May 8, 2023

Fender-To-Fender Action Abound For Yukon Axe Chopping Fenders Night

05/08/23 ~ Dacono, CO

Close racing was the name of the game on Saturday, May 6th, 2023 at Colorado National Speedway, and the event certainly lived up to its name as drivers battled it out during the Yukon Axe Chopping Fenders night, our second weekend of the season. Cloud cover meant the weather was perfect for our fans, and the track was cool, serving as the perfect battleground for the GTI Services Late Models, Matco Tools Pro Trucks, AC Transmission Legends and Puzzle Effect Bandoleros.

Matco Tools Pro Trucks

Dash – 10 Laps

Right at the start, the PT field got bunched up heading into Turn 2, with the No. 28 of Brian Weinmaster in the middle of a three-wide battle for the lead with the No. 85 of Jeff Walbaum up high. Walbaum’s No. 85 would go on to win the Dash by barely a nose over the No. 16 of Travis Roe at the start/finish line after a three-wide battle with No. 28 truck of Weinmaster.

Fast Dash – 10 Laps

Another close race took place in the PT Fast Dash. This time, it was all about the No. 9 of Curtis Heldenbrand and the No. 22 of Brian Yackey, while the No. 43 of Kody Vanderwal took control of third place behind them. At the line, it was impossible to tell who’d made it ahead – even the scoring system had both the No. 22 of Yackey and the No. 9 of Heldenbrand dead even in a tie.

Feature - 30 Laps

Vanderwal’s No. 43 shot ahead of the pack in a hurry, while the No. 22 of Yackey tried to rein him in. Things stayed clear until about halfway through the race, when the No. 50 truck of Tyler Wiggans spun out in Turn 2, but thankfully he was able to gather it back up and continue without issue. Then, another incident unfolded with just six laps left. The No. 9 of Heldenbrand was involved, as was the No. 16 of Travis Roe, and Heldenbrand was sent to the rear as a result. Then, on the ensuing caution, a thick layer of oil was found on the racing surface, prompting officials to red flag the race to determine which truck was the culprit. Once the offending race truck was found, the race was able to restart.

Vanderwal’s No. 43 truck got out front again on the restart, while the No. 7 of Adam Deines looked to the inside of the No. 22 of Yackey for second place. They touched, but managed to keep their trucks under control. Behind them, a battle for fourth place shaped up between the No. 16 of Travis Roe and the No. 34 of Rudy Vanderwal. While Kody Vanderwal’s No. 43 led the field across the start/finish line, Yackey’s No. 22 secured second place, the No. 7 of Deines sorted out into third, followed by the No. 16 of Roe and the No. 33 of Tyler Davis.

Kody Vanderwal wins PT Race Colorado National Speedway 5-6-23

Dash: No. 85, Jeff Walbaum

Fast Dash: No. 9, Curtis Heldenbrand

Feature: No. 43, Kody Vanderwal

Quick Time: No. 43, Kody Vanderwal 16.908

GTI Services Late Models

Dash – 10 Laps

The No. 48 of Mikey Blackard started the LM Dash with the No. 5 of Del Trantham Jr. beside him on the front row. The two drivers fought cleanly throughout most of the race, even as the No. 30 of Jeremiah Hill went around by himself on the back stretch, staying low and clearing the leaders. Blackard’s No. 48 stayed ahead of the pack, and he secured his first Dash win of the 2023 LM season.

Fast Dash – 10 Laps

The No. 8 of Dan Alamaa easily sliced ahead of the No. 21 of Mike Gallegos for the LM Fast Dash, and the pack strung out two-by-two behind him as they divebombed through Turn 3. However, nobody had anything for the No. 8 of Alamaa, and he fell into a comfortable lead and crossed the line solidly ahead of the field.

Feature – 30 Laps

The No. 98 of Lee Kemmit and the No. 51 of Eric Meisner led the field to the green flag for the LM Feature race. Kemmit’s No. 98 got out front in a hurry, pulling the No. 51 of Meisner behind him, while the No. 8 of Alamaa crept into the picture from a fourth-place start and searched for his opening to have a go at the leaders. Just seven laps in, the No. 96 of Jeremy Jackson and the No. 63 of James Starcher got together, shearing sheet metal off both race cars and causing a caution. On the restart, Alamaa’s No. 8 completed the pass for second place and set out after Kemmit’s No. 98 out front, finding speed in the high line to the outside of the leader.

While the No. 98 of Kemmit and the No. 8 of Alamaa did battle up front, the No. 31 of Rick Smith waited for his opportunity to pounce, but the leaders stayed clean. For 18 laps, Kemmit’s No. 98 and Alamaa’s No. 8 stayed neck-and-neck around CNS. Alamaa finally threw the No. 8 machine ahead of the No. 98 in Turn 3 on the last lap, beating Kemmit to the checkers for the LM Feature win in thrilling fashion.

Late Model Battle for Lead 5-6-23 Colorado National Speedway

Dash: No. 48, Mikey Blackard

Fast Dash: No. 8 Dan Alamaa

Feature: No. 8, Dan Alamaa

Quick Time: No. 51, Eric Meisner 17.310

AC Transmission Legends

Dash – 10 Laps

Rookie Dillyn Kellogg’s No. 33 and Nick Gunther’s No. 56 took the green flag on the front row. However, they were no match for the No. 75 of Austin Hackenberg, though Gunther threw the No. 56 after him at the line. Hackenberg’s No. 75 took home the trophy.

Fast Dash – 10 Laps

The No. 03 of Darrell Stewart found himself under fire from the No. 21 of Ryan Jones and the No. 22 of Chris Eggleston almost immediately. A spin caused a caution about halfway through the race, and the No. 22 of Eggleston took off with the lead while the No. 66 of Kyle Clegg put pressure on him. They settled in, and Eggleston’s No. 22 took the win.

Feature – 20 Laps

Right away, you could almost throw a blanket over second through sixth place as the No. 01 of Gary Land took control of the field. However, just a few laps later, the No. 33 of Kellogg got around the No. 01 of Land, pulling the No. 57 of Jarret Scarberry through into second place along with him. The No. 33 of Kellogg and the No. 57 of Scarberry fought hard for the race lead until a spin in Turn 4 caused a caution. The No. 01 of Land found himself tangling with the No. 11 of Jeremy Lange, and Lang was sent to the rear of the field.

With just three to go, the No. 01 of Land recovered to run with the lead pack, jostling with the No. 48 of Preston Nakayama. This allowed the No. 57 of Scarberry to get away with the lead. Scarberry was all smile after winning in the No. 57 machine – and he had good reason, since this was his maiden Legends feature, as well as his maiden Legends feature win. Nakayama’s No. 48 finished second, and Land’s No. 01 recovered to finish third.

Fast Feature – 25 Laps

The No. 21 of Ryan Jones, the No. 66 of Clegg, and the No. 78C of Colton Crocker went three-wide at the drop of the green, splitting the No. 21 of Jones and slamming the door on him. This allowed the No. 66 of Clegg to get out front, but the No. 78C of Crocker certainly didn’t let him get away with the lead without a fight. As the track became cooler, the race cars became looser, proving a challenge as the laps ticked down. They settled into an uneasy single-file line until a single car incident in Turn 3 resulted in a caution. With eight laps left, the ensuing restart saw the No. 66 of Clegg and the No. 22 of Eggleston trying to get the best of one another – until a multicar pileup occurred in Turn 2.

In this wreck, the No. 27 of Brian Harlow got turned over and flipped in Turn 2 before landing right side up. The No. 56 of Nick Gunther was also involved, as was the No. 98H of Samuel Haugen, among others. The tangle was sorted out, and all drivers were able to exit their vehicles under their own power.

The Legends weren’t done getting into each other yet. Once again, on the restart, a multicar wreck occurred. The No. 21 of Jones pushed hard into the No. 66 of Clegg, forcing Clegg to retire. The race restarted with a green-white-checker finish on deck. The No. 22 of Eggleston led the No. 21 of Jones across the finish line, granting Eggleston a hard-fought Legend feature win.

Dash: No. 75, Austin Hackenberg

Fast Dash: No. 22, Chris Eggleston

Feature 1: No. 57, Jarret Scarberry

Feature 2: No. 22, Chris Eggleston

Quick Time: No. 22, Chris Eggleston 18.238

Puzzle Effect Bandoleros

In the Bandit class, the No. 12 of Aspyn Lange led a chaos-filled race through the small racetrack in Turns 1 and 2, a special win for her that she dedicated to her grandfather. The rest of the field gained valuable racing experience and completed the race without major incident.

Dash: No. 89, Justin Barnard

Feature: No. 12, Aspyn Lange

The Outlaw class saw a familiar face emerge to claim the feature victory – the No. 68 machine of Wyatt Dent made smart moves to cross the line ahead of everyone else, picking up right where he left off in the 2022 season.

Dash: No. 68, Wyatt Dent

Feature: No. 68, Wyatt Dent