No. 22 of Yackey gained the upper hand in a battle for fourth place. Wiggans put the No. 50 truck on the point, leading the No. 43 of Vanderwal and the No. 3C of Hinds as a close battle for sixth sorted out with the No. 33 of Tyler Davis and the No. 7 of Deines. Eventually, the battle for second was settled as well, putting the No. 3C of Hinds in front of the No. 43 of Vanderwal, while the No. 33 of Davis slipped into fifth place. Vanderwal’s No. 43 came under fire of Yackey’s No. 22, and the two made contact, but kept it together. Then, the No. 08 of Faulkingham spun on Lap 16, causing a caution.
Wiggans’ No. 50 and Hinds’ No. 3C took the green flag on the front row. Vanderwal got a piece of the action, pushing his No. 43 truck to make it a three-wide battle for first place. Hinds and the No. 3C backed out, allowing Wiggans’ No. 50 and Vanderwal’s No. 43 to continue the fight for the lead. Side by side, Vanderwal finally eked the No. 43 ahead of the No. 50 of Wiggans, bringing Yackey’s No. 22 through with him to claim second. The field was slowed, however, due to the No. 28 of Brian Weinmaster spinning in Turn 4 with five laps left.
On the restart, Vanderwal’s No. 43 lunged ahead of the No. 50 of Wiggans, who wound up in a fight for second against the No. 22 of Yackey. Hinds’ No. 3C and Davis’s No. 33 fought for fourth. Vanderwal’s No. 43 was able to check out with the race lead while Wiggans’ No. 50 and Yackey’s No. 22 were tied up in a battle for P2, which culminated in Yackey’s No. 22 getting sideways on the back stretch, relegating him to a third-place result. Vanderwal’s No. 43 claimed his third feature win in a row this season.
Quick Time: No. 3C, Cassidy Hinds, 17.243
Dash: No. 85, Jeff Walbaum
Fast Dash: No. 22, Brian Yackey
Feature: No. 43, Kody Vanderwal
Sunoco Race Fuels Grand American Modifieds
Dash – 10 Laps
The No. 49 of Chris Cox charged into the lead past the No. 52 of Jared Wall just five laps in, while the No. 77 of Bryan McKeever put pressure on Wall’s No. 52 for P2. While Cox checked out in the No. 49, the No. 7 of David Robinson and the No. 88 of Paul Himler fought for fourth place. Cox and the No. 49 claimed the Dash win.
Fast Dash – 10 Laps
Right away, the field took it three-wide for first, but it didn’t last long, as the No. 48P of Preston Peltier and the No. 24 of Nathan Gasser made contact on the front stretch, necessitating a red flag to clean things up. The No. 13S of Jordan Smith and the No. 3 of Jeremiah Hill commanded the front row for the second attempt at the start, although on Lap 3, the No. 51 of Kyle Clegg slipped outside and claimed first. Hill’s No. 3 fell victim to Ed Vecchiarelli’s No. 18 for second, and then the No. 6 of Scotty Scott also put him in the rearview, demoting the No. 3 of Hill to fourth. While Clegg’s No. 51 led, Hill’s No. 3 spun, but thankfully saved his race car from getting damaged.
Feature – 30 Laps
Scott’s No. 6 and Vecchiarelli’s No. 18 accounted for the front row in the GAM Feature. Vecchiarelli’s No. 18 barely got the advantage on the green flag, but before he could lay some distance between himself and the No. 51 of Clegg and the No. 6 of Scott, a yellow was waved for the No. 8H of Larry Hunter, who got together with the No. 55 of Damian Lockhart. On the restart, Scott’s No. 6 leaped ahead of Vecchiarelli’s No. 18, but kept him in a bumper lock for a few laps. Racing hard, Vecchiarelli’s No. 18 got sideways, falling victim to the No. 51 of Clegg as the latter took advantage of the slide to take second, and allowed the No. 89 of Jacob Smith and the No. 9 of CJ Wilson to catch him as well.
On Lap 11, Clegg searched for a way to throw the No. 51 around the No. 6 of Scott for the lead, but couldn’t make it stick until Lap 14, when he finally executed the pass. Vecchiarelli’s No. 18 maintained third behind Scott’s No. 6, while the No. 89 of Smith and the No. 9 of Wilson held down fourth and fifth – until he was spun due to contact with the No. 55 of Lockhart, who was a lap down at the time. He ultimately finished 19th, while Clegg’s No. 51 led Scott’s No. 6 across the line for the Feature win.
Quick Time: No. 48P, Preston Peltier, 17.915
Dash: No. 49, Chris Cox
Fast Dash: No. 51, Kyle Clegg
Feature: No. 51, Kyle Clegg
Pueblo Bank & Trust Super Stocks
Dash – 10 Laps
The No. 11W of Scott Long found himself under pressure from the No. 88 of Jacob Poole for the lead at the drop of the green flag. The field spanned behind them, staying trouble-free even as the No. 82 of Ian Clark exited the racing surface with issues. Long led a clean race in the No. 11W, winning with the No. 88 of Poole behind him.
Fast Dash – 10 Laps
The No. 49 of Chris Cox and the No. 9 of Brent Cave took the green from up front, trading the lead back and forth for a few laps before Cox took over in the No. 49. Meanwhile, the No. 23 of Jordan Abeyta and the No. 97 of Kyle Stidham, last year’s Rookie of the Year, fought for second place. Cox and the No. 49 checked out, leading the No. 23 of Abeyta across the line for the Fast Dash win.
Feature – 25 Laps
Abeyta’s No. 23 and Stidham’s No. 97 were on the front row, and the No. 97 of Stidham barely led the first lap over Abeyta’s No. 23. He held onto it as Cox’s No. 49 made a charge for second, but the field was then slowed as the No. 8 of Isaac Almaswari spun and caused a yellow. On the restart, the top three shook out as they had been before the caution, with Stidham’s No. 97 up front, followed by Abeyta’s No. 23 under pressure from Cox’s No. 49 for second. That wasn’t the only impressive showing, though, as the No. 15 of Jereme Wall clawed his way from midpack to sixth, then took fifth away from the No. 3 of Mike Cox.
Meanwhile, the No. 49 of Chris Cox took the lead from Stidham’s No. 97 on Lap 14, but could not shake the latter as they continued on. Meanwhile, the No. 15 of Wall continued his forward surge, going after the No. 9 of Cave for fourth, but the two made slight contact. They were able to stay out of trouble, though, and continued without incident. Then, with two to go, the No. 62 of Amber Giles spun but stayed off the racing surface. Cox’s No. 49 crossed the line in first, followed by the No. 97 of Stidham in second, the No. 23 of Abyeta in third, and Cave held off the No. 15 of Wall for fourth.
Quick Time: No. 97, Kyle Stidham, 19.656
Dash: No. 11W, Scott Long
Fast Dash: No. 49, Chris Cox
Feature: No. 49, Chris Cox
Witthar Racing Trains
An impressive field of six Trains took the green for the seven-lap feature, with the No. 80HD SNAFU taking off early. However, the No. 86 Last Call stayed tight on them for the lead, until on Lap 2, when a spectacular wreck forced a red flag. The No. 01 Dukes of Hazzard piled into the Turn 2 barrels, causing a lengthy cleanup. Once it was all sorted out at the race went green, the No. 80HD SNAFU still led, while the No. 86 Last Call couldn’t get started right away, leaving just three Trains out on track. Then, just the No. 80HD SNAFU and the No. 3 Anger Management remained, and it was No. 80HD SNAFU across the line first.
Feature: No. 80HD, SNAFU
OFFICIAL RESULTS
Super Late Model Feature 1 - 25 Laps
08 Jace Hansen - Evans
24 Cody Dempster - Parker
22 Chris Eggleston - Erie
32 Brett Yackey - Greeley
89 Zach Morris - Greenwood Village
43 Kody Vanderwal - LaSalle
58 Kyle Ray - Littleton
3C Cassidy Hinds (R) - Arvada
18 Eddie Vecchiarelli - Brighton
61 Matt Martinez - Parker
12 Bruce Yackey - Greeley
29 Matt Brunker - Lakewood
07 Daniel Mares - Aurora
37 Ethan Hunter - CO Springs
82 Michael Scott - Hillsdale, WY
09 Than Alderman - Las Vegas, NV
16 Steve Mills - CO Springs
3 John Negri III - Byers
25 Monty Skinner - Conifer DNS - 46 Eric Blackard (R) - Lakewood
Super Late Model Feature 2 - 80 Laps
18 Eddie Vecchiarelli - Brighton
22 Chris Eggleston - Erie
82 Michael Scott - Hillsdale, WY
32 Brett Yackey - Greeley
3C Cassidy Hinds (R) - Arvada
43 Kody Vanderwal - LaSalle
12 Bruce Yackey - Greeley
29 Matt Brunker - Lakewood
61 Matt Martinez - Parker
09 Thane Alderman - Las Vegas, NV
07 Daniel Mares - Aurora
16 Steve Mills - CO Springs
25 Monty Skinner - Conifer
89 Zach Morris - Greenwood Village
3 John Negri III - Byers
58 Kyle Ray - Littleton
46 Eric Blackard (R) - Lakewood
37 Ethan Hunter - CO Springs
08 Jace Hansen - Evans
24 Cody Dempster - Parker
Pro Trucks - 30 Laps
43 Kody Vanderwal - LaSalle
50 Tyler Wiggans - CO Springs
33 Tyler Davis - Thornton
22 Brian Yackey - Greeley
3C Cassidy Hinds - Arvada
7 Adam Deines - Longmont
16 Travis Roe - Thornton
9 Curtis Heldenbrand - Firestone
85 Jeff Walbaum - Brighton
08 Krystal Faulkingham - Westminster
88 Paul Himler - Erie
11 Steve Johnson - Loveland
28 Brian Weinmaster - Brighton
88S Brad Skufca (R) - Greeley
71 Tim Duvall - Denver
5W Troy Witthar - Arvada
Grand American Modifieds - 30 Laps
51 Kyle Clegg - Westminster
6 Scotty Scott - Arvada
18 Ed Vecchiarelli - Brighton
89 Jacob Smith - Littleton
41 Eric Vos - Wheatridge
49 Chris Cox - Brighton
13S Jordan Smith (R) - Littleton
5 Scott Miller (R) - Hudson
69 Forest Smith - Bellvue
52 Jared Wall (R) - Commerce City
77 Bryan McKeever (R) - Penrose
88 Paul Himler - Erie
8H Larry Hunter - Englewood
2 Steve Rodenbaugh - Rapid City, SD
7 David Robinson - Johnstown
55 Damian Lockhart (R) - Hudson
3 Jeremiah Hill - Walsenburg
22 Travis Rudolph - Thornton
9 CJ Wilson - Penrose
8 Benjamin Stanley (R) - Thornton
13 Darin Clark - Cheyenne, WY DNS 48P Preston Peltier - Brighton DNS 24 Nathan Gasser - Fort Lupton DNS 17 Holly Clark - CO Springs
Super Stocks - 25 Laps
49 Chris Cox - Brighton
97 Kyle Stidham - Brighton
23 Jordan Abeyta - Denver
9 Brent Cave - Brighton
15 Jereme Wall - Commerce City
3 Mike Cox - Englewood
99JR - Ryan Raley Jr - Bennett
21 Chris Nelson - Arvada
11W Scott Long - Lyman, NE
90 Alex Rodriguez - Phoenix, AZ
OH7 Adam Hilton - Brighton
82 Ian Clark (R) - Wheat Ridge
5C Kyle Carrasco - Hudson
88 Jacob Poole - Evans
M60 Morris Christner - Elizabeth
8 Isaac Almaswari - Brighton
62 Amber Giles - Fort Collins DNS 3.2 Robert Davey - Roggen DNS 13 Brandon Claiborn - Lafayette
Trains - 7 Laps
80HD SNAFU - Hudson
3 Anger Management - Henderson
86 Last Call - Commerce City
41G J&H Livestock's Funny Farm
151 Crazy Train - Commerce City
01 Dukes of Hazard - Commerce City