September 7, 2024 ~ Dacono, CO
Wheels of all sorts overtook Colorado National Speedway on September 7th, 2024. It all started with a horde of dedicated bikers who concluded the annual two-hour Ride 911 cruise with victory laps on our asphalt oval in memory of the victims of the 9/11 attacks. Super Late Models, Grand American Modifieds, and Super Stocks carried the show from there, but not without a little help from our fan-favorite circle drags. We even had a visit from our two most viral competitors: the infamous Tesla Cybertruck sporting a brand new wrap and a lightbar versus the blue Corvette Grand Sport that showed it what for the last time they went head-to-head. Well, good old internal combustion put the Cybertruck in its place once again as the crowd screamed its support for the Corvette on its way to victory in the rematch. As if that weren’t enough to keep fans on the edge of their seats, two of our races delivered photo finishes that were decided at the stripe, so keep reading to get caught up on all the action.
Bella Flooring America Super Late Models
Fast Dash – 10 Laps
After a botched start, the field was reset and the green flag waved again over the No. 6 of Dominic Ursetta. But his attempt to charge into the lead was cut short as his race car tagged the wall and caused the field to scatter. This allowed the No. 32 of Brett Yackey and the No. 3C of Cassidy Hinds to split Ursetta on either side, going three-wide for the lead. Brett Yackey eventually clawed his way past and claimed the top spot. Darren Robertson’s No. 11 closed on Ursetta, briefly battling him for second place before claiming the position for himself. Ursetta plummeted and fell in behind the No. 82 of Michael Scott. The field continued to follow Brett Yackey as the checkered flag flew, handing him the Fast Dash win.
Feature – 40 Laps
Nine entries followed the No. 84 of Matt Zwingelberg and the No. 22Y of Brian Yackey under the flag stand when the green dropped, but with just one lap in the books, the No. 12 of Bruce Yackey and the No. 29 of Matt Brunker collided in Turn 2. The race restarted and turned the lead over to Zwingelberg, but not for long – Scott bumped Hinds, causing a chain reaction through the field as Brett Yackey and Bruce Yackey yanked their race cars into spins to avoid wrecking into Hinds and Scott. This time, Brian Yackey assumed the lead when the race restarted after a brief cleanup, leaving Zwingelberg to fend off Hinds for second place. Brian Yackey set sail as the pack jostled for position in his rearview. Brett Yackey delivered a shot to Robertson as they argued for fourth place. Meanwhile, Hinds finally put Zwingelberg behind her after a lengthy battle for P2.
Suddenly, halfway through the race, Scott’s race car came alive. Working the high line, he charged past the field. Hinds put up a fight, but it wasn’t enough to keep Scott behind her. He executed the pass and pointed his race car to the front of the field, intent on slashing Brian Yackey’s lead. Once again, he threw his machine high and completed the pass.
While Scott continued to show the way, Hinds and Brett Yackey slammed together in Turn 3 but were able to keep going. Their dustup opened the door for Robertson to pass them both, and he took over third despite a protest from Brett Yackey, taking them both to the rear bumper of Brian Yackey. Brett Yackey overtook Robertson and slid into third place. The field filtered into a single-file line behind Scott, but just before things could really settle out, Bruce Yackey and Brunker got into one another, sending Bruce Yackey into the infield dirt as dust erupted around his spinning race car. Robertson stayed in tight formation with Brett Yackey for third, briefly going side-by-side until Robertson found the advantage. He cleared Brett Yackey in Turn 2 with five laps left and pulled away. Up front, Scott began to approach slower traffic, but as he cruised around the speedway with clean air ahead and working his preferred high line, lapped traffic never became an issue. Scott flashed under the checkers solidly in first place, tailed by Robertson and Brett Yackey.
Quick Time: No. 82, Michael Scott, 15.975
Fast Dash: No. 32, Brett Yackey
Feature: No. 82, Michael Scott
Sunoco Race Fuels Grand American Modifieds
Fast Dash – 10 Laps
Headed by the No. 13S of Jordon Smith and the No. 89 of Jacob Smith, the GAM field took the green flag. The No. 2 of Steve Rodenbaugh took over the third position after a brief battle as Jordon Smith paced the field. Nathan Gasser’s No. 24 peered to the inside of Rodenbaugh for third and took the position halfway through the race. The top two remained unchanged to the checkered flag as Jordon Smith won, followed by Jacob Smith.
Dash – 10 Laps
Cody Milan put his No. 32 to the front as soon as the green flag fell. The No. 17 of Holly Clark took over second place but found a challenger in the No. 13 of Darin Clark, who took P2 away from her. She battled back, but couldn’t make it stick, working every groove she could to get a run at him, but then the two race cars made contact, causing a yellow flag and neutralizing Milan’s lead. Milan took the lead again on the restart, but then chaos unfolded as the No. 68 of Jason Hulvey contacted the No. 7 of David Robinson, collecting several other cars on the last lap. The race ended under yellow with Milan out front.
Feature – 30 Laps
Before the field could get rolling after the green flag dropped, the No. 21 of Ryan Jones slammed the backstretch wall after contact with a competitor, resetting the field. This time, the front row, consisting of Holly Clark and the No. 3 of Jeremiah Hill, got a huge jump on the pack, but as soon as the field entered Turn 2, Rodenbaugh contacted Hill. Their exposed tires touched, causing Rodenbaugh to climb on Hill’s race car, resulting in heavy damage to the No. 3 machine. All drivers were able to guide their cars away from the crash. The third restart put Holly Clark back to the point, but not for long, as Darin Clark and Milan got into each other, triggering yet another yellow flag. Finally, Holly Clark led the first lap, which finally stayed green. Gasser wore out Jacob Smith for second place as the field strung out single file after only a few laps.
Then, on Lap 10, Darin Clark and Milan got into each other again as fluid spewed from one of the race cars, although thankfully, it was just water. Holly Clark had to defend her lead against Jacob Smith once again on the restart. Jordon Smith rocketed into fourth place as Hill continued his steady forward march back through the field. Up front, Gasser chipped away at Holly Clark’s lead while Jordon Smith overtook the third-place car and began his own mission to track down the leaders. Hulvey spun out and caused another yellow, forcing Holly Clark to pull off another flawless restart to keep her lead. She did just that, but Gasser hung onto her. Hill, meanwhile, hunkered down in the outside line and used it to his advantage. Jordon Smith looked to the inside of Jacob Smith, but Hill shouldered his way into the battle and went two-wide with Jacob Smith for second. Gasser, up front, tried to work on Holly Clark’s lead, but she valiantly held him off. He delivered a bump to her race car with three laps left as the tail end of the field loomed before them. On the last lap, Gasser pulled even with Holly Clark and passed her by a nose at the stripe, but after postrace inspection was complete, Holly Clark was declared the winner.
Quick Time: 24, Nathan Gasser, 17.332
Fast Dash: No. 13S, Jordon Smith
Dash: No. 32, Cody Milan
Feature: No. 17, Holly Clark
Pueblo Bank & Trust Super Stocks
Fast Dash – 10 Laps
A terrific start saw the front row stay in tight side-by-side formation through the first lap, which was narrowly led by the No. 82 of Ian Clark. Chris Cox’s No. 49 dove down in front of the No. 4 of Chris Jordan to take third, while Brent Cave, who had started on the front row in his No. 9 machine, surged back into the top spot. Clark took back the lead from Cave but held up the frontrunners and allowed Cox to get a run at them both. They stayed three-wide for an entire lap as the No. 97 of Kyle Stidham lurked behind them. Cox finally got the advantage while Stidham pulled past Cave to snag the runner-up position.
Dash – 10 Laps
A strong start saw the No. 99JR of Ryan Raley jump out front to lead the first lap. Meanwhile, the No. 33 of Dillyn Kellogg moved to the outside of the No. 57 of Jason Arbuckle for second, but then, the No. 88 of Jacob Poole spun Arbuckle, but the race stayed green. The No. 81 of Kyle Shanahan had worked his way up to third amidst the scramble, while Kellogg began working on Raley’s lead. Kellogg dove to the inside of Raley in Turn 1 but couldn’t make the move stick. Unwilling to be shaken that easily, Kellogg stayed glued to the leader’s bumper, finally making a move on the high side in Turn 3 and pulling alongside Raley for a drag race to the line. It would be Raley by a hair under the checkers for the Dash win.
Feature – 25 Laps
On the first lap, rookie of the year contenders No. 8 of Isaac Almaswari and Kellogg made contact and spun out, but no caution was called, letting Shanahan lead the first lap. The No. M60 of Morris Christner charged into second, with chaotic three-wide battles happening behind. Three laps in, Almaswari's broken right-front tire forced his early retirement, finally bringing out the yellow. Christner and Shanahan lined up on the front row for the restart, but Shanahan got the jump and took the lead, but not for long. A few laps later, Christner took the lead with the No. 61 of John Humphrey following through on the inside. The action intensified as a three-wide battle ensued, with the Clark, Cave, and Cox marching through the field. Christner surrendered the lead to Humphrey, but Cox and Raley were on their way to the front.
Halfway through the race, the field finally settled into single file. But the action wasn’t over, as Cox pressured the No. 5W of Troy Witthar for third, eventually muscling past him and taking Cave through the hole with him. It wouldn’t last long, though – on Lap 20, Christner got loose in Turn 4, forcing the Cox to check up just as the No. 51 of Jessilyn Dike spun in Turn 2, making light contact with the No. 34 of Bryson Brooks, bringing out the yellow. Humphrey got a good jump on the restart as Christner went wide, allowing Cox to get alongside and make slight contact down the front stretch. Cox held it together and cleared Christner with three laps left, Cave in hot pursuit. Cox went to the outside of Humphrey with two to go with Cave right behind. In a thrilling drag race to the finish, Cox and Humphrey stayed right alongside each other all the way to the checkered flag in yet another drag race to the line. Cox barely squeaked by, winning by less than a bumper. Spins towards the back of the pack on the final lap added to the chaos, with the margin of victory a razor-thin 0.025 seconds with Humphrey taking the runner-up spot.
Quick Time: No. 97, Kyle Stidham, 19.700
Fast Dash: No. 49, Chris Cox
Dash: No. 99JR, Ryan Raley Jr
Feature: No. 49, Chris Cox
It’s championship season, which means we’ll be crowning our 2024 track champions over the next few weeks. If you haven’t been to CNS yet this year, or if you’re looking for an excuse to head back out for the second or third or fourth (etc.) time, now’s the perfect time to see the action firsthand as drivers duke it out for the division championships.
OFFICIAL RESULTS
Super Late Model - 40 Laps
82 Michael Scott
11 Darren Robertson
32 Brett Yackey
22Y Brian Yackey (R)
3C Cassidy Hinds
12 Bruce Yackey
29 Matt Brunker
84 Matt Zwingelberg
6 Dominic Ursetta
Grand American Modified - 30 Laps
17 Holly Clark
89 Jacob Smith
13S Jordon Smith
24 Nathan Gasser
3 Jeremiah Hill
21 Ryan Jones
2 Steve Rodenbaugh
6 Scotty Scott
55 Damian Lockhart
68 Jason Hulvey (R)
7 David Robinson
2M Anthony Buckley
8 Benjamin Stanley
13 Darin Clark
32 Cody Milan (R)
Super Stock - 25 Laps
49 Chris Cox
61 John Humphrey
9 Brent Cave
97 Kyle Stidham
M60 Morris Christner
5W Troy Witthar
82 Ian Clark
11W Scott Long
99JR Ryan Raley Jr
24 Kolby Humphrey
88 Jacob Poole
51 Jessilyn Dike
3 Mike Cox
81 Kyle Shanahan
33 Dillyn Kellogg (R)
40 Ryan Newey
34 Bryson Brooks (R)
4 Chris Jordan
57 Jason Arbuckle (R)
8 Isaac Almaswari (R)